Centre for the Development of Academic Skills (CeDAS) programme 2014-15

CeDAS Academic Skills Programme 2014-15 Enabling you to achieve your full academic potential

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CeDAS and you CeDAS (the Centre for the Development of Academic Skills) offers a range of courses, workshops and one-to-one tutorials that aim to ensure all students at Royal Holloway reach their full academic potential.

As you can see in the following pages, we will have something that fits your needs whether it is a workshop that introduces you to a crucial academic skill, a session within a department that focuses on writing in the discipline, a course that develops your confidence and competence in academic English, or a one-to-one tutorial with a specialist to sharpen your essay skills or to help you master a maths technique. Whatever your needs, we are here to ensure you can perform to the best of your ability.

CeDAS teaching staff

Sophie Acomat

Gerard Clough

Vicky Collins

Norlene Conway

Gerald Dampier

Jan Kosecki

Zohreh Moghimi

Marion Engrand-O’Hara

Silke Placzeck

Katie Shaw

Enquiries Email us at cedas-skills@royalholloway.ac.uk Sophia Stavrakakis

Charlotte von Essen

Stuart Wrigley

Visit CeDAS reception at IN002 on the ground floor of the International Building.

For further information about our activities, visit our website: royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas

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Academic skills for all This set of workshops is open to all students and provides a sound introduction to many of the key skills you need to perform well in your university studies.

• Choose from a selection of 14 workshops • Earn Royal Holloway Passport points • Register online via the CeDAS website.

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Iris Lebrun “CeDAS workshops have had a very positive impact on my studies – they have enhanced my writing and speaking skills and also my confidence.”

Reading and writing skills Essay writing essentials 1: The purpose and key elements of essays

2 hours

Essay writing essentials 2: Interpreting questions, paragraphing, and finding an academic voice

2 hours

Academic honesty and how to avoid plagiarism

1 hour

Using sources effectively in your writing

1 hour

Reading to write

2 hours

Clarity in academic writing

2 hours

Critical thinking for academic writing

2 hours

Improve your grammar

1 hour

Oral communication and other skills Essential presentation skills

2 hours

Seminar discussion skills

2 hours

Effective group work skills

2 hours

Strategies for effective independent learning

1 hour

Apps for academic success

1 hour

Exam tips and techniques (from 2015)

2 hours

To access CeDAS resources or to book a workshop, course, or tutorial, go to: royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas

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Academic English for international students CeDAS offers a suite of courses specifically designed for international students (including EU students) whose first language is not English.

•C hoose from a range of courses to suit your needs. You can get guidance at the Academic English Advice session 1.30-4.30pm in Moore Building Lecture Theatre on Friday 26 September • Earn Royal Holloway Passport points

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Hsin-Yi Chung “CeDAS has worked as a compass in my academic life. It has provided me with direction and guidance on how to improve many different skills and made me feel more confident studying in the UK.”

• Register online via the CeDAS website.

Writing skills A to Z: Key aspects of essay writing

8 x 2 hours

Advanced Academic Writing

4 x 2 hours

Writing with sources and avoiding plagiarism

4 x 2 hours

Introduction to Critical Thinking at University

4 x 2 hours

Academic Grammar and Vocabulary: Courses A and B

4 x 2 hours

Postgraduate dissertation writing for the social sciences (Spring Term only)

8 x 2 hours

Oral communication and other skills Building Pronunciation skills

8 x 1 hour

Pronunciation and intonation for presentations

8 x 1 hour

English through the Media: Courses A and B

8 x 2 hours

Academic Listening and Note-taking

4 x 2 hours

Presentation Skills

4 x 2 hours

To access CeDAS resources or to book a workshop, course, or tutorial, go to: royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas

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Academic skills for your subject CeDAS runs a number of workshops that are embedded into the curriculum of academic programmes. These have proven to be highly effective because the skills you learn are closely connected to particular academic tasks - especially writing tasks - within a specific discipline.

Please see the list of departments below, which currently offer discipline-specific workshops.

