Griffith University

Workshops give you practical experience while you are learning to develop your:

• Academic skills
• Computing skills and/or
• Library research skills

Academic Skills Workshops

All workshops are conducted in the library. Unless otherwise indicated, booking is not required. Just turn up and join in!

• Concept mapping
  Learn how to construct a concept map to enhance critical thinking, essay planning, note taking and when attending lectures and tutorials. Please bring along your course outlines and/or any textbook to the workshop.
• Editing and proofreading your assignment
  Learn specific strategies to assist in the editing and proofreading of your assignment. Optional - bring along an assignment.
  
• Exam strategies
  Focuses on exam preparation using systematic revision strategies, and the organisation of study information.
• Getting started on your assignment
  Covers interpreting the question, guidelines for research, applying the assessment criteria and initial assignment planning.
• Managing your reading
  Shows students appropriate strategies for reading effectively.
• Managing your reading and note taking
  Identify different purposes and appropriate strategies for reading and note taking effectively.
• Managing your study
  Learn strategies to manage your time and study effectively.
• Moving beyond description
  Develop strategies to critically analyse other people's work.
• Note taking and note making
  Learn note taking techniques for lectures, texts and research.
• Oral presentations
  Explains the basic requirements for effective verbal presentations - what and how it is presented.
• Reading a journal article
  Discover strategies for selecting high quality sources and summarising articles. Optional - bring along a relevant journal article.
• Structuring and writing an academic assignment
  Covers structuring the assignment, applying critical thinking skills, and writing and editing your first draft.
• Time management
  Learn how to fit your university work into your life.
• Understanding expectations at university
  Find out how university level study differs from your previous learning. Identify which skills you will need to cope successfully.
• Unpacking the question
  Learn how to interpret the question and understand the requirements of the task.
• Using the ideas and words of others
  Understand the importance of actively engaging with the literature whilst avoiding plagiarism in your assignments.
• Writing a reflective assignment
  Learn the key aspects related to writing a reflective assignment.
• Writing an undergraduate literature review
  Learn essential aspects related to writing an undergraduate literature review.
• Writing introductions and conclusions
  Improve the impression your assignment makes on your reader. Writing effective introductions and conclusions allows you to optimise your results.
• Writing paragraphs
  Learn to present your academic argument more effectively by understanding the structure of a paragraph.
• Writing reports
  Focuses on the specific aspects related to writing reports.
  

Postgraduate workshops

• Building an academic argument
  Learn how to take a position and develop an argument in your assignment.
• Preparing for postgraduate study
  Learn some basic 'survival' skills to manage new academic expectations and your study.
• Report writing for postgraduates
  Learn the structure and functions of reports, including appropriate style and tone postgraduate work.
• Setting up your own topic or research question
  Covers a range of strategies that will assist you in developing a research question from an identified issue or topic.
• Writing a postgraduate literature review
  Explains the stages of a literature review so that you can establish a clear focus, manage what you find, and develop strategies for evaluating literature for your writing.

Computing skills workshops

Workshops are available for new and advanced computer users. These vary in length and provide ample opportunity for hands-on practice.

Computing essentials

• Basic computing survival skills
  New to computers? This workshop is aimed at absolute beginners with little or no computer experience. Learn about how a computer works, understand computing terminology, and explore the Microsoft Windows environment. The workshop also provides tips to increase efficiency including how to customise the Windows environment.
  
• Introduction to Griffith's online environment and computing overview
  New to Griffith University? This introductory workshop will help you to become familiar with Griffith's intranet and internet environments and includes accessing the Griffith Portal, Learning@Griffith, Internet Access and more.  The workshop includes demonstrations of software skills that are particularly relevant for academic writing, along with information on how to gain those skills.
  

Targeted computing skills

• Access essentials
  An introduction to Microsoft Access. Develop basic skills in recording, managing and presenting data in a relational database.
• Access: working with queries
  Building on the skills learned in the Access essentials workshop, explore the different types of queries available in a Microsoft Access database and learn the concepts of query design.
• EndNote essentials
  (only available to honours, postgraduates and staff) Learn how to create and manage reference sources in EndNote and insert citations and reference lists into Microsoft Word documents. Covers how to enter data into an EndNote library manually, use online search and export from library databases.
  
• EndNote essentials online
  (only available to honours students, postgraduates and staff) This session is run online at the scheduled time via the EndNote Wimba Classroom in the Library Workshops and Training organisation in Learning@Griffith. Instructions on how to access the classroom will be emailed before the session.
  Learn how to create and manage reference sources in EndNote and insert citations and reference lists into a Microsoft Word document.  Covers how to enter data into an EndNote library manually, as well as using connection files and exporting from library databases.
• EndNote Expanded
  (only available to honours students, postgraduates and staff) This workshop is for people who have been using EndNote already and want expand their knowledge of its features - includes full text searching and management, Smart Groups, setting preferences and troubleshooting.
• Excel essentials
  Learn to format, calculate and manipulate data using Microsoft Excel.  Provides the grounding for all other Excel workshops and teaches some useful "tips and tricks" for improving efficiency.
• Excel: formulas and organising data
  This workshop focuses on the power of spreadsheet calculations using Microsoft Excel and also showcases a number of methods of filtering and organising data, including the use of Charts.
• PowerPoint essentials
  Learn the basics of creating dynamic presentations with Microsoft PowerPoint.
• SPSS essentials 
  Learn to use SPSS, a statistical analysis and data management program.
• SPSS: initiating data analysis
  Building on the skills learned in the SPSS essentials workshop, this workshop focuses on the tasks of manipulating data and creating output.
• Word essentials
  Designed to give an understanding of the fundamental functions and features of Microsoft Word, this workshop provides the grounding for all other Word workshops.
• Word: formatting for consistency
  Learn how to create professional looking documents in Microsoft Word. Topics include application of formatting, the use of styles, numbering, working with pictures and generation of a table of contents and figures.
• Word: theses and other long documents
  This workshop teaches essential skills for efficiently producing long documents such as reports, submissions or theses.  Topics include efficient navigation, use of templates, cross-references, reviewing tools, preparation for submission, etc., and other time-saving features in Microsoft Word.

Library Research Skills

Library essentials

• Understanding referencing
  This session covers the principles of referencing and the process of applying them within academic work. As well it introduces you to the Academic Integrity Student Tutorial and the Referencing Tool so you can access help 24/7.
• Researching for your assignment
  Learn how to find relevant, scholarly information for your assignments. This session introduces you to Griffith University's one stop search LibrarySearch to learn tips and tricks for finding relevant books and articles.