Category Archives: Writing workshops

We have workshops!

Writing resources, Writing workshops

We are offering several workshops on Zoom this semester to support your academic success: everything from time management to how to publish your paper. No registration required. We look forward to seeing you at one or more!

Workshop Wednesdays (all welcome!)

Time Management, 1 to 2pm, January 18; Zoom: https://uvic.zoom.us/j/85627506089 

This workshop will help students learn the importance of time management by providing students with time-management tips, practical techniques, and self-applied resources on key topics, such as allocating time for exam preparation. No registration required. Contact learningstrategist1@uvic.ca for more information.  

 

Setting up for a Successful Semester, 1 to 2pm, January 25; Zoom: https://uvic.zoom.us/s/82595447222 

Setting up for a successful semester starts with establishing your academic priorities and discovering campus resources. In this workshop, we will share tips to get your semester started and tour available CAC programs/services/bookings systems. Contact learningstrategist2@uvic.ca for more information. 

 

Basics of Academic Writing and Research, 1 to 2pm, February 1; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/92556345261 

This workshop reviews the main qualities of academic research and how those are translated into the main qualities of academic writing. This knowledge will help you have a better idea of common requirements and expectations in terms of research-based academic writing. We will also introduce and practice some fundamental skills and strategies to write in a way that follows these expectations. Contact Kaveh for more info.  

Effective Use of Quotations and Paraphrasing, 1 to 2pm, February 8; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/3097476265   

How many quotations is too many?! What does it mean to “put something into my own words?” Organizing a research paper or an argumentative essay and deciding how to use evidence can be tricky. This workshop reviews how to structure at the sentence, paragraph, and essay levels, and how to effectively integrate evidence in the forms of quotations and paraphrasing to support your arguments. Contact Gillian at eal1@uvic.ca for information.  

Flow like a river: Creating coherence and cohesion in your writing, 1 to 2pm, February 15; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/7451562018?pwd=MmdtRWlaei9kRnBCVjJLRWNqbkIvdz09 

In this workshop, we’ll talk about how to create flow in your writing by looking at global flow (cohesion) and local flow (coherence). We’ll review five effective approaches to creating coherence (organizational patterns and colour coding) and cohesion (known-to-new sequencing, transitional expressions, and getting to the verb). Everyone is welcome! Contact Madeline at caceal4@uvic.ca for information. 

Revising and submitting academic work for publication, 1 to 2pm, March 1; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/97389771497  

Are you aspiring to publish an academic paper, thesis, or dissertation? Participants in this hour-long workshop will learn how to select a reputable journal, compose an effective cover letter, create a captivating abstract, and polish their manuscript for submission. No registration required. Contact Emily at cacpc@uvic.ca for information. 

Resubmitting, proofing, and promoting published work, 1 to 2pm, March 8; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/97389771497 

Are you aspiring to publish an academic paper, thesis, or dissertation?  Participants in this hour-long workshop will learn how to navigate copyright permissions, how to address reviewer feedback, how to track submissions for publication, how to publish for an academic career, and how to promote published work to increase its impact and reach. No registration required. Contact Emily at cacpc@uvic.ca for information. 

The literature review: How to organize, cite, and position yourself, 1 to 2pm, March 15; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/7451562018?pwd=MmdtRWlaei9kRnBCVjJLRWNqbkIvdz09 

The lit review is a common genre in academic writing. An effective lit review shows your reader you know the literatures surrounding your research and you can position yourself within the field. By the end of this one-hour workshop, you will be able to 1) describe two ways to start organizing your sources: matrix & map, 2) identify three ways to organize a lit review, 3 )identify an integral and non-integral citation, and 4) describe one strategy for inserting your own “voice” in your literature review This workshop is intended for graduate students, but everyone is always welcome! Contact Madeline at caceal4@uvic.ca for information. 

Self-editing strategies, 1 to 2pm, March 22; https://uvic.zoom.us/j/83175390648  

Wondering how to strategically polish a final draft? Join us for information about prioritizing sentences and grammar issues when making changes. Discover approaches and tools to streamline the self-editing process. Contact Nancy at cacmgr@uvic.ca for information. 

How the Centre for Academic Communication can support your writing

Academic Writing, Anxiety, Centre for Academic Communication, Dissertation writing, EAL graduate students, Inspiration and motivation, International graduate students, Make writing social, Posts by Madeline, Tutoring, Writing resources, Writing workshops

By Madeline Walker

Experienced tutor Gillian Saunders helps a graduate student

In graduate school, students are expected to write skillfully in their disciplines, yet explicit writing instruction via academic writing courses is rare at the grad level. Moreover, instructors are not often able to provide the intensive mentorship many students require, and if they can, such supervision “is costly and time consuming” (Dunleavy, 2003, p. 4). Tutors at the Centre for Academic Communication help to close this gap in grad student support by providing regular meetings to talk about writing, help to plan writing, and work on specific writing issues.

Grad students benefit from CAC tutors’ knowledge of and experience in graduate academic writing.  Additionally, graduate students appreciate the continuity of support  we offer. For example, one MA student finds that meetings with her busy supervisor are sporadic, but she can count on a weekly meeting with a tutor to check in. Another Master’s student (EAL) saves questions throughout the week and uses his time with a tutor to check vocabulary, syntax, meaning, and organization of his thesis in computer science, questions he deems inappropriate to ask his supervisor.

Students also appreciate the encouraging, non-judgmental approach we take during tutoring sessions. Writing at the graduate level involves developing a new scholarly identity, and this process can be fraught with anxiety and self-doubt.  Students often feel reassured after meeting with a tutor because they realize they are on the right track. They can set goals and talk about how to be more productive—topics their supervisors may not have time to discuss.

Graduate students number over 3,000 at UVic, and they need academic writing support. With faculty members supervising multiple graduate students in addition to their teaching, research, and service commitments, the role of the Centre for Academic Communication has never been so important.  Connect with us by creating an account online and booking an appointment with a tutor. Check out our spring schedule for tutoring, workshops, and other services. Come to the Grad Writing Room, Library 151B on Fridays from 10 to 1, where you write in community with others. Or just drop by and say hello.  We’re located on the main floor of the  Mearns Centre for Learning – McPherson Library. We’d love to see you.

 

 

 

 

 

Reference

Dunleavy, P. (2003). Authoring a PhD: How to plan, draft, write and finish a doctoral thesis or dissertation. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.