Previously known as Bite-Sized Library Workshops, the newly revamped Skill Myself Up Library Workshops are here!
Join librarians and other campus partners such as the Student Success Centre and Faculty from 19 January to 12 February to learn about research skills, database searching, working with data, writing persuasively and presenting confidently, holistic development tips and much more.
🏅 Plus, Showcase Your Learning Achievements on LinkedIn*
Earn digital badges for in-demand skills through our curated learning pathways: Python 101 Series and Research Ready Series!
Highlights
Python 101 Series
Dong Danping, Bella Ratmelia, and Tee Lip Hwe,
Senior Librarians, Research and Data Services
Designed for learners at all levels, this series provides a hands-on introduction to Python programming — from the basics of variables and loops to real-world data analysis with libraries like Pandas and Polars. We’ll also explore advanced topics such as topic modeling with BERTopic, a powerful tool for analyzing text data.
Complete any 3 workshops in this series to earn a digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!
Research Ready Series
Xia Wei, Principal Librarian,
Melody Chin, and Sumita Govindan, Senior Librarians,
and Li Zhenyan, Librarian, Instruction & Learning Services
Struggling with assignments or research projects? The Research Ready workshops are here to help! Through a series of engaging, hands-on sessions, you’ll learn smart ways to generate research ideas, search effectively, navigate business databases, and evaluate online information.
Complete any 3 workshops to earn a "Research Ready" digital badge for your LinkedIn profile!
Code-free Data Science and Analytics Series
Kam Tin Seong, Associate Professor of Information Systems (Practice),
School of Computing and Information Systems
Free and Open-Source (FOSS) code-free tools like jamovi and Orange offer graphical user interfaces (GUIs) with drag-and-drop functionality, simplifying data integration, preparation, and wrangling without requiring SQL. These tools also democratise data science exploration and provide access to advanced analytics capabilities for students and research scientists without programming skills.
In this four-part workshop series, you will enhance your data science and analytics skills to support your research needs without spending hours learning to code.
[NEW] Demystifying AI: How Smart Are Machines Really?
Liu Peng, Assistant Professor of Quantitative Finance,
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Ever wonder why a brilliant AI model can ace a practice test but fail in the real world? This workshop pulls back the curtain on how machine learning actually works.
We'll move past the jargon to explore the core challenge: getting AI to perform well on new, unseen data (not just what it was trained on). We'll unpack common pitfalls, like an AI that "memorizes" instead of "learns," and discover surprising modern findings that defy traditional logic.
Walk away with a clear, intuitive understanding of what makes AI reliable and robust. This session will also offer a sneak peek into the key concepts from the new book, Deep Learning Generalization.
[NEW] What Happens After You Press "Buy"?
Bart Zhou, Associate Professor of Finance,
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
With advances in technology, investing has become almost effortless—you can buy or sell stocks with a tap on your phone. But what actually happens after you tap the “Buy” button? What chain of events unfolds between that tap and the confirmation of your trade? Who sells the stock to you? What other players operate behind the scenes? What infrastructure supports this process, and how has it evolved over time?
This workshop is not your typical finance lecture teaching you what (portfolio of) stocks to buy or at what price. Instead, it explores the plumbing of modern capital markets, helping you understand and appreciate how financial securities trading really works.
[NEW] Statista: A Deep Dive Beyond the Data!
Rajendra Munoo, Advisor, Learning Programs & Global Relations, Instruction & Learning Services
and Brenda Lim, Head of Sales, Asia, Statista
Do you use Statista? Have you ever wondered about the research quality, processes, and publishing standards behind Statista and its data?
Statista is one of the most widely used databases within the SMU community. In this workshop, participants will gain exclusive behind-the-scenes insights into Statista’s research department and how its content is created. We’ll also explore recent AI-driven enhancements and provide hands-on practice with advanced search techniques.
Visit the Bite-Sized Library Workshops for more details of over 35 workshops.
*For more details on Digital Badging, please visit the Skill Myself Up Workshop Materials Repository.
