Academic Support available through the Learning Skills Seminars at King's

Are you looking for academic support as part of your transition to university? Learning Skills Seminars support students with a variety of scholastic skills. 

The Learning Skills Seminars are taught by Dr. Adrienne Sauder, an educator and researcher who specializes in learning skills, academic transitions, and the first-year experience. The seminars will be held every Tuesday from 1:30-2:30 p.m. in KC 119 during the academic school year. Drop-in hours will also be available every Wednesday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. in KC 118. Individual appointments are also available.

“Students are transitioning to university; but they don’t necessarily know how to engage in self-directed learning. A lot of what they have to do in university is not as structured as they are used to in high school. A lot more of the onus is on them in terms of how to study, when to study, and what that entails,” says Dr. Sauder. “The Learning Skills Seminars help students begin to build the skills they need to succeed during university.”

“The workshops help students develop foundational skills which are not discipline specific. Any student in any discipline can come and get something out of it. If they want specific support for a specific discipline, I would recommend either an individual appointment or a visit during drop-in hours as opposed to a seminar,” says Dr. Sauder.

By attending four or six of the Learning Skills Seminars, students can earn a Certificate of Academic Engagement. The certificate will be added to their transcript as part of the My King’s Experience – Western’s Co-Curricular Record.

Dr. Sauder gives recommendations for some of the key seminars to attend: “If I was a first-year student, I would go to the session on Time Management. I think all students would benefit from that, but I think first year students would get the most out of it — figuring out how to get the work that they need to get done accomplished, since the volume increases so dramatically between high school and university. If they were an upper year student, I would encourage them to go to the seminar on Concept Mapping, which is a different way of thinking about, and organizing, the information that they’re getting from classes that enables them to take their studying to the next level.”

During the 2016/2017 school year, the Learning Skills Seminars are introducing a new initiative to incorporate more technology. A technologist will also be available during drop-in hours to support students who are using technology in conjunction with new learning strategies.

“I always want students to take away one thing that they haven’t thought of before ¾ a new way to approach studying or writing exams,” says Dr. Sauder.

“I really want to encourage students, if they can’t make it to the seminars but they are interested in this sort of support, to book an individual appointment. For some students it may be a single appointment, for other students they might need to come in several times in order to refine some of the strategies that they are working with. Either way, please come see me, that is what I love to do. University should be challenging; it shouldn’t be impossible,” says Dr. Sauder.

To learn more about the Learning Skills Seminars, and to view the session dates, please visit their page.

To schedule an individual appointment with our Learning Skills Strategist, please stop by Wemple Room 157, call our office at 519-433-3491 ext. 4321, or email csd@kings.uwo.ca.

You can view videos about the Learning Skills workshops.