We know that you’ve all been eagerly awaiting our Autumn timetable and we can announce that bookings are now open!

The UniSkills webinars are delivered by our knowledgeable team of Academic Skills Advisors and are jam packed with the very best advice to help you ace your assignments. Whether you’re just starting out on your student journey, or you’re a postgraduate who need help with your Masters dissertation, there really is something for everyone. There’s everything from academic writing, critical analysis, proofreading, referencing and all the way through to writing your dissertation.

If you’re new to writing at university level and have your first assignment title but you’re not sure how to get started then Introduction to Academic Writing would be ideal for you. There’s also Being Critical, Become a Paraphrasing Pro and Using Harvard Referencing which can be useful as you approach each stage of your assignment. If you are struggling to find resources for your assignment and want some help finding your eBooks and eResources, we even have bite size sessions such as Finding Online Resources via the Library Catalogue and your Reading List and Finding Electronic Journals in Discover More.

If you have had a break in your studies, and possibly feeling a little overwhelmed, the Returning To Learning community is a chance to meet other students, chat about your learning experiences, and discover study tips and strategies, as you settle back into University life.

UniSkills also has loads to offer returning students so you may be interested in Developing Academic Writing further as you move in to higher level writing and our Grow Your Academic Resilience session can help you to cope with the challenges this may bring. If you’re going in to your final year then I’m sure that lots of you are thinking about your dissertation and Writing Your Undergraduate Dissertation can help you on this journey. We haven’t forgotten about postgraduate’s either as the Writing Your Postgraduate Dissertation session will help you consider how to keep a narrow focus and originality of research.

Also for the first time this year we are offering UniSkills Extra sessions. Find out how assistive technology software can be used to support your studies with the Using Assistive Technologies at University and Harnessing Digital Accessibility sessions or if you want to stop procrastinating Developing Strategies for Learning is ideal for helping you to devise strategies to manage your time better.

You can check out the full line-up and book your place at ehu.ac.uk/workshops. There are various times and dates to choose from and there is no limit on the number of webinars you can attend. All the sessions are delivered virtually through Blackboard Collaborate and can be accessed on or off campus. Don’t worry if you haven’t used this technology yet as we’ll send you a link to join the session along with a handy technical guide. You can also watch our useful video guide, for how to really get the most out of attending a UniSkills webinar.

If you are unable to attend a session but would like some additional guidance on any of these topics then please get in touch with us or book a 1-2-1 appointment here.

We’re looking forward to seeing you soon!

As we all know, things are going to be a little different this new academic year. But with a bit of planning we can all still study productively and happily 😊

Hi, I’m Claire, an Academic Skills Advisor in the Student Engagement Team. My role is to support students to develop their academic writing skills, but up until recently I was also a student at EHU – having just completed my PGCTHE over the summer. Between March-July of this year, I (like many of you) juggled work and home schooling alongside completing my final assignments. I learnt a lot during this time and can empathise fully with those of you who have been balancing so much these past few months – and may be continuing to do so.

With this in mind, I thought I’d share some of my top study tips..

Study Space

Try and find somewhere comfortable to study. Whilst we might not all be lucky enough to have the space (or funds) to kit out a spare room as an office, there are ways you can make sure that your studying life doesn’t overtake your personal life. I happily spent time in both my living room and bedroom writing assignments; propped up against pillows and blankets with notes all around me will always be my most comfortable place to study! That said however, I made a conscious effort to tidy away the laptop, notes, articles and books each time I finished for the day. Out of sight, out of mind, is a positive here; as you want to be able to switch off when you are not in studying mode. I found a cheap collapsible storage box helped with this.

I’d fill it with all my ‘stuff’ once I had finished and then put the lid on it! So, if you haven’t got a permanent space to study, think about how you can adapt a temporary or flexible space to work in.

Caring Responsibilities

Studying with children around can be hard. As a single mum of a very lively seven-year-old, I know only too well that juggling studying alongside being a parent is not easy, particularly if you are unable to rely on your usual family/friends to help with childcare. For me, during lockdown, I often had to rely on TV and YouTube Kids to help keep my daughter entertained – I now know more YouTubers than I ever did pre-COVID! Whilst parent-guilt can be difficult to deal with when you’re juggling everything – remember it’s never a long-term situation and workloads will vary at different points in the semester.

