Academic Skills workshops & Study Hacks

Discover courses and workshops designed to support the development of your academic skills. 

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Highlights from the AI in Marketing workshop

Boost your academic confidence with workshops and courses designed to help you navigate your studies at UNSW.

Whether you're just starting or already well into your degree, our academic skills programs are designed to support you. We offer practical workshops and courses that cover everything from academic writing to understanding the impact of AI on learning, available both online and on campus.

Study Hacks

All of the hacks you need!

Study Hacks are a series of workshops for new and returning students. Familiarise yourself with everything the Library and Academic Skills team have to offer and develop the key skills you need to succeed at UNSW.

Each session belongs to one of the categories below:

Term 2 2026 workshops

Studying at UNSW: Academic Skills 101

🗓️ Tuesday, 26 May
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • ELISE Tutorial
    Starter Pack

    (Online)

Effective notetaking: How to take great notes

🗓️ Tuesday, 26 May
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • ELISE Tutorial
    Starter Pack

    (Online)

Find your course resources

🗓️ Tuesday, 26 May
⏰ 2pm – 2.40pm

  • Tip note
    Library Hacks

    (Online)

Critical thinking 101

🗓️ Wednesday, 27 May
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Academic reading strategies (or how to get on top of those reading lists)

🗓️ Wednesday, 27 May
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • ELISE Tutorial
    Starter Pack

    (Online)

Advanced searching made easy

🗓️ Wednesday, 27 May
⏰ 2pm – 2.40pm

  • Tip note
    Library Hacks

    (Online)

Organisation basics: How to stay on top of things at uni

🗓️ Thursday, 28 May
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • ELISE Tutorial
    Starter Pack

    (Online)

Library Hacks for AI

🗓️ Thursday, 28 May
⏰ 2pm – 2.40pm

  • Tip note
    Library Hacks

    (Online)

English for communicating at UNSW

🗓️ Wednesday, 3 June
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book library 1 icon
    English Hacks

    (Online)

Getting started with your first assignment

🗓️ Tuesday, 9 June
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • ELISE Tutorial
    Starter Pack

    (Online)

Referencing 101

🗓️ Wednesday, 10 June
⏰ 1pm – 2pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Report writing

🗓️ Wednesday, 10 June
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Presenting like a pro

🗓️ Thursday, 11 June
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Introduction to EndNote

🗓️ Wednesday, 17 June
⏰ 1pm – 2pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

English pronunciation workshop part 1

🗓️ Wednesday, 24 June
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • Book library 1 icon
    English Hacks

    (Online)

How to write a great essay

🗓️ Tuesday, 30 June
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Getting started with your literature review

🗓️ Wednesday, 1 July
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

English pronunciation workshop part 2

🗓️ Tuesday, 14 July
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book library 1 icon
    English Hacks

    (Online)

Let's get talking: How to speak fearlessly in English

🗓️ Wednesday, 22 July
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • Book library 1 icon
    English Hacks

    (Online)

10 ways to make your marker happy

🗓️ Thursday, 23 July
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

How to write a great essay

🗓️ Tuesday, 28 July
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Referencing 101

🗓️ Wednesday, 29 July
⏰ 2pm – 3pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Exam prep: Tips for smart study

🗓️ Thursday, 30 July
⏰ 11am – 12pm

  • Book open text icon
    Study Hacks

    (Online)

Library events and workshops

Explore all our current and upcoming workshops, events, talks and exhibitions. Join us in person or online (where available).

Academic Skills Plus

In a time when AI is everywhere, what is the future of the university and what does that mean for us?

Academic Skills Plus is a General Education course designed for all undergraduate students at UNSW. It provides essential tools and strategies to support your academic success, regardless of your field of study.

The course’s tutorials, lectures and assessments all address one of the key uncertainties of study in 2025: the potential effects of artificial intelligence on learning, work, and society.

Course codes and terms offered:

  • GENY001: Term 1, Term 2, Term 3

Duration: Week 1–10 (10 weeks)

  • One-hour lecture and two-hour workshop per week
  • Approximately 7 hours of study per week, including independent research and weekly readings.

The course provides you with practical skills to enhance academic, professional, and personal success, including:

  • Essay structure to present clear, well-organised arguments
  • Academic writing styles to engage with and reference the ideas of others
  • Critical thinking and expressing ideas in an appropriately formal manner
  • Presentation skills for communicating your ideas.

Academic Skills Plus is open to all local and international undergraduate students. No prerequisites are required.

If you have any questions or need more information about the course, feel free to reach out to:

GENY0001, GENY0002 and GENY0003 are Academic Skills Plus courses offered as part of the General Education Program at UNSW.

Academic Confidence Essentials

Upgrade your academic skills with Academic Confidence Essentials (ACE)! 

ACE modules are online, self-paced and free for UNSW students. They cover critical thinking, paragraph and essay structure, report writing and more. Each module should only take you 20 minutes.