For staff
The Academic Skills Unit works collaboratively with academic and professional staff to help students develop their tertiary academic and language skills. Find out more about:
- Student referrals
- Tailored workshops
- Staff contact details
- Resource development
- Research and reports
- Diagnostic English Language Assessment (DELA)
Student referrals
Early identification of students in need is a critical role all educators play. You can refer students in need of academic or language support to the services of Academic Skills Unit. We offer workshops and short courses, individual tutorials and self-access resources – including online through AIRport - the majority of which are discipline specific.
For students at risk, referral to an individual tutorial may be the best intervention. Contact your faculty student centre to find out more about the individual tutorial service available to your students through the student centre.
Tailored Workshops
The Academic Skills Unit works with faculty staff to tailor workshops to your discipline and to your students’ needs (e.g. ‘Writing the 3rd Year Design Report in Mechanical Engineering’). We also develop and deliver workshops targeting specific subjects. We can integrate one of our targeted workshops within your teaching program by linking it with:
- your subject's curriculum objectives and academic skills (e.g. critical thinking and analysis; written & oral communication; problem solving; etc.)
- your assessment tasks so that student performance is maximised
- the University’s graduate attributes to develop your students' generic skills beyond the life of your particular subject.
If you are a university academic or professional staff member, you can request a workshop or series of workshops for your students by completing the session request online form and submitting it as soon as possible. Please note that we need to receive your request a minimum of 3 weeks prior to the date required in order to prepare.
Contact our staff
Academic Skills Unit staff come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds and teaching experiences. We are all committed to working with students to maximise academic success by providing advice and instruction on tertiary academic and language skills.
To discuss further how we can support your students, you can contact our staff directly:
General Manager |
Laurie Ransom |
DELA |
8344 9369 |
|
Senior Advisers |
Liz Colbert |
VCA |
8344 9263/96859048 |
|
|
Guido Ernst |
Arts/Music |
8344 9262 |
|
Advisers |
Anna Bailey |
ABP |
8344 0797 |
|
|
Dr Dana Chahal |
Arts |
8344 9259 |
|
|
Dr Gina Curro |
MDHS/Engineering |
83440798 |
|
|
Mark Eggins |
Education |
8344 9368 |
|
|
Terrie Fraser |
VCA |
9685 9048 |
|
|
Julian Harris |
Engineering |
8344 9260 |
|
|
Dr Roger Hurcombe |
MDHS/Vet |
8344 9263 |
|
|
Gayle McNabb |
Science |
8344 9256 |
|
|
Libby Smith |
Science/ |
8344 9257 |
|
|
Harriet Searcy |
ABP/Arts |
8344 9261 |
|
|
Jennie Lynch |
Land & Environment |
8344 9264 |
|
|
Karen Dacy |
Arts/Music |
8344 9355 |
|
Accounts & Administrative |
Betty Dafkovska |
General |
8344 0930 |
Resource development
Staff in the Academic Skills Unit can also develop resource materials for your students, such as guides to writing research essays in Arts or working in syndicate groups for Law. The materials we develop can be used for classroom instruction, as part of your reader or as a supplement to your LMS site.
Speak directly to the adviser for your faculty about the resources we can create for you and your students.
Research and reports
We regularly conduct research or undertake projects that help us understand better the needs of our students and to inform our practice. In addition, we make annual reports available to the wider university community as a way to further inform both students and staff about the services we provide.
A list of our research and reports is available below.
Reports
Academic Skills Unit Annual Report, 2006: An overview of ASU services in 2006. Read the report (317KB | PDF)
DELA Report, 2006: Results and recommendations of the 2006 DELA: Read the report (196KB | PDF)
DELA Report, 2007: Results and recommendations of the 2007 DELA: Read the report (208KB | PDF)
DELA Report, 2008: Faculty Usage Report 2008: Read the Report (148 KB | PDF)
Benchmarking Report
In 2006, the ASU conducted an investigation into the policies and practices at ten partner institutions (the Group of Eight and three international Universitas 21 partner institutions) for quality improvement purposes. Read the Benchmarking report. (328KB | PDF)
Conference papers
Kirkwood, K (2006). If they build it they will come:Creating opportunities for e-learning communities of practice (317KB | PDF). Presented at the Universitas 21 E-Learning and Pedagogy conference in Guadalajara, Mexico (28-30 November 2006).
Ransom, L, Larcombe, W & Baik, C (2005). "English language needs and support: International - ESL students' perceptions and expectations"(158KB | PDF), Conference Proceedings of the 16th ISANA International Conference, Christchurch , New Zealand (29 November- 2 December 2005).
Publications
Baik, C & Sweeney, D (2005). "LAS advisers as virtual tutors: A report on an interactive online writing course for undergraduate students", Refereed proceedings of the Language and Academic Skills in Higher Education Conference 2005, pp.31-44, Canberra:The Australian National University.
Baik, C (2005). "Tips for international students", Postgraduate Review, University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 18.
Larcombe, W& McCosker, A (2005). "Postgraduate Essentials: An online transition program for commencing PhD students"(170KB | PDF), in S. Milnes, G. Craswell, V. Rao & A. Bartlett (eds.) Critiquing and Reflecting: LAS Profession and Practice, Academic Skills and Learning Centre, The Australian National University, Canberra.
McCosker, A (2005). "Confronting the Minor Thesis", Postgraduate Review, University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, Vol. 11, No. 1, p. 16.
McCosker, A (2004). "Originality and Contribution", Postgraduate Review, University of Melbourne Postgraduate Association, Vol. 10, No. 3, p. 22.
Diagnostic English Language Assessment (DELA)
In 2009 DELA is mandated for all commencing undergraduate students, both local and international (except study abroad and exchange), who do not meet a certain language threshold. For some of these students, follow up language support will be required.
You can find out more about DELA, including what the language thresholds are and what the results mean.