SummerFest
Do more with your summer break
Explore your opportunities throughout the summer to build connections with other students, develop skills and gain experience to support your continuing study and prepare you for the world of work. Keep an eye out for more future activities soon to be added.
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Future You: professional development
Take some time this summer to think about your future and all the things awaiting you beyond university. With career workshops, networking events and CV seminars, use this opportunity to plan ahead and build the foundation for becoming Future You.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning allows you to engage in self-study on a wide range of professional and academic skills. It also allows you to track your progress, and the platform will recommend other resources you may find useful based on the training you have engaged with.
These short videos are curated from LinkedIn Learning and are 3-7 minutes in length.
Train to become a Peer Mentor
Peer Mentors play an important role in helping to enhance another student’s university experience. Mentoring is not only rewarding, but it can also support with your own development. Previous Peer Mentors have shared that their confidence has increased and their communication skills have improved as result of Peer Mentoring.
Upcoming Summerfest activities
- Better information skills - searching and finding information
- Better information skills - citations and referencing
- "A Place Among the Dead" screening
Kitchen Garden with Ealing Rangers (Wednesday 19 June)
Student stories
Rebekah, BMus (Hons) Performance and Recording, gives us five great ideas for things to do in London during the summer. From free art galleries to sightseeing opportunities, there's something for everyone.
- Find out more about our student stories
Develop your study skills
You can continue developing your skills over the summer months to stay on track and get ahead for the new semester. This section brings together information, support and guidance for your academic studies to supplement the information you receive within your modules.
Returners Week workshops (June-September)
There are four Returners Weeks over the summer break, each of which focuses on a different theme. During these weeks, the Study Support Team will be offering a variety of online study skills workshops to help you reflect on previous semesters, set goals for improvement and prepare for the new year.
- Find out more below and get involved via the Study Support service login page
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June Returners Week - Reflecting on the semester (17-21 June)
Take the time to reflect on your course so far and set actions to improve for the future.
Reflecting on your studies
This workshop gives you an opportunity to look back on your semester and your academic journey so far, identify areas where you have excelled and areas that you wish to improve on over the summer.
Working with feedback
This workshop aims to help you feel more positive about using feedback to help you improve and develop your understanding of the language of feedback.
Developing your SMART goals
This workshop aims to help you establish some goals for development over the summer. Whether you want to develop your academic writing, time management, researching skills or more, this session will support you in planning your goals and developing an action plan.
Understanding who you are as a learner
This workshop aims to help you discover more about yourself as a learner and better understand the approaches and methods that best suit your learning style.
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July Returners Week - Preparing for your dissertation (22-26 July)
Aimed at all students on their dissertation and final project journey – whether you are just beginning to research potential topic areas or if you are preparing their work for submission.
Getting started with your dissertation
This workshop aims to identify key steps that you can take to prepare for your dissertation, discuss how to brainstorm ideas to define your dissertation topic and explore time management and organisation techniques to support you in completing your dissertation.
Academic writing with your dissertation
This workshop aims to explore how dissertation writing is different from standard essay writing, breakdown what good academic writing should look like within a dissertation and explore the language that can be incorporated into your dissertation.
Structuring your dissertation
This workshop aims to break down the different sections of a dissertation. From the title to the reference list, we will explore what is required in each section and answer your questions about structuring your dissertation.
Writing a literature review
This workshops aims to explain how to effectively search and organise sources and structure ideas in a literature review.
- Thursday 25 July, 11am - 12pm
- Introduction to Word: Formatting your dissertation – Friday 26 July, 1pm - 2pm
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August Returners Week - Developing your academic writing and study skills (12-16 August)
Focus on developing your academic writing skills and how you structure and approach assignments.
Writing an essay
This workshop aims to explore how to develop an argument, structure an essay and write critical paragraphs.
Writing a reflective assignment
This workshop aims to explore how to structure using reflective models, apply theory to practice and use appropriate academic style.
Developing and delivering your presentations
This workshop aims to explore how to create relevant content, structure your ideas and present clearly and confidently whilst delivering a presentation.
Paraphrasing and summarising
This workshop will give you a brief introduction to the language and techniques that you can use to summarise and paraphrase text.
Improving your work
This workshop aims to help you develop your academic voice, utilise appropriate academic language and be clear and concise in your writing.
