"Uni is different! A little preparation before you start repays itself many times over." This was the message new Griffith students received with their enrolment packages this year by means of a flyer promoting the Earlybird Workshop series organised by Learning Services. It was the first time that Griffith has offered these pre-orientation 'study skills' workshops free of charge and it's clearly a move appreciated by students. More than 1600 students took advantage of the opportunity and booked 5728 seats across 36 sessions on two campuses compared with 540 students who paid to attend one day workshops the previous year.
The two week series of Earlybird workshops offered students multiple pathways towards gaining a beginning sense of academic capability and resourcefulness. Workshops averaged 90 minutes in length. They were offered at a variety of times, and on a range of days, thus encouraging students to visit the university on more than one occasion and to familiarise themselves with this new environment. Workshop topics included:
- Academic Writing
- Critical Thinking
- Concept Mapping
- Reading and Note Taking
- Research Strategies
- Time Management
- Basic Computing Survival Skills
| Campuses | Gold Coast and Nathan |
|---|---|
| Dates | Feb 5 – 16 (12 days) |
| Organised by | Learning Services, Division of Information Services |
| Cost | Free |
| Number of sessions | 36 |
| Number of workshop topics | 7 |
| Total bookings | 5728 |
| Individual students | 1644 |
| Avgerage sessions per student | 3.5 |
Why the Earlybird Workshops? The 'Enrolment to Orientation', or pre-orientation, period is an important part of the student lifecycle in terms of preparing students for university. It is a chance for students to engage with the University in a positive manner as they begin to develop the skills and attitudes needed to be a successful university student. This includes knowing what is expected of them in the student role, learning 'how things are done' at Uni and gaining some basic mastery of academic skills.
Great – a real good start to the uni year!
I found the presenter to be affirming and an encourager. Great stuff. Thanks.
Very informative... I feel less anxious now!
Very helpful class for a first year dummy!
I had my main concerns answered in the first workshop. I am looking forward to the remaining workshops and I'm glad to hear they continue through the year.
It's great for new students.
This course has been very useful. A good head start for uni.
Feedback from participants
Initial feedback from students, both anecdotally and through a short workshop evaluation form, has been extremely positive. Learning Services staff who facilitated these sessions (learning advisers, librarians and computer literacy specialists) also consistently commented on the success observing that:
- Students appeared to be very receptive to 'study skills' workshops in this particular period, which is two to three weeks prior to the commencement of university and one week after the commencement of the School Term (Queensland schools).
- During this period, students were not overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of 'O' week or the stress of the first week of classes. There was time to engage with the university in a relatively relaxed atmosphere where students could visit the library, make new friends, use computers on campus, check on enrolment or simply reflect on the new skills they may need to develop. Throughout the Earlybird sessions many general orientation type questions, often unrelated to the workshop topic, were able to be answered. This pre-orientation learning environment clearly offered an opportunity for students to build an initial sense of academic readiness, which is a positive indicator for future student retention.
For more information on the Earlybird Workshops, contact Lynne Russell, Manager Learning Services (l.russellREMOVETHISTEXT@REMOVETHISTEXTgriffith.edu.au) or visit the Learning Services website.