FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Here you will find the answers to some frequently asked questions. If the answer to your question is not here, please let us know by emailing skillscentre@ucc.ie. You can also listen to an interview with Kathy Bradley, the Skills Centre Coordinator, gave to Shush!Sounds from UCC Library

A drop-in zone gives students the opportunity to ask the Skills Centre's staff all about our upcoming programmes and skill sessions. You can tell us what you would like help with, and we will try our best to find a skill session that tailors to your needs. You can also book into the sessions we are offering as we can let you know about our timetable online! Please note, that this is a time dedicated to answering any of your queries about the Skills Centre, we do not have tutors available for one-to-one appointments, as you will need to book in advance. 

The Skills Centre will help you explore academic writing and the structure which will help you maximize your marks. It does not cover content or any subject orientated information. For all this information, you should approach lecturer/department/ tutor.  

Booking online is very easy and straight forward! Just click on the session you are interested in. The link will then take you to a signup sheet. Here you will be asked for your email (use your UCC email <student number>@umail.ucc.ie), your name, your programme of study, and you will also be asked to tick a box to secure your seat.  Make sure you add the booked session to your diary. The sessions are in high demand, so if you book, please turn up.  

Please note if the drop-down menu reads ‘No more options’ only, please book another time-slot as this session is full.

All official engagements with the university should be with your university email. If you have trouble remembering this, why not consider forwarding your university email to your personal email. 

We very much appreciate when you take the time to cancel your appointment by emailing us on skillscentre@ucc.ie. Our service is often very busy, and this allows students on the waiting list to avail of appointments. 

You can book as many sessions as you would like to attend, and you may even attend them twice should you want to! However, due to the popularity of Writing Clinics there is a restriction of three per month for any student.  

You can book up to three 1:1's per month. When you meet with our advisors, they can go through what is most suitable for you and determine if follow up appointments or sessions are needed. Click here for more information. 

During our Advisor Appointments, you can develop a detailed, personalised plan of action to tackle your academic workload. They might recommend that you attend some of our classes on writing an essay, building an academic argument, and so on.  

The sessions are scheduled to tackle specific aspects of study or academic communicating skills. If you know what you need click here to have a look at our timetable and book your session. 

Click on the name of the session and you will be brought to a more detailed section. If you have questions, you are always welcome to drop into us. Alternatively, you can call us on 021-4903839 or email us on skillscentre@ucc.ie

Our timetable is updated every Friday to show what sessions and Advisor Appointments will be available. Alternatively, you can drop in and talk to us about the session you are interested in. 

Our Presentation Skills or Practice Presentations sessions might be just what you are looking for. During these sessions, our advisors give constructive feedback on your style and form. If you need help with the content of your presentation, your department/lecturer would be best suitable to help you.  

Alternatively, the SPEAK programme is a presentations development programme that is designed to enable participants to create and deliver effective presentations. It is delivered over an eight-week period and is digitally badged. 

We have many Writing Sessions on our timetable which might suit your needs; How to Write an EssayUnpacking the QuestionReflective WritingWriting ClinicTake a look at our timetable to see more about these sessions. Still not sure which one is best suited for you? You are always welcome to drop in to us. Alternatively, you can also call us on 021-4903839 or email us on skillscentre@ucc.ie

The staff in the Boole Library would be happy to help you with this. They have 30-minute Library sessions that you can attend, and you can also find more information on their website by clicking here

Our Building an Academic Argument session might be what you are looking for. Here we will teach you the skills to effectively build an academic argument. Click here for more information. 

Unfortunately, not. However, our Editing and Proofreading class will give you the skills needed to edit your own material. You can also avail of Writing Clinic class, where one of our tutors will work with you to address the key areas of concern in order to help redraft and refine your assignment. Click here for more information.  

We offer Time Management sessions, where our tutors can explore different strategies for planning your time. This will involve setting clear goals for the division of your time and helping you to break these goals into achievable steps. Reviewing your progress and learning to prioritise will help you to gain insight into how to achieve the study/work/social life balance. We also have a Weekly planner which you can download here

Alternatively, you can also book a one-to-one appointment. They can help you develop a detailed, personalised plan of action to tackle your academic workload. They might recommend that you attend some of our classes on writing an essay, building an academic argument, and so on, in order to develop your academic skills, and suggests other services in UCC that you can avail of to help you cope with the stresses of university life. 

As our team is drawn from the PhD community, they have academic commitments hence why we do not match tutors to students. All our team is expertly trained and look forward to engaging with our students. 

Yes, we do! Click here for Facebook, here for Instagram and here for Twitter. 

We would encourage you to make an appointment with our advisor. They can establish a personal study plan as well as a strategy for your exams and how to study for them. Our advisors can also share if they believe that any sessions may be of help to you. We would also encourage you to attend one of our Time Management sessions. For more information about our Advisor Appointments, click here. For more information about our Time Management sessions, click here

During our Presentation Skills or Practice Presentations sessions, our advisors give constructive feedback on your style and form. If you need help with the content of your presentation, your department/lecturer would be best suitable to help you. 

The SPEAK programme is a presentations development programme that is designed to enable participants to create and deliver effective presentations. It is delivered over an eight-week period and is digitally badged. For more information, click here

Yes, certainly! Many students find this challenging. We would encourage you to attend one of our Assignment Writing Essential sessions which help with the type and style of language required. After this you can bring a piece of your work with you to the Writing Clinic, where one of our tutors will work with you to address the key areas of concern in order to help redraft and refine your assignment. 

We would encourage you to attend our Critical Thinking sessions. This is a four-week course designed to allow you to engage with your material in a critical manner. For more information, click here.

Skills Centre

Q -1 (Q minus 1), Boole Library,

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