Study and digital skills workshops

The Distractibles Meetup

Wednesday 29 July 2026 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: LFA/144 Academic Skills workshop room (Harry Fairhurst Building, Campus West)
Open to: Students/staff

Finding it hard to focus and plagued by distractions? Join The Distractibles Meetup on Wednesdays, 12.30pm to 1.30pm in the Library, LFA/144. We are a support group of staff and students with small group chat and accessibility ideas to try. Whether you're neurodivergent or just easily distracted, our peer-support group might be just the thing for you. The Distractibles

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Academic Style: What It Is and How to Achieve It

Friday 31 July 2026 11am - 12.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

There is a style of writing which makes a text sound academic, and in this session you will learn what the elements of this style are, so you can begin to use them in your own academic writing. Find related online resources here: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing

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Introduction to PG Dissertations

Monday 3 August 2026 1pm - 2.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Postgraduates

This workshop is for postgraduate-taught students only. It will define what a dissertation is and show how it differs from other assignment types. It will then look at the opportunities writing a dissertation offers students and the academic skills that are needed to write one. Finally, it will briefly look at the different sections/chapters that can be included in dissertations and what type of information these sections/chapters typically contain.

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The Distractibles Meetup Online

Wednesday 5 August 2026 12.30pm - 1.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Students/staff

Finding it hard to focus and plagued by distractions? Join The Distractibles Meetup online on the first Wednesday of each month, 12:30pm to 1:30pm. We are a support group of staff and students with small group chat and an ideas bank of things to try. Whether you're neurodivergent or just easily distracted, our peer-support group might be just the thing for you. The Distractibles.

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PGT Dissertation Writing 1: Introduction and Literature Review

Monday 10 August 2026 1pm - 2.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Postgraduates

This workshop is for postgraduate taught students only. It will look at the purpose of introductions and literature reviews and then go on to examine how they can be structured and the sort of information they typically contain. It will also focus on the academic skills and language needed to write these sections of a dissertation.

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Editing and Proofreading

Monday 17 August 2026 6pm - 7.30pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

If you find it difficult to edit or proofread your own work effectively, this is the session for you. During this workshop, you will learn a number of different strategies and techniques to help you redraft your written work and also identify and correct errors. Find related online resources here: https://subjectguides.york.ac.uk/academic-writing

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PGT Dissertation Writing 2: Methods and Results

Wednesday 19 August 2026 10.30am - 12pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Postgraduates

This workshop is for postgraduate taught students only. It will look at the purpose of methodology and results sections, and then go on to examine how they can be structured and the sort of information they typically contain. We will give a brief summary of the most popular software used to help you analyse your data and present it in your report. This workshop will also focus on the skills and language needed to write these sections of a dissertation.

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PGT Dissertation Writing 3: Discussion and Conclusion

Wednesday 26 August 2026 10.30am - 12pm

Organiser: Academic Skills
Location: online
Open to: Postgraduates

This workshop is aimed at postgraduate taught students. It will look at the purpose/function of the discussion and conclusion sections of a dissertation and then go on to examine how they can be structured and the sort of information they typically contain. It will also focus on the academic skills and language needed to write these sections.

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DIGITAL WEDNESDAYS: Digital labs open afternoon

Wednesday 23 September 2026 12pm - 4pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: Harry Fairhurst Building (University Library, Campus West)
Open to: Everyone

We have two digital labs in the Library, open to all members of the University: the Creativity Lab has high-end workstations, 3D capture and modelling software, podcasting and video recording studios and more, while YorCreate is a makerspace with 3D printers and a range of crafting materials. Drop by any time this afternoon between 12 and 4 as we open our doors to the two labs to demonstrate how the tech works and show off the sort of things you can do in there.

No booking required.

You can find the Creativity Lab in LFA/103 and YorCreate in LFA/132, both on the first floor of the Fairhurst Building in the Library.

DIGITAL WEDNESDAYS: An introduction to useful digital tools available at York

Wednesday 30 September 2026 2pm - 4pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Open to: Everyone

At York you have access to a wealth of software, from general 'Office' applications like Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 through to more specific programs to help you be organised or be creative. This session (aimed at all members of the University, however long you've been here) will provide an overview of some of the digital tools available that you might find useful, with a particular focus on applications for organising information, keeping track of your notes, working collaboratively, and keeping up to date. We will share some of our tips for making the best use of technology, and there'll be time to ask questions and share any of your own IT tips.

This session is being delivered hybridly. You can attend either virtually (via Zoom) or face-to-face (in LFA/144, Fairhurst Building, University Library). Follow the booking link for more details.

Skills Guides

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DIGITAL WEDNESDAYS: How do you engage with generative AI ethics?

Wednesday 7 October 2026 3.30pm - 5.30pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

Generative AI has been a hot topic for several years now, whether that's hype about what it might do or fear about the impacts it will have on our world. The University of York has its own position statement on generative AI. You probably have your own thoughts and feelings about generative AI and its use.

In this face-to-face workshop, you will explore some of the issues and limitations associated with generative AI and discuss what the impact of these might be on the future of education and our world in general. You will consider how you can engage with these issues, keeping up to date and thinking about practical ways to have an impact on the future.

Skills Guide: Generative AI

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Learn to code: Introduction to coding

Thursday 8 October 2026 10am - 12pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

Want to know more about what computer coding is, how it works, and how you can start learning to code?

This introductory workshop is for anyone who is new to writing computer programs or learning coding languages. The workshop will look at useful coding concepts and some basics of the coding language Python to demonstrate these, and will cover:

• How computers work and how this applies to coding
• What are coding languages?
• Key concepts in coding, such as variables, loops, and data types
• How to get started with learning coding.

Coding Practical Guide

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Spreadsheets basics

Tuesday 13 October 2026 1pm - 3pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

Spreadsheets are tools designed to store, analyse and manipulate data. They are commonly used for working with sets of data containing both text and numbers, and for generating graphs and charts. This online workshop will take you through the first principles of working with data in spreadsheets - whether Google or Excel - including:

• understanding the parts of a spreadsheet;
• entering, editing, and formatting data;
• performing calculations;
• using basic functions.

The workshop will also serve as a primer for our five-week-long Essential Spreadsheets training course.

Come along and really start to get to grips with data.

Essential Spreadsheets: a Practical Guide

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Bitesize: Creating Google Forms

Thursday 15 October 2026 1pm - 2pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

Our Bitesize training session on Google Forms will help guide you through the essentials of creating sleek and effective online surveys. Whether you are brand new to Forms or just looking for a refresher, this session will give you the confidence to craft user-friendly forms with ease!

We will explore topics including:

• Google Form basics
• Implementing conditional survey logic
• Sharing and sending your form securely
• Real-time data analysis features
• Navigating advanced form settings

Data: Gathering data

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Slicing models to 3D print with Bambu Studio

Friday 16 October 2026 1pm - 2pm

Organiser: Digital Skills & Creativity Lab
Location: online
Open to: Everyone

Slicing is the process of turning a digital 3D model into instructions for a 3D printer. In this session we'll look at the practicalities of how to slice models using Bambu Studio — the software that's used with our Bambu Labs 3D printers in YorCreate. We'll look at how to slice for those printers, and we'll also offer some tips and tricks for getting the best out of your 3D prints.

This session is open to all members of the University, but if you want to try 3D printing using the printers in YorCreate you'll also need to come along to a separate induction.

Skills Guides: YorCreate

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