The New to University session is an introduction to university life, focusing on distance and blended learning, and aims to orientate you to the nature of academic study. It also provides an opportunity for you to ask any questions that you may have, and for us as to share our experiences of studying at university and to dispel common misconceptions and myths around what university and academic study is. This is an icebreaker session and aims to provide some practical guidance and advice.

After this session you may want to attend: Approaching Assignments, Developing Your Academic Voice

Your Virtual Classroom introduces you to the virtual classroom where some of your teaching may take place, we offer this session on Zoom depending on whether you are a blended or distance learner. It provides you with some guidance on netiquette as well as giving you a chance to use some of the features provided to help you build your confidence and ask any questions you might have before jumping into your studies.

After this session you may want to attend: Presentation Skills, Time Managment, Notetaking

Mastering active listening skills will strengthen your academic study. These skills will help with note taking, understanding lectures and feedback from Tutors. The aim of this workshop is to explain in detail the reasons why active listening can help you in your degree. There will be top tips and advice on listening skills. This session will help students to combine numerous skills and allow active listening to heighten their existing skills.

After this session you may want to attend: Notetaking, Time Managment, Proofreading

The Introduction to Academic Writing workshop is an introduction to the importance of certain practices within academic writing such as structuring, editing and proofreading your work. It highlights some of the conventions that are useful to adopt in your assignments and what to avoid. Introduction to Academic Writing is a good starting point for students hoping to improve their written work.

After this session you may want to attend: An Introduction to Critical Thinking

The introduction to Critical Thinking workshops builds on the content covered by the introduction to Academic Writing session. It aims to provide students with a better understanding of how to progress from descriptive writing to a more critical discussion. The session looks at evaluating sources, argument construction and employing more critical language in your writing.

After this session you may want to attend: Critical Thinking and Writing, An Introduction to Academic Writing, Reflective Writing

The Introduction to the Library workshop is a basic introduction to one of the most important online platforms that you will be using during your time at Arden. It provides a basic walkthrough of how to access the library and carry out searches. We encourage students who have attended this workshop to then attend the Advanced Literature Searching workshop to improve their literature searching and building on the skills covered in the Introduction to the Library workshop.

After this session you may want to attend: Advanced Literature Searching, Reading Research Effectivley

The evaluating resources workshop provides students with an overview of how to breakdown academic sources. The workshop covers the importance of using trustworthy and progressive research within academic writing and provides practical techniques for assessing and evaluating information from a range of sources. If you are struggling to understand research, find it tricky linking it to your assignments and remaining critical, or just want some hints and tips then this workshop is for you.

After this session you may want to attend: Reading Research Effectivley, Critical Thinking and Writing

The Rudiments of Writing (Part 1) are the basic elements of writing in the English Language. In this workshop we will explore the ways that you can begin writing clear and effective sentences using a range of punctuation marks and sentence structures. By the end of this workshop you will have learnt about the rules for writing sentences, but most importantly you will know how to interpret those rules in order to improve the clarity of your writing and the message you want to communicate.

After this session you may want to attend: Rudiments of Writing Part 2

The Understanding Plagiarism workshop starts a discussion about academic integrity and good academic practice. It will introduce you to some of the reasons why referencing will be such an important part of your academic journey and how best to maintain academic integrity so that you can avoid plagiarism. Understanding Plagiarism will introduce you to the basics of referencing but for a more in-depth look at referencing please also attend one of the referencing specific sessions.

After this session you may want to attend: Referencing, Paraphrasing, A Guide to Synthesis

The Paraphrasing will help you master these essential skills, strengthen your academic voice and critical thinking, and will also help you avoid plagiarism. In this workshop, we will explore the fundamentals of these techniques, and provide clear guidance on how to use them. When used correctly, these skills allow you to demonstrate the depth of your subject understanding, and your ability to combine relevant material from many sources into a unified whole.

After this session you may want to attend: A Guide to Synthesis, Referencing

As a university student you will need to make notes about the texts you read and the lectures you attend. This workshop will demonstrate that by taking notes you can effectively kickstart your learning, initiating the process of understanding and memorising new concepts and information from a very early stage. We will explore a few different styles of note-taking so that you can find the one that suits you best.

After this session you may want to attend: Approaching Assignments, Time Managment

The Approaching Assignments workshop provides you with an overview of how to prepare and submit your assignments. The workshop covers the importance of planning ahead to get your assignment completed on time, considers some of the challenges that you might face during your studies and how to overcome them.

