Develop your skills and become a stronger student with our interactive Academic Skills Community workshops.

Our informal, inclusive and friendly workshops are held throughout the year, and are open to all University of York students.

Six skill areas

Our workshops help to build your competence and confidence in six skill areas for success in your studies and in employment.

Explore the skill areas below for more detail and example workshop topics.

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Selecting appropriate reading
  • Developing academic reading strategies
  • Taking notes for academic critical writing
  • Reading for content genre analysis

Check out our practice guide for critical reading.

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Understanding tasks and different genres of academic writing
  • Understanding the structure of academic texts
  • Planning approaches to task completion: process writing
  • Structuring academic work to meet task requirements 
  • Communicating an argument with academic integrity
  • Structuring paragraphs
  • Using academic grammar and vocabulary

Check out our Academic Practical Writing Guide.

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Studying effectively online
  • Managing personal digital workspace
  • Storing documents
  • Organising reading and notes
  • Using Text tools
  • Using time management and personal organisation tools
  • Using Group working tools
  • Using Presentation tools
  • Creating accessible digital content

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Finding sources of secondary data
  • Collecting data using questionnaires
  • Understanding how to analyse and interpret quantitative and qualitative data

Find online workshop resources on the Maths Skills Centre Practical Guide.

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Understanding yourself in relation to others
  • Different ways of participating and collaborating
  • Factors influencing communication in diverse groups
  • Transcending culture and power structures in the HE classroom
  • Defining effective communication
  • Working effectively in diverse groups 
  • Presenting individually and in groups

This skill area covers topics such as:

  • Establishing personal strengths and challenges
  • Setting personal goals and building self-confidence
  • Theories of reflective practice
  • Recording development and reflection
  • Communicating development and reflection
  • Working well with supervisors and tutors