SCS Academic Advising's Keys to Success in Science Courses at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Suggestions for Academic Success
- Attend every lecture
- Read the text material before lecture and take thorough lecture notes
- As soon as possible after lecture, rewrite and/or review your notes, rework example problems and write notes to yourself in the margins
- Do the assigned reading in an active, not a passive fashion
- Always read the book with paper and pencil ready
- Work through example problems as they arise and so some sample exercises in each section
- Make notes on material that you want to ask questions about later
- Diligently try to solve problems before asking for assistance
- Begin the problem sets as soon as they are assigned
- Aggressively tackle problems after you have reviewed the relevant material
- Do NOT look at the solution to a problem until you have worked on it seriously (could be as much as 20 minutes!)
- The best preparations for exams is working problems through to their completion without having to refer to your notes or the text
- Utilize tutoring services and TA and professor office hours productively
- Attend office hours regularly, ~once/week
- Keep in mind that the tutor and TAs are there to help you work through problems, not give you the answers
- Bring your work to the help session so that someone can show you where you went wrong
- Support people may ask you questions to help you solve the problem. Begin preparing for exams early
- Keep your notes organized, your quizzes handy and constantly review material
- Index cards with important formulas and information may be helpful
- You can pull them out to review at any time
- Don’t leave papers to the last minute
- Research topics beforehand
- Create an outline
- Support people may ask you questions to help you solve the problem
- STUDY, STUDY, STUDY
- Be proactive, not reactive and seek help at the first sign of struggle
- You should be spending approximately 3 or more hours of study time for every hour you spend in class
- This isn’t counting laboratories
- Therefore, plan to spend around 9+ hours (some weeks will be more) on physical science and math classes each week
- Two Types of Learning
- Rote Learning - Involves verbatim memorization, Easily forgotten. Cannot be manipulated or copied to novel situations e.g. remembering phone numbers, dates, name, etc.
- Meaningful Learning - Learning that is tied and related to previous knowledge and integrated with previous learning, can be manipulated, applied to novel situations and used in problem solving tasks. Meaningful learning is a continuous, ongoing process; repetition is the key
Study Strategies
The Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions
Phase 1: Read or preview chapters to be covered in class… before class. Read the headings, bolded words, look at the pictures and graphs. What are some questions you have?
Phase 2: Go to Class. Listen actively, take notes (“Answering those questions you made from above”), and participate in class.
Phase 3: Review and process class notes as soon as possible after class (within a few hours)
Phase 4: Incorporate Intense Study Sessions
Repeat
Metacognition –
Study to learn, not to make the grade!
The ability to:
- Think about thinking (know about knowing)
- be consciously aware of oneself as a problem solver
- to monitor and control one’s mental processing
- use appropriate learning strategies
- Have a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset
Exams - Hints
Spend enough time reviewing and mastering material
Aim for 100% mastery
Use study sessions for clarification
Use the Study Cycle with Intense Study Sessions
Use TAs, peers and instructors for help if you do not understand how to solve a problem
Remember to put your short and long term goals first
When you make an appointment with yourself to study,
KEEP IT!
Intense Study Sessions
2-5 minutes:
- Set Goals for next 40 minutes
30-40 Minutes:
- Read text more; Selectively highlight
- Make notes in margins
- Try working on example problems on your own
before looking at solution; compare methods
- Work on homework problem/lab
5 minutes:
- Review what you have just studied
10 Minutes:
- Take a break
Repeat!
Special thanks to former Chemistry Director of Undergraduate Studies, Gretchen Adams, who provided much of this material.