Academic Success Workshop Series
These live, 75-minute, free workshops provide students with an overview ("crash course") of specific strategies and tools, hands-on activities, and opportunities to ask questions about different academic topics. These introductory workshops will give you a headstart for developing the skills needed for university-level work and can be followed up by 1-1 appointments with a Writing and Learning Strategist.
Attend in person or online
In-person workshops offer a chance to connect and talk with other students and learn new skills together. In-person workshops are in classroom EL 1451B (in the Riddell Library and Learning Centre). If you have a laptop or tablet, please bring it to the workshop. You can also request a free laptop rental from the Library.
Online, synchronous workshops enable you to log in and participate wherever you are. These workshops use Google Meet and are not recorded. You will receive an email with the link to the meeting room on the morning of the webinar. You must register before 8 am on the day of the workshop to receive the link.
How to Register
To register, choose your workshop from the drop down list below. Follow the "REGISTER" link. You will need your MyMRU sign-in and your MRU email in order to register.
If a workshop is full you will automatically be added to a waitlist. In the event another registrant cancels, you will be notified by email that a spot has opened up and asked to complete your registration.
Online registration closes 8:00 AM MST the day of the workshop. If you wish to inquire about registration after online sign-ups have closed, please contact sls@mtroyal.ca for assistance.
Proof of Participation
NOTE: Appointments cannot be used as substitutes for Academic Workshops for course credit incentives.
After each workshop, a Learning & Participation Form will be shared with workshop participants to help review and practice the workshop skills and reflect on learning goals. The link to access the form will be provided after each workshop once attendance has been confirmed — you must attend the entire workshop to receive the link. Deadline for submission is 2 days after the workshop at 11:59 pm. Participants who require proof of participation for a specific course may share a copy of their form responses with their instructor.
Save to PDF Instructions (Most Workshops)
Save to PDF Instructions ("APA 1: The Basics" Specific)
Learning
Determined to stay on track when life gets busy? We'll suggest techniques for planning out your semester, balancing your weekly schedule, and prioritizing tasks.
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How often do you tell yourself “I’ll do it later”? Procrastination is normal, but don’t fret – there are ways to overcome it! Work with a Learning Strategist and a Counsellor to explore the possible factors that may contribute to your procrastination and learn tangible strategies to turn intention into action.
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Stop relying on highlighting, re-reading, and cramming! Learn to make the most out of note taking, read to learn, create active learning tools, and leverage proven, powerful study techniques. Engage in high-impact studying and make your learning stick!
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Boost your test-taking confidence by optimizing your preparation, increasing your focus and efficiency during the test, and reflecting on your test experience and results afterwards to perform even better the next time.
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Wondering about using AI tools for your university coursework? In this session, you’ll learn about the wide range of instructor expectations, concrete strategies for dealing with some of the ethical implications of AI use, and how to figure out when AI is helping your learning and when it might be getting in the way.
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Writing
Unlock the secrets to university-level writing and learn how to decode different assignment types, make sure a thesis statement matches the assignment, and tailor your writing decisions to a specific audience. This workshop will help you write with purpose and a better understanding of what your profs are looking for!
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Are you feeling overwhelmed with a research assignment or don't know how to get started? Learn steps to launch each assignment, explore how to use brainstorming to focus your topic and guide your research, leverage your outlining skills to shape strong points, and stay on track one piece at a time.
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Want to ensure your writing is focused and powerful? We’ll discuss what a thesis is and how to make yours effective. We’ll also identify the components of strong body paragraphs to help you support your thesis, and share strategies for integrating information from sources.
Note: We recommend completing the "Research Papers 101: Get Started" workshop first.
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All academic writers strive to create texts that flow smoothly. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to use reverse outlining to improve the logical flow of your ideas, and you’ll discover how different types of connectors contribute to smooth writing.
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Hoping to sort out what a comma splice is, avoid those pesky run-on sentences, or finally grasp when to use a semicolon? In this workshop, you’ll learn to spot and fix common grammatical errors and review different sentence structures to help you achieve clarity and variation in your writing. Plus, you’ll discover strategies to become a more confident editor of your own work.
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Referencing
Paraphrasing is a key component of research and source-based writing that goes hand-in-hand with making your own unique point. Learn to avoid a technical approach that focuses only on finding synonyms, and instead adopt the perspective of a scholarly writer and member of an academic discipline. This will allow you to grow your confidence with paraphrasing by understanding the ideas of the original source and the purpose you will use them for.
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New to APA style and wondering what it’s all about and how to do it? This workshop introduces foundational scholarly principles that guide citation and referencing. You’ll learn the basic guidelines outlined in the APA 7th edition and will have a chance to practice citing common source types. You will also practice using the MRU APA Referencing Guide so you can go forward and begin citing sources in your own scholarly work!
Prefer to learn at your own pace? Complete the APA Referencing Tutorial, which covers the same content as the live workshop.
To enroll in the tutorial, click this link to D2L, log in using your @mtroyal.ca credentials, and then select the “Enroll in Course” button. (If you’re already enrolled, you’ll see “Open Course.”) We recommend you use Google Chrome as your web browser.
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Have you ever come across a source that seems impossible to cite? Not every source fits neatly into an APA template, but with the key parts to every reference and formatting guidelines in hand, you can problem-solve your way to a clear and accurate citation. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to navigate common tricky citation situations (like sources missing key details, online images, webpages, or videos) so you can cite with confidence in any assignment.
Note: Please attend the "APA 1: The Basics" workshop or complete the APA Referencing Tutorial on D2L before taking APA 2.
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Need to use MLA style but not sure where to start? This introductory workshop breaks down the essentials of MLA 9th edition—the go-to citation format for the Humanities. You’ll learn about the importance of referencing, how to create correct in-text citations, and how to build a polished Works Cited page.
Check out MRU’s comprehensive MLA Referencing Guide anytime.
Prefer to learn at your own pace? Complete the MLA Referencing Tutorial, which covers the same content as the live workshop.
To enroll in the tutorial, click this link to D2L, log in using your @mtroyal.ca credentials, and then select the “Enroll in Course” button. (If you’re already enrolled, you’ll see “Open Course.”) We recommend you use Google Chrome as your web browser.
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Room-EL2100