I did a whole degree in it. Great fun. Everyone was crap, including me. Many of the stories were so hilariously godawful I still recall them with joy.
We spent a huge amount of time focusing on plot and theme and character. That was all fun, but it was also a waste of time, because no one was able to put a proper sentence together, or explain the differences between lie / lay / laid / lain, let alone begin wrangling with that complex philosophical stuff.
In my opinion, the best way for a beginner to improve their writing (in any form) is to study basic copyediting. By that I mean being conscious of every word you write and having a good reason for each one. There are some very good exercises about this on Wikipedia -
here's one.