After this session you may want to attend: Developing Your Academic Voice

The Proofreading workshop is designed to help you with the last stages of completing your assignments. Proofreading is an important part of the assignment writing process, if you find that you struggle with proofreading your work or are not sure of where to start then this workshop can help. It aims to walk you through the process of proofreading your own work and provide you with some hints and tips to improve your proofreading ability.

After this session you may want to attend: Referencing, Paraphrasing, A Guide to Synthesi

The Literature Searching workshop will introduce you to some of the more advanced features of the EBSCO Library and Ebook Central Library, the two main platforms that you will be using to find sources for your assignments. This workshop will cover topics such as key word selection, search strategies and using filters to refine your search results.

Before this session you may want to attend: An Introduction to the Library, Notetaking Reading Research Effectivley

The Identifying a Research Topic workshop is for if you are starting to think about your final year research project. Dissertations are an essential part of your degree, it is your chance to work independently on something that you are passionate about. The workshop will help you generate ideas for research topics, assess whether the topic could realistically be carried out and get you started on the first stages of researching your topic.

Before this session you may want to attend: Evaluating Resources, Reading Research Effectivley

The Harvard referencing workshop gives an overview of some of the most common referencing conventions seen in Harvard referencing. Referencing correctly is key to good academic practice. This workshop focuses on Arden University (AU) Harvard, in-text citations and how to construct some of the most common types of bibliographic citations. It will also highlight how to best make use of the referencing guides that are available and answer any referencing questions that you might be having difficulty with. 

After this session you may want to attend: Paraphrasing, Organising References Using Mendeley

The APA  referencing workshop gives an overview of some of the most common referencing conventions seen in APA referencing. Referencing correctly is key to good academic practice. This workshop focuses on APA, in-text citations and how to construct some of the most common types of bibliographic citations. It will also highlight how to best make use of the referencing guides that are available and answer any referencing questions that you might be having difficulty with.

After this session you may want to attend: Paraphrasing, Organising References Using Mendeley

The OSCOLA referencing workshop gives an overview of some of the most common referencing conventions seen in OSCOLA referencing. Referencing correctly is key to good academic practice.  Therefore this workshop focuses on OSCOLA, footnotes and how to construct some of the most common types of bibliographic citations. It will also highlight how to best make use of the referencing guides that are available and answer any referencing questions that you might be having difficulty with.  

After this session you may want to attend: Paraphrasing, Organising References Using Mendeley

Synthesis is an important higher-level skill in academia. Good academic essays are often described as being ‘more than the sum of their parts,’ and this is largely down to their use of synthesis. This workshop explores the fundamentals of synthesis and offers practical guidance on how to balance and combine sources to show deep understanding. It also provides a space for students to practise this skill in a supportive and collaborative environment.

After this session you may want to attend: Paraphrasing, Referencing

As a university student you will need to read research papers to find evidence to support your arguments. To help you make effective use of research papers this workshop will support you in being able to understand how to recognise different forms of research, the different elements that research papers may include and factors that you will want to consider when evaluating studies.

After this session you may want to attend: Evaluating Resources, Reflective Writing

Depending on your assignment you may be required to create a presentation as part of your studies. This interactive workshop will take you through the basics of using Microsoft PowerPoint within your work and will provide you with hints and tips for making the most out of the software. If you are new to using the software or need to brush up on your skills then this session is for you.

After this session you may want to attend: Generating Ideas, Time Managment, Notetaking

This workshop will guide you through techniques and approaches to creative and original thinking. You may have done the reading and be prepared to do the assignment but not know “where to start”. Together we will use techniques like mind-mapping, discussion, free-writing, and other reflective practices which you can use to unlock your ideas ready to put down in your assignments.

After this session you may want to attend: Reflective Writing, Understanding the Assignment

Understanding the Question is a key stage of any assignment. By developing an understanding of an assignment question, the issues you might research and the structure you might use to write about relevant issues often become clearer. In this workshop we will look at ways to break down assignment questions and take time to practise the skills you need to start drafting clear and original responses to assignment questions.

After this session you may want to attend: Approaching Assignments, An Introduction to Critical Thinking

Developing your academic voice workshop focuses on the use of proficient academic language essential for clearly articulating and communicating your thoughts in both your spoken and written assessments. This will enable you to express yourself with more confidence whilst noticing what makes a good example of an academic voice.

