Centre for Academic Skills and English (CASE)
Tailored support to help you shine
Baffled by an assignment? Not sure how to start your research? Not sure where to start with structuring an essay? Or do you need guidance on referencing? Whatever your needs, there is always someone here who you can turn to – and the advice is free.
Our Centre for Academic Skills and English (CASE) offers tailored support to all students at University College Birmingham, enhancing your study experience and helping you achieve your goals. We offer a range of support and resources, while our friendly staff are always available for you to chat to in the strictest confidence.
How CASE can help you
- Academic Skills Centre (ASC) – providing academic support through one-to-one or small group sessions
- Online Support – digital resources to help you develop your academic skills online
- In-class Support - offering support through workshops and tailored academic support for specific groups
Academic Skills Centre (ASC)
Based within CASE, our Academic Skills Centre (ASC) is open to all our higher and further education students, offering a range of study-based support delivered by our Academic Development Tutors/Academic Librarians to help you discover your full potential.
You can book 30-minute 1-1 appointments each week at Baskerville House. These can be face-to-face, via email, or via video conference.
If you are a college student, you can also meet one of our expert advisers in the Summer Row ASC (6th floor).
What do sessions cover?
Sessions with the ASC are driven by what you need, which might include help with:
- Assignments and projects, including how to structure your work
- Essay writing – how your text flows, using the correct language
- Report writing skills
- Referencing
- Researching your assignment
- Tips on how to get a better grade
- Getting started with presentations – and how to improve them
- Building your portfolio of work
- Understanding lecturers’ feedback
ASC staff will suggest strategies to improve your academic performance. You don’t have to be struggling with your studies to seek help – our staff are also keen to assist students who are achieving good grades but want to ensure they maintain and improve their performance.
ASC opening times
The Link (for higher education students)
Term time
Monday to Thursday – 9am-7pm
Friday – 9am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday – closed
Vacation
Opening hours vary and are advertised at the time.
Please note the ASC is closed on all bank holidays. We are also closed for a two-week period over Christmas and New Year – exact dates will be available nearer the time. Alternatively, please check the contact us page, where Christmas closure information will be published in December.
Summer Row - 6th floor (for further education students)
Term time
Monday – 12pm-4pm
Tuesday to Friday – 9am-4pm
Saturday and Sunday – closed
Vacation
Closed
Please note we are also closed for a two-week period over Christmas and New Year – exact dates will be available nearer the time. Alternatively, please check the contact us page, where Christmas closure information will be published in December.
Online Support
In addition to the ASC, all students at UCB have automatic access to high-quality, interactive online resources.
HE students are given access to our Assignment Life Cycle resource, while FE students can access the CASE Toolkit for FE. The courses have been developed by UCB, and are located in our Canvas Virtual Learning Environment.
These resources offer a variety of online materials, including videos, fact sheets and quizzes covering an array of subjects. Subjects covered include:
- understanding assignment tasks
- researching for assignments
- planning and structuring academic writing
- referencing
- reading and lecture listening skills
- presentation skills
- critical thinking
- exam techniques
- English language skills.
In-class Support
Members of the CASE team also provide high-quality academic skills support via regular workshops (these are run online and F2F) and by being invited into taught sessions to provide bespoke content for particular groups. Areas covered can include academic writing, presentation skills, critical thinking, using the Library systems, carrying out appropriate research, and referencing.
