Our workshop programme for semester 1 is published below. Please click on the workshop title to find out more information about it. New students may be interested to know that the programme starts even before you arrive with a range of sessions that aim to help you settle into university life. In these pre-arrival sessions you will meet students who will share their experiences of starting university, along with representatives from the Students Union and a range of university services.
Workshops
We offer a wide range of workshops to help you reach your full potential.

Leaving home and living Independently
Starting university may well involve living away from home, having to manage your own time, and developing the skills to cope. In this workshop students from Oxford Brookes share their experiences of how it went for them and both staff and students share tips on how to make the process of living independently easier.
- Monday 11 September, 12.30-2.00
Work life balance: How should I manage my time?
Independent study involves needing to organise your own time more than was probably the case in school or college days. This session explores how to ensure that your medium to long-term planning is effective enough to make your short-term workload manageable. Time management will also reduce stress and give you the chance to have a life that is not all about work.
- Tuesday 12 September, 12.30-2.00
Becoming an independent learner: knowing my skills and helping myself
Moving from school or college to university brings a changing relationship with staff and teachers. There are lots of development opportunities available and many people who can offer support, but you will need to think about how you can get the most out of what is on offer. In this workshop we’ll be thinking about the type of support you can expect, who you can turn to for help, and what the best way of approaching people might be.
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Am I good enough? (Combatting Imposter Syndrome)
We know that stepping up to university can be daunting and many people have moments where they lack confidence. Join us for a workshop where we explore some of the challenges that students face and provide you with some ideas and strategies for overcoming your fears
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Getting started: a guide for mature students - JHB203
This session will help you make the most of your university experience, with information on mature student support, and activities exploring learning technology, reading strategies, and building your confidence. By the end of the session, you will have met some interesting new people and developed some great ideas about how to make the most of your first few months at Brookes.
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Study Skills for International Students - JHB203
Going to university in the UK is an exciting opportunity for international students and also brings new challenges. This session will highlight differences between the UK university system and elsewhere and suggest key study skills for students who are studying in the UK for the first time.
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Thinking statistically
This session will briefly introduce the different areas (descriptive, inferential) and vocabulary related to statistics. By the end of the session you will be able to:
Demonstrate a useful understanding of statistical vocabulary.
Recognise when it is appropriate to use statistics.
Describe the different areas of statistics.
Evaluate when the different areas of statistics are relevant.
Getting Started with a dataset
This workshop is designed to assist students who have a set of collected data and are unsure where to begin. We will briefly define the different areas and types of statistics before discussing how to approach a dataset. We will focus on two main points - understanding the data you have and defining what you want you want to investigate. We will use a mock dataset to put this knowledge into context. By the end of this session you will be able to:
Recognise when it is appropriate to use different areas of statistics.
Demonstrate some practical skills that can be applied to any dataset, e.g. graphs.
Evaluate and manipulate a dataset.
Understand how to develop a strategy to analyse a dataset.
Interpreting published data and results
This workshop will demonstrate how to approach published papers and how to interpret and understand the results. We will discuss what factors to consider and and how to determine the relevance and validity of the results. This will be applied to previous literature for practice. By the end of the session you will be able to:
Define how to critically review data and statistics in published work.
Identify relevant information from a text for analysis.
Apply what you have learned to your own research/purpose.
Strategies for studying maths successfully
Maths can crop up in unexpected places! You may find that you have to practice your numeracy skills during your degree and are not sure how to prepare. This workshop aims to demonstrate different strategies to aid you in studying and revising maths, how to find appropriate study resources online and to let you know the different kinds of support available. This workshop will be one hour followed by time for you to ask any questions, it's perfect if you need a refresher on these study skills or just want to build your confidence!
SPSS Training on Moodle (from IT Training)
Our colleagues in IT Training offer a course on SPSS that takes you through downloading and setting it up and then using it for data organisation, presntation and analysis. It is a course you can enrol on yourself via Moodle but there are no assignments or assessments. Its purpose is to support you in using SPSS for your work.


Week 11 - Editing and Proofreading
This workshop aims to help you submit your work with more confidence. We’ll consider what you need to check, and how. You’ll also have the chance to try out some strategies that might help you see your work as you’ve never seen it before...
- Monday 4 December, 12.00-1.30
- Sign up here
Who can attend a workshop?
Most of our workshops are open to any year and any department. Some of our workshops are tailored specifically for UGs or PGs, or for specific faculties. This will be specified in the workshops description.
How to book a slot?
Please use the registration forms which can be found in the workshop description. You will receive a calendar invite containing the joining instructions for the workshop you booked. Please accept this calendar invitation to confirm your place. You will also receive an email containing the workshop information.
How to cancel a booking?
Please email academicdev@brookes.ac.uk to let us know if you can no longer attend.