New graduate student workshops available for spring as part of Fridays on Fourth
A new slate of graduate student workshops launches today as part of Fridays on Fourth, a collaborative project aimed at boosting graduate studies with research, write-ins and workshops in a transformed Graduate Study Center on Watson Library’s Fourth Floor. The collaborative project from KU’s Libraries, Writing Center, Office of Graduate Studies and Center for Teaching Excellence began last fall and is back to meet student needs with individualized research consultations, writing resources and assistance, and a series of topical workshops.
The Graduate Study Center assumes a coffee-shop-like atmosphere with background music and refreshments available for extended hours between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and is staffed with experts – available with or without an appointment - during “Student Hours” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Quiet study remains available on the rest of the fourth and fifth floors of Watson Library.
The opening workshop is aimed at student productivity and highlights “Time Management Essentials” as the semester begins. Other topics include Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Formatting and Copyright, Citation Management, AI prompt development, and introductions to helpful tools and programs. All sessions are hybrid – in-person in Watson Library, with a zoom link available to remote participants. Most workshops occur during the lunch hour (Noon-1 p.m.), but several are planned for later in the afternoon. Fridays on Fourth runs through April 26, and more sessions will be added to the Libraries’ events page and the Fridays on Fourth homepage as the semester progresses.
Friday, Feb. 2, 12-1 p.m. - Time Management Essentials
The workshop teaches skills that help students succeed in their studies and discusses tools and supports to overcome writer's block.
Friday, Feb. 9, 12-1 p.m. - Electronic Thesis/Dissertation Formatting and Copyright Workshop
This workshop is for graduate students at any stage of the thesis or dissertation process, providing students with some quick tips that will save some time and trouble as they move forward.
Friday, Feb. 16, 12-1 p.m. - Introduction to Zotero
This hands-on workshop provides an overview of Zotero, a free, open-source citation management software that stores and generates references automatically. Zotero stores, organizes, and formats citations. The application is available on Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems.
Friday, Feb. 23, 12-1 p.m. - Dissertation Chapter Drafting Workshop
The workshop will discuss the various kinds of dissertations structures, the structure of dissertation chapters, and how to map out projects into chapters that fit a coherent research narrative.
Friday, March 1, 12-1 p.m. – Introduction to EndNote
This hands-on workshop provides step-by-step instructions on how to use EndNote, the citation management software that stores and generates references automatically.
Friday, March 1, 3-4 p.m. - Tropy Workshop
Tropy is a user-friendly, open-source software designed for organizing, annotating, describing, and managing archival research photos. Users can create metadata in any recognized schema; add custom fields, tags, notes, or other data; and perform other actions, such as grouping related photos into items and lists.
Friday, March 8, 12-1 p.m. - AI Prompt Development
AI Development is a beginner-friendly workshop on generative artificial intelligence. The workshop will explore best practices for creating AI prompts – a "prompt" is your directive to the AI tool. The workshop will touch on AI ethics concerns, but the focus is to increase confidence in "talking" to AI in productivity.