How Tos
Learn how to research at the library and on the Web.
Learning - Tips from Cognitive Psychology
- RetrievalTip #1 Retrieval Practice: Write, speak, or draw from memory what you have learned and then go back and check your answers.
- ElaborationTip #2 - Elaboration: Find out how and why things work, ask and answer questions about your topic, and make connections between your topics.
- SpacingTip #3 - Spacing: Space out your study sessions over multiple days or weeks.
- InterleavingTip #4 - Interleaving: Study multiple topics and change up the order within a single study session.
- Concrete ExamplesTip #5 - Concrete Examples: Find concrete examples for abstract topics you're learning.
- Dual CodingTip #6 - Dual Coding: Use both words and images when learning a concept. E.g., Draw pictures or diagrams of a written concept or explain a diagram or picture in your own words.
Make It Stick by Call Number: LB1060 .B768 2014ISBN: 9780674729018Publication Date: 2014-04-14Drawing on cognitive psychology and other fields, Make It Stick offers techniques for becoming more productive learners, and cautions against study habits and practice routines that turn out to be counterproductive. The book speaks to students, teachers, trainers, athletes, and all those interested in lifelong learning and self-improvement.
Teach Yourself How to Learn by ISBN: 1620367572Publication Date: 2018-01-16Teach yourself how to learn strategies you can use to ace any course at any level.
Time Management
The key to time management and mindfulness go hand in hand:
- Be aware of how you are spending your time.
- Make conscious decisions on how you spend your time so that you are spending it on things that you enjoy and that help you meet your goals.
- Reflect on how you spent your time and make small changes for how you plan to spend it in the future.
Examples:
- If you decide to spend time doing homework, schedule it in a time and space where you can be productive. Set a goal at the beginning, study with purpose, using evidence-based study strategies, reflect on your study session at the end, and then take a small break to let your mind rest.
- If you decide spend time doing something you enjoy, take time to enjoy it! Make sure to reflect that you took time for yourself and let it refresh you!
- Manage & Make Time - Oregon State University ResourcesThese are fantastic time management resources from OSU! There are lot of worksheets and tips so you can sit down and think about your goals and how you best utilize your time to meet them and also do what you enjoy!
College Success
- College SuccessA how-to manual for succeeding in college. It provides realistic, practical guidance ranging from study skills to personal health, from test taking to managing time and money.
- Foundations of Academic Success: Words of WisdomIntroduces you to the various aspects of student and academic life on campus and prepares you to thrive as a successful college student (since there is a difference between a college student and a successful college student). Each section of FAS: WoW is framed by self-authored, true-to-life short stories from actual State University of New York (SUNY) students, employees, and alumni. The advice they share includes a variety of techniques to help you cope with the demands of college. The lessons learned are meant to enlarge your awareness of self with respect to your academic and personal goals and assist you to gain the necessary skills to succeed in college.
- A Different Road To College: A Guide For Transitioning Non-Traditional StudentsDesigned to introduce students to the contextual issues of college. Non-traditional students have an ever-growing presence on college campuses, especially community colleges. This open educational resource is designed to engage students in seeing themselves as college students and understanding the complexity of what that means to their lives.
Research Tips
- Doing ResearchA tutorial for learning research skills for all types of assignments. A great how-to guide.
- Choosing & Using Sources: A Guide to Academic ResearchA guide with easy-to-navigate chapters and tips to help you figure out what your instructor may be asking for in a writing assignment or research project.
Writing Tips
- About Writing: A GuideThis writer’s reference condenses and covers everything a beginning writing student needs to successfully compose college-level work, including the basics of composition, grammar, and research. It is broken down into easy-to-tackle sections, while not overloading students with more information than they need. Great for any beginning writing students or as reference for advanced students!
- Writing for SuccessWriting for Success is a text that provides instruction in steps, builds writing, reading, and critical thinking, and combines comprehensive grammar review with an introduction to paragraph writing and composition.
- Writing In College: From Competence to ExcellenceDesigned for students who have largely mastered high-school level conventions of formal academic writing and are now moving beyond the five-paragraph essay to more advanced engagement with text. It is well suited to composition courses or first-year seminars and valuable as a supplemental or recommended text in other writing-intensive classes. It provides a friendly, down-to-earth introduction to professors' goals and expectations, demystifying the norms of the academy and how they shape college writing assignments. Each of the nine chapters can be read separately, and each includes suggested exercises to bring the main messages to life.