Study skills support

No matter which course you're studying, or what your previous educational experience is, we are here to support you with various channels of study skills support and assistance.

Students at Birkbeck study in the evening, so they can work, volunteer or do their own thing during the day. This presents its own challenges, particularly how to manage your time and study effectively. The smarter you study, the better you can take advantage of the unique opportunities that studying at Birkbeck brings - and the more you invest in your future.

Studiosity

• Studiosity is an online service for all Birkbeck students on taught programmes that gives you assignment feedback and access to live online tutorials.

DISABILITY AND DYSLEXIA HELP

• We welcome students with disabilities and dyslexia and are committed to helping you seize opportunities. 

ENGLISH AND WRITING SKILLS 

• All students need to be able to write coherent academic arguments, which requires a range of English and writing skills. 
• If English is not your first language, you can:
• enrol on one of our pre-sessional English language courses 
• access further resources for honing your academic skills 
• come along to our study skills workshops to develop your understanding and use of academic English. 
• To find out what an essay is - and isn't - and how to effectively plan and structure an essay, read our presentation, Essay Writing: The Basics.

GENERAL ACADEMIC SKILLS

• Regardless of what you're studying, general academic skills are the gateway to success as a student. The skills include organising your time effectively, note-taking and managing learning information.
• Our Schools and Departments offer a wide range of workshops, many specific to your course.
• Explore a host of online tutorials, and develop your Digital Skills Awareness you'll need as a student through a resource produced by Birkbeck and other University of London institutions.
• Explore resources developed by others, such as Learning Strategies developed by Learning Scientists, use a time management calculator to work out how best to balance study with your other commitments, or a useful short Study Less, Study Smart by Marty Lobdell.

LIBRARY SKILLS 

• Birkbeck Library is key to your learning: you can access the materials on your reading list, prepare for class, research your assignments and check references. 
• Subject librarians are on hand to guide you. 
• Library subject guides can help you find materials for your subject, both in print and online. 
• The Library also offers a wealth of online resources, including electronic journals and databases. 
• The Moodle course, Library and Information Skills, covers the library basics, from how to use the library to tackling your reading list. 

NUMERICAL SKILLS 

• Numerical skills are not only vital for mathematics and statistics courses, but also for economics, psychology and some business, management and science courses. 
• Check your course page online to see if any of your modules require numerical skills. 
• Our video tutorials will help refamiliarise you with your scientific calculator, for improved maths skills in five areas. 
• If your programme involves statistics and you’d like a refresher, you can use your ITS username and password to access these free online courses on LinkedIn Learning: 
• Statistics Foundations 1: evaluating data sets; standard deviation; distribution and relative position; probability and probability distributions; and permutations. 
• Statistics Foundations 2: data and distributions; sample size and random sampling; confidence intervals; and hypothesis testing. 
• Statistics Foundations 3: working with small sample sizes; t-statistic vs. z-statistic; calculating confidence intervals with t-scores; comparing two populations (proportions and means); chi-square testing; ANOVA testing; and regression testing. 
• SPSS Statistics Essential Training: tutorials to help students who will be analysing large datasets as part of their degree programme. 

ORIENTATION 

• Orientation is a series of events for new students in August, September and October. You can explore campus, socialise with fellow students and take part in our preparatory 'Get Ahead' study workshops. Find out more about what happens during Orientation.