Academic Skills Workshops and Information Sessions

The Academic Center for Excellence offers interactive workshops to help you develop, build, and hone the academic skills necessary for success in college and career. ACE also hosts informational sessions for various UNF programs and majors like Nursing, Athletic Training, Engineering, and Study Abroad (to name just a few).

Click on one of the titles below to get a full description of ACE’s workshops and informational sessions.

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New! Metacognition Series

Metacognition: Thinking about Thinking, Learning about Learning, and Understanding How The Mind Works
Metacognition is the study of learning and thinking. Students who understand how they learn are able to monitor, modify, and take control of their learning processes, making them far more effective learners. If you want to disable your mental "autopilot" and take full, effective control of your academic future, this workshop series is definitely for you!
- Metacognition Part 1: The first part in the Metacognition Series introduces the concept of metacognition, examines the realities and logistics of success in college, and explores the roles of motivation and mindset in determining academic perseverance and success.
- Metacognition Part 2: The second part in the Metacognition Series delves into how the mind works and explores the different levels of thinking in which college students are asked to engage (Bloom's Taxonomy), the relationship and interactions between memory and the environment during complex thinking, the processes involved in self-regulated learning, and the difference between novice and expert learners. This workshop takes the mystery out of the learning process and will help you better understand how your own mind works so that you can develop and apply the most effective learning strategies to your own studies, in college and beyond.
- Metacognition Part 3: The third and final part in the Metacognition Series ties together material from the first two sessions and applies it to the college learning environment. You'll discuss concrete, practical strategies based upon the latest metacognitive research to improve the effectiveness of your studying and the depth of your learning. Study smarter, not harder! Learn strategies to encourage deep processing, explore memory pitfalls and how to avoid a "false feeling of knowing" before going into an exam, discuss the attributes of an effective daily and weekly study routing, examine the structure of an effective study session, and discover how to evolve from being a novice learner to an expert learner!

Subject-Specific Reviews and Skills Development Workshops

Mathematics and Statistics Review Series
The following subject-specific review workshops for mathematics and statistics courses are designed to offer students currently taking these courses a review, summary, and synthesis of the course material. These workshops are scheduled to correspond with the course syllabus so that students can participate in the workshop prior to and in preparation for their class exams.
- College Algebra Review Part 1: This workshop reviews basic concepts in College Algebra, including real numbers, complex numbers, polynomials, factoring, rational and radical expressions, and solutions to linear and quadratic equations.
- College Algebra Review Part 2: This workshop reviews solving inequalities, the center-radius form of the circle, and linear and quadratic functions and their graphs.
- College Algebra Review Part 3: This workshop reviews inverse functions, exponential functions, and logarithmic functions
- Elementary Statistics Review (STA 2014 and 2023): This workshop helps students summarize and synthesize the last three chapters of Elementary Statistics, which focus on sampling distributions, estimation of parameters, and hypothesis testing. Offered late in the semester, this workshop is an excellent resource for students who want to solidify their understanding of these statistics concepts prior to their final exam.
Academic Writing Skills Series
The following workshops are designed to assist students in their development of the academic writing skills necessary for successful completion of college coursework. These workshops are not tied to a particular course (i.e. they are not meant only for students of ENC 1143 or LIT 2000); rather, they discuss the skills, procedures, and conventions necessary to write with clarity and rigor across the academic curriculum.
- Sum It Up: How to Write a Summary: Have you had difficulty writing summaries for your English course or for your other classes? This workshop will help you understand how to create an effective summary! The content of the workshop will cover how to read and annotate the original work to prepare a summary, how to substantially condense the work while retaining key ideas and important features, and how to use specific features of Plain English Style. This workshop will also incorporate a writing practice session.
- Writing an Effective and Engaging Personal Statement: Come to this workshop and learn how to create an effective personal statement for graduate school applications. Explore how to develop a persuasive essay structure and discover how to implement productive strategies for managing your key points. Find out what are the most common mistakes people make in their personal statements – and learn how to avoid them!
- Critical Inquiry: Learn how to effectively read and investigate texts (e.g. academic papers, textbooks, literature, etc.) for your college courses. Develop an understanding of the link between reading and writing. Explore the thinking and writing processes in which you should be engaging before, during, and after reading to ensure that you process the information in those texts deeply, retain that information in long-term memory, and are able to apply that information as required during exams, essays, and papers.
- Researching and Writing an Academic Paper: Explore the process of writing an exceptional academic paper– from brainstorming to gathering resources and organizing the material, to drafting and revising the work. Learn effective strategies for finding, assessing and citing credible sources. Discover techniques to help you structure your paper to meet the purpose of the assignment and learn how to develop your content for the intended audience.

