Welcome to Academic Skills

 

The objective of the Academic Skills Program is to foster, and help students fine tune, the academic skills necessary for success at university. All services are available to students in the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Faculty of Professional and Applied Studies, and the Faculty of Education, and all services are free of charge (except peer tutoring). Academic Skills resource personnel are available to assist students across all disciplines.

 

Hours are flexible and include mornings and afternoons, but evenings can be arranged. Students may schedule a meeting with an Academic Skills Co-ordinator to discuss any areas of academic concern.  This concern may be about specific course work such as essays or reports due, math and science assignments, studying, note-taking or exam-taking difficulties, presentations in front of the class, or academic work in general. Students can come in at various stages of a particular work—to discuss an assignment in order to better understand its purpose, to get feedback regarding ideas they might have, to get help in the planning and organization stage, and to get suggestions on drafts. Co-ordinators will  help students work on weaknesses that their instructors have pointed out on papers already graded.  Any particular area of grammar can be explained and practiced. Mathematical formulas can be reviewed and methods of problem solving can be analyzed. 

Please understand that the Academic Skills Co-ordinators will neither edit your writing nor do your math and science homework for you. However, if you are willing to put in the time and effort, the Co-ordinators will help you find your errors, explain them, and guide you in practice to eliminate them in future work.

Usually students schedule a 1 hour block, but shorter or longer times may be requested. Some students make regular appointments as a way of keeping on top of their work.

 

 

Academic Skills Program Coordinator, Lindsey Voisin, is happy to meet with Nipissing University students to discuss a wide variety of academic concerns. Make an appointment with her to learn how to improve your writing skills, time management, and study skills, or brush up on your presentation delivery skills. Lindsey is also pleased to offer academic support to students studying in their second (or third, or fourth!) language. Appointments can be face-to-face, telephone, or via Skype for your convenience. 

For more information, or to book an appointment, please email lindseyv@nipissingu.ca or call 705.474.3450 ext. 4559.

  

 

Emily Tian is the Academic Skills Co-ordinator for Math and Science.

 

After she graduated with honours from Fujian Normal University with her BA and BEd, she taught Physics in a high school in China for three years. In 2003, she followed her husband to Canada. During the following four years, she worked as a part-time physics teacher at Canadore College and a teaching assistant at the Kumon Center. Since 2007, she has been working in the Office of Student Development and Services as the Academic Skills Co-ordinator for Math and Science. She really enjoys helping students. Emily patiently tries to make math and science as clear and simple as possible, and many students agree that she does just that! In addition, she tries to help students enhance their study skills in order to succeed. Emily will help students understand finite math, calculus, statistics, physics, chemistry, astronomy and more.  

 

You may contact Emily by calling 705-474-3450 ext. 4151 or email her at emilyt@nipissingu.ca.

 

 

If you would like to work with another student who has already taken the course you are worried about (and survived to tell the tale!), apply for a peer tutor.  We will give you a list of students who have volunteered to tutor. One of them may be just right for you! There is a reasonable charge for a peer tutoring contract. It is $25 for 5 hours. The university subsidizes this program so that the tutor makes  twice this amount.

 

The Academic Skills Centre is currently in room A201S. In this Drop-in Centre (no appointments needed), peers offer help in both writing-based and math courses. A schedule is on the door and is also available in Student Services (A201). Bios of all student helpers are also posted on the door of A201

  

 

Are your teachers telling you that you make apostrophe mistakes and write a lot of run-on sentences? Do you already understand these mistakes but just want practice? (If you are not sure that you understand these mistakes, check the Writing Tips link …or come see Lindsey!) Go to any of the exercises listed on this site. Try an exercise or two. Correct them using the answer keys. If you find yourself confused, email Lindsey at lindseyv@nipissingu.ca.