Institute for Academic Development
Institute for Academic Development

Medicine & Veterinary Medicine

Booking: these courses generally open for booking one month in advance of the shown date. If you do not see a live booking link please check back nearer the course date.

Cancelling: If you need to cancel your booking, please do so at your earliest opportunity and at least 3 days before the event. Someone else may be able to take your place, but we need time to contact them. Also, although you are not charged for an event, there are costs we incur (e.g. photocopying) which relate directly to places reserved.

How to cancel: you can cancel your booking via the MyEd Event Booking Channel. Go to MyEd and then the Event Booking Channel. Click on "My Bookings" - here you will have the option to cancel your place.

We maintain attendance registers; unexpected absences will be noted. If you consistently fail to attend, or repeatedly cancel with very short notice, you may be prevented from booking future IAD events.

Academic Communication Skills for New Postgraduate Researchers (CSCE and CMVM)

Description

***First Year Students Only***

This session is aimed primarily at first year international post-graduate research students whose first language is not English.

It is intended to provide guidance to students who would like to feel more confident when communicating about their research, whether in interaction with their supervisors, or when presenting their research in written or spoken form. The workshop will cover:

  • Email etiquette
  • Making requests
  • Presenting your research
  • Extending your academic vocabulary
  • Enhancing your writing through reading
  • Other sources of help with academic writing

 

Learning Outcomes - after attending this workshop you shoulod feel more confident about:

  • Communicating with your supervisor
  • Telling others about your research, in speech and in writing
  • Working independently to enhance your academic English, using texts in your discipline and other resources

The workshop will not cover research methods

BookingsThere are currently no events scheduled for this course. Please check back later.

Beating Writer's Block (CSCE and CMVM)

Description

This workshop is aimed at all PGRs

Feeling stuck in a large writing project (like a PhD) is normal – and tough. This workshop offers a perspective on why writing blocks happen, and practical pointers to getting unstuck.

Aims/purpose

-          To help you reflect on what is happening when you feel completely stuck in your dissertation writing

-          To offer strategies you can adopt to reconnect with your writing  

Content

-          Feelings that accompany writing blocks

-          Research on writing blocks

-          Why writing blocks tend to occur in transitions

-          How writing blocks start  – and what you can do

-          Strategies for preventing writing blocks

Learning Outcomes - after attending this workshop you will be able to:

- recognise when you are getting caught in a loop that might lead to a writing block- take steps to stop a writing block from paralysing your writing- accept that imperfection is a necessary part of writing

Workshop expectations:

This workshop requires active participation.

Workshop Time - 10:00 – 12:30

Questions and Discussion (optional) - 12:30 – 13:00

 

Workshop Facilitator: Mimo Caenepeel

EligibilityAll Postgraduate Researchers
Date Wednesday 05-Feb-2025, 10:00 - 13:00
Venue Online (via Zoom) Off Campus
Bookings This event is not yet open for booking. Please check back later.

Is My Writing 'Academic' Enough? (CSCE and CMVM)

Description

This workshop is open to all PGRsPre- requisities:You need to have some of your most recent academic writing handy to work on during the workshop.  

If possible, students should have attended 'The Writing Process — Getting Started'

This workshop is open to all PhD and MScR students in CSCE and CMVM

Writing in a wordy, dull or somewhat pompous way won’t make your writing academic. In this workshop, we look at academic writing from the perspective of academic readers: what will they expect and appreciate?

Aims/purpose

-             to reflect on what it means to write ‘academically’ at a postgraduate level

-             to approach your writing preferences with a critical mindset

 

Content

-             Academic genres and territories

-             Academic priorities for research writing

-             Academic qualities at the level of content, structure and writing style

-             Common conundrums for academic writers

 

Learning Outcomes - after attending this workshop you will be able to:

- distinguish between academic writing ‘rules’ that serve a purpose and those that don’t- check whether your writing meets essential academic requirements- explain why or when you would (or would not) use the first-person pronoun in your writing; or why you might (or might not) write in an active style.

