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Academic Success Workshops

Fall 2023 workshop registration is now open. To register, click on the day/time of the workshop you want to attend. A registration confirmation will be sent to your MSU email immediately after you register. Please check your spam/junk folder if you do not receive the email within two minutes.



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Time Management

Academic Time Management

Description: Achieve academic success by moving beyond basic planners and calendars; learn how adding a few simple time management techniques to your routine can significantly improve your academic performance and reduce the anxiety that comes with procrastination.

Presenter: Seven Mattes, Ph.D.

Get Over Procrastination

Description: Procrastination saps the energy and undermines the potential accomplishments of many talented people; so many of us see procrastination as an unwelcome but unavoidable part of our lives and even think it might be some sort of character flaw. The fact is that procrastination has many causes, and the key is to focus on making it easier to NOT procrastinate on high priority tasks. This workshop will teach you how small changes in your thinking, your routines, your habits, and your surroundings can make it easier for you to get essential things done while saving mental and emotional energy.

Presenter: Seven Mattes, Ph.D.

Prioritize Like a Pro

Description: In this workshop, we will discuss time management and prioritization with an emphasis on tools and strategies. Bring your schedules, to-do lists, and planners to this session so you can practice during the workshop. We will discuss how to balance competing priorities and manage your tasks based on your own schedule. We will also discuss options for planners, to-do lists, and other productivity tools.

Presenter: Sara Morales, M.A. 

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Organizing for Learning

Single Syllabus

Description: The SingleSyllabus is an essential tool for getting organized for learning. Creating a SingleSyllabus at the start of your semester will give you a well-rounded understanding of the expectations for each course, and it can serve as a springboard for time management and planning.

Presenter: Brandy Ellison, Ph.D.

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Orienting to Success

Achieving Academic Success with Integrity

Description: What is academic integrity? How does personal integrity play a role in our education? This workshop tackles these tough questions and discusses MSU’s policies concerning academic integrity.

Presenter: Jake Kasper, M.Ed.

Crushing It: Strategies for Navigating Group Work

Description: The aim of this workshop is to explore strategies to navigate group projects. Conflict, varied expectations, and group dynamics can make group projects difficult, but they can also be great opportunities to learn to work with people who we may not normally work with and help to gain skills that will be of assistance in the workplace and beyond. This workshop will discuss setting expectations, creating boundaries, and navigating conflicts that may arise in these spaces. 

Presenter: Ryan Smith, Ed.D.

Growth Mindset and Learning at MSU

Description: Research has highlighted the power of having a growth mindset which equates to personal and professional success. This workshop will review the differences between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset. Participants will learn about the personal, psychological, and academic benefits of a growth mindset. Additionally, they will learn how to develop and maintain a growth mindset throughout their lifelong learning journey.

Presenter: Jake Kasper, M.Ed.

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Study Skills and Learning Techniques

High Impact Study Strategies I

Description: Learn some simple, scientifically proven techniques that promote superior recall both on exams and in future classes in less time than “massed” study sessions (cramming).

Presenter: Kirby Gibson, M.S.

Annotate Your Way to Higher Grades

Description: Research shows that students who learn how to annotate texts and lectures tend to significantly increase their grades while spending less time studying. This workshop teaches easy, time-saving, annotation skills to replace less efficient methods when you really need to understand large quantities of new information. Underlining, highlighting, outlining, or copying of text content you may be doing now can all be good strategies, but may not be the most efficient learning strategy for more challenging reading tasks. This workshop will help you become a more engaged, strategic, and efficient reader.

Presenter. Sara Morales, M.A.

Math Success Skills

Description: Do you sometimes feel that the time you spend studying isn’t reflected in your exam scores? It doesn’t mean that you’re just “not good at math.” Come learn some study, practice, and test-taking strategies that, if incorporated into your math study routine and test-taking strategies can help you improve your success and confidence in math classes.

Presenter: Sam Drake, Ph.D.

High Impact Study Strategies II

Description: Learn more powerful tools, (building on High Impact Study Techniques 1): elaboration, dual coding, and concrete examples along with some equally effective graphical and analytical strategies can improve your understanding and recall of high priority course concepts.

Presenter: Sara Morales, M.A.

Taming Your Text

Description: Don’t let your course readings be an obstacle to success. If you have trouble getting through your reading assignments, remembering what you have read, or making connections between readings and lectures, you may have fallen into a pattern of passive reading. Do you want to find out how to read with purpose and efficiency? This workshop will teach you to think strategically about efficient reading strategies. You will also learn ways to read for better recall and long-term retention.

Presenter: Erika Espinoza, M.A.

Get Ready For Finals

Description: Learn easy strategies to prioritize learning goals and schedule study time for finals week.  This session will also review a few high-performance study and time management strategies to help you give your best performance on final exams.

Presenters: Sam Drake, Ph.D 

The Most Effective Note Taking Strategies

Description: Don’t let your course readings be an obstacle to success. If you have trouble getting through your reading assignments, remembering what you have read, or making connections between readings and lectures, you may have fallen into a pattern of passive reading. Do you want to find out how to read with purpose and efficiency? This workshop will teach you to think strategically about efficient reading strategies. You will also learn ways to read for better recall and long-term retention.

Presenter: Shannon Halbedel, MPA, Ed.D.

More Than Memorizing

Description: Learn study strategies that will take you beyond the memorization you have used successfully in the past. In this workshop, we will build on study strategies you have already have mastered to branch out into new strategies, that reinforce recall while expanding your higher order reasoning skills, preparing you to excel in the critical thinking and application, evaluation questions that will become increasingly common in your exams as you advance in your college studies.

Presenter: Sam Drake, Ph.D.