Academic skills

Resources, strategies and support to help you thrive in your studies.

Personalise
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Unlock your full academic potential

Want to get the most out of your studies? Explore a range of UNSW resources, including one-on-one appointments, engaging workshops, and self-paced improvement modules. Get the support you need to succeed.

Book an Academic Skills One-to-One

Need help improving your writing, or tackling tricky assignments?

Book here for expert advice on improving your work. An Academic Learning Facilitator will give you constructive feedback on academic skills from essay writing to time management, literature reviews and beyond.

Important note

The purpose of these sessions is to provide guidance around academic writing, referencing, time management, critical thinking skills or to help you understand what your assignment is asking you to do. 

The facilitators will not advise you on the content of your assignment. 

If you need to cancel your booking less than 24 hours prior, please email academicskills@unsw.edu.au as soon as possible so that another student can book your timeslot. If you fail to attend an appointment without prior cancellation, you may not be allowed to book futher consultations

📍 Location
Room 217, Ground Floor, UNSW Library

Meet with an Academic Learning Facilitator (ALF) on campus. 

⚠️ Important note
Once you have booked, please monitor your email for instructions on how to join your consultation online.

Meet an Academic Learning Facilitator (ALF) online through Microsoft Teams. 

If you are interested, please send an email to 
academicskills@unsw.edu.au 
with the preferred date and time of your appointment.

One-to-Ones for Faculty of Art and Design students are available on Wednesday at Paddington campus as in person consults. Please see below schedule:

Paddington On Campus Consults - Every Wednesday for Term 1
Coursework Consults10:30am - 11:00am and 11:00am - 11:30am
Thesis Consults2:00pm - 3:00pm and 3:00pm - 4:00pm

 

  • During your session, you’ll meet with an Academic Learning Facilitator (ALF) to explore strategies tailored to your studies, such as:

    • Clarify the purpose or structure of an assignment
    • Referencing
    • Time management skills
    • Presentation skills
    • Thesis management. 

    No matter the focus of your one-to-one consultation, you'll receive constructive support ot help you build confidence and strengthen your academic skills. 

    ALFs cannot:

    • Advise you on the specific content of your assignment. One-to-one consultations focus on skills and structure, not content. 
    • Proof-read or edit your assignment or thesis.
    • Offer subject tutoring. Please refer to your lecturer or tutor for questions about your subject. 
    • Estimate the final grade of the assignment - this depends on your marker. 
    • Correct grammar or spelling. 
    • Advise on resumes or cover letters. Visit UNSW Employability for expert advice. 
    • Help with correspondence or applications. 
    • Offer individual sessions on exams. 
  • Please bring: 

    • A notepad and pen, or a laptop to take notes with.

    If you’d like to discuss an assignment, please have ready:

    • The assignment instructions/task brief
    • Any samples your lecturer provided
    • The marking criteria
    • Your draft assignment (if you have one).
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Academic Confidence Essentials (ACE) module

ACE your studies with 20-minute modules on academic skills, including critical thinking and writing skills. Master all the traits needed to score well in your assessments.

Take a module
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Workshops and courses

Get practical and engaging instruction on a range of academic skills topics.

Find a workshop
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mySkillSearch

Rate your confidence with writing, speaking, reading and listening skills in mySkillSearch, then use a personalised map of valuable resources to help you enhance any of these skills.

Try it now
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Academic integrity and plagiarism

Safeguarding your academic integrity by understanding and avoiding common forms of plagiarism.

Academic skills toolkit

Browse our library of resources on academic skills from reflective writing to referencing.

Resource Library

Access all our academic skills and career development programs, activities and resources in Moodle.

Academic Skills offers a range of self-access guides to help you build essential academic and communication skills, including referencing, reading, notetaking, assignment writing, critical thinking, and reflective writing.

🔑 Student enrolment key: ResourceAccess

Resources for writing

Your go-to hub for academic writing, referencing, study tips and more.

Contact the UNSW Academic Skills Team

Have questions? Want to book a one-to-one? Contact our team: academicskills@unsw.edu.au