Your professors know what it takes for students
to be successful in the classroom. They should, since they have years of
experience as students themselves. This year some of our professors at Renison
came together to provide some helpful tips to our incoming (and returning)
students on how to thrive in the classroom. Feel free to add your tips in the
comments section as well!
Organization
Deadlines/due dates
Invest in a reusable four-month calendar to help
you organize your time and keep track of due dates.
Prof.
Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
Time Management
Keep in mind that being an undergraduate student is essentially a full-time job. You should devote at least 40 hours a week to your studies, just as you would any other full-time occupation. Your classes will take up some of that time, but as a general rule, it is advisable to allocate at least one hour of preparation time for every hour of class time on your schedule. As with most endeavours in life, your success will largely depend on how much time and effort you put into your studies.
Prof. Jason Blokhuis, Educational Equity in Canada
Keep in mind that being an undergraduate student is essentially a full-time job. You should devote at least 40 hours a week to your studies, just as you would any other full-time occupation. Your classes will take up some of that time, but as a general rule, it is advisable to allocate at least one hour of preparation time for every hour of class time on your schedule. As with most endeavours in life, your success will largely depend on how much time and effort you put into your studies.
Prof. Jason Blokhuis, Educational Equity in Canada
Study Schedule
In
university courses, there is too much material to learn it all at the last minute. Use your calendar to
plan out a study schedule that
gives you time to learn the all the material ahead of time so that
all you have to do the night
before is review it one last time.
Prof. Christine Logel, Introductory
Psychology
Self Care
Take time for “self care”. Your degree is very
intensive and we encourage students to manage their time well and take time to
look after themselves. “Self care” means taking time to do things that act as
stress-reducers. Relax, exercise, walk, listen to music, see family and friends
– take time each week to do some things you enjoy!
Prof.
Ellen Sue Mesbur, Advanced Social Group Work Practice
Plan ahead
Know your due dates early so that you can get to
the library early. Don’t leave yourself open to the frustration of the
last-minute stampede on essential reference materials
Prof.
Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
Sleeping
When
you live in residence or in a house with other students, it can be hard to get enough sleep. If you
download a white noise mp3, it can
help block out the sounds. A portable fan does the same thing.
Prof. Christine Logel, Introductory
Psychology
Studying and Working
Don’t work more than 10 hours per week. Many
full-time BSW students work part-time in the evenings or on weekends. Feedback
from our graduates to incoming students has been consistent – this is a heavy
program and, if possible, it is recommended that full-time students not work
more than 10 hours per week.
Prof.
Ellen Sue Mesbur, Advanced Social Group Work Practice
Academics
Academic Reading
Reading for academic purposes is different from reading for pleasure. You can read a novel on a bus or in a hammock, but this is not advisable for academic reading. Set aside blocks of time that you can devote exclusively to reading the materials your professors have assigned. Academic reading requires your sustained, undivided attention, so you should find a quiet, well-lit space where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Academic reading is active reading, so you should have a pen, a highlighter, and a notepad. Take notes. Write in the margins. Underline important phrases. Circle passages you don’t understand. If you are using PDF files rather than paper copies, use the full version of Adobe Acrobat to underline, circle, highlight, write notes, etc. If you have any questions, write them down and bring them with you to class.
Reading for academic purposes is different from reading for pleasure. You can read a novel on a bus or in a hammock, but this is not advisable for academic reading. Set aside blocks of time that you can devote exclusively to reading the materials your professors have assigned. Academic reading requires your sustained, undivided attention, so you should find a quiet, well-lit space where you are unlikely to be disturbed. Academic reading is active reading, so you should have a pen, a highlighter, and a notepad. Take notes. Write in the margins. Underline important phrases. Circle passages you don’t understand. If you are using PDF files rather than paper copies, use the full version of Adobe Acrobat to underline, circle, highlight, write notes, etc. If you have any questions, write them down and bring them with you to class.
