What happens at the tutorial?
The purpose of our tutorials is to help you develop the language skills you need during your studies and in your future profession.
A tutorial session is up to one hour long and during this hour you will discuss your assignment together with the tutor. You will be given feedback and advice to help you keep working on your assignment. If you would like to discuss specific aspects of your assignment, please let us now this when you send your assignment to the tutor before the session. The tutor may also select sections or aspects of the assignment to focus on in your discussion.
You may visit the Language Workshop throughout the process of working on your assignment. We do not require that you have begun writing the assignment in order to visit us. Maybe you would like to discuss the writing process or how to get started with your assignment?
The Language Workshop is here to support you, but there are some things that we need to leave to your course teacher. We obviously cannot help you with the subject-specific content of your assignment, and we cannot tell you what grade you will receive. Our educational support also does not include proofreading, but instead gives you the tools you need to become a better writer or speaker and improve your assignment on your own.
In some cases, we may suggest that you seek other kinds of support. We may offer advice on courses or books that could be useful, for example.
Tutorials on campus, online or as a drop-in session
When you make an appointment for a one-hour tutorial, you may choose to meet with your tutor either on campus or online.
Our drop-in sessions take place in Zoom. Drop-in sessions are short (about 15 minutes) and are useful for short questions regarding academic language and writing. There is no need for a pre-booked appointment. All you need to do is to click on the Zoom-link.
Make an appointment or visit our drop-in session
Before the tutorial
Please make sure that you contact your appointed language tutor well ahead of the tutorial so they have time to plan your session. Your tutor will read your assignment and the assignment instructions before the tutorial.
Your assignment and other relevant material should be sent to the tutor at least 24 hours before the session. If you would like the tutor to focus on a specific aspect of your assignment, please indicate this when you submit your work to the tutor.
Before your tutorial – consider the following:
- try to describe what you would like help with.
- read the assignment instructions and, if possible, e-mail them in advance to your tutor or bring them to the tutorial.
- if you have a text you would like feedback on, e-mail the text to your tutor at least 24 hours before the meeting.
Tutorials online
If you have made an appointment for an online tutorial, the tutor will send a Zoom-link to your university e-mail address. You can also click on the link ahead of time to test your microphone and camera in the Zoom room where the tutorial will take place. We recommend that you do this.
Your tutor will use Zoom’s “Share Screen” function, which will allow you to work with your text from the tutor’s desktop.
Please consider the following in preparation for your online tutorial:
- Make sure that you have a stable internet connection. Sit near your router or in a place with a strong WiFi connection. If you are using a laptop, make sure that the battery is charged.
- If possible, use a computer with a camera so that you and your tutor can see each other.
- Minimize any sounds or light that may disturb the tutorial. Avoid venues with background noise.
- Turn off the sound on your phone.
- If possible, use a headset for optimal sound.
- You will need to be able to focus – we recommend that you try to find a place to sit by yourself, alone in a quiet room, if possible.
- Our tutorials are one hour long, so do make sure you have one full hour set aside.
- Make sure you have everything you need – a notepad, pen, your text, etc.
Tutorials about oral presentations
Some of the things we can help you with when you are preparing an oral presentation are:
- General advice about oral presentations.
- How to structure a presentation.
- To listen when you give your presentation and give you feedback
Speaking anxiety?
Many students are anxious about public speaking. Some students may not have had many opportunities to practice speaking in front of a group. There is help available. The Student Health Service offers support for students with public speaking anxiety.
Tutorials about academic writing
In our tutorials about academic writing we offer support in
- getting started with your writing assignment
- finding the right level of language formality
- structuring your text
- language clarity and correctness
- sentence structure and grammar.
Tutorials for doctoral students
When working on a dissertation, you are engaged in a project that might be more extensive than what you have been used to from your previous studies and you are likely to encounter new questions about writing. With the tutors at the Language Workshop, you have the opportunity to discuss both the writing process – how to get started and how to plan your work – and questions regarding the text itself. These questions might concern issues like style, context, structure, sentence structure, word choice, grammar, and punctuation, for example.
Presenting your research
Presenting your research in different contexts is an important part of your doctoral studies. You may, for example, take part in a seminar or a conference. The Language Workshop offers you an opportunity to practice giving your oral presentation. We can give you feedback on the presentation itself as well as the structure and language.
The Language Workshop can also arrange lectures and workshops about writing and speaking in academic contexts for groups of doctoral students or for doctoral student societies.
Tutorials for students with reading and writing disabilities
If you have been diagnosed with dyslexia or another condition that affects your ability to read and write, the Language Workshop can give you specialised support.
Tutorials for students with reading and writing disabilities