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KU Writing Center
November 2009 Student Workshops
The following workshops are available to all students at Kaplan Uni‐
versity. There is no registration or signup required. Please note the
date and time of the workshops you would like attend, click on the
link provided, enter your name, and click Attend Meeting.
All workshops are recorded. Recordings are available on the Writing
Center home page 24‐48 hours after the workshop has taken place.
The workshop schedule and recording links are found on the KU
Writing Center home page. For other Writing Center inquiries or
questions about our workshops, please contact Diane Martinez at
dmartinez@kaplan.edu.
Faculty are welcome to attend any of these workshops!
Tuesday, November 3
Creating Strong Body Paragraphs
How do you provide support for that brilliant main idea in your paper? Strong body paragraphs, of course! This work‐
shop will provide you with techniques to create rich, interesting body paragraphs that explore, develop, and support
the thesis statement of your paper.
Time: 11:00 AM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/paragraphs1103/
Wednesday, November 4
Write and Design Engaging PowerPoint Presentations
Whether for class, community clubs or organizations you belong to, or for work, you will eventually find yourself having
to prepare and possibly deliver an oral presentation. Most presentations are accompanied by PowerPoint slides, and
there are textual and design strategies for making them effective and attention‐getting. This workshop will provide
you with the basics and some advanced concepts regarding PowerPoint presentations.
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/ppt1104/
Note: There is an Advanced PowerPoint Workshop for more experienced users on Wednesday, November 11, 4 PM ET
Thursday, November 5
The Basics of APA
Not sure what APA is? Unsure about when to cite? How to cite? We’ve got you covered! In this workshop, we will
cover the basics of proper APA format. You will learn how to format correct in‐text citations and a references page.
This is information you can use for all of your classes at Kaplan University, so you won't want to miss this!
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/apa1105/
Friday, November 6
Planning and Organizing Your Lab Report, Part I
Are you stumped by how to start and organize a well‐written lab report? Then look no further
than the KU Writing Center’s newest two‐part addition to our workshop series. The KU Writing
Center has partnered with the KU Science Department to find out what your professors want in
your next lab report. We hope you’ll join us for this step‐by‐step overview of how to begin
writing and researching a lab report. Please bring specific questions you have about beginning
the lab report writing process to this workshop.
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/labrpt1106/
Note: A second part to this workshop will be held on Friday, November 13, Noon ET
Sunday, November 8
Captioning a Photo: Developing Well Ordered and Detailed Paragraphs
Having well developed, well ordered, and detailed paragraphs is essential to conveying clear meanings. The Captioning
a Photo Workshop and Forum for ESL students provides an opportunity to sharpen these skills and address sentence
grammar and vocabulary. This workshop is for ESL students only please.
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/july09elli_1/
Wednesday, November 11
Advanced PowerPoint Techniques
If you already have the basics down for how to write and design a PowerPoint presentation, then this workshop is your
next step to creating engaging and impressive slides. In this workshop, we focus on strategies for creating effective
PowerPoint presentations using graphics, charts, graphs, animation, and sound.
Time: 4:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/advppt1111/
Major Writing Errors and How to Avoid Them
Comma splice, run‐on, fragment – are you frustrated by having projects returned with
these and other errors flagged on your work? Are you tired of trying to make sense of such
errors? If so, the Major Writing Errors and How to Avoid Them workshop may be just what
you need to improve your writing. The workshop focuses on five of the most common writ‐
ing errors and explains in no‐nonsense language why each is an error and how to avoid
such errors altogether. Attendees will have ample opportunity to practice what they are
learning and to ask questions. Links to other resources will also be provided.
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/errors1111/
Thursday, November 12
Preparing for College‐level Writing
Just what does it mean to write at the college level? What is expected of you, and how can you achieve these high ex‐
pectations? It’s really a matter of being informed about levels of thinking, reading, and writing, and then practicing
those skills. This workshop covers general expectations of college professors in terms of what they expect to see in
your writing assignments, and you will learn strategies for achieving those goals. Both graduate and undergraduate
students can benefit from this workshop!
Time: 6:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/clw1112/
Friday, November 13
Writing and Revising Your Lab Report, Part II
Now that you have a focus and plan for your lab report, what’s next? The KU Writ‐
ing Center’s newest two‐part addition to our workshop series will provide specific
tips, strategies and examples for writing and revising your lab report. Please bring
ideas and emerging drafts of lab reports you’re working on to this workshop.
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/labrpt21113/
Research Strategies Part I: Where do I go from here?
