When lectures were cancelled, and class sizes were reduced at the beginning of the year due to the COVID-19 situation, some students might face this dilemma: attend an optional but potentially useful workshop or play safe and skip it?
To take the uncertainty out of the equation, the popular face-to-face EndNote workshops were transformed into entirely online sessions.
In March 2020, a pilot run of five online EndNote workshops was conducted. These workshops were open for registration to all students in the Higher Degree programmes. The class sizes were kept deliberately small initially to better manage them.
The response to the pilot workshops had been overwhelming, with many more sign-ups than available places. As a result, more online workshops were scheduled in April and May. New workshops specifically for users of macOS were also offered for the first time.
If you are thinking of attending any upcoming online EndNote workshop,
Here are some common questions asked by students about the workshop:
1. Do I need any special equipment or software to attend an online EndNote workshop?
No. You will need a desktop or laptop (Windows or macOS) with a working microphone (dedicated headphones with microphone is preferred) and Microsoft Word. You will also need to install EndNote X9 as well as the video conferencing application. You will receive an email with detailed instructions for installation and necessary preparation after you registration.
2. Are there any differences between the online and in-person EndNote workshops?
There are no significant differences between the two workshops beyond the mode of delivery. In our hands-on EndNote workshops, you will learn how to organise, search and group your downloaded resources. We will also share with you how to easily input in-text citations and generate a references list.
The online EndNote workshops, however, will have smaller class sizes, allowing each participant more opportunities to ask questions.
3. I still have questions on the use of EndNote after the workshop. What can I do?
Our friendly instructors will be available to answer your questions after the workshop. You can also schedule an online appointment with our instructors if you need help with using EndNote. Our instructors would be most delighted to provide a step-by-step run through to help you master EndNote.
We asked students who had attended the pilot workshops in March how they feel about the experience:
"I was quite apprehensive at first about the online workshop as I am not IT savvy and had never attended an online workshop before. After the workshop, I started using EndNote for my assignment. I encountered some problems and emailed one of the instructors, James, who responded by scheduling an online one-to-one session with me. He was very patient and very effective in answering my questions.
Most of my course mates, who are much younger than me, are still manually typing out their references instead of using EndNote for our assignments. Younger people are supposed to be more IT savvy than me! I told them, “If I can use EndNote, anyone else can do it too!”
Angela Tan, EdD student
"Considering that the workshop was about learning how to use a citation application, I thought it would be difficult to engage the participants with hands-on learning exercises. This was not the case, as the workshop was efficiently conducted and overall great experience. The companion materials were clear and useful, and we were able to follow along and practise what we had just learnt.
Mae, the workshop instructor, played a crucial part in making it a success. She was clear in her presentation and was methodical in guiding the participants during the hands-on exercises and addressing our queries."
Jeffrey Chan, PhD student
Look out for the latest workshop offerings on the Library Portal and join an online workshop from the comfort of your own home now!