Academic Skills Support

Navigating the Library

The library is your portal to knowledge and information, but where should you start your research? To answer this question, your librarians created two online courses that will get you started.

Information skills

Searching, evaluating and managing information are the cornerstone of academic studies.

Because it is critical you develop information skills as a student or researcher, most BCU courses include learning outcomes related to information literacy which contribute to your final marks.

Select your course level in the roadmap below to access recommended information skills resources:

• Foundation - Year 1 
• Year 2
• Year 3
• Postgraduate

Digital Skills

To be digitally literate is hugely important in the modern world. BCU encourages all students to continually improve their capacity to use electronic devices and online tools. Use the quizzes and free resource banks available only to BCU students and staff. The use of generative AI is one area where the university wants to explore what it can do and learn how to make use of it. However, generative AI poses challenges around coursework assessments. Please be aware that the university has the expectation that submitted assignments should contain students’ own original work and an expectation that you acknowledge the use of generative AI where it is (permitted to be) used. Please see the Student guidelines on the use of AI tools for further details. There are also opportunities and the university will continue to review how we can best enable the use of the new tools within our curriculum.

Discover your Digital Skills

More academic skills resources

There are more competencies you will build during your studies. The Centre for Academic Success, Graduate+ and the HELS faculty's Academic Development Department provide support for academic skills such as:

• Academic essay and report writing
• English
• Referencing
• Dissertations
• Presentation skills
• Maths and statistics
• Computing and programming
• Project management
• Study skills

Resources for academics and lecturers

The Learning and Teaching Librarians give introductions to library services, facilitate group sessions, provide one-to-one tutorials and create e-learning content that will teach students the skills required for each level of their academic journey.