Academic Skills at Trent is dedicated to helping undergraduate and graduate students develop the skills necessary to succeed and excel at university. We embody Trent’s commitment to small-group teaching and individualized learning through one-on-one appointments and small-group workshops. Academic Skills provides instruction in all aspects of academic, writing, and study skills, including:
- Grammar
- Essay, lab and review writing
- Research and documentation
- Critical reading and thinking
- Mathematics
- Listening and note taking
- Oral presentations
- Exam preparation
- Time Management
Specialized instruction is also available for ESL students and students with learning disabilities.
Learn more about Academic Skills services:
- Customized In-course Workshop and Videos
- Academic Integrity Module
- Academic Skills Tool Kit
- Referring Students to Academic Skills
- Individual Appointments (in-person, video, asynchronous)
- Online Resources
- Events and Programming
- Academic Skills Instructors
Customized Workshops
- The Writing and Research Process
- Critical Reading
- Writing the Essay Proposal
- Critical Thinking/Critical Writing
- Structuring a Piece of Writing
- Poster Presentations
- Math for Physics
- Math basics for Algebra or Applied Calculus
Email acdskills@trentu.ca to request a workshop or to learn more.
Academic Integrity Module
The module contains three parts:
- Understanding Trent’s Academic Integrity Policy
- Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism
- Understanding and Avoiding Cheating
If you wish to require the Integrity Module for your Fall 2024 or Winter 2025 UNDERGRADUATE course(s), please complete this registration form.
Read Student and Faculty FAQs about the Academic Integrity Module
For more information about the module, or to preview it, please send an email to aimodule@trentu.ca
Academic Skills Tool Kit
The Academic Skills Tool Kit offers students direct access, through their Blackboard course sites, to a curated folder of short videos, tip sheets, templates, and weblinks targeting essential learning skills (e.g., how to manage time effectively, reading and notetaking skills, writing strategies, studying and exam prep). Take a short video tour of the Academic Skills Tool Kit.
During the 2023-24 academic year, 138courses added the Tool Kit to their Blackboard site, and we reported over 23,000 student views of the folder. In Academic Skills’ annual assessment of student appointments, the Tool Kit placed in the top 3 reasons how a student was referred to and accessed our services.
To add the Tool Kit to your course Blackboard site, we require:
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Permission to embed an Academic Skills instructor into your Blackboard course site as a “Course Builder”, which allows us to publish the content folder in your course and assess the number of resource views at the end of term.
If you are interested in adding the Academic Skills Tool Kit to your course, please email Academic Skills.
Referring Students to Academic Skills
Individual Appointments
- In-Person and Video Appointments: The one-on-one appointment is the core of what we do. Appointments often focus on a work-in-progress, which can be a piece of writing at any stage of composition, but they also can cover any skills on which the student wishes to improve. A part-time math instructor also offers math instruction in-person and online.
- Asynchronous Appointments: Academic Skills also offers asynchronous email appointments for students whose schedules don’t allow them to make appointments easily. Students can submit questions on academic skills or send drafts of their work, and an instructor will respond to their questions.
- Students can book online (www.trentu.ca/sep) or in-person at any college office.
Online Resources
We also offer a comprehensive set of online guides, videos, and templates covering a range of organizational, thinking, and writing skills. We also have active Instagram and Twitter channels that offer study tips, writing advice, and links to additional resources.
- The Online Documentation Guide explains how to cite and reference in all disciplines at Trent. If you see an error or note need for an update on this guide, please let us know.
- Guides on writing essays, lab reports, article summaries, critical reflections, annotated bibliographies, and more.
- Video series: Math Skills, explained
- Level Up: Resources for Upper-Year Students
- Academic Culture and Expectations
Events and Programming
Throughout the academic year and summer term, we offer a range of programming and events to support students.
See more details on these programs and events for undergraduate and graduate students.