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Need More Help?

Further Support and Appointments

Looking for learning development support? Resubmitting coursework? Been referred by a tutor?  

The services described below are for students studying at the University of Cumbria. Students from partner colleges are encouraged to contact their own institutions for academic skills advice and guidance. If you are a Robert Kennedy College student please access your resource page for your courses and contact Robert Kennedy College Student Care for support with academic writing and referencing. 

The Skills@Cumbria service supports you in developing your academic and library skills throughout your programme. The service is delivered by a team of professional Library and Academic Advisors within the University Library. We provide online resources, including our Skills TV channel, group workshops, individual appointments, Webinars and email guidance.  See the sections below for more details.
We also provide Subject pages that signpost you to relevant resources for your subject. 

The library provides an out of hours Ask a Librarian service.  They can help with accessing resources and signposting help but are not able to help with academic skills queries.

 

 

  • Skills@cumbria website

    Available 24/7 the Skills@Cumbria site provides a suite of online self-help resources to develop your academic and library skills. These include:

    dl_onesearch, orange cartoon of search icon Finding information dl_reflection, orange cartoon of a globe Reflection
    dl_reading, orange cartoon of a person reading a book Reading and note taking dl_research, orange cartoon of a microscope Dissertations and research projects
    dl_writing, orange cartoon of 3 pieces of stacked paper with a pen on top Writing at University dl_reference, orange cartoon of piece of paper with bullet points and lines next to them Referencing, Plagiarism and Turnitin
    dl_study, orange cartoon of books on a shelf Learn Well dl_ask_a_librarian, orange question mark in an orange outlined speech bubble Being Critical
    dl_presentation, orange cartoon of a person giving a presentation Presentation skills dl_troubleshoot, orange cartoon of a computer screen with an exclamation mark on it Digital Skills
    dl_critical, cartoon of orange outlined head with piece of paper on top Headstart online study skills courses    

     

  • Email support

    The Skills@Cumbria service is staffed Monday to Friday 09:00 - 17:00

    Contact us via the Student Enquiry Point with any queries about referencing, accessing library resources and academic skills.

    You can request feedback on 500 words of a draft written assignment; please note that this isn't a proof reading service. Please check you understand our service guidance below and be aware that the offer of appointments and feedback service are all subject to availability. 

    • You can request feedback once per module - which might be via email feedback OR via an appointment. Let us know if you are in resubmission, as we may be able to offer more flexible support. 
    • In line with academic regulations and to support independent learning, generally, we cannot look at the same assignment more than once for a 1st submission.  
    • For dissertation/longer project modules we can look at 2 sections of up to 500 words (subject to availability).
    • When requesting email feedback, please identify the 500 words section clearly.  Tell us the areas of development you would like us to focus on, eg paragraphing, referencing, academic sources, structure, writing critically (etc). Or if you are not sure, tell us about your tutor or peer feedback and their suggested areas for development.
    • We will suggest tips and strategies to support your development, but we do not offer a proof reading service and feedback is for guidance only.
    • We can help you to understand grading criteria and tutor assessment feedback but we cannot suggest what grade an assignment might be worth.  We do not mark assignments and tutors make final grade decisions.

    In many cases - particularly in response to quick queries like referencing - we are usually able to reply within a working day or two.  You need to allow up to 5 working days for 500 word feedback requests. If you are seeking 500 words feedback, please seek timely advice: at least 7 days before an assignment deadline.  Please allow for possible delays over national holidays.  

     

  • Individual Appointments

    You can book a 30 minute online skills appointment with a Library and Academic Advisor (subject to availability). We use Microsoft Teams for online appointments. For guidance on using MS Teams ahead of appointments, see the Microsoft Teams webpage. 

    Appointments are booked through the online bookings system: Book an academic skills appointment.

    Please check you understand our service guidance before booking an appointment: 

    • In line with academic regulations and to support independent learning, generally, we cannot look at the same assignment in more than one appointment.  If you are in resubmission, let us know, as we may be able to offer more flexible support (depending on availability). 
    • Please book 1 appointment at a time. Following your 1st appointment, if you and the advisor agree a 2nd appointment is needed, this can then be booked. 
    • If you make an appointment and then cannot attend, please either cancel the appointment via the booking system or email skills@cumbria.ac.uk so that we can release the appointment slot to other students. 

    Please note these appointments are for library and academic skills with the skills@cumbria team.  Appointments are also available for other areas of student support such as SpLD, mental health and money Advice.  Please see Student Support Appointments or go to the Student Enquiry Point to request support from other teams. 

  • Webinars

    The Skills@cumbria team provide regular webinars on key topics.  See the Webinars page for more information and to book a place.

     Webinar dates, webinar timetable

  • Group workshops

    In liaison with course tutors, Library and Academic Advisors deliver learning development workshops as part of the curriculum, tailored to the subject discipline and level. Talk to your tutor if you think that a workshop would benefit you and your peers

    Students can also request a small group workshop on a topic of their choice.  Contact skills@cumbria via the Student Enquiry Point with your request. Please allow at least 5 working days for arrangements to be made (subject to availability).

     

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