Academic Skills Workshops

Campus Resources for International Students

Learn about the academic resources available to international students studying at UNF to improve their English language skills and classroom performance as well as to integrate into the UNF community.
Critical Inquiry and Interrogating Texts

Critical inquiry, which requires active engagement with texts, is crucial to academic success at the college level. This workshop will teach you 6 concrete strategies for becoming an active and critical reader, allowing you to retain more information that you read, retain it longer, and understand it more thoroughly and in context. Given the fast pace of college life and the lengthy and sophisticated readings associated with college courses, you probably don't have time to read and re-read your course material in order to absorb its content, context, and nuance. Get it right the first time! Become a critical reader.
Divide and Conquer: Setting Goals and Managing Time for Success

Analyze your current use of time and identify obstacles to effective time management. Identify your personal priorities and set specific, measurable goals to support those priorities. Analyze the role of motivation, accountability, reward, and perseverance in managing your time and reaching your goals. Discuss personal time management strategies that will enable you to efficiently manage your time and meet your identified goals.
Fear of Public Speaking

Do your palms sweat, and does your heart start to pound in your chest at the mere thought of presenting in front of a class? Learn techniques to effectively manage and overcome this fear of public speaking.
From College Major to Major Career

Discover a variety of fun and interactive tools available to help you explore and decide upon the best UNF major for your interests and aptitudes.
I think, I thought … I don’t remember

Examine the difference between long-term understanding and short-term memory and explore the scientifically validated methods that can enhance your ability to recall information from lectures, textbooks, and notes.
Quit Procrastinating!

Understand the factors that affect motivation and learn how to identify and manage obstacles to constructive motivation. Discover the principles of SMART goal planning, and discuss how incorporating such strategies can help you overcome procrastination to achieve your goals.
Swoop to Success: Strategies to Excel in College and Beyond:

Discuss techniques to optimize your study materials and study time, customized to your unique combination of learning styles and preferences. Identify classroom behaviors that contribute to academic success. Explore time management strategies and tools – learn which work best for you and how to implement them in your daily life. Also, learn about the myriad resources available (on campus and off) to help you succeed in college.
Synthesize to Succeed: Creating Effective Notes and Study Aids

Learn how to synthesize information from your lectures, textbooks, and other course materials into notes and study aids that help you see the “big picture” while also prioritizing the most important details. Explore different styles of note taking, organization, and time-management that can be tailored to your unique learning preferences and that can help you learn the course material quicker and retain it longer.
Test Anxiety

Ease those test-taking fears for better performance on exams. Learn how to identify, manage, and reduce your test anxiety. Explore a variety of relaxation techniques to use both before and during your exams.

Information Sessions

Major or Program Specific Sessions

The goal of ACE Information Sessions is to provide students with a broad overview of the major or program topic being presented. These sessions are facilitated by academic departments and professional programs across campus. The instructor will cover topics such as:

1. Major or program content

2. Application process (required for selective admissions programs)

3. Admission criteria (for limited access programs), including GPA, credit hours, pre-requisites, and major or program specific testing

4. Careers related to that program or major

Students will also have the opportunity to ask their own questions related to the major or program.
Financial Responsibility

Learn how to manage your finances like a pro. Identify and apply for student aid. Understand how to use credit wisely and to your benefit.
Study Abroad

This session will present information about the International Center's Study Abroad program; students will learn what is required to participate, the various courses one can take, the locations of participating colleges, and other details of the program.