Workshops

To attend one of our asynchronous workshops you will need to self-register on the LEARN community called "WCC Workshops." Workshops can be completed on your own time and are accompanied by a monitored discussion board for all of your workshop-related questions.

How to register for an asynchronous workshop:

1. Log into the LEARN website using your UWaterloo credentials
2. Click on Self-Registration in the menu at the top of the LEARN homepage
3. Scroll down to WCC Workshops and click on the link
4. Follow the registration instructions on LEARN

The Writing and Communication Centre offers one-to-one workshops for individuals and student groups. These guided workshops allow you to work through the workshop material directly with one of our writing and communication advisors. The one-to-one workshops take one hour to complete, and allow you to ask questions as you make your way through the workshop. Please note that workshop appointments MUST be one hour in length, as we are unable to facilitate a guided workshop in under 50 minutes.

How to register for a one-to-one workshop:

1. Log into our online booking system WCOnline
2. Find an available one-hour appointment block at a time that works for you.
3. Click on the appointment block
4. Ensure that you choose "Workshop" under the appointment type option
5. Select the workshop that you would like to take from the drop-down menu.
6. Fill out the rest of the form and you're set!

Please note that one-to-one workshops are hosted on WCOnline. 

How to book a student group workshop:

1. Send an email to Jirina Poch (jkpoch@uwaterloo.ca) to request a student group workshop.
2. In the email please include the title of the workshop that you would like facilitated, the dates that your group is available, and the contact information for one person that will be responsible for coordinating the workshop for your group. Please allow up to two weeks notice for booking group workshops.

Please note that student group workshops are hosted on Microsoft Teams. For more information or to download and use Teams, please visit the University's Microsoft Office 365 website.

Writing at the university level

This workshop is designed to help first-year students navigate the transition to writing at the university level. We discuss some common challenges and break down key differences between writing in high school and university. We also cover different academic writing genres, to give you a taste of what you might see in an assignment, and strategies for success.

Writing at the University Level workshop

---

Writing at the university level (STEM focus)

This workshop is designed to help first-year students navigate the transition to writing at the university level. We discuss some common challenges and break down key differences between writing in high school and university. We also cover different forms of writing to give you a taste of what you might see in a STEM assignment, and strategies for success.

Writing at the University Level (STEM focus) workshop

---

Breaking down assignments 

This Writing and Communication Centre workshop was created specifically with first-years in mind. We've created a general guide to completing any university-level written assignment, followed by more specific guides for completing a lab report, a research essay, a reflection, a journal review, and a case study report. Depending on your discipline, you can pick and choose which guides are most relevant for you.

Breaking Down Assignments workshop

---

Your ideal writing process

This Writing and Communication Centre workshop was designed for first year students to help you decide which writing strategies and habits work best for you so you can forge your own path to confidently take on any writing assignment that comes your way.

Available on LEARN

---

From topic to thesis

This workshop helps you select an appropriate topic and teaches strategies for turning that topic into a thesis statement. 

Available on LEARN

---

Organizing your writing

This workshop helps you learn how to lay down the foundation of their paper with a focused thesis statement and how to construct a complete paragraph in an academic essay. This workshop also goes over transitions at the sentence-level, paragraph-level, and section-level. 

Available on LEARN

---

Getting it done: Productive writing strategies for big projects 

In this workshop for graduate students, you will learn what researchers who study the writing process have discovered about how to set goals, manage the moving pieces of a large project, and establish an effective writing practice. This workshop is for you whether you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of writing a dissertation or thesis, don’t know where to start, or have trouble getting started at all. First, you will reflect on your current writing practice to identify what adjustments might help you to make consistent, sustainable progress on your project. Then you will be introduced to a wide range of strategies for making those adjustments and have opportunities to practice them.

Available on LEARN

How to read for research

This workshop helps you learn how to read strategically and critically, and how to take notes for research. 

Available on LEARN

---

Writing to learn

This WCC workshop is designed to introduce students to a learning strategy called Writing to Learn. We’ll cover what “Writing to Learn” means, how it’s helpful, when it can be used, and how you can apply it to your studies to help you succeed.

