What are seminars really like?
Seminars provide an opportunity to explore topics by discussion, and to identify and resolve any questions that may arise after lectures. This section will look at how to prepare for a seminar, and what to expect from one.
Why are seminars important?
Seminars allow you to:
- Explore topics in greater depth
- Learn from other people
- Share ideas
- Gain different perspectives and points of view
- Clarify any misunderstandings
- Explore the language, vocabulary and ‘jargon’ of the course
- Practice debate and turn-taking in conversations
- Collectively advance your level of thinking through an effective combination of independent reading and group discussion
Seminars can be quite open and unpredictable in their outcomes. Although the tutor may have an agenda, it is not necessarily clear from the beginning where the conversation leads to. This can be unsettling as you may ask yourself “what’s the point?”
One important aspect of attending a seminar is realising that other students may be experiencing the same worries and difficulties as you. Often this is helpful, as it can put your own worries into perspective, and understand others’ reactions.
You may also be mixing with students from other disciplines during the seminar; you may realise from the other students’ experiences, that there are many different ways to approach a topic; how one student researches a topic will be completely different to another. All of these different approaches are what make your own learning experience richer and fuller.
By participating in the seminars, you will develop skills that are not only useful at university, but also later in the workplace; these skills are often called ‘transferrable skills’:
- Listening
- Negotiation
- Leadership
- Teamwork
- Oral communication
- Turn-taking – when to say something and when to stop
- Taking responsibility
- Sharing knowledge
- Time management
- Developing an argument
- Collaborating with people from different backgrounds
- Dealing with conflicting opinions
- Producing and using visual aids
Top tips to prepare for a seminar:
- Have you read the module handbook? Your module handbook will tell you about the topics that are going to be covered in the seminars.
- Make sure you have a set of notes and/or the powerpoint slides from the related lecture. It will help to refer to this during the seminar.
- Do the required reading in advance of the seminar. Sometimes your lecturers will have asked you to read a chapter or an extra of a text. This will aid discussions.
- Write down some questions about what you have learnt so far or note down your opinions. It will help to have some talking points prepared in advance so that you have somehting to contribute to the seminar.
Click here to watch a short video ‘What is a seminar?’
There is more useful information on seminars on the Glasgow Caledonian University website:
http://www.gcu.ac.uk/media/gcalwebv2/gculead/content/PDF%20Practical%20seminar%20tips.pdf
This article was written by Jackie Hagan, Learning Support Coordinator at the University for the Creative Arts at Rochester.