The Skills Pod

University of Chester: Academic Skills

Members of the University of Chester’s Academic Skills Team chat all things Academic Skills, sharing advice and anecdotes from their own experience in higher education. We have episodes on skills like referencing, critical thinking, maths and statistics, and time management.

Listening to The Skills Pod is a great way to learn hints and tips to help you during your academic journey while getting to know the Academic Skills Team.

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Back to Basics: The Key Conventions of Academic Writing
11-12-2024
Back to Basics: The Key Conventions of Academic Writing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we go back to basics and chat about the key conventions of academic writing. We go through ways to make your academic writing formal, the importance of referencing, and how editing can help you with clarity and conciseness. This episode features Anthony, Emma, and Liz.

Episodes

Back to Basics: The Key Conventions of Academic Writing
11-12-2024
Back to Basics: The Key Conventions of Academic Writing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we go back to basics and chat about the key conventions of academic writing. We go through ways to make your academic writing formal, the importance of referencing, and how editing can help you with clarity and conciseness. This episode features Anthony, Emma, and Liz.
Writing Critical Case Studies
05-11-2024
Writing Critical Case Studies
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode, Academic Skills Advisers, Emma and Anthony, are joined by Wayne Connor-Scahill, Deputy Head of Nursing and Healthcare Education, to discuss critical case studies. We share our tips for structuring your case studies, incorporating criticality, and avoiding common pitfalls.
Note-Making Vs. Note-Taking
11-10-2024
Note-Making Vs. Note-Taking
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss the differences between note-making and note-taking. We look at ways to make your notes purposeful, how to ensure criticality, and share some strategies for effective note-making. This episode features Emma and Liz.
My Academic Skills Experience: Ben
17-09-2024
My Academic Skills Experience: Ben
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode Emma, Anthony, and Mikayla chat to one of our students, Ben (BSc (Hons) Applied Psychology), about his experience of engaging with The Academic Skills Team throughout his degree.
Descriptive Vs. Critical Writing
19-08-2024
Descriptive Vs. Critical Writing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss descriptive vs. critical writing: what do we mean by descriptive writing? How can you make your writing critical? This episode features Emma and Anthony.
Imposter Syndrome
22-07-2024
Imposter Syndrome
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss Imposter Syndrome, sharing our experiences of it and our strategies for dealing with it. This episode features Emma, Anthony, Nicola, and Alice.
Reassessments
11-06-2024
Reassessments
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss reassessments, sharing our tips on: dealing with setbacks, using feedback to improve your assessments moving forward, and strategies/resources available to support you during the reassessment period and beyond. This episode features Emma, Anthony, Stefan, and Alice.
Top Tips: Editing and Proofreading
20-05-2024
Top Tips: Editing and Proofreading
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for another episode of The Skills Pod as we share our top tips for Editing and Proofreading.
Reflective Writing
29-04-2024
Reflective Writing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode, Academic Skills Advisers, Emma and Sharon, are joined by Fran Clipperton, Senior Lecturer in Midwifery, to discuss reflective writing. We share our tips for writing reflectively, making reflections critical, and how to avoid common pitfalls.
Academic Posters
12-03-2024
Academic Posters
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss academic posters, sharing our tips on how to approach, plan, and create your poster. This episode features Emma and Anthony.In this episode we mention our episode on Presentations which you can listen to here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1192334/13983351
Literature Reviews
07-02-2024
Literature Reviews
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss narrative literature reviews, sharing our tips on how to approach, plan, read, and write your review. This episode features Emma and Anthony.
Editing and Proofreading
19-12-2023
Editing and Proofreading
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss editing and proofreading: differences between the two processes, common errors to look out for, as well as our strategies for editing and proofreading. This episode features Liz, Emma, and Anthony.
Paraphrasing
11-12-2023
Paraphrasing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. In this episode we discuss paraphrasing: what it is and what it isn't, common pitfalls, and strategies for effective paraphrasing. This episode features Lisa, Emma, and Anthony.
Top Tips: Time Management
30-11-2023
Top Tips: Time Management
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for another episode of The Skills Pod as we share our top tips for Time Management. This episode features: Laura, Lisa, Liz, Mikayla, and Sharon.
Presentations
16-11-2023
Presentations
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. Grab your cup of tea and biscuits, sit back and relax. In this episode we discuss presentations from design to delivery and share our own experiences of presenting. This episode features Emma and Anthony.
MHRA Referencing
01-11-2023
MHRA Referencing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. Grab your cup of tea and biscuits, sit back and relax. In this episode we discuss MHRA: key points about what it is and some top tips for referencing correctly. This episode features Academic Skills Advisers, Liz, Laura, and Emma.
APA 7 Referencing
31-10-2023
APA 7 Referencing
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. Grab your cup of tea and biscuits, sit back and relax. In this episode we discuss APA 7: key points about what it is and some top tips for referencing correctly. This episode features Academic Skills Advisers, Sharon, Liz, and Emma.
Special Edition (ASk & The University of Chester's Race Advocates): International Student Experiences of UK Higher Education
10-10-2023
Special Edition (ASk & The University of Chester's Race Advocates): International Student Experiences of UK Higher Education
Send us a message or feedbackJoin the Academic Skills Team for The Skills Pod. Grab your cup of tea and biscuits, sit back and relax. In this episode, Academic Skills Advisers, Emma and Laura, chat with two of the University's Race Advocates, Oluwanifesimi and Thisanda, about their experiences of studying at university in the UK.
Top Tips: Warming Up For Study
04-10-2023
Top Tips: Warming Up For Study
Send us a message or feedbackWelcome to our Top Tips Series! Join the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for a shorter episode of The Skills Pod as we share our top tips for Warming Up For Study. This episode features: Emma, Sharon, Laura, and Shirley.
Top Tips: Independent Learning/Study
18-09-2023
Top Tips: Independent Learning/Study
Send us a message or feedbackWelcome to our Top Tips Series! Join the University of Chester's Academic Skills Team for a shorter episode of The Skills Pod as we share our top tips for Independent Study. This episode features: Liz, Lisa, Emma, Tony, Sharon, Laura, Craig, and Mikayla.