Undergraduate Bio Sciences Drama and Theatre Economics Geography School of Management Criminology and Sociology Media Arts

Postgraduate Taught Information Security Group Politics and International Relations Media Arts School of Management Social Work

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Justin O’Brien, MBA Programme Director “Students benefit enormously from this pioneering embedded skills approach.

Highly motivated and experienced MBA students have found the skills sessions and follow on resources extremely useful in their studies.”

Further details Further details about this provision are to be found in the course information of participating departments.

If you are a member of staff and want to learn more about how this provision may benefit your students, please email: stuart.wrigley@royalholloway.ac.uk

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Personal support One-to-one writing tutorials CeDAS offers all students the opportunity to gain help and advice on their academic writing.

Our one-to-one Writing Tutorials are 30-minute sessions with a specialist tutor who can provide input on many elements of your academic writing. Here are just some of the areas you may wish to discuss with your tutor:

One-to-one Writing Tutorials are developmental. It is an opportunity for you to clarify the way you express ideas through faceto-face discussion with a reader. Your tutor will not proof read your work. However, you will need to submit a piece of work in advance for your tutor to preview. All students are eligible for three tutorials per term.

• how to approach an assignment task

Maths and statistics support

• the logical consistency of ideas in your work • your use of grammar and punctuation • r eferencing both within the text and in a bibliography •h ow to achieve the correct academic writing style.

From January 2015, CeDAS will begin offering one-to-one Maths and Statistics Support sessions for undergraduate and postgraduate (taught) students in selected subjects. The aim of these sessions will be to develop your confidence and skills, and ultimately to help you solve mathematical problems independently.

These sessions will be available to book from January 2015. Details are be confirmed and publicised at the end of autumn term 2014.

To access CeDAS resources or to book a workshop, course, or tutorial, go to: royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas

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Further opportunities to develop your skills Skills and strategies for a successful visiting student experience Adjusting to the academic culture of a British university can be quite challenging especially if you are here for just a short while. CeDAS has developed a workshop that makes use of input from students returning from their own periods of study at universities overseas. Attend this workshop and gain practical insights that enable you to engage more fully with British university culture.

Skills development offered by other services Develop your skills further through training opportunities offered by these Royal Holloway services.

•C areers and Employability Acquire key skills for searching and applying for jobs, doing interviews and managing your career path •D isability and Dyslexia Service (ESO) Get support for your additional learning needs through a confidential one-to-one service •E ducational Development Centre Develop professional skills for postgraduate research Learn how to teach at university (for postgraduates) • I T Services Learn how to use a range of applications, including Word, Excel & PowerPoint, for academic purposes and beyond •L ibrary Services Locate and evaluate information for essays and dissertations. Reference work correctly in an appropriate style

•S MLLC Languages for All Learn Spanish, French, Italian or German - all available at beginner or intermediate levels To find out more about these services, visit royalholloway.ac.uk/

Online resources There are several online resources to support students’ academic skills development and language learning. Here are some subscription resources available to Royal Holloway students.

• Skills4Study Campus is an interactive e-learning resource that helps you understand, practise and improve core skills needed for successful study: writing, critical thinking, reading and note-making, referencing and understanding plagiarism, and exam techniques.

• EAP Toolkit offers a set of 100 learning activities (75+ hours of study) which provides an introduction to a wide range of academic study skills for international students.

• Tips and Techniques for Exam Success provides a collection of resources that will help you meet the challenges of summer term exams at Royal Holloway.

Britain in the Frame Film Nights Enjoy brilliant cinema each week during the Autumn Term. The Britain in the Frame film nights accompany the CeDAS Contemporary Britain courses but are open to all and free of charge.

Check the CeDAS website details of this year’s season.

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Enquiries Email us at cedas-skills@royalholloway.ac.uk or visit CeDAS reception at IN002 on the ground floor of the International Building For more information visit royalholloway.ac.uk/cedas

Royal Holloway, University of London Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX T: +44 (0)1784 434455 royalholloway.ac.uk

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