Skip to main content

Seminars and Workshops

Seminars focus on your whole self. Workshops help you improve a particular skill. Both help you be the best version of yourself.

A Solid Foundation

Our seminars and workshops give you a solid foundation for a successful academic journey. When you take time to focus on yourself, you’ll thrive inside and outside the classroom.

Take a Seminar

Each seminar lasts one semester and offers credit that counts toward graduation. Register for a seminar when you register for classes.

  • Summer Success Skills

    IDS 107

    Get all the best tips for being successful in college. Perfect for first-year college students.

  • Success 101

    IDS 108

    Get all the tools, skills, and network of people that will help you succeed in college.

    Before you enroll in Success 101, complete an interest form.

  • Thrive

    IDS 128

    Thrive takes you on a journey of personal exploration. From careers to values, you'll discover what's important to you. Thrive also emphasizes community engagement and takes you on a variety of field trips.

  • Veterans and Military Connected

    IDS 122A02

    Becoming a civilian and starting college are two big changes. This seminar is highly specialized and helps student veterans or any military-affiliated person be successful in college.

  • Careers for Health Professionals

    IDS 194

    Gain information and experience on careers in the medical fields. Open to anyone with an interest in a health career.

    Learn more about the academic experience for pre-health professionals

  • Transfer Seminar

    IDS 224

    Learn all about Illinois State while you explore majors, careers, and involvement opportunities on campus. This seminar is for transfer students.

  • Mathematical Principles in Learning

    IDS 114

    Develop a growth mindset while you learn strategies to be successful in math. This seminar is a co-requisite for students in MAT 113A01.

  • Gain a support system.

    Seminars include peer instructors and mentors. These experienced students know all the ins and outs on transitioning to college and will be there to support you as you make your transition.

Attend a Workshop

Each workshop lasts one hour.

Upcoming Workshops

View all upcoming workshops

Workshop Descriptions

  • College Writing 101

    The transition from high school to college includes more than just roommates and Ramen noodles! Make the change easier as you gain a better understanding of college-level writing. We’ll cover topics such as professors’ expectations, the writing process, avoiding plagiarism, effective outlining, and successful revision techniques.

  • Communicating With Your Professors

    Being able to communicate effectively with your professor both in and out of class can significantly impact your learning, and ultimately your success. This interactive workshop will give you opportunities to ask questions and get tips on building a professional network.

  • Conquering the Essay Test

    Are you lost if your exam doesn’t come with an Opscan sheet? Do you shudder at the thought of your professors’ essay questions? Come to this workshop to gain skills to help you ace your next essay test. You’ll learn how to read test questions, organize your thoughts, and work efficiently under stress.

  • Active Reading Strategies

    I have NO idea what I just read! This is the third time I’ve reread this paragraph and I just don’t get it. When I try to answer the chapter questions it seems like they are asking questions about topics they didn’t even cover. It’s hard to stay focused on the material in the book. Do any of these sound familiar? Reading is not a passive activity. You have to be actively participating with the reading to get the most out of it—but how? This interactive workshop will teach you some helpful strategies to get the most out of your reading, helping you become an active reader. Not only will you learn how to read more efficiently but also how to apply that knowledge to the class discussions and lectures.

  • Manage Your Time to Manage Your Goals

    This workshop will help you create a schedule that works for YOU. Find when you work best, what your biggest challenges to time management are and how to prioritize. This workshop will also help you make SMART goals, learn the difference between long term and short term planning and let you see that big picture.

  • Navigating Online Learning

    Having difficulty navigating the online class environment? Uncertain about netiquette? This interactive workshop will provide an overview of how to navigate online learning and tips to be successful in the online class environment.

  • Navigating Your Syllabus

  • Class is now in session! This workshop will set you up for success in your new courses by explaining the uses and benefits of your syllabus. Learn how to utilize syllabus content to your advantage.

  • Navigating your basic course infomation and professors' expectations can be tricky at first, but we're here to help! Bring your class syllabus and/or laptop to receive help identifying course requirements, grading policies, and deadlines.

  • Note Taking

  • Note Taking and Textbook Reading discuss strategies on how to take effective notes based on your class environment and how to stay active while reading your textbook. Explore different methods of organizing your notes and deciding what is important to write down.

  • Overcoming Test Anxiety

    You’ve studied for the exams, you know your materials, you even tutored your roommates but you got to the exam hall and you just blanked out. You could not remember anything!! Test Anxiety is common to many students. While everyone feels some degree of anxiety during tests or exams, it becomes an issue when anxiety makes you feel anxious, ill or develop brain freeze during an exam or test. This interactive workshop will explore the issue of anxiety from the students’ perspectives, what it is and how to overcome it.

  • Preparing for Finals

    It’s almost over! You need one last effort to finish strong this semester. This workshop will help you develop a successful study strategy for final exams, including how to make the most of your study tools, how to manage stress, where you can study most effectively, etc.

  • Procrastination Domination

    Do you find yourself putting things off to the very last possible second? Are you often scrambling to turn in quality work because you waited too long to start? Don’t know how to break your bad procrastination habits? Learn some strategies to help you prioritize, motivate yourself and dominate procrastination!

  • Research and Presentations

    Fear of public speaking is the number one phobia in the United States. Learn how to research and prepare your projects so that you can present with confidence. We’ll discuss working with research materials, avoiding plagiarism, and preparing a paper for presentation. You’ll also learn some helpful tricks to fight the pre-speech jitters, so you can calm your mind and go back to just being afraid of spiders.

  • Study Tools and Test Taking

    Multiple choice, essay, true/false, or short answer? This interactive workshop is designed to discuss strategies for creating your own study tools to prepare before your test, during a test, and how to respond after a test.