It is the time of year when criminals try to take advantage of students.

If you receive any unsolicited emails advertising goods, services, offers or trips please be wary.

Make sure that if you are shopping online that the payment is secure.

If you have any concerns or want any more details about any type of Fraud please get in touch with the Students’ Union Advice Centre – advicecentre@shu.ac.uk or phone 0114 225 4148.

For more information about the Advice Centre in the Students’ Union please visit their web page:-

Masterclass is designed to support students who may be unfamiliar with study at university level, or need to update their skills particularly in independent research and writing.

All students are welcome, but these sessions will be of particular interest to those returning to study or from outside the UK. All sessions will be held on Thursdays. All classes are free, and you only need to come to the specific sessions that interest you.
You must sign up in advance for each Masterclass. The signup sheet will be available in the TESOL Office, Science Park, Unit 3 the week prior to each class.

Masterclass is run by the University English Scheme (UES). For more information on these or other UES classes please come to the TESOL offices, Science Park, Unit 3, or e-mail ues@shu.ac.uk

There will be four sessions, sessions 1 and 2 are advertised below, more sessions will be advertised in future editions of IS News.

Session 1 – Getting more from your lectures: how to improve your note-taking and revision skills.

Thursday 16 October – 11:00am – 12:00pm

Aspect Court room 15303

Note-taking in lectures can be a challenge when you start studying at university; how do you keep up, know what to write and what to leave out, and what do you do with your notes after the lecture?

This session will offer some note-taking tips and tricks to improve your work in the lecture, and discuss how to revise your notes after class and prior to exams to get the most from your lectures.

Session 2 – Avoiding plagiarism: how to paraphrase and reference correctly.

Thursday 23 October, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

Aspect Court 15402

Plagiarism is a very serious issue at university.

This session will show you how to avoid plagiarism by working on how to paraphrase the words of others more effectively, and how to correctly reference your sources using the SHU Harvard referencing system.

You may not have started writing your essays or coursework yet, but its never too early to gather skills to help you to prepare.

Academic skills workshops are for any Sheffield Hallam student from first year to postgraduate. There are a range of topics to
develop the skills you need for effective university study.

October workshops include:-

• 10 tips to improve your academic writing
• Critical writing – how to shape your writing and focus on your critical voice
• Interpreting the question- analysing the question and getting started with drafting your work
• Lit review: getting started – how to critique
• Referencing basics – including the MS Word referencing tool
• Reflection / reflective writing – what it’s all about

Can I just turn up to the workshops?
Yes, you don’t need to book in to the workshop, just check the room location via SHUspace.

Please arrive in good time to make sure of a place.

I would like to access some self-help resources instead of attending a workshop, is there anything available?

Yes, there are some self-help resources via shuspace how do I get help with my academic work? More resources will be added from mid October.

For information on how to get access with your academic work, see Shuspace.

Student Wellbeing are offering the following October workshops for all students:-

Introduction to Mindfulness 
Wednesday 15 October – 3.00pm – 5.00pm
(plus follow-up on Wednesday 29 October 3.30pm – 5.00pm)

Assertiveness Skills
Monday 20 October – 2.00pm – 3.30pm

SYEDA Biteback 
Wednesday 22 October – 6.00pm – 7.30pm

For more information on the workshops including how to book and locations please pick up a  leaflet from the Student Services Centre on level 5, Owen at city campus or Heart of the Campus at collegiate or view it online through shuspace here.

In addition there are meditation sessions available to students and staff:

• Every Wednesday 1.00pm – 1.30pm at the Multifaith Centre, Level 2, Owen Building, City Campus
• Fortnightly, 1.00pm – 1.30pm at Collegiate Campus – check with Chaplaincy for dates and times.