Brighton Student Skills Hub

Author: Helen Speck

Making the transition to university can feel like be a big step, but the Skills Hub are here to support you through the journey. The Skills Hub offer academic support in addition to your course lecturers, and can help you develop your academic writing, maths and statistics, or English language.

I’m Helen a Student Academic Success Intern at the University of Brighton, working in the Skills Hub. I have a BA(Hons) in Games Art and Design, which I completed last year. As a recent student, I want to spread awareness of the services within the Skills Hub and the valuable support they offer to help you succeed in at university.

Academic skills tutors

The Skills Hub has five Academic Skills Tutors. Each tutor works with a subject area and helps students from improve their writing skills. They will review your work and give you feedback on academic writing aspects such as:

Getting started
Reading strategies
Taking notes
Structuring your written work
Cohesion, coherence
Paragraphing
Incorporating sources
Academic style/register
Criticality
How to use tutor feedback
Preparing and giving presentations

As a student, I wasn’t aware of this service, but looking back, I know it would have been incredibly valuable. I struggled with academic writing and finding the right sources. If I could go back in time, I would definitely take advantage of the tutorials offered by the Academic Skills Tutors.

Writing Advisory Service (WAS)

This is a service where students can send in an essay (or part of an essay) and one of the Academic Skills Tutors will review it. They will then write comments throughout the essay to advise on the organisation, structure and clarity of your ideas, academic style, criticality, and common language errors. This feedback helps to improve and enhance the quality and clarity of your academic writing.

Maths and Statistics Tutor

The Skills Hub also has a tutor who specialises in Maths and Statistics. He supports students in gaining a better understanding of these subjects in any school where necessary.

English Language Support

For students whose first language is not English, the Skills Hub offers group sessions on academic writing. This support can be invaluable for students who are trying to complete their studies while learning a new language.

How I support students in my role

As a Student Academic Success Intern, I have the opportunity to work one-on-one with students, helping them manage their workload and complete their studies on time. I also signpost students to other support teams within the university who can assist with mental health, extra time for assignments, accommodation, and more.

I reached out to some of these services while I was a student and received tailored advice that helped me complete my degree. Now, as a staff member, I have the opportunity to develop my professional practice, learn from other staff, and create resources for the Skills Hub.

Visit: University of Brighton