{"id":472,"date":"2020-07-07T12:01:05","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T11:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-skills\/?p=472"},"modified":"2022-07-05T14:54:19","modified_gmt":"2022-07-05T13:54:19","slug":"sharpen-up-your-skills-this-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/academic-and-employability-skills\/2020\/07\/07\/sharpen-up-your-skills-this-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Sharpen up your skills this summer"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have some spare time on your hands this summer, why not use it to develop some of your skills? <\/em>Here are the Skills Centre's top 10 ideas for sharpening up your skills this summer.<\/em><\/p>\n

1. Develop your writing skills<\/h2>\n

1:1 writing tutorials<\/a> are available over the summer for you to discuss any aspect of writing and get personalised feedback from an expert writing tutor. Find out how the writing tutorials helped our student Skills Co-Creators in these blogs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Take some time over the summer to digest the feedback you've received on your assignments over the past year. This will help you to understand the grades you've been given and how to improve in the future. This blog<\/a> and more detailed guide<\/a> explains the key feedback phrases and the steps to take for each.<\/p>\n

The Academic & Employability Skills blog<\/a> has lots of posts on all aspects of academic writing, covering topics like how to get started on your essay<\/a> or dissertation<\/a>, how to write concisely<\/a> and how to make your writing flow<\/a>. You can also check out other writing skills resources<\/a> on MySkills.<\/p>\n

2. Refine your academic skills<\/h2>\n

In addition to writing, the Academic & Employability Skills blog<\/a> covers other key academic skills, for example critical thinking<\/a>, note-taking<\/a> and presentation skills<\/a>. You can also find some general tips on how to stay focused on your studies over the summer vacation<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Our Digital & Academic Skills team has also developed a range of online academic skills short courses<\/a> and the Academic Skills Handbook<\/a> is a really useful go-to guide to build your confidence and help you get ahead with your studies.<\/p>\n

3. Become an ethical scholar<\/h2>\n

It may be a while since you took the University\u2019s mandatory Academic Integrity Initiative Test, so now is the perfect time to remind yourself about the important rules of referencing and how to avoid plagiarism.<\/p>\n

Read our blog on how to be an ethical scholar<\/a>, work through the Skills for Study e-learning modules<\/a> on 'Referencing and Understanding Plagiarism', 'Critical Thinking' and 'Reading and Note-making' and look at the Cite them Right referencing database to help you give proper credit to any sources used in your work.<\/p>\n

4. Boost your group working skills<\/h2>\n

Team-working is a fundamental skill at University and in the workplace. Take a look at our short, self-access Effective Online Group work course<\/a> and Five steps to effective group working blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

5. Start learning a foreign language<\/h2>\n

Having some foreign language skills up your sleeve will give you an edge in a competitive job market. Before you sign up for our autumn language classes<\/a>, dip into some of the following online resources recommended by our tutors:<\/p>\n