Anchor links to the specific schedules

Academic Skills Workshops

Workshops

Academic Skills

Workshop enrollment start date: September 25 at 11:59 AM

Online sign-up at MyCLAS is required prior to attendance.

Academic Confidence

Do you occasionally feel stupid? Do you get that old imposter syndrome once in a while? Do you not trust your own capabilities? Come to this workshop to • participate in a in a guided course-felt-response-analysis to pinpoint the triggers for self-doubt; • interrogate your self-doubts for the presence of fixed ideas of the mind; • share, learn, and try out confidence-builders such as reasonable goal setting and visualization. A lot of you do not appreciate your excellent minds as much as you should. It’s time to start turning down whatever noise is causing this harmful self-misunderstanding. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
133G Thursday November 13 4:00-5:30 PM
134G Friday November 21 1:30-3:00 PM
135G Friday December 5 3:30-5:00 PM

Confronting Confusion

Do you want to understand more in your classes? Do you ever feel like you’re getting it but not really getting it? Do you have the sense that you should be digging deeper? If so (and if not), come to this workshop to • try out the identify-isolate-interrogate-investigate system for clearning the concept fog; • share, learn, and select methods for illuminaton, including, talking, writing, and drawing; • rehearse asking questions with confidence and specificity; Come to this workshop to be dazzled by your own mind’s capacity to get itself out of trouble if you will give it half a chance. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
127G Friday November 7 3:30-5:00 PM
128G Tuesday November 18 2:00-3:30 PM
129G Monday December 1 1:30-3:00 PM

Fighting Procrastination

Do you delay activities that you intended to do? Is it becoming a problem? Are you not enjoying your down time because you are putting something off? Come to this workshop to • participate in a guided procrastination-self-analysis; • share, learn, and choose from strategies like artificial deadlines, sessioning, and gamification; • build and get feedback on your procrastination-resistance plan; The habit of procrastination probably will not go away on its own. Learn how to pay attention and so that you can coax yourself more easily. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
121G Tuesday October 28 2:00-3:30 PM
122G Friday November 14 10:30-12:00 PM
123G Monday November 24 3:30-5:00 PM

Focus

Do you space out in lecture? Do you have trouble staying on the page when you’re reading for class? Would you like to be able to summon and maintain attention for longer periods of time? Come to this workshop to • participate in a guided distraction-self-analysis; • share, learn, and choose from such tactics as distraction delay, cueing, sessioning, and mirroring; • build and get feedback on a focus plan that targets your most distraction-vulnerable tasks. See if you can make easier for your cognitive machinery to show up and do its job in spite of its own sometimes random agenda. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
124G Thursday November 6 4:30-6:00 PM
125G Monday November 17 3:00-4:30 PM

Learning from Lecture

Are your lectures difficult to understand and/or remember? Are your lecture artifacts (notes, slides, transcripts, videos, memories) not useful? Come to this workshop to • practice noticing and leveraging the topic-sub-topic lecture form; • participate in a guided lecture review and comprehension audit; • share, learn about, and choose methods for building distributed-review from lecture content; • participate in a guided preview of your next lectures. Being able to learn well from lecture is a gigantic advantage that way too many of you are not taking. In fact, this is a skill that sometimes saves students a lot of time. All experience levels welcome.

Code Date Time
112G Thursday October 2 5:30-7:00 PM
113G Friday October 10 10:00-11:30 AM
114G Tuesday October 21 12:30-2:00 PM

Make a Study Plan

Are you unsure about how to study for one or more of your classes? Are you new to UCSB classes altogether? Come to this small-group workshop to • participate in a guided, strategic syllabus/course communications analysis, • share, learn and choose among options for weekly learning activities, • share, learn and choose among options for distributed review. Make and revisit these decisions thoughtfully and intentionally to keep your cool while you build your brain. All experience levels welcome.

Code Date Time
100G Monday September 29 2:00-3:30 PM
101G Tuesday October 7 10:30-12:00 PM
102G Monday October 13 3:30-5:00 PM
103G Thursday October 23 5:00-6:30 PM
104G Friday October 31 10:00-11:30 AM
105G Tuesday November 4 2:00-3:30 PM

Motivation

Do you wish that you had more genuine desire to go to lecture, read your assignments, practice your problems? Are you not sure what you’re doing here? Come to this workshop to • take a motivation inventory to consider your different motivational styles; • explore your emerging life-vision with the Master Student Goal-Setting Exercise; • share, learn, and select methods for bending your classes to your will. Come to this workshop to get in touch with what you want so you can properly seize the opportunities around you. Prepare to have your perspective shifted. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
130G Monday November 10 3:00-4:30 PM
131G Thursday November 20 5:30-7:00 PM
132G Thursday December 4 12:00-1:30 PM

Reading Efficiency

Is the reading too much? Too difficult to understand, remember, or finish? Do you not know what you’re supposed to be getting out of it? Come to this workshop to • participate in a guided course-communications analysis to figure out why you are reading, • practice reading by layers to fulfil course purposes efficiently, • share, learn, and create your own note-taking protocols that set up distributed review. Stop feeling bogged down by all those words by handling them purposefully. Be prepared to wind up liking them more. All experience-levels welcome.

Code Date Time
118G Thursday October 9 12:30-2:00 PM
119G Friday October 17 2:00-3:30 PM
120G Monday October 27 3:30-5:00 PM

Test Readiness

Are you ready? Do you know whether you’re ready? Do you know how to get ready? Come to this workshop to • participate in a guided systematic inventory of relevant test conditions and target materials; • generate a detailed test-readiness self-assessment; • create realistic, point-maximizing preparation plans; • share, learn, and choose from common day-of-exam and in-exam tactics. When you’re really ready, taking a test can be no big deal, just another day in class. Come to this workshop to start cultivating that kind of preparedness. All experience levels welcome.

Code Date Time
115G Friday October 3 3:30-5:00 PM
116G Tuesday October 14 5:30-7:00 PM
117G Friday October 24 10:00-11:30 AM

Time Management

Are you overwhelmed? Behind? Blowing deadlines? Are you new to UCSB and just nervous about handling your time? Come to this workshop to • participate in a guided analysis of your time needs, including for rest and recreation; • experiment with time blocking, due-diligence time management, and listing; • try out time-awareness lists and time-awareness calendars. Keep the quarter enriching but not exhausting, by finding your own comfortable rhythm for work and play. All experience levels welcome.

Code Date Time
106G Tuesday September 30 10:30-12:00 PM
107G Monday October 6 1:30-3:00 PM
108G Thursday October 16 4:00-5:30 PM
109G Monday October 20 3:30-5:00 PM
110G Thursday October 30 12:30-2:00 PM
111G Monday November 3 2:00-3:30 PM

Using Ai to Enhance Learning

Whether you’re new to AI or looking to strengthen your study strategies, this interactive workshop will help you combine the science of learning with the power of technology to make your college experience more efficient, engaging, and sustainable. You’ll explore how tools like ChatGPT and other AI platforms can enhance your learning when used thoughtfully and responsibly—and discover how your brain learns best through insights from neuroscience and educational research.

Code Date Time
154G Friday October 17 11:00-12:30 PM
155G Friday October 17 1:00-2:30 PM
156G Friday October 24 11:00-12:30 PM
157G Friday October 24 1:00-2:30 PM
158G Monday October 27 11:00-12:30 PM
159G Monday October 27 1:00-2:30 PM
160G Tuesday October 28 11:00-12:30 PM
161G Tuesday October 28 1:00-2:30 PM