Whilst working to a deadline, I worried at times that my own stress and anxiety was visible to my little girl. However, I was also showing her the importance of not giving up – even when things were proving difficult. Resilience is something we can all develop and rely on to help overcome obstacles and setbacks. My colleagues and I have put together an Academic Resilience toolkit, which you might find useful if you would like to develop these skills further. You may also want to check out Fika, an app which can help support good wellbeing and study habits.

Remember, Library & Learning Services are here to support you with your study skills but do reach out to a tutor or Student Services if you are struggling to balance your commitments.

Time Management

With so much studying taking place now online, the onus is on you more than ever to be organised and keep to deadlines. If you don’t already, try using your phone calendar to keep track of where you need to be and when. I’d be lost without Google calendar and the ability to colour code all my different activities across the week. Set reminders, not just for final deadlines, but also for targets such as completing readings or making plans.

If you’re looking for tips on how to manage your time or put together a study timetable, our Getting Organised webpages may prove useful. Remember to also take regular breaks from studying, we all need down time and the opportunity to relax 😊

Motivational Support

Whilst studying online, I found staying in touch with friends from my course helpful as we could support and motivate each other. You might find group message chats or online catch-ups useful if you are unable to meet in person.

The Student Engagement Team are continuing to deliver UniSkills (our programme of academic skills support) virtually online. Our team is here to support and motivate you via friendly webinars and 1-2-1 support sessions. Whether you need support with referencing, academic writing or finding relevant literature we can help.

The next few months might be rather different, but there is plenty of study support available. Focus on the positives and plan for any challenges. Finally, good luck to all our new students and those of you returning to your studies – we hope to see you in our webinars and 1-2-1s very soon!

Take care and stay safe 😊

Hello and a massive welcome to all our new students, we look forward to meeting you and getting to know you all. Welcome back to all returning students too. We are the Student Engagement team and we are here to provide support with all aspects of academic skills. Although this year may feel a little different please be reassured that we are here to support you!

Induction

Head over to the Learning and Support Services Induction pages to find out more information about who lives in Catalyst, what they do and how they can support you. There’s an interactive induction toolkit that you can work through at your own pace, which will introduce you to Library and Learning Services, Student Services and Careers, or you can even watch an induction video if you prefer.

Uniskills

The best place to find out more about how we can support you is to head over to the UniSkills web pages where there’s a vast wealth of information around academic writing and research skills. Here you’ll find our interactive online UniSkills Toolkits which contain loads of tips and tricks to help you with assignment planning, critical thinking, punctuation, proofreading and much more. There’s also some handy guides and videos too!

We’ve also put on some some ‘Getting Started With Uniskills’ sessions especially for new students. They’ll help you log in, explore the Blackboard Institution homepage, show you how to find academic information for your university assignments and give you an overview of the UniSkills support available – all the essentials to ensure you’re ready for the start of your course.  There’ll even be a prize drawer for a £25 Amazon voucher simply for attending the session so book your place now!

You can also check out what Uniskills Webinars we have on offer throughout the year or if you require more specific support you can also book a 1-2-1 virtual appointment with an Academic Skills Advisor who can work with you on a piece of work or research.

Finding Your Resources

Once you start your tutor will provide with your reading list and I’m sure many of you will be keen to get started! To find your resources the Library Catalogue is a great place to start. From here you can access your Reading List online and, by clicking on the book titles, you can jump straight through to the catalogue where you will find details on the items location and availability.

You can collect items directly from the shelves and check them out on the self-issue machines located around the building or you can currently reserve items straight from the shelves using our temporary ‘Click and Collect’ service. All you need to do to use this service is place a reservation on the book you want, we’ll grab if from the shelves for you and let you know when it’s ready to collect.

As an Edge Hill student you also have access to thousands of high quality academic e-resources which are particularly useful whilst on placement as they can all be accessed off campus. The Subject Resource web pages contain all the relevant journals and databases for your course or you can browse the e-resource collections using the Discover More search tool. You also find links to newspaper collections and useful websites relevant to your course.

And, if there is ever a book or journal article that we don’t have in our collection you can ask us add a copy by using the You Want It, We Get it service. Just fill in the details on the form and we’ll do our best to get it in for you – how cool is that?

Further Help and Support

If you have any general enquiries about resources for your study, IT related enquiries or academic skills support you can contact the Catalyst Helpdesk Monday to Friday between 8am and 8pm and Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 6pm.

We wish you all the best for this coming academic year and look forward to supporting you soon!