Integrating academic skills

Our vision is to create conditions throughout Oxford where excellence in teaching and assessment can thrive.

In 2023-24, we invite you to work with us on projects related to three key priority areas: embedding digital education, integrating academic skills and (re)designing summative assessments. Find out more about our consultancy service.

Read below how we can work with you on projects related to integrating academic skills.

What are some of the drivers at Oxford for integrating academic skills? 

If your college, course or programme team is interested in supporting students to become more effective learners, then we can work with you through our integrating academic skills service.

We promote the development of academic skills which are appropriate for the discipline and stage of study at Oxford. These academic skills might support students completing assessments (such as academic writing or exam technique), or engaging effectively with teaching in lectures, tutorials or labs, or developing independent learning (eg time management, critical reading or note-taking).

There are many drivers for closely considering the development of academic skills, ranging from reviewing arrival and induction support, helping our increasingly diverse student cohorts make smooth transitions into and through their studies, and supporting students at each stage of their programme as our expectations of them evolve.

This consultancy opportunity is focussed on making explicit the characteristic ways of thinking, practising and articulating learning in the discipline, and thereby helping to address awarding gaps and fostering a sense of confidence, belonging and wellbeing.

How will we work with you? 

We will work with colleges, divisions, departments, faculties and course or programme teams, and in partnership with your students, to identify and map out the academic skills appropriate to your context, scope effective ways and timely opportunities for integrating academic skills provision and establish appropriate timelines for taking this forward. This could be through a series of structured conversations or workshops with groups of staff.

We recognise that the development of students’ academic skills is best embedded in and tailored to their educational context so that all students can gain, make sense of and implement guidance in the circumstances of the learning that they are currently engaged in.

This consultancy service focusses on enhancing provision for undergraduates and taught postgraduates.

If you are interested in working with us on this strategic priority, please contact us to organise a 'pre-meet' to discuss your requirements before completing our expression of interest form by the due dates below:

What are some examples of projects?

Projects related to this area might include: 

• Mapping out the academic skills requirements arising in your programme or course curriculum at each stage of study, and ensure that opportunities to develop those skills are integrated in an effective and timely way
• Reviewing, enhancing and extending existing induction provision so that it is built on and progressed at each point of ongoing transition through the student lifecycle, course or programme
• Focusing on enhancing provision in a key area of academic skills development, whether in response to student demand and demographic, or changes in assessment or other curriculum design
• Developing or reviewing existing or prospective models of academic skills provision to ensure they are effectively staffed, supported and evaluated  
• Integrate academic skills development alongside other areas of curriculum review and enhancement, including diversifying assessment or embedding digital education, or personal development initiatives such as wellbeing and inclusion.

It is anticipated that by the end of a project, colleges, departments and faculties that have engaged with us in this way will have a plan for how they want to progress embedding academic skills into their curricula or college provision and understand what information, activities, support, policies and processes may need to be developed or reviewed.

Who can you contact for further information about this service?

Please contact us at contact@ctl.ox.ac.uk.