Short Courses and Workshops

Designed to assist students new to university and delivered by experienced students and staff, this two-day course will help with transition to university life and provide additional advice and tips before classes start. UniStart training is interactive and aims to reduce anxiety levels by providing insights into time management, assessment planning, study skills, types of classes, and learning technologies in a supportive environment. The Learning Centre will be presenting on Academic Skills as part of this short course.  Register here: Cairns students, Townsville students

These short, self-paced modules are designed to help you transition into university and thrive. We recommend that new students complete them prior to Orientation Week to optimise their success.

https://www.jcu.edu.au/getready4uni

This short course is designed to build confidence and competence in students returning to maths or in need of a refresher.

You will be able to work through modules at your own pace with support and guidance from our experienced facilitators, who will be on hand to assist you to work through mathematical concepts.

This course is particularly helpful for students intending to study courses where mathematics and statistics are required.

You can choose to participate in the Maths Refresher either face to face or online. All registrants should attend the online introductory session.

All students are encouraged to attend the Friday workshop in person on the Townsville or Cairns campus. This includes students enrolled externally. Any student who wants to participate in the workshop, but who cannot attend in person can participate in the Friday workshop virtually using Collaborate.

Unable to make the first session? Follow these instructions to join the online organisation.

Download the Maths Refresher Short Course workbooks in PDF format:

• Maths Refresher Workbook 1 (PDF, 978 KB)
• Maths Refresher Workbook 2 (PDF, 1278 KB)

Revise basic statistics concepts that will support future learning throughout your degree. You will learn how to collect, organise, analyse and interpret information.

This online session introduces you to the self-paced online modules. This is the same online introduction session as the Maths Refresher short course. Drop in to the Maths Refresher short course to clarify any questions you have about the Basic Stats online modules.

Unable to make the video chat sessions? Follow these instructions to join the online organisation.

If you missed the Basic Statistics Short Course, you can download the workshop presentation slides (PDF, 7131 KB)

Academic writing is very different to the writing you might be familiar with outside of university. This informative and hands-on course is designed to address the skills needed to research and write various academic texts such as essays, reports and annotated bibliographies.

Online Academic Writing Short Course

If you are unable to attend the live Academic Writing Workshop on campus or online, The Learning Centre also provides a series of webinar recordings which are available at the bottom of the page.

Workshop overview

Unpacking the essay question and searching library databases
Learn effective strategies for understanding your essay question and searching library databases. Have a copy of your subject outline and one of your subject readings on hand for this active learning session.

Taking notes and planning for writing
Learn various methods for taking notes, how to structure and organise your first academic assignment.

Integrating evidence, editing and referencing
One of the most important learning and assessment tools at university is the writing of essays. These essays differ from the essays you wrote at school. Firstly, they are written in an academic style, and secondly, the content is often a synthesis of ideas you have collected from a wide variety of readings. Learn how to summarise and paraphrase research and readings and reference accordingly.

If you missed the Academic Writing Short Course, you can download the workshop presentation slides (PDF, 2974 KB), or you may be interested in the Academic Writing in the Disciplines Workshops (see below). Download the Summarising, Paraphrasing and Quoting slides here (PDF, 1696 KB).

For additional academic writing support visit: Essay Writing Basics, Assignment Guides and The Writing Guide.

This online workshop is a repeat of the Keys to Academic Success session run during Unistart on 20 July 2022. You do not need to attend the online session if you have already attended face to face.

Get ready for the first few weeks of class. We will show you how to create a study plan and talk about three simple steps for assessment success. We will also teach you how to research effectively and show you strategies for correct referencing.

Meet some of JCU's mature age students and discuss strategies for successful study, particularly ways to balance your study, family, and work.

Meet and talk with experienced students about what is involved in reading at university. Discuss new ways to save time and how to become an active reader.

Learn valuable organisation and study skills to maximise your learning, make the best use of your time and thus achieve better results.

Self-Study Workshops

• Study smarter not harder (PDF, 2339 KB)
• Effective reading (PDF, 2874 KB) and note-taking (PDF, 273 KB)
• Studying for exams (PDF, 444 KB)
• Exam tactics (PDF, 455 KB)

Develop your understanding of writing for academic purposes by learning how to organise and express your ideas. Explore a variety of assessment types to help you succeed at university and beyond. These self-study guides focus on the fundamentals of writing (paragraphing, using evidence, etc.) with reference to discipline specific typical text types / genres.

Self-Study Guides

Writing in the Sciences (PDF, 2210KB)

Writing in the Humanities (PDF, 1010KB)

Access the self-study workshop Making a Start by clicking this link.

For information on other workshops recommended for postgraduate students click here.