Does the thought of starting your research paper seem completely overwhelming? Let us help you create some order
out of the chaos with part one in a series of workshops on research strategies. In this presentation, you will learn how
to select and narrow your topic of research, formulate a research question, and design a plan to get started.
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/research1113/
Sunday, November 15
In Your Own Words: Paraphrasing, Summarizing, and Avoiding Plagiarism
Knowing how to paraphrase and summarize well is essential to integrating sources and avoiding plagiarism. The In Your
Own Words Workshop and Forum for ESL students provides an opportunity to practice these skills and learn APA cita‐
tion. The workshop also features an interesting video on "English Mania." This workshop is for ESL students only
please.
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/july09ellii_2/
Wednesday, November 18
How in the World Do I Write An Eight‐Page Paper? Analyzing Sources and Developing Your Ideas.
You asked for it, and so did your instructors! If you’ve ever been at a loss for words or how to expand on an idea in
writing, this is a workshop you won’t want to miss! In this workshop, you will learn how to build ideas and fully defend
your position in a paper without adding “padding” or resorting to wordiness.
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/ideas1118/
Hallmarks of Effective Writing
This one‐hour presentation discusses the primary characteristics found in all good writing – whether that writing is an
internal memo, a business document, a lab report, a college essay, or any other form of written communication. The
presentation will help attendees understand not only what constitutes effective writing, but also the role audience,
purpose, and Standard American English play in effectively communicating meaning. The discussion will offer practical
tips for applying effective writing concepts to one’s own work, and attendees will have the opportunity to respond to
examples and express their views on the topics discussed.
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/hallmarks1118/
Thursday, November 19
How to Effectively Use Writing Center Resources
A common mistake students make about using the Writing Center is misunderstanding the meaning and use of paper
review—one of the most popular services at the KU Writing Center. Paper review, however, is not meant as a final
check before you hand in an assignment. In fact, you will write a better, stronger paper if you use other Writing Center
resources earlier in your writing process. This workshop covers how to use Writing Center resources from the earliest
stages of writing, such as brainstorming, to your final preparations before submitting an assignment. Find out what
you’ve been missing out on!
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/wc1119/
Friday, November 20
Citing Web Sources with Ease!
Nowadays academic research encompasses so much more
than books and scholarly journals. Podcasts, wikis, Flickr
photostreams, discussion boards, blogs, eBooks, and web
sites are just a few of the sources we now use during the
writing and research process. These Web 2.0 sources are
unique in that they are often user‐ or community‐generated
and can sometimes be tricky to cite within APA style. Please
join the KU Writing Center for easy tricks and tips on how to
cite these 21st Century sources in APA! This workshop is es‐
pecially helpful for students who struggle with citing Web
sites and need a primer beyond basic APA citation.
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/web1120/
Research Strategies Part II: The Search Is On.
Now that you have a focus and plan for your research, what’s
next? This workshop will provide tips and strategies for find‐
ing and evaluating sources for a research project. Tackling
those never ending mounds of academic and online resources
can be much easier with a little help from the Writing Center.
Time: 1:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/research1120/
Monday, November 23
Crafting an Effective Persuasive Thesis
Do you struggle writing a good thesis? Do you understand the important difference between an informative and a per‐
suasive thesis? Do you sometimes draft a paper with a thesis that you know needs more work? Writing a good thesis
can be a frustrating process, yet composing one is critical to the success of a paper in that the thesis establishes the
focus, the purpose, and the structure of the paper. In this interactive workshop, we will discuss the important charac‐
teristics of a persuasive thesis and examine a number of model thesis statements so that you understand what consti‐
tutes a well‐crafted persuasive thesis. You will also learn how to construct a good persuasive thesis so that you feel
more confident about your thesis and the direction your paper will follow in the future. While the focus of this work‐
shop will be on persuasive thesis statements, the discussion and tips are easily transferrable to other purposes.
Time: Noon ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/thesis1123/
Integrating Sources into Your Writing
• Do you have a million little pieces of evidence and trouble selecting the best direct quote to support your thoughts?
• When writing a research paper, do you struggle with paraphrasing, summarizing and analyzing sources?
• Has a professor told you there are too many "dropped quotes" in your paper?
As we all know, sometimes writers place too many quotes into their writing because they don't know how to integrate
their research or they think they'll have enough "filler" to meet a page requirement. But great writers are selective
about the evidence they use. Please join the KU Writing Center for an informative and fun workshop on how to inte‐
grate research seamlessly into your writing by summarizing, paraphrasing, and limiting direct quotations.
Time: 3:00 PM ET
Workshop Link: http://khe2.acrobat.com/sources1123/
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