– The Learning HubCUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies

The Learning Hub offers an array of programming to support SLU students in their coursework, including both one-to-one sessions and workshops. The Hub is staffed by professionals with years of teaching experience.

On this page: One-to-one sessions Workshops and Events

For handouts from our workshops alongside links to other writing guides visit our Resources For Writers page.

Location
25 W. 43rd Street, 19^th floor

Contact
Michael Rymer, Associate Director
michael.rymer@slu.cuny.edu
646-313-8322

One-to-one Sessions

If you have a Learning Hub account, sign in here.
Alternately, you can create an account by following these steps.

Writing

Writing sessions provide students the chance to talk about their work with a professional writer. Students are welcome to schedule an appointment at any stage of the writing process, from brainstorming and outlining to fine-tuning a final draft. We can also help with managing a heavy reading load. Writing sessions can be in-person or online. Review the schedule and sign up.

Quantitative Reasoning

Are you working on a quantitative project? SLU’s Quantitative Reasoning Fellow is available for one-to-one sessions focused on developing survey tools and using SPSS, among other areas. Review the schedule and sign up.

Reference

One-to-one reference sessions allow students to connect with SLU’s librarian, Aliqae Geraci. Aliqae can help students access SLU’s library databases and find quality sources for research projects. Appointment can be scheduled below. Aliqae can also be reached at ageraci@gc.cuny.edu.

Digital Portfolios

Developing a digital portfolio that includes selected academic work, a bio and your resume can have many benefits for students, including for job searches and applications to graduate and professional programs. Our Digital Portfolios Specialist is available to work with students in one-to-one sessions. See the digital portfolios site for more information and sample portfolios.

Workshops and Events

February

Tuesday, 2/3 – Learning Hub Open House (5-6:15pm – Room 19A)

Join us to connect with fellow students and hear how the Learning Hub can help you navigate and succeed at SLU. We’ll offer tips for returning students and refreshments will be provided. *No sign-up required. Stop by anytime.*

Friday, 2/6 – Introduction to Jamovi (6:15 –7:15 – online)

Learn the basics of Jamovi in this workshop designed for students in URB 610 (though students from other courses are welcome to attend!) The workshop will guide you through importing data, exploring datasets, and performing foundational statistical tests to get your research started. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/6*

Sunday, 2/8 – Write Like You Never Left School (3:15-4:30pm – online)

Has it been a while since you’ve written an academic paper? This workshop will provide an overview of key modes and activities of academic writing. We’ll introduce strategies for getting started and moving forward with an assignment, highlighting processes and resources to support your writing. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/6*

Wednesday, 2/11 – Learning Hub Open House (5-6:15pm – Room 19A)

Friday 2/13 – Refining Your Research Question (6:15 –7:30 – online)

Sharpen and focus your research question by learning how to operationalize it for quantitative analysis. We’ll cover strategies for narrowing broad topics, identifying measurable variables, and aligning your question with available data. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/13*

Friday 2/13 – Library Research 101 (6:15 –7:30 – online)

Do you need to find trustworthy articles and books for your research but don’t know where to start? Join this 60-minute workshop with your SLU librarian for an overview of CUNY library resources and services. By the end of the session, you will know how to search for books, which databases to use, how to keep track of everything you find, and who to contact for expert help. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/13*

Tuesday 2/17 – Intro to the SLU Library (12:15-12:45 – online)

Join the SLU librarian for a quick lunchtime overview of how to login to library databases, check out books, and request books and articles from other libraries. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/13*

Friday 2/20 – Library Research 101 (6:15 –7:15 – online)

Saturday 2/21 – Reading Tips to Save Time (12:15-12:45 – online)

Ever found yourself highlighting every sentence on a page or re-reading a passage without comprehension? This thirty-minute workshop offers strategies for how to set yourself up to read with purpose, so you can focus on what’s most important and save energy and time in the long run. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 2/20*

Thursday, 2/26 – Learning Hub Open House (5-6:15pm – Room 19A)

March

Monday, 3/2 – Learning Hub Open House (5-6:15pm – in person)

Friday, 3/6 – Data Essentials (6:15-7:15pm – online)

Learn how to find, query, export, clean, and organize data for your research. This workshop covers common sources of data by topic, including government and public datasets, academic repositories, and organizational reports. You’ll also practice handling missing values, formatting datasets, and preparing your data for analysis. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 3/6*

Friday, 3/13 – Get Started with Zotero & Citation Management (6:15-7:15pm – online)

This session will introduce you to the Zotero citation management software and provide an overview of the installation process, how you can use it to keep track of the sources you find, organize a citation library, and insert your formatted sources in your paper. Beginners are absolutely welcome, no experience needed! *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 3/13*

