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Academic Skills – Bath Spa University

ASk (Academic Skills)

The Academic Skills service (ASk) is a resource for the whole University. We're here to support you in your academic work, at any stage of your academic career.

The Academic Skills team is here to help students and staff in their academic pursuits. Whether you’d like some feedback on your writing or help with Maths and Stats, we offer a range of support, both in-person and online:

  • Feedback on your written assignments 
  • Academic and digital skills workshops 
  • Advice on academic referencing 
  • Help with Maths and Statistics.

Make an appointment to see us, drop in with a quick query, use our resources on Ultra or attend one of our workshops.

Support for students

1:1 appointments

Book an appointment at a time that suits you. Appointments are available Monday-Friday 9am-5pm and there is a choice of online or in-person.  

If you've chosen an online appointment, you'll be sent a calendar invite so that you can log into the appointment at the correct time. 

Our in-person appointments are available across our BSU campuses. At Newton Park, Bath 1:1 appointments take place in the Commons building (opposite Costa). At Locksbrook, Bath they are in G14 on Tues and Thurs; 9.00am-2.00pm. At BSU London 1:1 appointments take place in the ASK appointment room D057 on the ground floor.

We can work with you on a one-to-one basis to provide feedback on your academic assignments, including advice on structure and academic writing styles. Here’s what you need to know: 

  • You can book up to two appointments per assignment, or up to four for a dissertation. PhD thesis chapters are treated as individual assignments. 
  • You need to book appointments one at a time. You can book a second appointment once you’ve attended your first appointment.  
  • Please have some work or drafts ready to share during the appointment. 
Maths and Stats appointments

Speak to our Maths and Stats Advisor about any aspect of numeracy and statistics including support with tools such as Excel, JASP, SPSS and R. Appointments are available during semester Tuesday - Thursday; 10am-3pm and there is a choice of online or in-person.  

If you've chosen an online appointment, you'll be sent a calendar invite so that you can log into the appointment at the correct time. 

In-person appointments are held in Newton Park's Commons building (opposite Costa). 

Drop- in

Do you want some quick help with your assignments? At our drop-in you can have up to 20 minutes with an advisor to get some quick advice. For example, we could help with referencing or some aspect of your writing, such as conclusions or paragraph structure. In Newton Park find us 9am-12pm, Monday-Friday in Commons G06 (opposite Costa).

In London find us in the Common Area (next to the student kitchen) 1-2pm Wednesday -Thursday.

Students on low residency courses and placements 

Feedback is available by email for students on placement or low residency courses. 

Please send us a query; attach your work and include your student number in the message headline. Let us know what kind of help you need, for example, referencing or structure. Please include the assignment brief as well. 

We do our best to reply to queries within 3 working days, but at busy times there may be a delay of up to 5 working days before your essay feedback is available. 

Alternatively, you can book an online appointment

Guidance on the use of GenAI

Ever wondered how to use AI tools as a student – or if you should use it at all? Our guide on Generative AI for students will clear up some of your questions, and you can also get help from us via a workshop on how to use Generative AI ethically for your assignments. Watch our videos on using GenAI for students. 

Help with referencing

Referencing online drop-in service

You can chat online with an advisor about any referencing queries. The service is available Monday – Friday, 12:00pm - 1:00pm during term time. Book here.

Online referencing resources

The Library provides two fantastic tools that you can access right now.  

  • Cite Them Right Online: clear and concise referencing guidance with examples to help you confidently create references in your academic assignments.  
  • RefWorks: a reference management system that you can use to create bibliographies. 

Skills workshops

We offer a wide range of Academic and Digital Literacy Skills workshops to all students and staff.

To book now, simply scroll to the event that you’d like to book or use the filters to narrow down your search.  

Students – are you and your peers interested in a workshop? We may be able to offer student workshops to groups of five or more. Please contact us at academicskills@bathspa.ac.uk.

Academic Integrity

Academic Integrity is one of the most important principles in Higher Education and research. It means making sure that the work you produce for assessment is your own, including the research you do. 

For more information on how to make sure your work keeps to the principles of academic integrity and how to avoid acadmic misconduct, we've put together a really detailed guide. There's even a section on how to use GenAI properly.

Support for staff

We support staff with their writing and deliver academic skills workshops to support students within specific modules. Please contact us at academicskills@bathspa.ac.uk to arrange a workshop for your students. 

Online resources

Resources in our virtual community space offer hints and tips on a wide range of academic skills including academic writing, referencing, Maths and Statistics, digital literacy and critical thinking.

Contact us

ASk was formerly known as the Writing and Learning Centre.

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