There are a number of ways that you can get help with developing and improving different academic skills. Some of them are more self-directed, others involve attending sessions for a particular skillset.
You will be able to sign up to our Learning Lunches and Skill Labs + Boosters through the Library events calendar - click on this link.
NOTE OUR OFFER WILL START AGAIN 15/08/2025 - PLEASE MAKE USE OF THE DEVELOP@DERBY ONLINE RESOURCES UNTIL THEN
Learning Lunches
The Library’s Learning Lunch workshops cover core skills including critical thinking, academic writing, referencing and literature searching. You can attend these workshops online via Microsoft Teams, and on campus. You can register for a session on the calendar of events page. You will find that each workshop is aligned with skills from the Develop@Derby skill set.
If our workshops are being delivered online and at a time which conflicts with your schedule, sign up anyway. As long as you've registered you will be sent a recording of a session that took place. It's better to attend the workshop if you can, but if it's not possible you can still access the material to go through in your own time.
Skill Labs
Our Skills Labs are 45-minute interactive skills sessions with 15-30 minutes dedicated to an activity. These are informal but structured sessions based on the University of Derby Skill Set. Each session will focus on a particular skill and will offer you the opportunity to consider your own skills development through discussion and reflection time.
Skill Boosters
Our Skills Boosters are short 15-minute activities delivered several times across an hour session. The activities will be fun and interactive and based on the University of Derby Skill Set. Come along and find us on selected dates and time. You can choose an activity based on the skills you would like to develop. These boosters are a great introduction to the skill set and an opportunity for further discussion - we can also signpost you to additional supportive skill resources.
1-1 appointments
If you need more personalised support, you can book an appointment with a member of our Academic Enhancement Team. Our appointments are for all levels and are available on site or online depending on your preference. Students can book 1-1 appointments directly via the appointments link on the library website.
Develop@Derby Online Resources
If you look at the Library pages you will see a tab for Support. When you click on that, one of the options in the drop-down list will be Develop@Derby - here you will find a large number of resources (printable documents; podcasts; text; videos) related to different skills. For example, essay writing, critical thinking and more. Do make sure you look at those resources and take note of any that may be useful. You can bookmark the pages to come back to later.