Study Skills Workshops

Success in a college environment depends on those key skills that you’ve been hearing about throughout your academic career — time management, organization, note-taking, reading, and studying. The Student Learning Centre will be offering FREE weekly workshops on different academic topics throughout first semester. These workshops will give you new strategies to approach your courses and the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with other students.

Please register in advance to guarantee a space. Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2).

• Time Management
• Note-Taking and Reading Strategies
• Getting Started on Assignments and Avoiding Procrastination
• Improve Your Study Strategies
  
• Stress Management
• Exam Prep and Test Anxiety
• How to Evaluate Resources: What is the C.R.A.A.P. Test?
• Why Do I Have to Cite Everything? Understanding Plagiarism

For additional information to help you develop these skills, you can also visit Study Skills: a guide for academic success.

Managing your time and keeping on top of your work are the keys to success as a college student. This workshop will introduce you to some simple techniques to plan your time more effectively. A learning strategist will teach you how to build an “Ideal Weekly Schedule” and a “Semester Plan,” and you will also discuss good techniques for getting into a routine to stay on top of your work.

Winter Schedule:

• Thursday, February 1st, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, February 2nd, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for a Time Management workshop.

It can be challenging to listen to your professors while also writing class notes . . . and how do you balance all of the readings that you need to get through, anyway? Come to this workshop to learn more about different note-taking systems, and figure which one best fits your courses and your own learning style. You will also be introduced to reading techniques and textbook features that will help you learn the material more effectively.

Winter Schedule:

• Thursday, February 8th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, February 9th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for a Note-Taking and Reading Strategies workshop.

“If I’d just started earlier, I could have done so much better.” Although many students claim to work better under the pressure of deadlines, not having enough time to complete assignments can mean that you are not reaching your potential as a student. Learn to maximize your marks by starting early and breaking down your assignments into manageable parts using an “assignment tracker.” This workshop is also about sharing techniques that will help you break the habit of putting off work and learn strategies to avoid procrastination.

Winter Schedule:

• Thursday, February 15th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, February 16th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Thursday, March 15th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, March 16th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Tuesday, April 3rd, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m., Room B-182

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for a Getting Started on Assignments and Avoiding Procrastination.

Practice makes perfect! If you want to feel more comfortable with new material, you need to review regularly and actively! Trade in straight reading for techniques that will allow you to rehearse material, test yourself, and come up with memory devices. Learn how to prioritize your studying and focus on the material that really matters. The techniques introduced in this session will help throughout the semester, as well as leading up to exams.

Winter Schedule:

• Thursday, March 1st, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, March 2nd, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Thursday, March 29th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for a Improve Your Study Strategies workshop.

For many students, exam time can be filled with stress, anxiety, and worry. This workshop will help you to plan out your time in the weeks leading up to exams so that you have enough time to study each subject. It will also introduce the “Stoplight Study Technique” to help you determine what material you need to cover. Other strategies will include active study techniques, memory tools, and test-taking tips that can improve your exam results.

Winter Schedule:

• Thursday, March 8th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, March 9th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Thursday, April 12th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, April 13th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Tuesday, April 17th, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Room B-384A

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for an Exam Prep workshop.

Balancing your course-load and personal commitments can be a stressful experience for many college students. This workshop, led by an Algonquin College counsellor, will help students learn more about stress. It will also introduce practical strategies to help with stress management so that you can focus better on your learning!

Winter Schedule:

• Wednesday, January 31st, 11 a.m.- 12 p.m., Room B-165
• Thursday, March 22nd, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, March 23rd, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Thursday, April 5th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148
• Friday, April 6th, 1 p.m. – 2 p.m., Room A-148

Note: Online registration will open the Monday prior to each scheduled week (Eg. – Week 3 workshops will open on Monday of Week 2). Drop-ins are welcome, provided there is space remaining.

Register for a Stress Management workshop.

Doing quality research means making sure you are using reliable sources. This workshop will show you how to evaluate the quality of some resources using the ‘C.R.A.A.P’ test—a guideline for critically analyzing sources—so you can avoid ‘fake news’.

Workshop objective: To introduce students to the practice of evaluating information sources and to help them develop their ability to choose appropriate sources.

Winter Schedule:

• Wednesday, March 7th, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., Room A-159 (Library)
• Thursday, March 8th, 9 a.m. – 10 a.m., Room A-159 (Library)

Note: This workshop does not qualify for any bonus mark reward program.

Register for How to Evaluate Resources: What is the C.R.A.A.P. Test? workshop.

This workshop will clarify what plagiarism means, and how to avoid it. It will explain the value of citing your sources and how it benefits you as well as the original creators of your sources. It will also cover how to incorporate your sources into your writing using quotations and paraphrasing.

Workshop objective: To introduce the idea of citation to students as one of the ways to avoid plagiarizing, as well as to help them develop the ability to paraphrase useful information during the research process.

Winter Schedule:

• Tuesday, March 6th, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., and 4 p.m. – 5 p.m., Room A-159 (Library)
• Tuesday, March 13th, 2 p.m. – 3 p.m., Room A-159 (Library)

Note: This workshop does not qualify for any bonus mark reward program.

Register for Why Do I Have to Cite Everything? Understanding Plagiarism workshop.