List of LDC workshops
Academic writing and personal development workshops
During Trimesters A and B, the School of Computing, Engineering and Built Environment (SCEBE) LDC will offer a series of online workshops that break down some of the challenges for students who are striving for academic success. Just drop into the online session(s) that would be most useful to you. Workshops will take place on Wednesday afternoons.
Workshops will be run via the Collaborate Ultra area in the School of Computing Engineering and Built Environment module. They can also be accessed via the links shown below the workshop content descriptions. If you are a SCEBE student and you are unable to access the workshops via the links, then email askLDC@gcu,ac,uk, using your student email address, and make us aware of your issue.
All SCEBE students are welcome to attend any or all workshops. Some of the workshops also cover challenges faced by international students.
Recordings of the workshops may be made available on YouTube. Links will be supplied when the videos are available.
See below for the scheduled Trimester B Workshops and the Dissertation Writing Series sessions.
Trimester B Workshops
Week 1: Wednesday, 31 January
12 noon to 1pm: Planning Your Writing - Sally
If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. - Benjamin Franklin
Whether you are writing a paragraph, a report, or a dissertation, planning out what and how you are going to write will ensure you are in control of your writing (and not the other way around). In this workshop, we will go over the four types of planners, common ordering strategies, different outline approaches, and tools for organising your time and research.
Access the Planning Your Writing workshop on GCU Learn.
1pm to 2pm: Managing Volume Reading - Josianne
Effective reading at university requires active engagement, skill and preparation to deal with both volume reading and in-depth analysis. Choosing the right method is key to maximise your study time and the analytical understanding of texts at hand. This session will cover strategies such as understanding the anatomy of a text, identifying reading purpose, and applying methods such as SQ3R reading. It will conclude with a discussion of which methods are best applied in volume reading versus in-depth analysis.
Access the Managing Volume Reading workshop on GCU Learn.
12 noon to 2pm: On-campus ICT Drop-in Clinic - Jim
Location: M541
Having ICT problems with your GCU email or accessing GCULearn or do you have other ICT issues? Drop in anytime during the times shown for one to one assistance.
Week 2: Wednesday, 7 February
12 noon to 1pm: Understanding Your Assignment - Melanie
It is important to understand what the coursework brief is asking of you. Before you start researching or writing, it is worth understanding the wording of the question and any learning outcomes so you know what the assignment is looking for. The session will show you how to unpick the question, make sense of the task words such as "discuss", and "critically evaluate", and show you how to make the connections and develop ideas.
Access the Understanding Your Assignment workshop on GCU Learn.
1pm to 2pm: International Students - Academic and Cultural Transition - an Introduction - Melanie
This interactive session welcomes all International students where we learn more about differences in social and cultural norms, different academic methods and values, GCU methods of assessment and strategies for communication skills. We will embrace the importance of a culturally inclusive environment.
Access the Academic and Cultural Transition workshop on GCU Learn.
12 noon to 1pm: On-campus ICT Drop-in Clinic - Jim
Location: M541
Having ICT problems with your GCU email or accessing GCULearn or do you have other ICT issues? Drop in anytime during the times shown for one to one assistance.
Week 3: Wednesday, 14 February
12noon to 1pm: International Students - Academic and Cultural Transition - an Introduction - Melanie
This interactive session welcomes all International students where we learn more about differences in social and cultural norms, different academic methods and values, GCU methods of assessment and strategies for communication skills. We will embrace the importance of a culturally inclusive environment.
Access the Academic and Cultural Transition workshop on GCU Learn.
1pm to 2pm: Writing a Project Proposal - Josianne
Successful project proposals share the quality of clarity in communicating: 1) the scientific idea being investigated and 2) a workable project plan that sets out, coherently, how the objectives will be achieved. Framing your thoughts before writing this down is an essential part of the process and that is often missed. This workshop will take you from the ideation stage to articulating your project proposal on the page as well as give you a way in to conducting a literature review.
Access the Writing a Project Proposal workshop on GCU Learn.
12 noon to 2pm: On-campus ICT Drop-in Clinic - Jim
Location: M541
Having ICT problems with your GCU email or accessing GCULearn or do you have other ICT issues? Drop in anytime during the times shown for one to one assistance.
Week 4: Wednesday, 21 February
12 noon to 1pm: Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism - Melanie
This workshop focuses on referencing and using citations effectively. It introduces different techniques for referring to sources in your work and we will look Cite them right - the guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarism
Access the Referencing and Avoiding Plagiarism workshop on GCU Learn.
2pm to 3pm: Expanding Your Academic Vocabulary Bank - Josianne
Developing a strong academic vocabulary bank is a key building block to bring sophistication to your academic writing. A common problem in writing is the discrepancy between what we mean to say and what we actually write on paper. The culprit is often inaccurate or improper use of words. This session will share strategies and resources to help you develop your vocabulary.
