Join us for workshops on various topics, including writing, speed reading, textbook reading, and motivation!  Please see the Spring 2011 Workshop Schedule for more information.

Even though you have been in school for years, have you ever had a course on how to learn? CAS's workshops teach you accelerated learning strategies that you can use to take your skills to the next level, making your transition to upper division and graduate work smoother. From study skills and time management to speed reading and research skills, our workshops (offered at no extra cost) occur throughout the school year. CAS offers a selection of out-of-class workshops each semester: send us an email (sg-cas@umd.edu) or stop by to get a schedule. 

Workshops include:

Speed Reading
 Interested in boosting your reading speed in one hour? This workshop focuses on changing eye movement habits so you can take in more words more quickly while doing less work. This popular workshop has "changed the life" of a CCJS major, and it can change yours, too!

"You Don't Have to Read Every Word": Textbook Reading Strategies
This workshop shows you how to apply speed reading techniques to textbook reading. You learn to approach your extensive reading so that you gain an understanding of the material without getting overwhelmed by all the details. You learn to do an overview of the material first to get the big picture, to establish questions to look for answers to as you read, and to review at the end. There is also attention to marking text and making keyword notes from the text using mind maps or webs.

"Get It While It's Hot!": Studying Smart for Effective Test Preparation
What can you do with material to understand and remember it? This workshop emphasizes identifying what is important to learn and then reducing it to keyword form. Then, the workshop leads you through organizing and elaborating on this key material, as opposed to just memorizing, to put it in long-term memory. The workshop also introduces how to use mnemonics and how to structure study time to maximize memory (when to study, how long to study at a time, etc.).

"Fitting It All In": Managing Time for Effective Study
Do you have too much to do and too little time? Learn to use your time in a way that harmonizes with the way the brain works! This workshop focuses on reexamining your schedule to see how you can make schoolwork a habit. The workshop will also explore mastering effective study techniques, starting assignments early enough, pre-writing or planning papers with mind maps or webs, breaking assignments into smaller parts, and setting goals. All these topics can be directly applied to courses you are taking.

"How to Get Interested When You're Not": Motivation
Take your motivation from a "1" to a "10" and conquer procrastination! This workshop gives you techniques to manage your level of interest in what you are studying and to become interested in subjects that make you feel discouraged, overwhelmed, or bored. The techniques taught in this workshop can also apply to test anxiety, presentations, and other challenging situations!

Writing with Research
Writing in upper-division and graduate courses requires demanding research, complex analysis, and attention to detail.  CAS's Writing with Research workshops focus on various aspects of the writing process while providing students the opportunity to practice strategies. Writing with Research workshop topics include:

• Finding Your Own Voice and Avoiding Plagiarism: Learn some tips on how to smoothly include other people's writing in your own, credit them correctly, and avoid plagiarism.  Practice and learn helpful paraphrasing strategies.
• Big Picture Issues: Having trouble getting started on your paper? This workshop will help you keep a can-do state of mind while tackling the overall outlining of a research paper. It deals with the foundations of organizing a paper: topic sentences, transitions, thesis statements, etc. Students will have the chance to practice their organizational skills on sample papers and pick up important tips to ensure the flow of their papers.
• Nitty-Gritty Issues: Now that you've put together a draft with strong ideas and a logical argument, don’t let parallel structure, subject/verb agreement, or run-ons steal your writing's thunder! In this workshop, you will learn about style, active voice, sentence structure, punctuation, etc., and ways to identify errors in your own writing. Practice examples will help students to put a real polish on their final draft!

Cite Smart Certificate Series
Most papers that juniors, seniors, and graduate students have to write will need to reference journal articles, textbooks, websites, primary sources, etc. How you find, evaluate, and integrate these sources often makes the difference between a high-quality research paper and a mediocre one. This series will help you (#1) identify and evaluate appropriate sources for your subject matter, (#2) decide between quotation and summary and put other people’s writing into your own words, and (#3) produce a polished and complete bibliography. Get the most out of your sources and make your research papers stand out!

Complete all three workshops in this series to receive a resume-building certificate AND tools to write stronger, better organized papers—OR attend whichever workshops interest you!

Put it Together (Writing with Research) Certificate Series
Writing a strong, well-organized, and analytical research paper can be a demanding undertaking. This series focuses on breaking down the process into approachable steps and strategies, including: (#1) identifying and evaluating appropriate sources for your subject matter, (#2) writing a strong thesis statement and supporting the paper’s argument with topic sentences, and (#3) final proofreading techniques. You will also develop your own voice and argument, your ability to organize and structure a paper, and your knowledge of common stylistic and grammar mistakes. 

Complete all three workshops in this series to receive a resume-building certificate AND tools to write stronger, better organized papers—OR attend whichever workshops interest you!

Personal Statement for Graduate School Admission: The Next Frontier
Planning on continuing your education in law, medical or pharmacy school or a graduate program in psychology, public health, business, social work, history - you name it? The workshop will provide some basic tips for developing and fine-tuning your personal statement. You might even come out of it with a basic outline to plan out your writing process.