The Dennis Learning Center offers a variety of interactive workshops on specific topics to help Ohio State students reach academic success.
- Learn real-life strategies that are based in theory and empirical evidence from educational psychology and related fields
- Facilitated by our friendly and relatable Academic Coaches and DLC staff
- Most workshops are 45 minutes, but can be adjusted by request
- Virtual presentation via CarmenZoom to large or small groups, with interactive discussions and activities designed to keep everyone engaged and learning
Attend a Workshop
We offer a variety of workshops throughout the semester, in both synchronous and asynchronous formats.
Check our schedule on the First Year Success Series website.
Request a Workshop
We are happy to present a workshop to your class, student organization, or residence hall group.
Workshop Request Guidelines:
- Workshops will be available virtually only until further notice. You may request a workshop to be presented live on CarmenZoom or you may request a pre-recorded workshop to be presented as either a Carmen page (tshort videos and text information, along with a survey/quiz). The workshop request form is required for either format.
- Workshop requests must be submitted 2 weeks in advance to allow time to arrange for a presenter for live workshops and 3 weeks in advance for pre-recorded workshops.
- Workshops outside of regular office hours (Monday-Friday, 8am-5pm) may be accommodated depending on staff availability but are not guaranteed.
- A minimum of 7 attendees is required for all workshops.
For live workshops only, workshop requesters must
-
- Create the CarmenZoom meeting for the workshop
- When creating the meeting, make sure to give the presenter access to share their screen
- Create an Outlook meeting at the workshop day/time and invite your assigned DLC workshop presenter
- Email your assigned DLC workshop presenter with the CarmenZoom link at least 24 hours in advance of the workshop
Our Workshops
Active Note-Taking Strategies
If you have ever been in a lecture where the teacher was speaking too quickly or just very monotone, you may have wondered how to best take notes. You worry about keeping up or just not sure what to write down at all. At the end of the talk, you wish you had taken notes but weren’t sure how it could have helped. Being an engaged listener and taking effective notes is not always easy.
In our active note-taking strategies workshop we will teach you how to be more effective at taking notes so you can get the most out of your classroom instruction. You’ll learn how to recognize instructor emphasis and determine which information is most relevant, how to organize lecture content, how to use abbreviations and symbols to be an efficient note-taker. Finally, you’ll learn how to develop an effective study plan based on your notes.
Dealing with Procrastination
We all have been there. It’s the beginning of a semester. You have all the important deadlines you have to meet. You tell yourself you will not fall behind and will get a head start on assignments. But invariably, time slips away and you find yourself scrambling to finish an important research paper or cramming for final exams.
Procrastination is a real issue we all have to face. In this workshop, you will learn everything you always wanted to know about procrastination but haven’t gotten around to asking. You’ll come to truly understand the costs of procrastination. You’ll explore your reasons for procrastination and work to identify what’s really going on when you procrastinate. This workshop also will introduce you to a plan to begin minimizing it using proven techniques to better manage your time.
Gearing Up for Higher Education
There is no magic bullet that will help you successfully manage higher education. It takes a number of strategies and hard work that will put you on the proper path to college success.
The gearing up for higher education workshop was developed to help you know what it really takes to succeed in college. It will help you apply strategies for managing time, learning from texts and lectures, and preparing for exams that will help you thrive in the context of a university.
Great Minds Work Together: Planning Effective Study Groups
Working well with others to achieve a common goal is essential to your success professionally and personally. As a college student, you’ll likely experience this on group projects or study groups. This workshop will show you how to plan for success and get the most out of a study group.
You will be introduced to social learning and understand why some study groups have successful experiences while others end with disappointment. You’ll also be taught the four stages of group development and how to choose compatible study group members. Finally, you will learn which study group techniques are best for each type of learner and ways to enhance your group’s effectiveness.
Keys to Strategic, Confident Test Taking
Exams can be a stressful experience. You have to learn the material, take a test in a finite time, and wait for your grade to post. But if you are strategic about how you prepare for your exams, you can be confident any exam you take will turn out just fine.
In this workshop, you will learn the optimal ways to prepare for your exams and the best strategies to take different types of tests. You’ll understand what an effective plan for mid-terms or finals week looks like and how you can use this plan to be more confident going into exams.
Preparing Papers
An essential part of your college education will be writing a variety of essays and research papers for your courses. Making a compelling argument and properly supporting it with appropriate sources is a necessity for writing a successful paper.
For this workshop, you will learn how to create strong thesis statements, introductions, body paragraphs, and conclusions for any paper you have to write. You will learn how to combat writer’s block. We also will train you on how to appropriately document supporting materials and avoid plagiarism at all costs.
Retaking College Courses: The Roadmap to Academic Success
This workshop aims to give students the opportunity to navigate through academic setbacks by providing skills and strategies to retake college courses successfully. Students will learn to reflect, detect, and correct past academic behaviors through steps that lead to reaction, action, and interaction with course content. The goal is to give students a roadmap to college success by identifying and addressing old habits and replacing them with proactive and productive strategies. This workshop will allow students to shift out of reverse and accelerate into success!
Stress Less: Manage Academic Emotions and Increase Resilience
Stress is an inevitable part of life. Each of us deals with it differently. But being able to manage stress and create academic goals will help you build confidence and resilience to handle any of the challenges college throws at you.
Our stress less workshop is perfect for students who are looking for strategies to manage stress and techniques that will help you quickly bounce back from adversity. Additionally, you will uncover the importance of thoughts, identify self-talk, and learn how to create manageable goals.
The Secret to Successful Group Projects
Do you have concerns about working with others during projects? You’re not the only one. Luckily, there are different strategies that can improve your group project experience.
This workshop focuses on understanding the importance of group projects for any course or major by using social psychology strategies and tactics. By reviewing the Model of Group Development developed by DLC founder Dr. Bruce Tuckman, you will know how to work with your group through the different stages of the project. By the end of the workshop, you will be able to identify and execute your role in a group project and keep your group on the right track.
Thriving in Science and Math
Are you struggling with college science or math? You’re not alone. Fortunately, there are strategies anyone can use to be more successful in these classes.
This workshop focuses on a variety of specific strategies that can be applied in a range of classes, including calc, chem, bio, and physics. It also goes through real examples from university exams in order to practice skill application. Join us to explore some of the keys to success in science and math, and tackle your classes with renewed confidence.
Use Your Brain! Memory Tools for Effective Studying
Your brain is a powerful tool that can learn and retain all kinds of information. Retaining the information you learn in college is not only relevant to your studies now but also is important to build on as you move into a professional career. Improving your memory is a skill that will benefit you throughout life.
The Memory Tools for Effective Studying workshop teaches you the different types of memory and the factors that affect it, how to build meaningful learning, and how to solidify that meaning for the long-term. By the end of the workshop, you will understand what it takes to not just study new information but to do so in ways to help you to truly retain it for both the day of the exam and long after.