Virtual Writing Clinics

Do you want feedback on your assignment before you submit? Are you unsure about the structure of your essay? Are you confused about how to approach a difficult topic?

If any of these issues seem familiar and you are looking for some advice, then please book a Skills Centre Writing Clinic. The Writing Clinics are one-to-one, thirty-minute appointments held through Google Meet with our skilled Tutors. Before coming to the session, we ask that you prepare a draft of an assignment and bring it with you to your appointment.

On arrival to the virtual appointment, your tutor will ask you why you have come to the Skills Centre. This is your opportunity to discuss the specific issues and concerns you have in relation to academic writing. Your tutor will go through your piece of work and address the key areas of concern in order to help redraft and refine your assignment. They will give you advice on structure and on how best to focus on the question being asked. This personalised, detailed feedback will help you gain control of your writing and give you the tools to tackle future assignments with confidence.

Academic study coaching

Sometimes studying effectively can be difficult. You can put a lot of work in and maybe not reap the rewards you deserve. Study can be something that is elusive and difficult to articulate. Try ask yourself: what is it that you do well? What is blocking you from achieving? You may even be confused about where to start! If this sounds like you then why not book a session with one of our academic study coaches today.  Together you will develop a detailed, personalised plan to help you tackle your academic workload, begin to work out what works well and even identify potential pitfalls and hazards.

IT Clinic

Do you struggle with formatting your assignments through Microsoft Word? Creating Presentation slides through PowerPoint? Are you looking to improve your Digital Skills to enhance your time at university? Well, you can book into an IT Clinic! An IT clinic is a 30-minute one-to-one appointment with one of our trained, undergraduate tutors, that can help you improve your digital literacy skills.

Whether you are hoping to use text-to-speech for editing your assignments, study more efficiently with online flashcards or mind maps, or simply get the hang of google calendar to manage your time better – our undergraduate tutors can support you!

Simply book your appointment below and let us know what you would like to go through in the appointment with your IT Skills tutor. Many of the topics that can be covered in an IT clinic and listed through our Digital Skill Sessions & Resources which can be found here - https://www.ucc.ie/en/skillscentre/sessions/digitalskills/

*Please note, the IT Clinics are there to help you improve your digital literacy skills, if you are having an issue or problem with your phone/laptop, IT services have a support service for students with IT issues.

Presentation Practice

Do you have a presentation coming up and want to practice in front of an experienced public speaker? Are you unsure if your slides are relevant to the topic of your talk? Do you want some feedback on your public speaking skills? Well book in for one of our presentation practice sessions!

These 30-minute one-to-one appointments with a Skills Centre tutor give you the opportunity to practice your presentation before the big day. In these appointments, the tutor does not only provide helpful feedback in a friendly manner that can bring your presentation to the next level, but it also gives you the chance to carry out your presentation in a welcoming environment to help with any anxiety brought on by public speaking.

If your presentation is taking place through Microsoft Teams or Google Meet, it can also help in getting used to the technology ahead of the day to ensure you are confidently navigating the online platforms for presentations. If your presentation is in person, please email skillscentre@ucc.ie ahead of your appointment to book a physical space in the Skills Centre for this appointment. Simply book your appointment through the link below to meet with one of our tutors.

• Book your presentation practice session here - Presentation Practice sessions
• One-to-one sessions can also be booked here - Skills Centre ACE sessions

Asynchronous Feedback on Essay Structure & Style

The Skills Centre offers UCC students personalised feedback on essay structure & style, and other queries you may have. You will have the option to upload the work you would like reviewed by a tutor at a later point in time. Please note, this option does not involve 'live' engagement, but one of our tutors will review your writing and provide you with some helpful feedback on how you can improve your academic writing.  

• Students will have the limit of submitting approximately 1,000 words to be reviewed for each given upload. Do not worry, if your assignment word count is above 1,000 words, you may submit section's you would like reviewed. Your assignment does not have to be the final draft!
• Please also note that students will be restricted to availing of this service three times a month.  
• Remember, we do not offer a proofreading service. In writing clinics, our tutors/advisors will work with you to address the key areas of concern in your work to help redraft and refine your assignment. However, our Editing and Proofreading resources will give you the skills needed to edit your own material. 
• We do not cover referencing. The staff in the Boole Library would be happy to help you with this, you can find more information on their website by clicking here. We also recommend that you contact your department for the specific referencing style booklet.
• The Skills Centre will help you explore academic writing and the structure which will help you maximise your marks. It does not cover content or any subject specific information. For content-related information, you should approach lecturer/department/ tutor.  
• Please include the essay question/title in your submission. This allows the tutor to give more focused feedback as it identifies the context of your academic work.