Academic Skills workshops & Study Hacks
Discover courses and workshops designed to support the development of your academic skills.
Enhance your academic experience with workshops and courses designed to help you succeed 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.
See also
Each session belongs to one of the categories below:
Starter pack
Study Hacks
English hacks
Library Hacks
Term 1 2026 workshops
Starter pack
Studying at UNSW: Academic Skills 101
🗓️ Tuesday, 10 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Starter pack
Organisation basics: How to stay on top of things at uni
🗓️ Wednesday, 11 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
Report writing
🗓️ Wednesday, 11 February
⏰ 1pm – 2pm
Study Hacks
Critical thinking 101
🗓️ Wednesday, 11 February
⏰ 2pm – 3pm
Starter pack
Effective notetaking: How to take great notes
🗓️ Thursday, 12 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Library Hacks
Find your course resources
🗓️ Tuesday 17 February
⏰ 10:15am – 11am
English hacks
English for communicating at UNSW
🗓️ Wednesday, 18 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
Referencing 101
🗓️ Tuesday, 24 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
Getting started with your literature review
🗓️ Tuesday, 17 March
⏰ 11am – 12pm
English hacks
Let’s get talking: How to speak fearlessly in English
🗓️ Wednesday, 8 April
⏰ 2pm – 3pm
Study Hacks
Referencing 101
🗓️ Wednesday, 15 April
⏰ 2pm – 3pm
Library Hacks
Using LibKey Nomad and Google Scholar
🗓️ Tuesday 24 February
⏰10:15am – 11am
Starter pack
Getting started with your first assignment
🗓️ Wednesday, 25 February
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
How to write a great essay
🗓️ Wednesday, 18 March
⏰ 2pm – 3pm
Study Hacks
10 ways to make your marker happy
🗓️ Thursday, 9 April
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
Exam prep: tips for smart study
🗓️ Thursday, 16 April
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Library Hacks
Advanced searching made easy
🗓️ Tuesday 24 February
⏰ 10:15am – 11am
Study Hacks
Introduction to EndNote
🗓️ Thursday, 5 March
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
Presenting like a pro
🗓️ Thursday, 19 March
⏰ 11am – 12pm
Study Hacks
How to write a great essay
🗓️ Tuesday, 14 April
⏰ 11am – 12pm
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 details
- Key skills developed
- Eligibility
- Registration process
Course codes and terms offered:
- GENY001: Term 1, Term 2, Term 3
- GENY003: Term 3, 2024 only
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.
- Enrol and register for any of the above courses in myUNSW. Follow our step-by-step enrolment instructions for guidance.
- If you require assistance with the enrolment or class registration process, contact The Nucleus: Student Hub.
Online academic writing workshop
Looking to improve your writing for assignments like essays, literature reviews, or critical analyses?
UNSW’s Academic Skills offers a free, self-paced workshop series on Moodle, designed to help you master essential academic writing techniques. This workshop focuses on paraphrasing and summarising skills, equipping you with the tools needed to tackle academic assignments confidently.
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- 14+ interactive lessons: Packed with quizzes and writing tasks to keep learning engaging and effective
- Total flexibility: Pick the lessons you need and complete them at your own pace
- Short time commitment: Lessons take just 2–4 hours each to complete
- Long access period: Stay enrolled for up to 1,000 days.
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- Email your full name and zID to the Academic Skills Team at academicskills@unsw.edu.au
- Get step-by-step instructions to start learning right away
The workshop is open year-round, so you can join whenever you’re ready to begin your writing journey.
Looking for personalised study support?
Get help tailored to your needs:
Strengthen your research skills, finding course resources and build practical AI and information literacy.
Discover Library support
Assistance with academic writing, presentations and exam preparations.
Book a one-to-one session