Friday, 3/20 – Research for Literature Reviews (6:15-7:15pm – online)

In this session, you will learn tips and tricks for quickly finding trustworthy and relevant information sources for your literature reviews and final papers, using CUNY academic databases and the library catalog, and collecting correctly formatted citations as you go along. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 3/20*

Friday 3/27 – Selecting the Best Quantitative Approach (6:15-7:15 – online)

Learn how to choose the right quantitative method for your research question and data. We’ll review common statistical approaches, assumptions, and how to plan an analysis strategy that fits your project. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 3/27*

April

Sunday 4/12 – Feel the Fear and Present Anyway (3:15-4:30pm – online)

Speaking or presenting to an audience can be a powerful way to share knowledge and create change, but it’s also a common anxiety that strikes fear into the hearts of many! This workshop provides tools to address and reduce speaking anxiety, so you can focus on developing your message and connecting with the audience. With a special focus on capstone and final presentations, the workshop includes tips for creating and structuring your presentation, choosing engaging visuals, and practicing effectively. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 4/10*

Friday 4/17 – Data Communication and Reporting Results (6:15-7:15 – online)

Develop skills to present your quantitative findings clearly and effectively. This workshop covers creating tables and graphs to communicate statistical results to both academic and general audiences. *Registration closes at 4:30pm on 4/17*

Friday 4/24 – Last Minute Lit Review Research (6:15-7:30pm – online)

What Students Say About the Learning Hub

In our post-session surveys, we ask students “What would you like your fellow students to know about the Learning Hub?” Here is what some of them have said.

“Always helpful all the time. S. is a gem and always helps me organize my thoughts, especially when I get off track.“

“I learned how to organize my paper better and produce a better paper.“

“I want the other students to know that my experience at SLU Writing Hub is always exceptional. M. is very knowledgeable and we have been working together the entire semester. I have learned a lot from M. and I am grateful for M’s dedication. I give M. an A+++++“

“My sessions with Learning Hub allowed me to become a better writer.“

“It’s a great service that helps you understand your own writing, your concerns, and brings clarity to what is a difficult art to master.“

“I was given great insight on how to make my writing assignment better.“

“The Learning Hub team is fantastic. They help to break your project down into bite-sized pieces to reduce the stress and anxiety that can mount as you are approaching critical academic deadlines. I appreciate the clear, thoughtful, yet scholarly guidance.“

“Extremely helpful! S. was great at gently guiding me with helpful feedback without doing the work for me!“

“Talking with S. early on in my writing process was incredibly helpful! It was a bit daunting to come into this session before I totally know what I’m doing with my paper, but it was really helpful to talk through how I’m thinking about the paper, and think about how I can come up with an outline structure that will help me with both my research/analysis and the writing. Highly recommend!“

“Really great resource and a great way to get help if you are stuck on a project or need help brainstorming.“

“I would like to tell fellow students that the Learning Hub helped me to organize my thoughts and write more concisely. My paper became much better with feedback from the writing consultant.“

“The Learning Hub is a terrific forum for building confidence in your writing. Each staff member I have interacted with has provided outstanding feedback and guidance.“

“There’s no judgement, just helpful constructive criticism. I truly believe they want you to do well and really want you to win!!“

“I came to the Learning Hub with a paper I felt good about and came out with plans that make the paper better and make me feel more confident in my work!“

“I urge all SLU students to make it their priority to utilize the services and workshops provided by the SLU learning Hub. The Learning Hub provides excellent support and help for all SLU students regardless of how far along you may be in the graduate program. I’m currently working on my Capstone (Thesis) Project and I am still benefiting from the expert writing consultants at the Learning Hub. I have been utilizing this service each semester while attending SLU.“

“The place to go when you want some fresh insight into your assignment.“

“I would like to tell fellow students that the Learning Hub is a good way to learn new ideas for writing clearly. I was able to talk about my paper and receive a clearer understanding of my assignment.“

“It’s great to bounce ideas off of someone else. The suggestions are extremely helpful.“

The Learning Hub team is here to help!

Register for one-to-one session
Attend a workshop or event

Code of Ethics

The Learning Hub is a neutral, non-evaluative space.
The direction of one-to-one sessions should be driven primarily by students, who should be granted agency to use their time as they deem best suits their needs.
Learning Hub sessions should provide writers a comfortable space for taking risks and asking questions.
All students thrive on encouragement. Our consultants strive to identify students’ strengths and to help them build upon them.

All Learning Hub session notes are confidential unless the student approves of our sharing of session notes.
We value our partnerships with faculty members, with whom we share the common goal of enhancing student learning over time.
A Learning Hub session can provide an opportunity to identify and address errors in a student’s work, but Learning Hub consultants, students, and faculty members should have reasonable expectations for the pace of a student’s development and improvement.