Access the Expanding Your Academic Vocabulary Bank workshop on GCU Learn.
Week 5: Wednesday, 28 February
12 noon to 1pm: Reading Strategies - Skimming and Scanning - Melanie
This workshop focuses on strategies and tips for effective reading and note taking to help you get the most out of your reading at GCU.
Access the Reading Strategies workshop on GCULearn
Week 6: Wednesday, 6 March
12 noon to 1pm: Paragraphs - Creating Flow, Cohesion and Argument - Josianne
Are you worried your writing is disjointed? Or that you are not driving the argument forward? This session is aimed at helping you strengthen the links between ideas in your text at paragraph level.
Access the Paragraphs workshop on GCULearn
1pm to 2pm: Sentence Structure 1 - Ursula
Are your sentences clunky, fragmented or unclear? This class explains the mechanics of sentence structure and explains how you can avoid a typical sentence structure problem: incomplete sentences.
Access the Sentence Structure 1 workshop on GCULearn
Week 7: Wednesday, 13 March
12 noon to 1pm: Sentence Structure 2 - Ursula
Building on the first sentence structure class, this session helps you avoid run-on sentences, reviews common punctuation problems, and explains how you can avoid ambiguity caused by misplaced modifiers.
Access the Sentence Structure 2 workshop on GCULearn
1pm to 2pm: Presenting effectively - Jim
Does the thought of creating a presentation and then presenting it to a group of people, fill you with apprehension? Are you interested in learning some strategies and tips that will help you develop into a confident presenter? If the answer is yes, then this session is for you.
Access the Presenting Effectively workshop on GCULearn
Week 8: Wednesday, 20 March
12 noon to 1pm: Revision, Editing and Proof Reading / Editing your Work - Josianne
Are you worried your text is not polished enough? You have spent hours, days working on your text. You are now tempted to press submit but are wondering if there is anything you can do to improve your text. This session will explore the different stages of editing, revising, proofreading, and polishing your work. It is aimed at students who either have a draft they are working on or writing their dissertation.
Access the Revision Editing and Proof Reading / Editing your Work workshop on GCULearn
Week 9: Wednesday, 27 March
12 noon to 1pm: Preparing for On-line Exams - Jim
Online exams are easier than on-campus exams, aren’t they? You have access to all your study materials, and the internet, during the exam. How hard can it be? However, you still need to have studied and understood the module content, to be successful. Trying to learn material that you have not studied before, during an exam, is not an effective strategy. This session includes; preparing your environment, exam technique, and technical issues. All this and more will be covered during this session.
Access the Preparing for Online Exams workshop on GCULearn
1pm to 2pm: Preparing for On-Campus Exams- Jim
Not sure of what is involved in on-campus exams? Where and when does your exam take place? What do you need to bring? Do you have an exam technique? Feeling a bit stressed? All this and more will be covered during this session.
Access the Preparing for On-Campus Exams workshop on GCULearn
Any problems or queries, email askLDC@gcu.ac.uk.
The Dissertation Writing Series
The LDC is offering the following sessions to support you in the writing of your dissertation.
Week 1: Wednesday, 31 January
11am - 12 noon: Time Manage your Project - Josianne
Your dissertation may seem like a mammoth task, different to other modules with their set structure, time and plan. You’re finding yourself having to work mostly autonomously. This session will show you how you can apply project planning techniques to handle your final year project effectively.
Access the Time Manage your Project session on GCULearn here
Week 3: Wednesday, 14 February
11am - 12 noon: Writing introductions and conclusions - Josianne
This session covers effective ways of writing introductions and conclusions in dissertations, with a focus on bringing our dissertation full circle.
Access the Writing introductions and conclusions session on GCULearn here
Week 4: Wednesday, 21 February
11am - 12 noon: Writing the Methods or Methodology Section - Josianne
This session covers key areas for consideration in your methods section.
Access the Writing the Methods or Methodology Section session on GCULearn here
Week 6: Wednesday, 6 March
11am - 12 noon: Common Mistakes in Dissertations - Josianne
This session will cover some common mistakes in dissertations and how to address them.
Access the Common Mistakes in Dissertations session on GCULearn here
Week 8: Wednesday, 20 March
12 noon - 1pm: Revision, Editing and Proof Reading / Editing your Work - Josianne
Are you worried your text is not polished enough? You have spent hours, days working on your text. You are now tempted to press submit but are wondering if there is anything you can do to improve your text. This session will explore the different stages of editing, revising, proofreading, and polishing your work. It is aimed at students who either have a draft they are working on or writing their dissertation..
Access the Time Revision, Editing and Proof Reading / Editing your Work session on GCULearn here
Online sessions and recordings of the sessions can be accessed through the 'LDC Workshops on Collaborate Ultra' area in the sidebar of the module that the sessions are delivered from.