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Academic Success Workshops

Academic Success Workshops

Spring 2026 workshop topics are listed below. Workshop scheduling is ongoing, so check back for additional updates and opportunities! Explore topics below and select the date/time underneath each topic to register for that session. All inquiries concerning Academic Success Workshops, including Bookings or Registration Confirmation questions, please contact Sara Morales at smorales@msu.edu. 

On this page you can also learn about ProjectConnect @ MSU, a facilitated program designed to help students connect with peers, make friends, and build meaningful community. 

Time Management and Organizing for Learning

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.
Facilitator: Seven Mattes, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

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.
Facilitator: Seven Mattes, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

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.
Facilitator: Sara Morales, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates:

Description: An Assignment Tracker is an essential tool for getting organized for learning. Creating an Assignment Tracker 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.
Facilitator: Sara Morales, M.A

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

Orienting to Success

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. 
Facilitator: Ryan Smith, Ed.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: Speech delivery goes beyond the content of the speech and focuses on how the message is communicated verbally, nonverbally, and through visual aids. Take your presentations to the next level with this interactive workshop focused on delivering your message effectively and creating impactful visual aids.
Facilitator: Alysa Lucas, Ph D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

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.
Facilitator: Jake Kasper, M.Ed.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: Planning a presentation involves several key steps to ensure your message is clear and engaging, including picking a topic, crafting a key message, connecting with your audience, and structuring the presentation. Whether you're preparing for a class presentation or a student leadership event, this workshop will equip you with practical tools and techniques to plan your speech like a pro.
Facilitator: Alysa Lucas, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: The 2023 Surgeon General’s Report indicates a loneliness epidemic is more harmful than smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Other reports indicate lack of social connections has a significant impact on a student's academic success. This workshop will discuss the many issues around loneliness and how to tackle the harms of social isolation. Additionally, students will learn strategies for breaking the ice and getting to know people in the MSU community. Don’t worry, this content is geared for both introverts and extroverts. Everyone is welcome to this low-key interactive workshop experience.
Facilitators: Jake Kasper, M.Ed. and Murriah Warren, MSW candidate 

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: In this workshop, you will be equipped with essential tools to navigate your academic path and future goals.  Come Explore strategies to cultivate a fulfilling life marked by purpose, inspiration, and meaningful connections.
Facilitator: LaDonna Croffe, MBA 

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: College isn’t just about going to class and doing your homework. There’s a whole set of unspoken rules and expectations that no one really explains. In this workshop, we’ll break down the “hidden curriculum” of college life like how to read a syllabus, talk to professors, prepare for class, build relationships, and more. You’ll get honest advice, practical tips, and maybe even learn a few things you didn’t realize you needed to know. It’s all the stuff that makes college easier, but never shows up on a syllabus.
Facilitator: Alysa Lucas, Ph D.

Description: This interactive 60-minute workshop equips college students with practical, personalized tools to stay academically engaged—no matter their challenges. Whether you're navigating a learning difference, juggling a busy schedule, feeling out of place on campus, or just trying to stay motivated, this session will help you build smarter habits, advocate for support, and maintain balance. Through guided reflection, group discussion, and real-life scenarios, you'll walk away with strategies you can use immediately to take ownership of your academic journey.
Facilitator: Brooke Robinson, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: This workshop empowers students to build grounded confidence that is not based on perfection, but on identity, resilience, and intentional practice. Students learn practical skills for showing up authentically, developing consistency, and overcoming self-doubt.
Facilitator: LaDonna Croffe , MBA

Spring 2026 workshop dates:

Description: Not sure how to start an email, approach a professor, or handle an awkward or difficult conversation? This interactive workshop helps students build confidence in everyday college interactions, from writing professional emails and starting conversations with classmates to talking with professors, TAs, and navigating tough roommate or other social situations. Participants will learn practical strategies, see real examples, and practice communication skills they can use right away to feel more confident, connected, and successful.
Facilitator: Alysa Lucas, Ph D.

Not offered for Spring 2026.

Study Skills and Learning Techniques

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).
Facilitator: Kirby Gibson, M.S.

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

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.
Facilitator: Sara Morales, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

Description: Do you find yourself taking notes and then not knowing how to study them later? Or maybe the way you take notes just isn’t working for every class. This workshop will introduce you to different strategies to revitalize your note-taking and increase the variety of note-taking and note-using methods you can use for different purposes including note-taking during lectures, reviewing new material, deep study, and other circumstances.
Facilitator: Alysa Lucas, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

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.
Facilitator. Sara Morales, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

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.
Facilitator: Gabby Wahla, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

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 mastered to branch out into new strategies that reinforce recall while expanding your higher-order reasoning skills, preparing you to excel in critical thinking and application, and evaluation questions that will become increasingly common in your exams as you advance in your college studies.
Facilitator: Sam Drake, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

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.
Facilitator: Sam Drake, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

Description: Have you ever sat down to study for a test and not known where to start? Or perhaps found that your current test taking practices are not yielding the results you want. Come expand your test taking strategy toolkit by learning strategies that will help navigate test taking before, during, and after a test and techniques to apply to common test formats used in college.
Facilitator: Sara Morales, M.A.

Spring 2026 workshop dates 

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.
Facilitator: Sam Drake, Ph.D.

Spring 2026 workshop dates

ASW Program Mission, Vision, and Goals

Mission  

The AWSP fosters and promotes student development and academic success by providing timely, relevant student success workshops for students to aid them in achieving success at MSU.  

Vision  

The Academic Success Workshop Program strives to offer programming to support holistic undergraduate student success including academics progress, social engagement, and health and wellness. In partnership with first-year seminar courses and first-year experience programs in the Colleges, these workshops will reach a wide range of students to better support the transition to college, retention into year two, and graduation, all part of the MSU strategic plan. These workshops are coordinated within Undergraduate Seminars (UGS), while collaborating with a range of enthusiastic and engaging workshop facilitators from throughout the university.  

Goals  

  1. Offer high-quality academic success workshops in Fall and Spring semesters that support student success at MSU.
  2. Expand the Academic Success Workshop Program audience to include all undergraduate students, not just those participating in UGS 110.
  3. Provide workshops in multiple modalities to meet students’ diverse learning needs.
  4. Maintain a roster of workshop facilitators with robust experience and expertise in teaching, curriculum development, and subject matter. 
Meet our Facilitator Team

Join ProjectConnect @ MSU! Do you want to connect with your peers? Do you want to stop the superficial interactions? Do you want to start making friends? Join the SS26 Project Connect! Meets in small groups of 4-6 students let by trained facilitators. Meetings are 1 hour per week for 6 weeks starting Feb 19. Creative prompts generate fun, engaging conversations. Graphic features a photo of students walking and a QR code leading to main ASW webpage.

ProjectConnect @ MSU

Did you know it takes the average student 50 hours to make a casual friend? To help students build connections faster, we’re launching a new community-building initiative on campus. 

ProjectConnect @ MSU is a facilitated program designed to help students connect with peers, make friends and build meaningful community. Students meet in small groups of 4-6 and get to know one another over the course of six one-hour sessions, engaging in fun, thought-provoking conversations sparked by creative prompts. 

Students love this program, 98% of previous participants said they would recommend ProjectConnect to a friend. 

ProjectConnect @ MSU begins Thursday, February 19, 2026 from 5 - 6 p.m. Space is limited.

Join ProjectConnect @ MSU here

For more information, contact Dr. Alysa Lucas (lucasaly@msu.edu) or Sara Morales (smorales@msu.edu). Thank you for helping us build a stronger community on campus! 

Learn more about the ProjectConnect national program.

Join ProjectConnect