The beginning of semester is always an exciting time in the Library, with new students and researchers discovering our spaces and collections as they begin their learning and research journeys. These are services that most would expect a Library to provide. More surprising to newcomers, perhaps, is our varied skills development opportunities available through our UniSkills and Research Toolkit platforms and the workshop offerings for those that would like to dive deeper. To April 2023, there were just over 5,000 registrations for these skill development opportunities.
The transition to university can be challenging, whether the person is coming straight from high school, returning after time in the workforce, or transitioning from coursework to research. The Library’s workshops offer opportunities to develop or polish skills in a range of areas – from research, to writing, to maths, to referencing, to creative pursuits like 3D printing and laser cutting. The sessions are offered so that individuals feel equipped for the challenges ahead, with the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills (or build upon those they already have) in a supportive environment.
To ensure the accessibility of the sessions, most are offered online, recognising that Curtin University has significant enrolment in regional areas, interstate and overseas. Students enrolled at Curtin University through Open Universities Australia and those studying at a Curtin University global campus (Singapore, Malaysia, Mauritius, Dubai and Columbo) or offshore make up about 18% of total registrations. Global campus registrations are particularly high in the Graduate Research Advanced Skills Program (GRASP) workshops, a series of sessions aimed at Higher Degree by Research (HDR) students. In order to ensure a strong foundation in the research process, attendance is mandatory for Curtin Malaysia’s HDRs in GRASP’s Research Proposal, Research Writing and Publishing PowerHour series.
There are plenty of in-person opportunities for students who prefer to connect face-to-face, including our popular Study Essentials series. New in 2023 is the productivity-focused Write Now session, where students complete work in two 25-minute sprints, and Creating Connections, a range of events that support building social connections. Focus groups run in December 2022 revealed that many students were feeling isolated and struggled to make friends at university. The Creating Connections series aims to offer opportunities for interaction, pairing conversation with fun activities, including badge making, collage and crocheting.
Feedback on the workshops, in general, has been exceptionally positive. 96.6% of attendees agree that attending is a worthwhile experience; 94.7% feel the content is relevant; and 95.6% would recommend the session to others. Students state:
- “I feel confident now to work on my next assignment. I know what to focus on to hopefully get a good mark. Thank you!”
- “Very happy that I attended and feel a lot more confident. Really enjoyed doing the quiz.”
- “The presenter is so cheerful and engaged our interest throughout.”
- “Awesome and relevant.”
The Library is excited to provide opportunities to our clients to develop the skills they need to be successful academically and get the most out of their university journey. To find out more about what’s on offer, check out what’s coming up in our workshop calendar.
Written by Claire Murphy, Manager, Learning Success
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