Getting Started
Understanding the Assignment
Assignment Requirements
Assignment Purpose
Types of Written Assignments
Disciplinary Approaches
Audience
Understanding Your Assignment Checklist [pdf]
Time Management
Why Manage Time?
Creating a Schedule
Assignment Preparation
Class Preparation
Planning Ahead
Backwards Planning
Setting Priorities
Understanding Procrastination
Assignment Task Checklist [pdf]
Personal Academic Schedule Template [pdf]
Procrastination Solutions [pdf]
Academic Integrity
What is it?
Why is it important?
Integrity Guidelines
Collaboration & Group Work
Using & Citing Sources
Faculty & Student Views
Practicing Integrity
Breach of Policy
Preventative Measures
Academic Integrity Checklist [pdf]
Getting Help [pdf]
Integrity in Practice [pdf]
Peer Feedback Guide [pdf]
What is Common Knowledge? [pdf]
Choosing a Topic
Creating a Working Thesis
Exploring Your Interests
Finding Interesting Ideas
Background Research
Managing a Topic
Narrowing a Topic
Revising a Topic
Brainstorming [pdf]
Nutshelling [pdf]
Plus, Minus, Interesting (PMI) [pdf]
Books, Journals & More
Selecting Sources
Types of Sources - Scholarly vs. Popular
Books
How to Use a Book
Journals
Elements of a Journal
Internet Sources
Wikipedia and Encyclopedia
Blogs and Podcasts
You Tube and Moving Images
Other Sources
Evaluating Sources
Test Your Knowledge
PARCA Test [pdf]
Selecting Assignment Sources [pdf]
Exploring
Gathering & Noting Ideas
Why Take Notes?
Gathering Information
How To Take Notes
Making Sense of Your Notes
Creating Graphic Notes
Concept Mapping [pdf]
Mind Mapping [pdf]
Note-taking Worksheet [pdf]
Research Strategies
Creating a Search Strategy
Concept Quiz
Determining Keywords
Conducting Searches
Searching the Library Catalogue
Using Journal Databases
Locating Articles
Evaluating Search Results
Combining Keywords Worksheet [pdf]
Finding Library Catalogue Materials [pdf]
PARCA Test[pdf]
Search Strategies Worksheet [pdf]
Effective Reading Strategies
Academic Reading
Passive vs Active Reading
SQ4R Reading Strategy
Survey
Question
Read
Respond
Record
Review
Conquering Difficult Readings [pdf]
SQ4R Worksheet [pdf]
Essay Structure
Elements of Structure
How Structure Emerges
Structure and Purpose
Outlines
Paragraphs
Sentence Structure
Quotations
Citations & Formatting
Creating Complex Sentences [pdf]
Essay Formatting: APA, Chicago, MLA [pdf]
Sample Outline [pdf]
Using Directing Quotations [pdf]
Pulling It Together
Creating Bibliographies
Citing Sources - Part of Academic Culture
Plagiarism
Citations and Bibliographies
Citation Style
Citation Management
RefWorks
Zotero
Annotated Bibliographies
Annotated Bibliography Overview [pdf]
APA Style Overview [pdf]
Chicago Style Overview [pdf]
MLA Style Overview [pdf]
Tips for Creating Bibliographies [pdf]
Writing Strategies
The Writing Process
Essay Format
Where to Begin
Strategies for Starting
Drafting
Developing a Working Thesis
Your Reader
The Conclusion
The Introduction
Developing a Working Thesis [pdf]
Starting Techniques [pdf]
Revising Your Arguments
Why Revise?
Thinking Like a Reader
Take a Break
Ask Others
Reviewing
the Whole
the Paragraphs
the Sentences
Peer Review Guide [pdf]
Essay Editing
Why Edit?
Editing Content
Editing Citations
Editing Language
Editing Grammar
Editing Punctuation & Format
Test Your Knowledge
Tracking Frequent Errors
Editing Checklist [pdf]
Using Commas [pdf]
For Faculty
Teaching with SPARK
What is SPARK?
Why Use SPARK?
Making the Implicit Explicit
SPARK & Assignment Design
Guidelines for Using SPARK
"Getting Started"
"Exploring"
"Pulling It Together"
Guidelines for Using SPARK Resources
Learning More
