Workshop: Revisiting Your Structure – 04th July 2019

(PGT) Revisiting Your Structure

• Thursday 04th July 2019 @ 10:00 – 12:30

This workshop is open to all postgraduate taught (PGT) students.

A dissertation is a significant piece of academic writing and the defining feature of a Master’s degree, so it is worth taking time to consider your structure.

This interactive session will help you step back from the detail of your writing and take an overview of your dissertation.  It will suggest practical ways you can isolate the main themes of your work and develop a convincing order to present your ideas.  We will also discuss the purpose of key sections of academic dissertations.

You will have the opportunity to self-review your dissertation outline, but the tutor will be unable to give subject-specific advice.

Pre-course work
Participants are asked to bring a one-page outline of their own dissertation.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

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PGT Newsletter (June 2019)

The Institute for Academic Development PGT Newsletter (June 2019) is now live. You can download it from  http://edin.ac/16wZUnc

The newsletter provides further information about:

• What does the IAD do?
• Feeling Good App
• Upcoming PGT Workshops
• Featured Workshop: Writing Bootcamp
• IAD Online Learning Resources
• The Careers Service

 

Workshop: Revisiting Your Structure – 29th May 2019

(PGT) Revisiting Your Structure

• Wednesday 29th May 2019 @ 10:00 – 12:30

This workshop is open to all postgraduate taught (PGT) students.

A dissertation is a significant piece of academic writing and the defining feature of a Master’s degree, so it is worth taking time to consider your structure.

This interactive session will help you step back from the detail of your writing and take an overview of your dissertation.  It will suggest practical ways you can isolate the main themes of your work and develop a convincing order to present your ideas.  We will also discuss the purpose of key sections of academic dissertations.

You will have the opportunity to self-review your dissertation outline, but the tutor will be unable to give subject-specific advice.

Pre-course work
Participants are asked to bring a one-page outline of their own dissertation.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

Workshop: Is My Writing Academic Enough? – 28th May 2019

(PGT) Is My Writing Academic Enough?

• Tuesday 28th May 2019 @ 10:00 – 13:00

Does academic writing have to be dull or obscure, or can it be engaging and direct? This workshop explores the standards and expectations associated with academic writing. We will look at relevant linguistic and stylistic choices (active or passive? first or third person? plain English or jargon?) and consider academic conventions in terms of organisation and writing style. This is very much a ‘hands-on’ workshop with plenty of room for discussion.

Pre-Course Work:
Please bring a short piece of (your own) academic writing to this workshop.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

Online Workshop: Zotero Web (Bibliographic Tool) – 23rd May 2019

(PGT – Online) Zotero (Bibliographic Tool) Tutorial

• 23rd May 2019 @ 10:00-10:50

This session is intended for any online distance learner who would like get help or advice for using Zotero to keep a database of literature sources and create reference lists easily in essays and other written work. This workshop is also open to PGR and UG students.

*Before* the workshop, you should

1. Sign up for a Zotero account https://www.zotero.org/user/register/

2. Download both the Firefox plugin and the standalone client: https://www.zotero.org/download/

3. Follow these video tutorials for getting started https://www.zotero.org/support/screencast_tutorials

4. Try to use Zotero before the tutorial – you’ll get more out of the tutorial if you do.

This session will take place via blackboard collaborate (virtual classroom). Booking is required in order to receive the workshop link and further information about how to join the session.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

Workshop: Critical! (Reading, Writing, Thinking) – 21st May 2019

Critical! (Reading, Writing, Thinking)

• Tuesday 21st May 2019 @ 10:00-13:00

‘Critical’ is a word that is frequently used in academic discourse. Students are advised to think, read and write ‘critically’. But what does ‘critical’ actually mean in an academic context? In this workshop we identify qualities that are core to a critical engagement with academic work, and we explore through examples how you can apply critical values to your reading, writing and academic practice.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

PGT Newsletter (May 2019)

The Institute for Academic Development PGT Newsletter (May 2019) is now live. You can download it from  http://edin.ac/16wZUnc

The newsletter provides further information about:

• What does the IAD do?
• Dissertation Masterclass Workshop
• Upcoming PGT Workshops
• Booking Opens Soon: Writing Bootcamp
• Study Skills Consultation
• QAA Scotland Focus on Graduate Skills Survey

 

Workshop: Critical Thinking and the Art of Asking Questions – 2nd May 2019

(PGT) Critical Thinking and the Art of Asking Questions

• Thursday 2nd May 2019 @ 13:10-16:00

Jonas Salk, the scientist whose team discovered one of the first successful polio vaccines, once said: “What people think of as the moment of discovery is really the discovery of the question.” We ask questions constantly to learn about the people and the world around us. We also ask questions in the initial stages of our research. Yet where do we learn our questioning skills?

This highly engaging session will focus on deconstructing and reconstructing the way you think about asking questions with the ultimate aim of being able to approach your research in a whole new way including revisiting your question.

The format of this session includes video clips, tutor input, pairs and group exercises, and an infographic to help you take your research topic and hypothesis and craft your research question using principles of design thinking, urban design, investigative reporting, and academic research.

By the end of the session, you will

• Understand the optimum questioning mindset
• Have learned the Seven Deadly Sins of Questions
• Discovered the secret to creating compelling question sequences
• Thought about your research question in a whole new way

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

Workshop: Writing a Literature Review – 24th April 2019

(PGT) Writing a Literature Review

• Wednesday 24th April 2019 @ 10:00-13:00

The literature review is a key component of a dissertation, because it motivates and contextualises key research issue.

Developing a review is a complex task which involves selecting, organising and evaluating source material; reading actively while taking effective notes; and shaping relevant information into a coherent piece of writing.

This workshop offers practical ways of making this process manageable and beginning to develop a review.

To book a place, please click here.

You can see all upcoming workshops here.

PGT Newsletter (April 2019)

The Institute for Academic Development PGT Newsletter (April 2019) is now live. You can download it from  http://edin.ac/16wZUnc

The newsletter provides further information about:

• What does the IAD do?
• Exam Bootcamp
• Upcoming PGT Workshops
• Featured Online Workshop: Managing your Exams: Strategies and Tips
• Exam Resources
• Respect at Edinburgh