Academic support
Academic support at University College Birmingham
The Academic Skills Centre at University College Birmingham provides students with comprehensive support to excel in their academic studies.
Located on the ground floor of Baskerville House, the centre offers 1-1 appointments with the Centre for Academic Skills and English (CASE) and the Academic Librarians.
Students can receive help with academic writing, research and exam preparation, as well as participate in tailored workshops and in-class sessions.
A variety of online resources are also available, ensuring students have the tools they need to succeed throughout their academic journey.
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Academic Skills Centre
Being a student can be exciting and rewarding, but at times, it can also feel like a full-time job that you pay to do. The good news for students at University College Birmingham is that we have a dedicated team of professionals to help you with your academic studies and help you maximise your assignment scores.
The Academic Skills Centre is located on the ground floor of Baskerville House and shares a reception desk with the University College Birmingham library. You can book support appointments in the Academic Skills Centre with two services: the Centre for Academic Skills and English (CASE) and the Academic Librarians.
The Centre for Academic Skills and English (CASE): CASE’s Academic Development Tutors can help you improve your academic skills, including understanding and structuring your assignments, developing academic writing and presenting skills, understanding feedback from your lecturers and learning exam revision strategies.
Academic Librarians: The Academic Librarians can help you research your assignments and reference your sources correctly.
There are many ways that both CASE and the Academic Librarians can help you during your studies.
1-1 appointments
Students can book one Academic Skills Appointment with CASE and one research and referencing appointment with the Academic Librarians each week. These 30-minute appointments take place both in-person and online – you can choose which you prefer when you book your appointment.
The Academic Development Tutors and Academic Librarians are not subject specialists and will not be able to tell you whether the content of your assignments is correct. However, they will be able to tell you if your work meets University College Birmingham's academic standards and skills outcomes, and they will suggest helpful changes if your work does not meet these standards.
Appointments must be booked in advance and spaces are limited, so make sure you plan ahead to ensure that you get an appointment.
In-class sessions
Your lecturers may book an Academic Development Tutor or an Academic Librarian to teach your class about a particular topic concerning academic skills, research or referencing. These teaching sessions are usually booked during Graduate Advantage modules, but they can take place during any class.
During in-class sessions, the Academic Development Tutors and Academic Librarians will tailor the content to be as relevant as possible for your subject and level of study. Students are always welcome to ask questions during the session or book a follow-up appointment in the Academic Skills Centre.
Academic workshops
The Academic Development Tutors and the Academic Librarians teach a range of academic workshops throughout the year. Most of these take place online, although some may be taught in person. Academic workshops can be attended live or, for online sessions, watched as recordings later.
Workshops address a range of academic skills as well as other academic topics such as understanding plagiarism, responding to assignment feedback, learning how to use subject-specific databases and much more.
If you are a University College Birmingham student, you can attend as many academic workshops as you like, and you can watch the recordings on the Assignment Life Cycle (login required).
English development workshops
For students whose first language is not English, University College Birmingham offers free (yes, free!) five-week courses taught by a team of lecturers who specialise in teaching English for academic purposes. As many as a dozen courses run each semester, and you are welcome to sign up to as many as you can fit in your timetable.
Workshops are taught on a variety of topics, including speaking and listening skills, reading and writing skills, participating in seminars, delivering presentations and English language and grammar. Courses change every semester, so keep an eye on your student emails to find out what is currently running.
Online learning resources
Students at University College Birmingham have access to a range of online learning tools to help with assignments. Here are some of the resources available:
The Assignment Life Cycle
Based on Canvas, University College Birmingham's virtual learning environment, the Assignment Life Cycle, is a learning resource that can help you with every stage of your assignment, from understanding your assignment remit and brainstorming ideas to editing and submitting your work. It includes detailed information about learning and completing assignments at University College Birmingham and has videos, quizzes and other interactive activities to help you learn more about a range of academic skills.
The Assignment Life Cycle is also the place to find out what is happening in the Academic Skills Centre. All workshops, drop-in sessions and other events and learning opportunities are advertised here. Academic workshop recordings are also accessible through the Assignment Life Cycle.
Students can access the Assignment Life Cycle here (login required).
Preparing you for study
Whether you are new to University College Birmingham or returning from placement, the Preparing You for Study courses will introduce you to (or refresh your memory about) the academic skills you will be expected to learn and practise as a student at University College Birmingham. There is one course for undergraduates (Levels 4, 5 and 6) and one for postgraduates (Level 7).
The courses include videos from staff and students telling you what to expect from your time at University College Birmingham. They also include lessons about a range of academic skills, with the chance to check your understanding as you go. You'll also learn more about the support available to you during your studies.
Each course takes about 60-90 minutes to complete, but you do not have to do it all in one sitting. You can complete a few lessons at a time and come back to the course later.
The courses are accessible to anyone, but the Canvas quizzes linked in the courses are only accessible to enrolled University College Birmingham students.
Library subject guides
Your subject guides have been created by the Academic Librarians to jumpstart your research and direct you towards millions of sources from the University College Birmingham library and beyond. From your subject guides, you can search for books, journal articles and other sources from the university library and a range of subject-specific databases, access important library information, browse helpful research guides, access referencing support and more.
To access the library subject guides, please visit this page.
ASET and A-ASET
The Academic Skills and English Tasks (ASET) and Advanced ASET (A-ASET) are online activities you will complete at the start of your level of study at University College Birmingham. ASET is for students at Levels 4 and 5, while A-ASET is for students at Levels 6 and 7. Both activities involve completing a written task so you can receive feedback about your academic skills.
ASET and A-ASET are not exams or tests! Their purpose is to provide you with an idea of how your academic writing and reading skills conform to the expectations of your department at your level of study. Once you have completed your task, you will be provided with feedback on how you can improve specific academic skills and about any areas of strength you can build on throughout your studies. This process can help you target certain skills before you even submit your first assignment, allowing you to make sure your grades are as high as possible from the start.
Once you start your course, you will be told how to access and complete your ASET or A-ASET. There’s no need to prepare, just do your best!
Disability and Neurodiversity Support
University College Birmingham’s Disability and Neurodiversity Support team is here to assist and advise you throughout your studies. The DNS team works closely with other support areas to ensure that your needs are met.
Support for students who disclose a disability, health condition or mental health condition starts from application. Upon application, you will be contacted by a member of the Disability and Neurodiversity Support team to discuss your specific needs and additional support requirements. Students can also disclose a disability at any point and provide supporting documentation by contacting DNS@ucb.ac.uk
Depending on your needs, you may be entitled to:
- Support plan meetings and/or discussions of needs for class/exams/assignments
- Alternative assessments
- Discussions about next steps and Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA)
- 1-1 sessions with Specialist Support Tutors (if not receiving support via DSA)
- Specialist equipment
- Screeners for dyslexia
- Personal Evacuation Plans and lift passes
For more information about how the DNS team can support university students, visit the Disability and Neurodiversity Support webpage.
Support for students
For information about every stage of researching and writing your assignments, visit the Assignment Life Cycle on Canvas (login required).
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