Presentations & Workshops

How? From September 2023 to April 2024, if you watch 4 or more of our online presentations (or attend live ones) you can get a Certificate of Academic Engagement.

• If you want to watch our prerecorded online presentations below, fill out this reflection form for each presentation.
• If you want to attend our live presentations, use the QR code shared during the session to mark your attendance for each presentation.

Then, email us at learning@uwo.ca and request your certificate! 

After you get your certificate, you can also add it to your Western Co-Curricular Record (WCCR) by signing in to Connect, clicking on Co-curricular record on the left tab, choosing the "Learning Development & Success Certificate of Academic Engagement", and following the prompts from there. 

Please note that the WCCR is NOT retroactive. So, positions must be added during the academic year in which the activity occurred. You will not be able to add positions to your record after the annual deadline for adding activities has passed.

Tune into this series for information about effective learning habits for academic success at university. Watch the complete "Creating Effective Learning Habits" series

Videos include:

• Habit formation introduction
• Habits and learning
• Foundations of habit formation
• The science of habit formation
• Creating positive learning habits
• Breaking counterproductive learning habits
• Habit formation final takeaways

Get the most out of your 168 hours each week. Learn how to effectively balance academics with other interests and responsibilities, and receive useful planning tools to help organize your life. Watch the complete "Successful Time Management" series.

Videos include:

• Introduction to time management
• Defining your time
• Set goals and prioritize
• Resources and tools to take action
• Monitor and control your time
• Using technology

Videos include:

• Introduction
• The procrastination sequence
• Self-efficacy
• Taking action
• Taking action example

This session was designed primarily for students who are new to Western and who wish to become more familiar with learning at a Canadian University. Students will learn ways to complete work on time, listen to and understand lectures, increase comfort with class participation, move from surface to deep learning, and use helpful campus resources. Watch the complete "Academic Success for International Undergraduate Students" series.

 Videos include:

• Introduction to academic success for international undergraduate students
• Completing work on time
• Listening to and understanding lectures
• Participating in class discussions
• Types of learning at a Canadian institution
• Asking for help

Tune into this series for strategies and skills related to preparing for your exams and studying for them. Watch the complete "Preparing for and Studying for Exams" series.

Videos include:

• Introduction to preparing and studying for exams
• Being prepared for class
• Note-taking and organization strategies
• Preparing to study
• Common study strategies
• Spaced practice and practice testing
• Study strategies that work

Do you know how to prepare for an online exam? Here are the study tips you need to be successful! Watch the complete "Online Exams" series.

Videos include:

• Introduction to online exams
• What to expect from online exams
• How to prepare and study for online exams
• How long to study for online exams
• Preparation and considerations
• Writing online exams

Regardless of the lecture style, it's your responsibility to get meaning from the information presented. Get the most out of your class time by knowing what to do before, during, and after lectures. Watch the complete "Optimizing Lecture Learning" series.

Videos include:

• Introduction to lecture learning
• Online lectures
• Strategic lecture learning
• Different styles of lectures
• Taking notes during lectures
• Listening strategies for lecture learning
• Monitoring your comprehension

Learn about different types of multiple-choice questions and ways to approach them. Sample questions from university courses are used to demonstrate effective strategies for this exam format. Watch the complete "Writing Multiple-Choice Tests" series.

Videos include:

• Writing multiple-choice tests: Introduction
• Types of questions
• Step-by-step approach
• Read carefully & watch out for qualifiers
• Control your memory recall
• Special types of questions
• Final tips & resources

Trouble sleeping the night before a test? Do you ever go blank on an exam? Find out what you can do to manage interfering levels of test stress. Watch the complete "Managing Test Anxiety" series.

Videos include:

• Managing text anxiety: Introduction
• How you may experience test anxiety
• Stress factors
• Improve test preparation
• Stress management
• Review

Receive tips on how to prepare for and write essay exams, including strategies for structuring information and answering common types of essay questions. Watch the complete "Essay Exam Essentials" series.

Videos include:

• Essay exam essentials: Introduction
• Know what to expect
• Plan your review activities
• make your review an active learning process
• Essay exam writing
• Common types of questions
• Don'ts and Do's
• Online essay exams

Do you highlight so much of your textbook that your eyes start to glow? Do your books make that creaky-new sound whenever you finally get around to opening them? Learn effective ways to approach each of your textbooks depending on their format and their role in your courses. Watch the complete "Learning from Textbooks" series. 

Videos include: 

• Learning from textbooks: Introduction
• The basics
• Get to know your textbook
• The three steps of reading
• Highlighting and summary notes
• Digital reading

Effective note-taking helps you to manage a large volume of information, prepare more effectively for exams, and increase your academic engagement. This presentation will introduce a variety of strategies to help you structure your notes and to utilize them effectively while studying. Watch the complete "Enhancing Your Note-taking Skills" series. 

Videos include:

• Enhancing your note-taking skills: Introduction
• Challenges and common pitfalls
• Preparing to take notes
• During lectures
• formatting your notes
• Note-taking styles
• Technology and note-taking
• Review and revise your notes

Passive repetition of course material not only takes a lot of time, but it doesn't guarantee you'll remember the information at exam time. Learn how to use your brain efficiently and effectively with these active strategies for enhancing long-term memory storage and recall. Watch the complete "Memory Strategies" series.

Videos include:

• Memory strategies: Introduction
• Memory storage
• Memory retrieval

To be successful in the dual roles of student and TA requires a carefully planned balancing act. This is especially true in our current climate of remote working and learning. The two videos and accompanying workbook will explore a variety of time and self-management strategies that can help you be an effective and efficient student and TA.

Time Management for TAs Workbook

Staying motivated in graduate school can be challenging, particularly when it is difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. In this presentation, we will discuss factors that affect motivation, challenges to staying motivated in graduate school, and motivational strategies for graduate students. Watch the complete "Sustaining Motivation in Graduate School" series. 

Videos include:

• Sustaining motivation in graduate school: Introduction
• Theories and principles of motivation
• Factors that influence motivation
• Get started and break down big tasks
• Set clear goals
• Other strategies to improve motivation

There's a ton of reading in grad school and the readings are not always easy to understand! But, there are strategies you can use to enhance your reading experience and efficiency. Check out some of these strategies in the video below: