CAS - Workshops
Speed Reading
This workshop gives students the foundation for effective
textbook reading. It develops the ability to skim and scan and
thus not get so immersed in the details of the textbook. The
workshop also teaches adjusting reading speed according to the
purpose of reading and doing multiple readings of the same material.
The focus is on changing eye movement habits so that students
take in words in larger groups (5- 6 words at a time) in shorter
periods of time. The techniques ultimately lead to taking in
more material at a time and understanding it better.
"You Don't Have to Read Every Word":
Textbook Reading Strategies
This workshop shows students how to apply speed reading techniques
to textbook reading. Students learn to approach their extensive
reading so that they gain an exposure to the material without
getting overwhelmed by all the details. Students learn to do
an overview of the material first to get the big picture, to
establish questions to look for answers to as they read, and
to review at the end. There is also attention to marking text
and making keyword notes from the text using mind maps or webs.
"Get It While It's Hot!": Studying
Smart for Effective Test Preparation
The focus of this workshop is on what students can do with the
material to understand and remember it. It emphasizes identifying
what is important to learn and then reducing it to keyword form.
Then the workshop leads students through organizing and elaborating
on this key material, as opposed to rote memorizing, to put it
in long-term memory. The workshop also introduces how to use
mnemonics for nursing exams and how to structure study time to
maximize memory (when to study, how long to study at a time,
etc.)
"Fitting It All In": Managing Time for Effective
Study
A Nursing student suggested the topic of this workshop. She observed
that students often needed guidance in how to allocate their
study time: how much time to spend on preparation for lecture,
how much and when to review notes after lecture, how much and
when to study for exams. This discussion can focus on each
student's schedule to see when they can fit everything in and
make it a habit. The workshop will also touch on starting papers
early enough, understanding writing assignments, pre-writing
or planning papers with mind maps or webs, breaking assignments
into smaller parts, and setting goals. All these topics will
be directly applied to courses the students are taking.
Writing with Research: Finding Your Own Voice and Avoiding
Plagiarism
This workshop shows students how to gain their own point of view
in research papers and reports. It will enable them to take
control of their research and experience and make sense out
of it. They will work with thesis statements, topic sentences,
and transitions to give a clear shape to their writing. They
will also learn how to paraphrase, quote, and cite using APA
style.
"The Write Stuff" :
Big Picture Issues
The focus here is on how to get started and how to set up a paper.
It includes starting early enough, breaking the assignment
into smaller parts, setting goals, and keeping a positive,
can-do state of mind while going through the process. It also
deals with pre-writing or planning: understanding the writing
assignment, making a web or mind map of relevant points to
make for each part of the assignment, making sure parts from
the textbook are included. Lastly, it will include the basics
of organizing a paper: topic sentences, transitions, thesis
statements, etc.
Writing with Research: Nitty-Gritty Issues
This workshop deals with writing after the content is set-in
other words, editing your paper. It will include style, active
voice, sentence structure, punctuation . The aim will be to
edit out "shopping bag-type" sentences and replace
them with muscular, focused sentences. You will learn the secrets
of how punctuation really works.
Writing with Research
The focus in this workshop is on becoming successful in writing demanding research papers. The workshop will give students a lot of practice with different strategies for outlining complex papers. We will cover writing a strong thesis statement, supporting the paper's argument with strong topic sentences, and successfully managing the overall writing process by incorporating complex ideas published in previous materials. Most papers that juniors, seniors, and graduate students have to write will need to include journal articles, textbooks, websites, primary sources such as interviews, historical documents, et al. In this workshop, we will practice some basic steps on how to approach doing that successfully.
"How to Get Interested When You're Not":
Motivation
In a workshop on effective test preparation, Nursing students
were told that interest is one of the most important determinants
of putting information in long-term memory. After the workshop,
some students asked for a workshop on motivation and interest.
This workshop gives students techniques to control or manage
their level of interest in what they are studying and to become
interested in subjects that they may not be interested in.
It is meant to help them deal with feelings of being discouraged
or overwhelmed by their studies. This workshop helps them create
a positive habit of regular and focused schoolwork.
Writing in the "Real World:" Assuming the Right Tone in On-the-Job Writing (In Collaboration with Career Services)
In this workshop, students will be able to practice their writing skills in a variety of different scenarios. How do you tell a client that you have to raise your fees and prices? How do you tell your supervisor that you won't be able to complete your project by the deadline? How do you tell the corporation's CEO about your bright ideas for the future of the company? These and other scenarios will be explored in this workshop that is open to students from all programs at USG who will have to deal with writing in their future (and present) careers.