Previous Focus Sessions
Organisation and Time Management
On Tuesday 12th May, 2020 we held our first CommunATy Hour Focus Session, looking specifically at Organisation and Time Management skills and technologies. We were lucky enough to have guest speakers Dr Claire Urbach, Academic Literacy Advisor and Erin Helleur from Counselling Services here at Western share their knowledge on how to plan and prioritise your time. This was followed by a quick demonstration of some planning and time management tools that are available to students and staff (both licensed and freemium) to help you implement these tips.
Watch it now!
Video is behind Western login within the Panopto platform. Captions are available.
Presentation Materials
- Organisation and Time Management - Dr Claire Urbach Presentation (PPTX, 12057.58 KB) (opens in a new window).
- Time Management - Erin Helleur Presentation (PPTX, 3253.84 KB) (opens in a new window).
- Information regarding technologies demonstrated, including comparisons of tools can be found in the Organisation and Time Management section of the Assistive Technologies page.
Other resources
Motivation
Watch this quick Q&A with Dr Katrina Barker from the School of Education for her key tips on staying motivated. They tie in perfectly with what was discussed during our Focus Session!
Pomodoro Method
Have you heard of the Pomodoro Method? It's a wonderful way to manage your time to support a balance of deep focus and break time. Take a look at the short explainer video below.
Eisenhower Priority Matrix
As Dr Claire Urbach discusses in our Focus Session, the Eisenhower Matrix can help you decide what you should and should not be spending your time on. Watch a quick explainer video on the concept.
Notetaking with Sonocent Audio Notetaker
On Tuesday 14th July, 2020 we explored how to take useful notes, and how to refine these into great study notes, incorporating Sonocent in this process. Dr Claire Urbach, Academic Literacy Advisor provides an overview of the Cornell Method of Notetaking and explains how it might apply to the Sonocent software. We also have insights from two of our Western students, Christopher Piller and Sarah Peacock, so you can see how they prepare to take notes, their notetaking method and how they use Sonocent to suit their style of learning.
Watch it now!
This recording is available behind Western login in the Panopto platform. Automatic captions have been applied and will be reviewed on request.
Pre-session preparation work
- Watch the How to take notes in class: The 5 best methods (opens in a new window) video which provides an overview of popular note taking methods.
- Watch the Sonocent Sprint Start video (opens in a new window) so you have a basic understanding of how Sonocent works.
- If you don't have Sonocent but think it might be good for you, install the software as a trial (opens in a new window) ready to go for this session!
Presentation materials
- Cornell Notetaking Method - Dr Claire Urbach (PPTX, 3461.3 KB) (opens in a new window).
Other Materials
Christopher explores how he organises his notes using his Sonocent Preparation video as an example. You can interact with the notes in his example Sonocent files and compare them to your own.
- Sonocent file - Christophers preparation session Master File (RAN, 1597.74 KB) (opens in a new window).
- Sonocent file - Extracted study notes (RAN, 998.61 KB) (opens in a new window).
Duration 2:45 (Captioned). Transcript - Christopher's Notetaking Method (DOCX, 14.07 KB) (opens in a new window).
Sarah walks you through how she sets up her computer folders and files for easy management throughout session.
Duration 2:30 (Captioned). Transcript - Sarah's File Management (DOCX, 14.2 KB) (opens in a new window).
Find more about Sonocent on our Training and Support Resources page.
What did you think?
Provide us with your feedback so we know what we've done well and can continue to improve on the other aspects our CommunATy Hour Focus Sessions.
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