Study support
Intro video
Welcome to study support at the University of West London.
Study Support
We offer study support to all students at UWL. The areas we can support you with include:
If you have any questions or need study support please email: Study.Support@uwl.ac.uk or visit our Study Support hub.
If you are after more general student support on issues such as welfare, money and health advice, please visit the Support for current students webpage.
Current timetables for workshops
Below is our current timetable for our study skills workshops. To sign onto a workshop, you can just click on the date of the workshop and it will take you to Study Support hub to complete your booking.
-
Current timetable for study skills workshops
Preparing for your dissertation – July (from 22 July 2024)
- Getting started with your dissertation – Monday 22 July, 10am – 11am
- Academic writing with your dissertation – Tuesday 23 July, 2pm – 3pm
- Structuring your dissertation – Wednesday 24 July, 12pm – 2pm
- Writing a literature review – Thursday 25 July, 11am – 12pm
- Introduction to Word: Formatting your dissertation – Friday 26 July, 1pm – 2pm
Developing your academic writing and study skills – August (from 12 August 2024)
- Writing an essay – Mon 12 August, 11am – 12pm
- Writing a reflective assignment – Tuesday 13 August, 10am – 11am
- Developing and delivering presentations – Wednesday 14 August, 12pm – 1pm
- Paraphrasing and summarising – Thursday 15 August, 1pm – 2pm
- Improving your work – Friday 16 August, 3pm – 4pm
Preparing for the new semester – September (from 16 September 2024)
- Planning for the new semester – Monday 16 September, 1pm – 1:45pm
- Understanding who you are as a learner – Tuesday 17 September, 10am – 11am
- Organising your studies – Wednesday 18 September, 2pm – 3pm
- Steps to developing your academic writing – Thursday 19 September, 11am – 12pm
- Effective time management – Friday 20 September, 12pm – 1pm
Study skills development opportunities for new students
- Effective organisation and time management - Thursday 8 August and Friday 9 August
- Preparing for assignments - Monday 12 Aug and Tuesday 13 August
- Working With Sources: Reading, Paraphrasing and referencing - Wednesday 21 August and Thursday 22 August
- Developing your academic writing skills - Wednesday 28 August and Friday 30 August
- Developing your IT Skills - Monday 2 September and Tuesday 3 September
- Preparing for postgraduate study - Monday 9 September and Thursday 12 September
Academic writing and study skills support
One-to-one study support
The Study Support team is available to assist you with your studies. Regardless of the stage you are at, we are here to support you. We can support you by:
- Answering general academic writing and study skills queries
- Breaking down and planning your assignment
- Providing feedback on assignments
- Helping you understand feedback from your tutors
- Referring you to useful resources
-
How to book
You can book study support appointments directly through the Student Hub. To book an appointment, you should visit the study support page via the Student Hub.
Study skills workshops
Study skills workshops are designed to build your confidence by developing your academic technique. Our workshops will benefit you if you find aspects of your course difficult, if you have not studied for a while or if you want to take your academic writing to the next level. Some of our workshops include:
-
Organising your studies
-
Effective reading and note-taking
-
Finding and using information
-
Planning an assignment
-
Introduction to Being Critical
-
Writing an essay
-
Writing a report
-
Developing and delivering presentations
-
Improving your academic writing
-
Editing and proofreading your work
Study skills workshops run throughout the academic year, delivered both on campus and online and are available to all UWL students.
-
How to book
To find out what workshops are on offer, please check out the ‘current timetables’. You can book onto a study skills workshop through the study support page via the Student Hub
For more information, please email Study.Support@uwl.ac.uk
English language support
English language support
English language support is available for non-native English-speaking students and other students that struggle with aspects of the English Language. Both one-to-one support sessions and workshops are available to help you develop your English. We can support students in the following areas:
-
Academic Writing
-
Grammar
-
Sentence Structure
-
Language for Paraphrasing and Summarising
-
Speaking and Pronunciation
-
Developing your presentation skills
Please be aware that while it is possible to give feedback on written work, we are unable to proofread work or read full drafts of work.
-
How to book
You can book English language support appointments directly through the Student Hub. To book an appointment, you should visit the study support page via the Student Hub.
To find out what English language support workshops are on offer, please check out the ‘current timetables’ or you can book directly through the study support page via the Student Hub.
For more information, please email English.Support@uwl.ac.uk.
Maths and IT skills support
We offer maths support to all students. You can explore mathematical challenges you face and get help with any problems you might be having with maths, numeracy and statistics. The maths support offered aims to bridge any gaps in knowledge and cement understanding of mathematical concepts in a friendly and supportive manner.
IT skills support focuses on helping you build your confidence when using IT at University. If you lack confidence navigating a PC and/or laptop, using word processing programs or browsing the internet, then we can support you.