This workshop will not cover discipline- or journal-specific academic conventions

Workshop expectations:  This workshop requires active participation; you will be invited to share your observations and views on the chat.

Workshop Time - 10:00 – 12:30

Questions and Discussion (optional) - 12:30 – 13:00

 

Workshop Facilitator: Mimo Caenepeel

 

EligibilityMScR MVM All Years PhD SCE All Years PhD MVM All Years MScR SCE All Years
Date Tuesday 11-Feb-2025, 10:00 - 13:00
Venue Online (via Zoom) Off Campus
Bookings This event is not yet open for booking. Please check back later.

PhD Thesis Workshop: Preparing to Submit and Defend Your Thesis (CMVM)

Description

This workshop is for students in the latter stages of their PhD and those about to start writing up. It will be taught by senior academic staff in your school who have a great deal of experience supervising and examining PhD theses, together with staff from the College Office.

Through formal presentations and group discussion this workshop will:

  • Provide advice and information on how to write a thesis and prepare for the examination process.
  • Give detailed information about administrative aspects of thesis preparation, submission and examination.

It also provides an invaluable opportunity to meet and get to know other PhD students at the same stage as you.

This course relates to domains A1, C1, and D1 of the RDF.

EligibilityPhD MVM All Years
Date Thursday 20-Feb-2025, 10:00 - 12:00
Venue Room 1501 JCMB (King's Buildings) Kings Buildings
Bookings If you are eligible, you can Book a place on this course .

The Writing Process: Getting Started (CSCE and CMVM)

Description

This workshop is open to all PGRs

Starting to write can be one of the most challenging aspects of doing a PhD. This workshop highlights why writers so often postpone writing, and how you can avoid procrastination.

Aims and purpose

-             to help you write more, sooner

 

Content

-             Reasons and excuses for not writing

-             Starting as a step in a larger process

-             Eight small practical steps that prepare you for drafting

-             Reasons and excuses for not writing

-             Starting as a step in a larger process

-             Eight small practical steps that prepare you for drafting

 

Learning Outcomes - after attending this workshop you will be able to:- recognise how overwhelm stops you from starting to write- avoid leaping into draft writing without preparation- welcome a bad first draft

Workshop Time - 10:00 – 12:30

Questions and Discussion (optional) - 12:30 – 13:00

Workshop expectations:

This workshop requires active participation

 

 

Workshop Facilitator: Mimo Caenepeel

EligibilityMScR MVM All Years PhD SCE All Years PhD MVM All Years MScR SCE All Years
Date Monday 20-Jan-2025, 10:00 - 13:00
Venue Online (via Zoom) Off Campus
Bookings If you are eligible, you can Book a place on this course .

Writing a Literature Review (CSCE and CMVM)

Description

This workshop is open to all PGRsPre-requisite:You need a copy of an academic article that you plan to refer to in your literature to work with during the workshop

If possible, students should have already attended 'Effective Writing: The Writing Process'A literature review is much more than a list of summaries of articles in your field: it has to contextualise and motivate your research.

This workshop offers ways of ensuring that your literature review meets these requirements.

Aim/purpose

-             to help you start writing your first-year literature review — without feeling overwhelmed!

 

Content

•            Why the literature review matters

•            The big picture: developing a review

•            Zooming in: engaging with key publications

•            Starting to write the review

 

Learning Outcomes - after attending this workshop you will be able to:- develop a foundation for your literature review- use a template to take effective notes that create continuity between different publications- adopt a step-by-step approach to your literature review, without going down rabbit holes

This workshop does not cover online literature searches.

Workshop expectations:  
You will need to work on your literature review in this workshop, and share your thoughts on the chat.

Workshop Time - 10:00 – 12:30

Questions and Discussion (optional) - 12:30 – 13:00

 

Workshop Facilitator: Mimo Caenepeel

EligibilityMScR MVM All Years PhD SCE All Years PhD MVM All Years MScR SCE All Years
Date Monday 03-Feb-2025, 10:00 - 13:00
Venue Online (via Zoom) Off Campus
Bookings This event is not yet open for booking. Please check back later.