After this session you may want to attend: Academic Judgment, Reversing the Outline

Westlaw is one of the major databases for case law, legislation and commentary. Delivered by a Westlaw specialist this session will give you an overview and show you how to search for essential legal information. For all students studying law and law related subjects.

After this session you may want to attend: Advanced Literature Searching

IBIS World provides access to thousands of industry research reports, providing students with the same industry intelligence and tools used by companies around the world. Delivered by an IBIS World specialist they will explain how to get the best out of this database for those studying Business related subjects and Healthcare Management.

After this session you may want to attend: Advanced Literature Searching

This workshop introduces students to the fundamentals of academic writing, and dispels some of the common misconceptions around the subject. Using practical examples, this workshop encourages students to find their own voice and to write in a way that makes the most of the available space. It explores fundamental concepts of structure of tone, gives guidance on comparison and acts as a primer to the conventions of academic writing.

Before this session you may want to attend: Approaching Assignments

Reflection is a major part of any degree. As part of your assignments you may be asked to draw on your experiences and reflect on your learner journey so far. This interactive workshop will guide you through the process of how you can link reflective theorist to your practice and will provide practical tips for meaningful reflection.

Before this session you may want to attend: Academic Judgment, Developing Your Academic Voice

What is a Dissertation will introduce you to the purpose and potential of an extended research project, as well as addressing key questions: ‘How do I find a topic? What academic skills are necessary for writing a dissertation? What can I write about? What is a literature review?’. Students often feel overwhelmed at the start of their dissertation project and this session is designed to give you the confidence to start researching a topic your passionate about.

Before this session you may want to attend: Reading Research Effectivley, Academic Judgment

The Rudiments of Writing (Part 2) are the basic elements of writing in the English Language. In this workshop we will discuss how you can begin to express your ideas effectively by constructing coherent and cohesive paragraphs. We will explore the variety of ways you can compose a paragraph and provide you with time and space to practise constructing and linking paragraphs that convey your arguments clearly.

Before this session you may want to attend: Rudiments of Writing Part 1

‘Your writing is too descriptive, you need to be more critical’ is a common piece of feedback students receive on their essays, but what does it actually mean? This workshop explores the focus, language, and approach required to produce clear critical writing. It demystifies the subject by giving practical examples of how we all use critical thinking and provides a framework for students to interact with academic texts critically and with confidence.

Before this session you may want to attend: An Introduction to Critical Thinking

How to Write an Annotated Bibliography will equip you with the understanding, and necessary evaluative and analytical frameworks for writing a meaningful annotated bibliography. It will also help you to develop reflective thinking techniques in order to resituate your work within your broader research/subject.

Struggle keeping track of your academic sources? Not sure how to organise your references? This workshop will provide an insight into how students across all levels and programmes can use Mendeley to store and organise their references.

Before this session you may want to attend: Referencing, Reading Research Effectivey, Evaluating Resources

Depending on your assignment you may be required to create a presentation as part of your studies. This interactive workshop will take you through the basics of using Microsoft PowerPoint within your work and will provide you with hints and tips for making the most out of the software. If you are new to using the software or need to brush up on your skills then this session is for you.

Are you carrying out statistical analysis as part of your research project? Or want to upskill in this area? The using specialist software session will take you through the basics of SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) within your data analysis and will ensure that you feel confident in using this versatile and responsive programme.  

Before this session you may want to attend: An Introduction to Statistics

Before joining this workshop you will need to choose an existing piece of work to edit, either a draft or a resubmission paper.

Be prepared to  break down the paper into paragraphs, carefully consider the key topic of each paragraph and its relevance to the question;

identify problems; identify themes; cut unnecessary parts and rearrange the whole paper together in an improved form.

Sometimes we just need focused time away from distractions to finish our assignments. The aim of Arden’s Writers’ Retreat sessions is to provide just that. Each online session lasts an hour, during which time you can focus on completing your current assignment, supported by an Academic Skills Tutor, Librarian or Student Coach. Though writing is a solitary activity, we encourage a sense of community by asking you to share the number of words you’ve written during each ‘sprint’ in the chatbox, in order to inspire each other to reach our goals. Each hour-long session will be divided into two 25-minute writing sprints, and you are encouraged to attend all four sessions. Gift yourself that focused time and come and join fellow writers in reaching their goals.