Workshops for International Postdocs: Summer 2015 Schedule

PLEASE NOTE: All sessions listed below fulfill credit requirements for the Western Certificate in Academic & Professional Communication.

Language of Advanced Discussions
May 19 – June 2
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Articulating your opinion successfully requires a familiarity with patterns of reasoning and persuasion in English. In this class, you will learn the language for debating, managing class discussions, and articulating your opinion.

Netiquette: Professional Communication
July 8
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Join us in this session to enhance your employability skills and learn to communicate effectively in the Canadian workplace. Particular attention will be paid to Canadian email-writing conventions through case studies.

Language of Teaching in STEM
July 13 – 22  
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Designed for graduate students who lead tutorials and labs in engineering and the sciences, this workshop provides TAs with an opportunity to practice describing assignments, defining concepts, explaining lab activities, and answering student questions clearly and concisely. Participants will receive individual coaching and an opportunity to practice their communication skills in each class and receive a handout with commonly used phrases and sentence openers for each assignment.

Language of Difficult Conversations
August 11 – April 14
2:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
The skills required to engage in difficult discussions and resolve conflict are crucial to success in your academic and professional lives. In this workshop, you will learn how to articulate your position appropriately to achieve positive outcomes and enhance relationships.

Public Speaking: Giving Effective Presentations
August 24
1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Whether it’s giving a research seminar in class, teaching a group of undergraduates, or presenting at a major conference in your field, mastering the art of public speaking is essential to your success as a graduate student. Join us in this session to learn strategies to effectively structure and deliver your message for academic audiences.

My Post-PhD Dream Job: Academic or Not?

Workshop for Graduate Students
Monday, February 9, 2015
4:00 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Room 147 University Community Centre

The School of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and the Teaching Support Centre invite all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars to a workshop with visiting speaker Lynn MCAlpine (Oxford University) as part of the 2015 Focus on Graduate Education Conference.

What can PhD students do to effectively navigate their trajectories from PhD to academic and non-academic careers? This talk draws on an eight-year longitudinal qualitative research program in Canada and the UK and reports the career trajectories of 40 social scientists and scientists as they navigated their careers post-PhD.

Register online HERE or HERE.

Every scholar can become more prolific. What are you waiting for?

Publish & Flourish: Become a Prolific Scholar
with Dr. Tara Gray

Presented by the Teaching Support Centre
March 27, 2015
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (Faculty session)
Registration for Faculty.

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (Grad Students session)
Registration for Graduate Students.
 
Increase your productivity by a factor of three by taking certain steps to becoming a prolific scholar. Many scholarly writers are educated at the School of Hard Knocks, but it’s not the only school, or even the best. Much is known about how to become a better, more prolific scholar and anybody can. Even when you can’t work harder, there are important ways to work smarter. Join us in this session to learn the specific steps you can take to become a better, more prolific scholar.
 
BIO:  Tara Gray serves as an associate professor of criminal justice and the founding director of the Teaching Academy at New Mexico State University.  She has published three books, including Publish & Flourish: Become a Prolific Scholar, and has presented workshops to more than 5,000 scholars in the US, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.  As a workshop presenter, Dr. Gray is "spirited, informative and entertaining—she's anything but gray!"