The Office of Student Learning offers workshops focusing on a variety of topics that are available to student groups, student organizations, university departments, and course instructors (see descriptions below).
Each interactive workshop is about 45-60 minutes.
Workshops may be delivered either virtually or in-person. If in-person is preferred, the requester must reserve the space for the workshop that accommodates all participants. Please let the program coordinator (see contact info below) know if you are struggling to find a space.
Individualized support is available as well. Please use the link below if you are interested in a 1:1 appointment regarding any of these topics.
Workshops Available:
Academic Resources
Students will learn about various academic support resources at the University of Iowa and why it’s important to use them and will develop a plan for instructor’s office hours. Offered and beneficial throughout the whole semester.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify University of Iowa academic resources you can use
- Apply strategies for preparing and participating in office hours to get the most out of your instructor interactions
- Explain how and when to use different resources effectively to support your academic success
- Develop a personal academic support plan that includes relevant campus resources and members of your personal support network
Intended Audience: All students can find this workshop helpful, but students earlier in their academic career may benefit more than ones later in their career.
Daily Habits of a Successful Student
Students will learn about the 5 daily habits that can help them with their academic success. This workshop is most beneficial between weeks 1-10 of the semester (August-October/January-March).
Learning Objectives:
- Describe foundational academic behaviors & their importance
- Provide strategies to help you organize and plan effectively as a student
- Equip you with knowledge about campus resources and strategies on how to use them
- Reflect on our goals while at the University of Iowa
Intended Audience: This workshop is targeted for students early in their academic careers to help set them up for success early. Student organizations might benefit from other workshops that focus on more specific skills.
General Study Skills
Students will develop a method for how to study, learn about the study timeline, and be equipped with practical study strategies that they can use throughout their academic career. This workshop is most beneficial between weeks 1-12 of the semester (Before Fall Break/January-March).
Learning Objectives:
- Develop a method on HOW to study for your classes
- Inventory what kind of study environment you need in order to study effectively
- Create a study timeline and develop methods to review material routinely
- Apply practical study strategies
Intended Audience: All students can find this workshop helpful as there are skills that can be applied to all types of course and at all levels.
Reading and Notetaking
Students will learn strategies for reading textbooks and scholarly articles and methods for taking notes in class. This workshop is most beneficial between weeks 1-12 of the semester (Before Fall Break/January-March).
Learning Objectives:
- Identify effective reading strategies to preview and prepare for class content
- Apply structure note-taking methods during lectures to organize new information
- Evaluate your own class notes to determine areas needing clarification or deeper understanding after class
- Create a personalized before-during-after study routine to support comprehension and retention
Intended Audience: All students can benefit from this workshop as reading and lectures are common across many courses.
Resiliency
Students will learn about resiliency, including what it is, why it is important, the barriers to being resilient, and how to apply strategies to bounce back in times of stress. Offered and beneficial throughout the whole semester.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand what resiliency is, what it isn’t, and why it’s important
- Identify barriers to being resilient
- Apply strategies break through those barriers
- Plan how to take care of yourself holistically through a balanced resiliency template
Intended Audience: All students – even ones who are not currently battling through stress.
Student Learning with Generative AI
Students will learn what generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) is, how to assess ethical use of AI, best practices for AI use, and effective strategies to enhance learning through generative AI. This workshop is offered and beneficial at all points of the semester.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand what generative AI is and some misconceptions about it
- Understand how University of Iowa students view and use AI for their classes
- Assess AI ethics in college to inform own practices for AI use
- Learn some helpful ways to use AI for college courses
- Apply AI tools to own classes
Intended Audience: All students can find this workshop helpful as there are skills that can be applied to all types of course and at all levels.
Tackle Midterms Like a Pro
Students will learn how to apply metacognition to help them study for midterm exams, plan study sessions and commitments around exams, and mentally prepare for exams. This workshop is most beneficial between weeks 1-11 of the semester (Before Fall Break/January-March).
Learning Objectives:
- Help you plan and prioritize all your commitments, including midterms
- Explain the science around effective studying
- Plan and execute your study sessions effectively
- Practice and utilize metacognition skills
Intended Audience: All students can find this workshop helpful as there are skills that can be applied to all types of course and at all levels.
Tackle Final Exams Like a Pro
Students will learn how to apply metacognition to help them prepare for final exams, apply effective time management practices for the end of the semester, develop a study schedule, and start mental preparation for before, during, and after final exams. This workshop is most beneficial between weeks 11-15 of the semester (After Fall Break/April).
Learning Objectives:
- Plan and prioritize all your commitments, including final exams
- Explain the science around effective studying
- Develop ways to plan and execute your study sessions effectively
- Learn tips for the day of exams
- Practice and utilize metacognition skills
Intended Audience: All students can find this workshop helpful as there are skills that can be applied to all types of course and at all levels.
Time Management
Students will learn how to effectively prioritize, create a time management plan, and other practical tips for managing time and commitments. Offered and beneficial throughout the whole semester.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand how student success is affected by time management through data
- Assess and evaluate how you spend your time
- Compare different types of multitasking and their differing effects
- Organize commitments through effective prioritization
- Identify strategies to combat procrastination
- Create your own time management plan
Intended Audience: All students can benefit from this workshop as these skills can be applied widely, even after graduation.
Questions?
Contact:
Andy O'Neill, Program Supervisor
Email: andrew-oneill@uiowa.edu
Phone: 319.467.1561