Thrive @ AC Orientation Workshop Series
Aug 14, 2020 - Aug 31, 2020
This series of free workshops will help you to thrive at the Pembroke Campus and be prepared for your studies. Each workshop can be done at your own pace between August 14 and 31. You will have a workshop facilitator that will be available to support you as you work through the workshops. The workshops that you register for will be accessible through Brightspace, the Learning Management System that you will use for each of your program courses.
Please watch this short video to learn more about how to access and navigate Brightspace. You can access Brightspace here, algonquincollege.com/pembroke/current. Please note: your AC email address won’t be active until early August. We will be sending you an email to notify you when it’s active.
Register today for your Thrive @ AC Workshops. You can register for a workshop right up until August 31!
These workshops are optional but we do encourage you to sign-up and prepare for your studies. You can register for any of the following workshops:
Science / Math Skills
- What Really Matters? The Foundations of Chemistry
- What makes something matter, or energy, or an idea? What are the properties of matter? What is matter made up of? These are the fundamental questions of chemistry. In this workshop, we will answer these questions then dive into the structure of the atom and look at various ways to understand it. This is a great workshop for anyone who is going into a program that requires chemistry. Brushing up on chemistry, common terms and language will help you get your year off to the right start. Perfect for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Environmental Technician, Pre-Health Sciences Pathways, and Practical Nursing students.
- The Building Blocks of Life – Fundamentals of Biology
- This workshop will use fun activities to understand the structure, components, and functions of a cell, to give you an edge to starting your biology courses with confidence. Activities will include learning how an organism structured from the large to the very small. We then dive into looking at types of cells, their organelles, and functions common to all life such as transport, cellular respiration and photosynthesis. We will also focus on some of the key study techniques which will help you to be successful in biology. This is a great review for anyone who will be taking any of the health sciences, or environmental programs. Perfect for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Environmental Technician, Pre-Health Sciences Pathways, Personal Support Worker, Practical Nursing, Outdoor Adventure Naturalist, and Forestry students.
- Calculate with Confidence
- The goal of this workshop is to help you develop mathematical skills and interest so that you have the confidence and ability to succeed in upcoming science courses. The three-hour session will include hands-on, real-life activities, in a collaborative setting. You will review topics such as decimals, fractions, measurement, and percentages. Examples and practice problems will be presented in a straightforward, real-life approach and focus on math calculations used in clinical health science programs. Perfect for Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Environmental Technician, Pre-Health Sciences Pathways, Personal Support Worker, and Practical Nursing students.
- Add It Up! Math Tips & Tricks!
- Brush up on your basic math skills to get you ready for college! Skills such as integers, order of operations, BEDMAS, fractions and decimals can come in very handy in many life situations involving money, time and problem-solving. Learn tips on how to develop and remember these skills in this workshop. Perfect for Forestry Technician, Outdoor Adventure Naturalist, Outdoor Adventure, Business, Office Administration – Executive, and Carpentry and Renovation Techniques students.
- Fun with Physics Language
- A typical physics course covers a wide array of topics that address many questions we ask ourselves on a day to day basis and help to explain the phenomena of the universe. Physics is a fundamental science and in our three-hour workshop, we will investigate the words and units used to describe the nature of things around us through real-life examples and hands-on activities. We will review topics such as scalar, vector, distance, displacement, speed, velocity and acceleration. Examples and practice problems will be presented to help you develop the language that is used throughout the study of physics and provide you with the confidence and ability to succeed in your future science courses. Perfect for Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety, and Pre-Health Sciences Pathways students.
- Don’t Panic: Steps to Surviving Physics Calculations
- The goal of this workshop is to help you further develop your mathematical skills so that you have the confidence and ability to tackle your upcoming science courses. Coupled with an understanding of the language and units used to describe the fundamental physics concepts, this three-hour workshop will help you to focus on the processes, methodologies and approaches involved in solving complex problems related to linear motion, force, work, temperature and heat, fluids and pressure. In a collaborative setting, you will be able to apply problem-solving techniques to mathematical operations involving formula manipulation, trigonometry, and vector addition. Examples and practice problems will be presented in a straightforward way and together we will focus on the math calculations used throughout the study of physics. Perfect for Applied Nuclear Science and Radiation Safety, and Pre-Health Sciences Pathways students.
Success Skills
- Professionalism – How to Make it Work For You!
- Students need to be prepared to work effectively and professionally within various settings and with various people throughout their college experience and beyond – the college classroom, in community placements, and eventually in work environments. In each of these, professional behaviour is an expectation. Often it is assumed these skills and abilities come naturally – not true! BUT we know these skills can be learned. Through this workshop, you will develop personal professional behaviour and a toolkit of skills that will lead to success!
- Communication – The Human Connection
- The importance of effective communication skills for college and career success is undeniable. Through a series of interactive activities, this workshop will focus on tips and tricks to help students read, write, speak, and listen more effectively and with greater confidence.
- Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff at College
- College brings about a whole new set of challenges; learning some key problem-solving tips and how to deal with difficult situations that are known to arise in college are essential to success. This interactive workshop covers the 10 things students didn’t know they needed to thrive at college.
- Work and Study Groups 101 – How to Improve on your Group Work Game
- Stressed out when it comes to group work? Or, maybe you would benefit from studying with peers, but don’t really know how. The Work and Study Groups 101: How to Improve on your Group Work Game will provide you with the necessary skills to work and study effectively in groups. Together, we will examine tips, tricks, and methods for working and studying in groups, including how to deal with difficult group work situations. Much of this will be learned by participating in real-life scenarios. You will leave this workshop with a good grasp on group work, study groups, and with useful take-home information and tools to use throughout the school year.
- Make the Most of Your Time! – Time Management Skills for College Students
- Successful completion of college courses involves committing time, resource, and energy to attend classes and completing challenging assignments. Balancing these commitments along with other social, work, and lifestyle demands is a common source of stress for college students. Many struggling students don’t plan to fail; they simply fail to plan. This time management workshop focuses on identifying and leveraging personal learning styles, exploring procrastination strategies to minimize pit-falls, using technology to support effective note-taking for maximum return, and developing a weekly/semester plan to manage time more effectively. Through this interactive workshop, students will gain time management skills that will help them plan for success throughout their college career.
- Reading, Studying, & Test Taking – Easy Ways to Remove Classroom Anxiety and Stress!
- This easy-to-learn system for reading and preparing study notes from text, taking effective in-class lecture notes, and stress-reducing test-taking strategies, will build your confidence and get you ready for life inside the college classroom. It will decrease your anxiety by reducing hours of reading texts, eliminating the need to copy and recopy notes, and of course, by bringing an end to ineffective, last-minute cramming.