Academic Coaching
Throughout the year, we offer coaching sessions with our amazing teachers and staff members aimed at helping international students to be successful academically as well as socially.
Academic support is just as important as all of the social opportunities that we provide here at our office. We offer online and in-person assistance with listening, speaking, reading and writing.
We can help with language support in:
- Writing
- Reading
- Pronunciation
- Citations and research skills
- Listening and lecture note-taking
- Intercultural communication
You can schedule time with an advisor for in-person assistance or simply walk-in for services during established coaching times at Maucker Union Room 113 (Please check in at the front desk)
Tips for Success
- Read the question carefully. Also, read slowly! What is the question asking?
- Can you answer the question without looking at the choices? This can help you choose the correct answer.
- Eliminate the wrong answers.
- Manage your time. Spend about two minutes on each question. If you can’t answer it, go to the next question.
For more information about tests and exams, The Learning Center at UNI explains test formats.
Review more test taking strategies and prepare for your tests and exams.
- Would you like to learn more about English pronunciation? An OIE Coach can help! We are trained in pronunciation instruction. Here are more helpful resources for you:
- Golden Speaker Builder allows you to record your voice and listen to it in any accent - perfect for helping you work on pronunciation!
- YouGlish is an audio dictionary where users type a word and hear many different versions of the same word spoken with different accents (based on online videos on YouTube).
Look at the following sentences. Can you identify the punctuation errors? See the answer key below once you finish.
- My new student job is exciting, I love working with the OIE team.
- Ibrahim asked, “Could you tell me where the Office of International Engagement is located”?
- Its located in Maucker Union. It’s employees have their offices in MAU 113.
- Come to MAU 113 to meet one of our academic success coaches and learn more about punctuation rules.
- We offer online and in person assistance in these areas; listening, speaking, reading and writing.
To learn more about punctuation rules, use the following resources: Purdue OWL and NIU Punctuation Tutorial.
- Answer Key
- My new student job is exciting; I love working with the OIE team.
Use a semicolon, not a comma, to connect two independent clauses. - Ibrahim asked, “Could you tell me where the Office of International Engagement is located?”
Put periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points inside the quotation marks. - It’s located in Maucker Union. Its employees have their offices in MAU 113.
It’s is a contraction that means it is or it has. Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it. - Come to MAU 113 to meet one of our academic success coaches and learn about punctuation rules.
Be careful not to overuse a comma before and. Do not use a comma before and when it does not join two independent clauses, but when it just joins two verbs. - We offer online and in person assistance in these areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Use a colon, not a semicolon, to introduce a list of items.
- My new student job is exciting; I love working with the OIE team.
- Read the question carefully. Also, read slowly! What is the question asking?
- Can you answer the question without looking at the choices? This can help you choose the correct answer.
- Eliminate the wrong answers.
- Manage your time. Spend about two minutes on each question. If you can’t answer it, go to the next question.
For more information about tests and exams, The Learning Center at UNI explains test formats.
Review more test taking strategies and prepare for your tests and exams.
- Would you like to learn more about English pronunciation? An OIE Coach can help! We are trained in pronunciation instruction. Here are more helpful resources for you:
- Golden Speaker Builder allows you to record your voice and listen to it in any accent - perfect for helping you work on pronunciation!
- YouGlish is an audio dictionary where users type a word and hear many different versions of the same word spoken with different accents (based on online videos on YouTube).
Look at the following sentences. Can you identify the punctuation errors? See the answer key below once you finish.
- My new student job is exciting, I love working with the OIE team.
- Ibrahim asked, “Could you tell me where the Office of International Engagement is located”?
- Its located in Maucker Union. It’s employees have their offices in MAU 113.
- Come to MAU 113 to meet one of our academic success coaches and learn more about punctuation rules.
- We offer online and in person assistance in these areas; listening, speaking, reading and writing.
To learn more about punctuation rules, use the following resources: Purdue OWL and NIU Punctuation Tutorial.
- Answer Key
- My new student job is exciting; I love working with the OIE team.
Use a semicolon, not a comma, to connect two independent clauses. - Ibrahim asked, “Could you tell me where the Office of International Engagement is located?”
Put periods, commas, question marks, and exclamation points inside the quotation marks. - It’s located in Maucker Union. Its employees have their offices in MAU 113.
It’s is a contraction that means it is or it has. Its is the possessive form of the pronoun it. - Come to MAU 113 to meet one of our academic success coaches and learn about punctuation rules.
Be careful not to overuse a comma before and. Do not use a comma before and when it does not join two independent clauses, but when it just joins two verbs. - We offer online and in person assistance in these areas: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Use a colon, not a semicolon, to introduce a list of items.
- My new student job is exciting; I love working with the OIE team.
Deadlines are very important when it comes to success in academic study and your professors, advisors and peers expect that you will stick to deadlines. Organizing your time can help you avoid costly mistakes and will make your life as a student easier. Think ahead and create a plan for the semester that is manageable and helps you achieve your goals.
- Managing Your Time
Things You Can Do to Manage Your Time
- Check UNI’s academic calendar. This calendar can help you plan your time on and off campus. You can find answers to the following questions
- When do my classes start?
- When is the last day of classes?
- When is spring break?
- How many holiday breaks do I have?
- When do university offices close for the holidays?
- Check your course syllabi and E-learning. This will help you organize your time every week. The syllabi will list tests, group projects, papers, and other assignments and when they are due. Make sure to check every class for deadlines and mark them on your calendar to avoid missing an important deadline. There is nothing worse than missing points for a late or missed assignment.
