There is a myth that there is no academic support for first students who do not attend a residential college - this is untrue. There is so much support you just have to know where to find it and Locals can point you in the right direction.
Locals have a staff member dedicated to developing the Academic aspect of the programme. They work closely with the first year students to figure out exactly what each years cohort need to help them transition smoothly into the new academic atmosphere at the university
Student Panels
Locals runs a student series called Locals101 at the beginning of every year. These panels cover important study skills that students from all degrees can use such as notetaking, how to do readings, essay writing, lab report writing from the prespective from our experienced locals leaders.
Q&A Sessions
Thanks to the generosity of some university lecturers Locals run Q&A sessions for BIOC192, CELS191, and HUBS191 & HUBS192. These sessions are an awesome opportunity for our first year students to get additional support in these papers.
We also occasionally run additional Q&As depending on what the students request, and the expertise of our leaders.
Additional Academic Support
In orientation week we run a “Myth Busting” event where students write down questions or myths they have heard about university, the locals team then bust the myths by answering any questions or explaining any concepts. Locals also encourage the students to attend the academic orientation events run by the university, including an event specifically about transition called UNIO101. All students also have access to a UNIO101 blackboard site that is full of academic tips and tricks.
Our leaders also have office hours where first year students can express any issues they might be having, or ask any questions.
Student Learning Development
Locals work closely with Student Learning Development (SLD) to refer our students for academic support such as; Peer Assisted Study Sessions (PASS) for a wide range of papers, workshops on general areas of study, staff study consultations, and one on one peer writing support. You can find out more on the SLD website.