Kent Law School’s Skills Hub has been reimagined in response to the global pandemic to include a new online appointment system for students and an exciting new series of workshops designed to develop academic skills.
The Skills Hub offers support to law students with any questions they may have about their academic studies – from structuring essays to preparing for exams; referencing, managing workload (and many more!)
New appointment system
Managed by KLS Skills Hub Coordinator Dr Allison Holmes, a new, online appointment system has been introduced. Students can now get answers to their questions by booking 1-2-1 appointments with Skills Hub Advisors (all of whom are Law School academics).
This year’s team of Advisors comprises: Dr Steve Crawford, Emek Delibas, Dr Gian Giacomo Fusco, Dr Eric Loefflad, Dr Alan McKenna and Margarita Preito-Acosta.
Workshops
Dr Holmes has been working with the team to develop workshops for students that address areas of most relevance to the Law School’s marking criteria. There was a strong uptake for the first series in the Autumn term and a new series has been devised for this term, beginning on Wednesday 10 February (see below for details).
Drop-in sessions
Drop-in sessions are available in the weeks leading up to assessment deadlines, for students with last minute questions. These include sessions aimed specifically at avoiding plagiarism.
Skills Hub on Moodle
All law students are now automatically enrolled on the Skills Hub’s Moodle page (Module DP2000). This online learning resource, overseen by Dr Holmes, has been developed in response to student feedback and is informed by the experiences of Advisors working with students. Recent updates include more video content, forums for student engagement, booking information, and details about the workshops.
KLS Skills Hub Spring Term Workshops
Effective Reading Techniques: Wednesday 10 February 14:00 – 15:00 GMT
A law degree requires a lot of reading but that doesn’t mean it has to be time consuming. This workshop discusses ways for you to read more effectively to ensure you are getting the most out of the time you spend reading. We will discuss note taking techniques and strategies and how to use your readings to your advantage for assessments and exams.
What are ‘good’ sources and how do I find them? Wednesday 24 February 14:00 – 15:00 GMT
This workshop will explain how to understand the questions you are being asked for your assessments and identify good sources for answering them. The session will talk about what sources are ‘authoritative’ and can help with your critical analysis. We will cover how to find these sources using the library resources, legal databases, and Google Scholar, how to manage and keep track of the references you have found, and how to include them in your writing.
Oral Presentation Skills: TBC
Being a strong communicator is a key asset in law. This workshop gives practical advice on how to prepare and deliver an effective presentation. It will cover the key elements of preparation, practice and performance. We will take you through ways to engage your audience and deliver a persuasive performance.
Critical Analysis: TBC
Critical analysis is one of the key components of a strong piece of coursework or exam. But the meaning of critical analysis and how to do it can often be difficult to understand. The purpose of this workshop is to demystify what it means to be critical and provide tips on how to improve your critical analysis and your marks.
Exam Revision: Motivation, Preparation, and Strategies: Wednesday 17 March 14:00 – 15:00 GMT
This session focuses on core revision strategies that you can use as you begin to prepare for exams. We will cover: time management, setting goals, creating effective study plans, and positive ways to deal with exam stress.
Exam Revision: Answering Advice Notes and Problem Questions: Wednesday 24 March 14:00 – 15:00 GMT
Advice notes, also known as problem questions, are one of the core ways you are assessed in your exams. These questions require you to demonstrate knowledge of the relevant law and clearly apply it to specific scenarios. In this workshop we will go through top tips for excelling at advice notes and strategies for preparing for these types of exam questions.
Exam Revision: Answering Essay Questions
Wednesday 31 March 14:00 – 15:00 BST
Essay questions on exams test a range of skills from legal knowledge to critical analysis. Effectively answering an essay question within a limited time period and with a limited word count is an important skill to master. In this workshop we will take you through preparing for essay questions on the exam and top tips for success.