To register for any of the sessions please email Gillian Sanders, giving at least three days' notice. Refreshments are provided.
Lent Term 2015
Thursday 15 January, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
Speed-reading Introduction
Workshop run by Johanna Lukate and Shai Helfand
Academic studies require navigating through large quantities of readings in a relatively short time. This seminar is a short introduction to 'speed reading' and familiarises you with some techniques that were taught as part of the 7-week speed reading course held last year. While there are many ways to improve reading productivity, this session will focus on using your natural vision and on learning some basic speed reading techniques to improve ‘scanning’ and reading time. In addition, some short mindfulness-based relaxation techniques are introduced that positively affect academic performance and reading. With these techniques at hand and some practice on your own, you will be able to read faster and more focused.
Thursday 22 January
No session
Thursday 29 January, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
Learning Styles
Workshop run by Professor Jan Vermunt, Faculty of Education and Fellow of Wolfson College
In this practical session we will focus on different possible ways of studying based on research on student learning at university and will focus on your own approach to studying. More specifically, we will:
- Introduce briefly what kind of approaches to studying have been identified in international research on student learning
- Help you identify your own approach to studying
- Discuss the strengths and pitfalls of different approaches to studying
- Derive conclusions about how to strengthen your own way of studying
Thursday 5 February, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
How do I avoid Plagiarism?
Workshop run by Meg Westbury
This session will help you avoid plagiarism (intentional or unintentional) by covering the different types of plagiarism, the basics of citing, referencing and paraphrasing, and tips for effective note taking.
Thursday 12 February, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
Stress-Free Referencing with Zotero
Workshop run by Meg Westbury
In this session, you will learn the basics of how to use Zotero, a free tool for managing your research library and effortlessly creating citations and references according to your preferred reference style. We will walk through how to download and get started with Zotero, how to add and manage references within the Zotero database, and how to use Zotero to automatically create in-text citations and bibliographies in your essays and research papers.
Thursday 19 February, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
Critical Analysis and Argument in Academic Writing
Workshop run by Dr David Frost
Academic assignments are usually assessed on the extent to which the writer has engaged in critical analysis and whether they have been successful in putting forward an academic argument. Graduate students can find this challenging. Students often find it difficult to find the most appropriate ‘voice’ in which to engage in critical analysis and argument. This session aims to address this challenge. David will present material and facilitate discussion that will enable us to consider the nature of critical thinking and how this can be applied in the context of academic writing. The development of a critical perspective and the nature of argument in academic papers will be examined. Examples of text will be used to explore these dimensions of writing.
Thursday 26 February, 6-7pm. Roger Needham Room
Online Resources for Career Research and Interview Preparation
Workshop run by Meg Westbury and the Wolfson Careers Service link representative
The University has a wealth of online resources for company news and information, industry reports, and market data that can be used to ‘wow’ your interviewers. This is crucial information for your job hunt and interview that is not freely available on the open web (e.g. via Google). In this session, you will learn about the best of these databases to use and how to mine the information most effectively.
Thursday 5 March, 6-7pm. Lee Hall
Examinations and Revision
Workshop for undergraduates and taught MPhils run by Richard Berengarten
This seminar will help you to map out your revision in a practical and effective way, without overloading. The steps outlined will take you through the simple procedures involved in setting up and activating your own plan. This is not a lecture but a working session. During it, you will have the chance to set up your own timetable with a bit of outside guidance and support. It will be useful if you can bring along some exam papers from a previous year. The seminar concludes by exploring exam skills, especially with regard to: time-management, generating ideas, relevance and conciseness, the structuring and planning of answers, and checking and editing. As with revision above, the approach is 100% simple and practical.