Engineering Student Success

• Whether you are someone who likes typing your notes, using a Tablet and Stylus, or going the more traditional route of pencil and paper, the OPA’s have tips for you to be successful. 
• Peer Advisor TIP: You can have successful study sessions no matter what materials you use. Don’t feel pressured to change to typing your notes, just because you see everyone else doing so. Do what’s best for you!

A topic or lesson tracker is a visual tool to monitor your progress and ensure comprehensive coverage of your study material. Create a tracker that outlines the topics or lessons you’ve covered, marking them off as you complete them. This visual representation not only helps you stay organized but also provides a sense of accomplishment as you work through your study plan. Regularly update your tracker and use it as a motivational tool to visualize your academic journey and the milestones you’ve achieved.

Action Steps:

• Create a topic or lesson tracker spreadsheet or notebook.
• Divide the tracker into sections for each subject or topic.
• Record the date you studied each topic or lesson.
• Include a column for notes or comments on your understanding or any questions you have.
• Regularly update the tracker as you progress through your studies.

Take a proactive approach to homework and exams by not just completing them but analyzing your mistakes and areas of struggle. Identify patterns of error and focus on improving those specific areas. This method turns these assessments into a valuable learning tool rather than just a task to be completed. Consider creating a “mistakes log” where you document errors, their corrections, and strategies to avoid similar mistakes in the future. This reflective practice can significantly enhance your understanding and application of concepts beyond the immediate assignment. If you’re struggling to determine the solutions to mistakes made or improve your experience using the answer key, try attending office hours/contacting your Professor/GSI for additional help.

Action Steps:

• Review your homework assignments after receiving the final grade for them.
• Identify any mistakes or areas where you struggled.
• Analyze why you made mistakes and how you can improve.
• Make note of any recurring patterns or concepts you find challenging.
• Find help or additional resources for areas where you need clarification.
• Attempt to solve problems you missed or found challenging. Alternatively, you can find similar example problems to solve. For general classes, a useful tool is problem roulette.

References:

Work with other students through study groups to gain different perspectives and insights. Explaining concepts to others can deepen your understanding, doing this can reveal gaps in your knowledge or areas of weakness. Choose study partners with different strengths to create a well-rounded learning environment. Working with students can also provide additional motivation on low days. Be mindful that when working in groups there isn’t an imbalance of support, this can lead to strain between group members and cause a lack of learning. Finally, if you struggle to form groups because of a concern about a lack of authenticity in your work remember it’s okay to ask for help, no one makes it through university alone.

Action Steps:

• Form a study group with classmates who are motivated and focused.
• Agree on specific goals and objectives for each study session.
• Assign roles within the group, such as note-taker, questioner, or timekeeper.
• Discuss challenging concepts and share different perspectives.
• Quiz each other on the material to reinforce learning.

Actively retrieve information from memory rather than just passively reviewing notes. Use flashcards, self-quizzing, or mock exams to reinforce your ability to recall information. This practice enhances long-term retention and improves your performance during assessments. Experiment with different types of retrieval exercises, such as creating concept maps from memory or writing down key points without referring to your notes. The more actively you engage with the material, the stronger your memory recall will become.

Action Steps:

• Create practice quizzes or flashcards based on the material you’re studying.
• Test yourself regularly on the material without referring to notes or textbooks.
• Use active recall techniques to retrieve information from memory.
• Focus on understanding the underlying concepts rather than memorizing facts.
• Review your performance and identify areas where you need further study or practice.

References:

Office Hours are an important tool to enhance your learning experience, however, you must utilize this tool the right way to gain the most benefits from it. You can utilize office hours effectively by attempting to understand/learn the topic before asking about it. Trying to make those connections yourself before someone else explains it improves understanding. This can look like, attempting a problem, coming up with specific areas where you get stuck, asking about them rather than deciding the problem is too difficult to attempt, and then just asking how to do the entire problem.

Here are some useful resources that should make applying these study skills easier