- Find time for fun! UNI campus offers many opportunities to engage and when you plan your week, also look at what’s happening on campus
- Check our the calendar for daily campus events
- International Coffee Hour
- Check out Campus Activities Board (CAB) for fund events and trips
- Join a student organization
- Check UNI’s academic calendar. This calendar can help you plan your time on and off campus. You can find answers to the following questions
Do you need to print something?
While there are many ways to print materials on campus, here are two easy ways for students.
- Rod Library Printing
The Rod Library has several printers for you to use, both black/white and color.
While using any computer in the library- Select “Print” from the program you are using
- Select your computer
- Go to the printer and swipe your UNI ID card to “release” the materials and enable the print job
For more information, visit the Rod Library Printing website.
- UNI Mobile Print
Students can print from their own personal devices to any printer in the Rod Library or Student Computer Centers.
- Log into the portal at mobileprint.uni.edu
- Enter your CatID and passphrase
- Send your print job
- Go to the printer you have selected and "release" and retrieve your printed materials
For more information, go to the IT webpage about Mobile Print.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your own work without full acknowledgment. Plainly, it is copying someone else's work and claiming it is your own.
Some international students may have a difficult time writing papers and essays in English. The internet has great facts about every topic imaginable, but you cannot cut and paste information from a site or article and insert it into your own papers. American culture holds the value of "self-reliance" very deeply, so when a professor feels you plagiarized, they feel you didn't do your paper by yourself. Therefore, you can fail the assignment, fail the course or even face punishment from the university.
- Avoiding Plagiarism
Things to Think About
- Research shows that most plagiarism in not intentional. The problem is that people don’t know what it is and how to avoid it. You are not a bad person. Most students just need to learn how to avoid plagiarism.
- Cite your work! When you write a paper, make sure you show where you found your information. You need to mention the name of the author in the sentence or in parenthesis at the end of the sentence (Author name, 2019). Always record the page numbers, author, publication and dates for a good citation. The Rod Library at UNI has a helpful guide to citing your sources.
- Paraphrase it! In addition to citing your work, you need to use your own words. This means to restate the ideas from your research articles in different words and NOT change the meaning. Also, change the grammar (structure) of the original sentence.
If you would like to test your skills take this practice quiz - Academic Integrity Tutorial - Falcone Library Le Moyne College from Lenmoyne University.
Want more practice? Here is another quiz What is Plagiarism?
- Want More Help?
Sign up for an Academic Coaching session. Our staff will help you navigate, understand and enhance your skills.
Deadlines are very important when it comes to success in academic study and your professors, advisors and peers expect that you will stick to deadlines. Organizing your time can help you avoid costly mistakes and will make your life as a student easier. Think ahead and create a plan for the semester that is manageable and helps you achieve your goals.
- Managing Your Time
Things You Can Do to Manage Your Time
- Check UNI’s academic calendar. This calendar can help you plan your time on and off campus. You can find answers to the following questions
- When do my classes start?
- When is the last day of classes?
- When is spring break?
- How many holiday breaks do I have?
- When do university offices close for the holidays?
- Check your course syllabi and E-learning. This will help you organize your time every week. The syllabi will list tests, group projects, papers, and other assignments and when they are due. Make sure to check every class for deadlines and mark them on your calendar to avoid missing an important deadline. There is nothing worse than missing points for a late or missed assignment.
- Find time for fun! UNI campus offers many opportunities to engage and when you plan your week, also look at what’s happening on campus
- Check our the calendar for daily campus events
- International Coffee Hour
- Check out Campus Activities Board (CAB) for fund events and trips
- Join a student organization
- Check UNI’s academic calendar. This calendar can help you plan your time on and off campus. You can find answers to the following questions
Do you need to print something?
While there are many ways to print materials on campus, here are two easy ways for students.
- Rod Library Printing
The Rod Library has several printers for you to use, both black/white and color.
While using any computer in the library- Select “Print” from the program you are using
- Select your computer
- Go to the printer and swipe your UNI ID card to “release” the materials and enable the print job
For more information, visit the Rod Library Printing website.
- UNI Mobile Print
Students can print from their own personal devices to any printer in the Rod Library or Student Computer Centers.
- Log into the portal at mobileprint.uni.edu
- Enter your CatID and passphrase
- Send your print job
- Go to the printer you have selected and "release" and retrieve your printed materials
For more information, go to the IT webpage about Mobile Print.
Plagiarism is presenting someone else's work or ideas as your own, with or without their consent, by incorporating it into your own work without full acknowledgment. Plainly, it is copying someone else's work and claiming it is your own.
Some international students may have a difficult time writing papers and essays in English. The internet has great facts about every topic imaginable, but you cannot cut and paste information from a site or article and insert it into your own papers. American culture holds the value of "self-reliance" very deeply, so when a professor feels you plagiarized, they feel you didn't do your paper by yourself. Therefore, you can fail the assignment, fail the course or even face punishment from the university.
- Avoiding Plagiarism
Things to Think About
- Research shows that most plagiarism in not intentional. The problem is that people don’t know what it is and how to avoid it. You are not a bad person. Most students just need to learn how to avoid plagiarism.
- Cite your work! When you write a paper, make sure you show where you found your information. You need to mention the name of the author in the sentence or in parenthesis at the end of the sentence (Author name, 2019). Always record the page numbers, author, publication and dates for a good citation. The Rod Library at UNI has a helpful guide to citing your sources.
- Paraphrase it! In addition to citing your work, you need to use your own words. This means to restate the ideas from your research articles in different words and NOT change the meaning. Also, change the grammar (structure) of the original sentence.
If you would like to test your skills take this practice quiz - Academic Integrity Tutorial - Falcone Library Le Moyne College from Lenmoyne University.
Want more practice? Here is another quiz What is Plagiarism?
- Want More Help?
Sign up for an Academic Coaching session. Our staff will help you navigate, understand and enhance your skills.