-
How to book
You can book maths and IT skills appointments directly through the Student Hub. To book an appointment, you should visit the study support page via the Student Hub.
To find out what maths and IT skills support workshops are on offer, please check out the ‘current timetables’ or you can book directly through the study support page via the Student Hub.
For more information, please email maths.support@uwl.ac.uk
Peer Mentoring Scheme
A Peer Mentor is a student who has completed a year of study at the university and can help you gain an insight into what you can expect. A Peer Mentor can:
- Help you to navigate your way through similar academic challenges
- Gain confidence with approaching your essays
- Help you to develop key skills
- Give academic top-tips
To find out more please visit The Peer Mentoring Scheme webpage or contact us on mentoring.service@uwl.ac.uk
Writing support from the Royal Literary Fellows
Do you want help with your writing skills?
UWL has three Royal Literary Fund Fellows – Deborah, Katharine and Nii. They are here to provide all students at whatever level with one-to-one practical help with their writing.
The service is:
-
free
-
confidential
-
one-to-one
London students can see Katharine or Nii, and Deborah is in Reading.
Book a session with a Royal Literary Fellow
Each RLF is available on a specific day, or days, of the week. If you would like to book a session, you should email the individual RLF that you would like to see.
The Royal Literary Fund Fellow services are available during term-time.
-
Katharine Quarmby (London)
Katharine Quarmby has written non-fiction, short stories and books for children. Her debut novel, The Low Road, based on a true story from her hometown from the 1800s, was published by Unbound in 2023.
Katharine is also an investigative journalist and editor, with particular interests in disability, the environment, race and ethnicity and the care system. She has worked for over a decade for BBC and other broadcasters and served in a variety of correspondent and associate editor roles for outlets including the Economist, Newsweek Europe and Prospect. She has been production and digital editor of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism and is currently editor at Investigative Reporting Denmark.
Availability: Katharine is available to London-based students on Mondays and Tuesdays from Monday 2 October.
For further information, please contact katharine.quarmby@rlfeducation.org.uk
-
Deborah Walker (Reading)
Deborah Walker is a former writer for the Rough Guides travel series and the author of three novels. She is a ghost-writer, editor, journalist and Professor of Creative Writing at Northeastern University, London. She also runs Writing for Self-Expression courses for the Royal Literary Fund in Recovery Colleges nationwide, working with people in recovery from mental illness.
Availability: Deborah is available on Wednesdays at Reading campus on Wednesdays from Wednesday 20 September.
For further information, please contact deborah.walker@rlfeducation.org.uk
-
Nii Ayikwei Parkes (London)
Nii Ayikwei Parkes is a writer, editor, socio-cultural commentator and broadcaster. He has won awards across genres: as a poet, children's writer and novelist. A scientist by training, his skill lies in breaking complex concepts down into compelling, digestible writing.
Availability: Nii is available to London-based students on Fridays from Friday 6 October.
For further information, please contact nii.ayikweiparkes@rlfeducation.org.uk
-
The Royal Literary Fund fellowship scheme
The Royal Literary Fund fellowship scheme places professional writers in higher education institutions to offer writing support to students.
Nii, Kim and Becca can give you:
a confidential one-to-one tutorial
advice based on your own writing, tailored to your needs and aims
help with planning and structure
time to consider and benefit from feedback
advice on improving clarity and working to a word limit
help in tackling any issues with grammar and punctuation
the opportunity to improve any academic writing – essays, reports, theses, dissertations, book chapters.
What we don’t do:
read all of lengthy works
proof-read or edit your work
teach English as a second language
provide specialist support for specific learning disabilities.
Appointments last 50 minutes – contact us in advance to book a session.
- For more information, please visit the RLF Fellowship Scheme website.
Free functional skills maths and English opportunities
Not having the minimum requirements in Maths and English can be a frustrating barrier to achieving your ambitions. But here’s where we can help.
Our Functional Skills Level 2 courses in Maths and English give you the equivalent of a grade C /4 at GCSE and can help open doors to new possibilities. We offer free Level 1 courses too if you need to build up to Level 2.
For more information on how to book onto a course, please visit the Functional Skills Webpage or contact FunctionalSkills@uwl.ac.uk to check if you meet the course eligibility requirements.
Study skills development resources
The Study Support team have online study guides available to help you develop your study skills. We also have bitesize videos of some of our workshops, available through BlackBoard. To be enrolled in our study support community to view our videos and other study skills resources, please email study.support@uwl.ac.uk.
Social media
Contact us
If you have any questions or need study support please email Study.Support@uwl.ac.uk.
If you are after more general student support on issues such as welfare, money and health advice, please visit the Support for current students webpage or contact Student Services on:
- 020 8231 2345
- studentservices@uwl.ac.uk