Academic Learning Resources

• Doing Uni

• Returning to Study

• Essay Writing: What you need to know
• Developing your English Grammar and Expression
• Making the Most of Lectures and Tutorials

The School of Education run academic learning workshops each year on the North Terrace Campus. They are designed to assist students to become academically more successful. The workshops include activity tasks for practice of an academic skill and are delivered by expert lecturers in a relaxed environment. They are non-discipline specific, run for about 50 minutes in duration, and no bookings are required. Please arrive on time.

These workshops are included in the University's UniStep program for commencing students, but are open to all students.

A Study Planner provides a simple way to plan and organise your course commitments throughout the semester.

Current version: Semester 1, 2013

• A3 Study Planner
• A3 Study Planner

Recommended Academic Skills Books

• Adams, P, Openshaw, R & Trembath, V (eds) 2007, Score more: essential academic skills for tertiary education, Thomson Learning Australia, Melbourne.
• Barrass, R 2002, Scientists must write: a guide to better writing for scientists, engineers and students, 2nd edn, Routledge, London.
• Barrass, R 2002, Study! A guide to effective learning, revision, and examination techniques, 2nd edn, Routledge, London.
• Brandt, C 2009, Read, research and write: academic skills for ESL students in higher education, Sage Publications, London.
• Glendinning, EH & Holmström, BAS 2004, Study reading: a course in reading skills for academic purposes, 2nd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Greetham, B 2001, How to write better essays, 2nd edn, Palgrave Macmillan, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire.
• Turner, K 2008, Essential academic skills, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
• Virgo, G 2005, Writing an academic assignment: preparing a model essay on globalisation, Pearson Education Australia, Frenchs Forest, NSW.
• Wallace, A, Schirato, T & Bright, P 1999, Beginning university: thinking, writing and researching for success, Allen & Unwin, St Leonards, NSW.

The School of Education run academic learning workshops each year on the North Terrace Campus. They are designed to assist students to become academically more successful. The workshops include activity tasks for practice of an academic skill and are delivered by expert lecturers in a relaxed environment. They are non-discipline specific, run for about 50 minutes in duration, and no bookings are required. Please arrive on time.

These workshops are included in the University's UniStep program for commencing students, but are open to all students.

Writing and Speaking at Uni
Your success at university will depend on your ability to express yourself well, both in writing and speaking. These online interactive modules have been designed to help you improve your academic performance and can be completed at your own pace. Your current university login is required. If you have further questions, students are encouraged to visit the Writing Centre.

At the University of Adelaide, you will be expected to read widely and to incorporate scholarly evidence in your assignments, rather than merely state your personal opinion or experience. The evidence you select is likely to come from a range of sources that must be acknowledged by using an accepted and subject-appropriate referencing system. Referencing your work is essential in order to avoid plagiarism and succeed in your tertiary studies.

The two most commonly used systems are (1) author-date or (2) numerical. The Harvard and the APA (American Psychological Association) are two examples of author-date referencing styles. The numerical system uses Footnotes or Endnotes instead of 'in-text' references. Your study discipline may prefer that you use the Modern Language Association (MLA) style or the Chicago (Endnote) style. It is imperative that you check with your program and course coordinators at the commencement of your studies.

You can access the Referencing Guides - a range of guides developed to give examples of different referencing systems.

The Barr Smith Library provides links to referencing style guides and useful information on how and when to use references in their LibGuide on Academic Writing and referencing Style Guides.

Recommended English Grammar Books

• Huddleston, R & Pullum, GK 2005, A student's introduction to English grammar, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Murphy, R 2004, English grammar in use: a self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students, 3rd edn, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Leech, G, Deuchar, M & Hoogenraad, R 2006, English grammar for today: a new introduction, 2nd edn, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
• Raimes, A 2005, Keys for writers, 4th edn, Houghton Mifflin, Boston.
• Taggart, C & Wines, JA 2008, My grammar and I (or should that be 'me'?): old-school ways to sharpen your English, Michael O'Mara Books, London.
• Tredinnick, M 2008, The little green grammar book, UNSW Press, Sydney, NSW.
• Viney, B & Craven, M 2004, English grammar in use, CD-ROM, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

• The Academic Phrasebank is a general resource for academic writers by Dr John Morley, The University of Manchester.
• The Grammar Gang blog, initiated by Purdue University (USA) and UniSA lecturers.
• The English for Uni website by Dr Julia Miller, The University of Adelaide.

The following resources give a brief overview of the issues to consider when preparing PowerPoint slides (or equivalent) for a tutorial, seminar or conference presentation.

• Effective PowerPoint Design: slides
• Effective PowerPoint Design: handout
• Further references | Further references

• Academic Oral Presentation Skills, English for Uni.