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September Returners Week - Preparing for the new semester (16-20 September)
Start the semester off on the right foot by setting intentions and reflecting on how you approach study.
Planning for the new semester
This workshop aims to help you establish some goals for the new semester. Whether you want to develop your academic writing, time management, researching skills or more, this session will support you in planning your goals and developing an action plan.
Understanding who you are as a learner
This workshop aims to help you discover more about yourself as a learner and better understand the approaches and methods that best suit your learning style.
Organising your studies
This workshop aims to demonstrate techniques to manage your time effectively, prepare for lectures and seminars and explore how to make academic tasks more manageable.
Steps to developing your academic writing
This workshops aims to help you take your academic writing to the next level by focusing on the language used within your writing as well as how you approach your assessments.
Effective time management
This workshop will help you to re-evaluate how you have utilised your time in previous and identify ways to spend your time more effectively.
Further support
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Skills for Study
Skills for Study is an online resource that can support you during your learning journey. Divided into six self-study modules including writing skills, time management, critical thinking skills and more, you can go through the material at your own pace on the topics most relevant to you.
Student life can be demanding with balancing the needs of academic work and other commitments. Your success as a student will be affected by how much time you spend in study and how well you use that time. Thoughtful planning and good time management skills can make a big difference to your experience.
You will encounter a great deal of information during your studies. Much of this will come to you through lectures, reading, discussion and research. This module will provide you with strategies for selecting relevant information and approaches, and for making effective notes that will prove useful later on.
Writing presents opportunities for you to explore topics in detail and express your own views. This module offers advice on writing in an academic style suitable for essays and assignments, and practical guidance on how to structure your ideas and improve your written work.
As you are exposed to new ideas and evidence, it becomes increasingly important to think critically about the information you are working with. This means questioning assumptions, evaluating the reliability of sources and evidence and comparing propositions. This module looks at what critical thinking is and how you can apply it to your learning.
Working with others is an essential part of life. This module focuses on developing interpersonal skills that will help group projects to run smoothly. In the second section, you'll find guidance with videos that demonstrate how to plan and deliver a successful presentation.
- Find out more on the Skills for Study page
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Video content study support
During the summer break, you can access a range of study support content to help you develop your skills and prepare your assignments for submission. From bitesize workshops to study skills guides, we have what you need to support you through the summer.
- Find out more via Blackboard
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Perlego: a million books at your fingertips
One million ebooks are available to read via the Perlego ebook collection. The collection includes academic books as well as fiction books. Access is via your normal UWL student number and password.
- Find out more details about Perlego ebook collection and access your account
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Personal tutor module
The personal tutoring module has been designed to support you alongside your university journey. There is a wealth of materials covering subjects such as managing work-life-study, time management, learning from feedback, developing critical and information literacy, and so much more.
- Check out the learning materials in this module via Blackboard
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LibSearch
The digital library is open 24/7 all year round, giving you access to your e-books, journals, databases and specialist sources. Search for material using LibSearch.
- Visit the library homepage for more information and access LibSearch.
Watch our videos for support in using LibSearch and also putting together successful searches:
- Learn more about our LibSearch videos
- Learn more about searching videos
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Functional Skills
Do you need your Maths or English qualification to meet your goals? If so, check out UWL's free Level 1 and Level 2 Functional Skills English and Maths courses.
Our Functional Skills Level 2 courses give you the equivalent of a grade C/4 at GCSE and are funded by the Greater London Authority Adult Education Budget.
Our courses are delivered online over 60 hours of live classes, with an in-person exam at the end of the course. Timetables vary, with some courses taking place during evenings and weekends and other taking place during the working day. We will be running courses regularly over the coming academic year.If you are interested in studying one of these course, you can check your eligibility, find out more and express your interest via the UWL website.
Eligible candidates will be invited to take an in-person pre-assessment to establish their current working level, after which they are invited to upcoming Level 1/Level 2 courses. The Functional Skills team will be running regular pre-assessment sessions over the summer.
For more information, please email functionalskills@uwl.ac.uk
Cost of living support
UWL is here to support you, and we recognise that the economic climate is currently making things extremely tough for students to make ends meet.
Working with UWLSU, departments across the university have identified ways we can support you at this challenging time – whether the support you need is connected to your finances, your wellbeing or simply ensuring you can access life’s essentials.