Available on LEARN

---

Research statements for academic job applications

This asynchronous workshop module that will introduce you to the research statement: a genre often required as part of application packages for tenure-track faculty positions. You'll learn what information the research statement needs to contain, see sample structures you might use to organize your document, and get a sense of what this document needs to accomplish.

Available on LEARN

---

Say it in your own words: Paraphrase & summary for undergraduate students

Academic writing and communication requires that you paraphrase and summarize other people’s work. Through hands-on practice, you will learn these skills so you can integrate research into your own work to support your ideas and build your credibility.

Available on LEARN

---

Say it in your own words: Paraphrase & summary for graduate students

Academic communication is a conversation between you and other researchers. To have that conversation, you need to paraphrase and summarize other people’s research. Through hands-on practice, you will learn how to integrate others' research into your own work.

Available on LEARN

Getting and giving feedback 

Peer review. Love it or hate it, it's part of the writing process for academic, professional, and business writing. This Writing and Communication Centre workshop was designed with first year students in mind. We'll teach you how to get the most out of your review sessions so you can improve your own writing.

Available on LEARN

---

From big picture to final details: Revising and editing your academic paper 

You have a paper to hand in and have written it completely. The bulk of the work is done! But how do you make sure that your paper is well-written and that it’s ready to submit? If you are publishing an article, how can you revise it so it’s ready to go to peer review? This workshop will take you through the full revision and editing process—from the “big picture” revisions to the sentence-level final details—to help you construct a strong, concise, and well-organized paper that resonates with your audience.

Available on LEARN

---

Grammar Studio Series (Parts 1, 2, and 3) 

Explore the ways that words and phrases fit together. Build simple and complex sentences. Learn how to spot your own mistakes. Make your writing flow.

This three-part series* welcomes undergraduate and graduate students at all levels of experience to explore the mechanics of English, experiment with how its pieces fit together, and correct mistakes and misunderstandings on your own.

• Workshop 1: The most common grammar trouble spots
• Workshop 2: Advanced sentence structure and punctuation
• Workshop 3: Clarity at the sentence level

*These three workshops build on each other. For best results, we recommend taking them in order.

Available on LEARN

Introduction to STEM writing 

Effective communication in STEM writing requires you to consider your audience, context, and purpose. In this workshop, you will apply these basic rhetorical elements to lab reports to examine the structure and purpose of each section, which serve as building blocks for further writing in STEM. Additionally, you will learn strategies for incorporating quantitative data into your writing to further support your findings. This workshop is for students who have no prior experience with writing lab reports and students who want to refine their writing skills to prepare for a research-based thesis.

Available on LEARN

---

Writing with quantitative data 

This workshop helps you learn how to integrate quantitative data to help you create a comprehensive story with your writing. 

Available on LEARN

---

Clarity in Scientific Writing 

The best scientific writing is clear, concise, and easily comprehended by its intended audience. Learn skills for writing in the sciences, including identifying and correcting common errors to write with precision and fluidity. You will work through several examples to apply the skills you learn in the workshop.

Available on LEARN

Assertion-evidence presentations for research talks

The assertion-evidence model is commonly used in academic and conference presentations to support results and other important messages with visual evidence. In this workshop you will learn how to organize your presentation to enhance audience understanding and project confidence on its delivery. 

Bring a laptop or tablet with presentation software (e.g. PowerPoint, Google Slides, Apple Keynote, etc.) to practice applying this model to your own work.

This workshop is under review. Please contact Jirina Poch for more information.

---

Design & Deliver 1: Practicing Presentation Skills 

Preparing and delivering dynamic presentations takes practice. Explore how to organize your information in an engaging way so you can connect with your audience. Join us for practice and fun to help take the fear out of presenting.

Available on LEARN

---

Design & Deliver 2: Designing Visual Support 

Most presenters include some kind of visuals to support their spoken presentation, and good visual design can have a big impact on how your audience responds to and understands your ideas. Come learn how to make decisions about what kind of visual support to use, learn some basic visual design principles, and practice making an engaging, coherent slide deck with strong visuals that supports your presentation.

Available on LEARN

---

Group Communication 

This workshop will prepare you to work in groups by targeting your group communication skills. We'll look at methods to conduct group work effectively, and problem-solving techniques for different group communication dilemmas.

Available on LEARN

---

Basics of Podcasting 

Podcasts are an increasingly popular way to communicate information to the general public. When people aren’t able to sit and read something, like when they're driving or cooking, they can turn on a podcast to listen to experts talk about an interesting topic.

In this workshop, you’ll learn some of the basics of podcasting so that you can get started creating your very own podcast! 

Available on LEARN

---

Public Scholarship Online 

Public scholarship can take many forms, but is most simply doing and/or communicating your research in the public sphere, for an audience of more than just fellow academics. Public scholarship can include speaking to journalists and other press, writing material for the general public, collaborating with diverse networks online, speaking at public events, creating infographics, and more! The goal of our workshop is to introduce you to a few different ways of doing this kind of scholarship, including social media, public talks, and blogging. The activities in this workshop focus on helping you communicate your research on Twitter, because it is one of the most popular venues for public scholarship, but many of the lessons you'll learn are applicable to different modes of communication. 

Available on LEARN

---

Professional Communication

Knowledge about email etiquette, voice mail messages, taking meeting minutes, and social media is explored to help you effectively communicate at work. Learn the strategies and techniques to be a boss communicator in the workplace.

This workshop is under review. Please contact Jirina Poch for more information.

Getting published for graduate students

This workshop offers graduate students an introduction to the world of academic publishing. You will learn about the steps in the publication process, including revising course work before submitting it to journals, communicating effectively with journal editors, and handling comments from reviewers.

This workshop is under review. Please contact Jirina Poch for more information.

---

Writing a Policy Brief 

We're going to teach you what policy briefs are and how to write them, so that you can feel confident writing policy briefs in both academic and professional contexts.

Available on LEARN

---

Critical Analysis  

We're going to teach you what critical analysis is and how to do it, so that you can feel confident engaging with texts and sharing your ideas. 

Available on LEARN

---

Writing an Op-Ed  

We're going to teach you strategies to engage your audience, structure your argument, and integrate analysis into your op-ed to help you craft a piece that is both persuasive and exciting for your audience to read.

Available on LEARN

---

Statements of Positionality  

Statements of positionality are increasingly common requirements in academic writing, from dissertations to journal articles to job applications. You may also hear them referred to as “reflexivity statements” or “social location statements.” 

No matter what you call them, statements of positionality are about communicating the relationship between the researcher and the research – specifically, how the researcher's lived experiences and position in the world influence this relationship. 

We at the Writing and Communication Centre have designed this workshop to teach you what a statement of positionality is and how to write one, so that you can feel confident sharing your positionality with your readers as an emerging scholar in your field.

Available on LEARN

---

Graduate Literature Reviews A: Organizing Research 

Literature reviews are a keystone of academic writing. This workshop will show you how to set up a methodical process for your literature review. It will guide you through developing a research question, establishing a search strategy, taking effective notes, and organizing your research so that you are ready to write. Workshop activities are focused on applying the strategies the workshop introduces to your own work.

Available on LEARN

---

Graduate Literature Reviews B: Writing It 

You’ve already conducted an effective search process and taken effective, well-organized notes using the strategies from Literature Review Part A. Now in Part B, learn to situate your research within the body of existing related scholarship. This workshop will help you move from taking notes to drafting your literature review. You will learn how best to organize and present the research so that your literature review highlights your contribution to the field and fits the conventions of your own discipline.

Available on LEARN

---

Tri-Agency Scholarships 

This workshop walks you through how to plan and write the critical research proposal portion of your SSHRC, NSERC, or CIHR application. It includes a discussion of the key components of research proposals and will also learn how to communicate your research plan and your credentials with confidence and clarity.

Available on LEARN

---

Writing and Articulating your Diversity Statement 

This 45-minute module is a collaboration between the Writing and Communication Centre and the Centre for Career Action. By completing it, you'll learn about diversity statements as a genre, reflect on your own commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and practice articulating that commitment both in writing and in an interview or networking situation.

Available on LEARN