Prof.
Jason Blokhuis, Education and Social Development from a Global Perspective
Reviewing notes
Before the end of the day, take time to review
your notes and to prepare a summary of no more than a page (to simplify
studying for exams). Keep your class notes and your study notes in
separate binders. (One way of studying for exams is to try to reproduce
the summary notes and to compare them with your original summaries.)
Prof.
Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
Speak up
Participate in class. Our faculty believes we
can all learn from each other. We view all that goes on in class as preparation
for the development of a social worker and participation in class discussions,
small group exercises, and role plays is an important part of that learning.
Learning is “active”, not passive, so asking questions, responding to other
students, generating ideas, and contributing to the ongoing process of the
class is important and rewarding.
Prof.
Ellen Sue Mesbur, Advanced Social Group Work Practice
Studying for
Exams/Tests
For
courses that have a lot of content to learn, the only way to know if you have studied enough is to test
yourself. Write questions on one
side of the page (like "what are Piaget's stages of child development?") and answers on the
other. Cover up the answers, and see
if you can get them right without peeking. Just writing out the questions and answers will help you
learn them, and then you will only
need to test yourself a couple of times to have them memorized.
Prof. Christine Logel, Introductory
Psychology
Note-Taking
in Class
If your professor uses a lecture format, take notes. This is not the same as being a court stenographer; you don’t have to write down everything your professor says. Try to identify key themes and concepts, and use these as headings. Then add details in point form. If you write your notes in longhand during class, type them up soon afterward. This can be an excellent way to prepare for examinations.
If your professor uses a lecture format, take notes. This is not the same as being a court stenographer; you don’t have to write down everything your professor says. Try to identify key themes and concepts, and use these as headings. Then add details in point form. If you write your notes in longhand during class, type them up soon afterward. This can be an excellent way to prepare for examinations.
Prof.
Jason Blokhuis, Education and Social Development from a Global Perspective
Assignments
and Essays
Formatting
Always double-space anything to be read and
graded. In other words, write on every other line, even on exams. Between
paragraphs, do not double-double space. Indent each paragraph 5 spaces instead.
Prof.
Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
References
Be sure you know what format you are expected to
follow (e.g. MLA, Chicago, or APA). Be aware of the conventions for your
discipline, and follow them. Be especially careful to meet standards for
notes and bibliographies. Be very careful to acknowledge all your sources
so that you always meet expectations of academic integrity.
Prof.
Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
Essay Writing
Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing an essay. Work on it piece by piece, over time. Be sure you know what the expectations are for every written assignment. If you are uncertain about the expectations for a particular assignment, ask for clarification. Renison has a variety of academic writing resources available. Make use of them! Most written assignments should begin with an outline. Your introduction should lay out the question(s) you are going to address and overall structure of your response. Most written assignments require multiple drafts. Read each draft aloud, as this will help you spot syntactical errors. Read what you actually wrote on the page, not what you think you wrote. Ask a friend or family member to read your final draft before submitting it to your professor, as it will often be easier for another person to spot errors.
Don’t wait until the last minute to start writing an essay. Work on it piece by piece, over time. Be sure you know what the expectations are for every written assignment. If you are uncertain about the expectations for a particular assignment, ask for clarification. Renison has a variety of academic writing resources available. Make use of them! Most written assignments should begin with an outline. Your introduction should lay out the question(s) you are going to address and overall structure of your response. Most written assignments require multiple drafts. Read each draft aloud, as this will help you spot syntactical errors. Read what you actually wrote on the page, not what you think you wrote. Ask a friend or family member to read your final draft before submitting it to your professor, as it will often be easier for another person to spot errors.
Prof.
Jason Blokhuis, Educational Equity in Canada
Clarification
If you are in any doubt about the requirements
of an assignment, ask your question in class. (Other students will be
grateful!)
Prof. Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
Prof. Judi Jewinski, Applied English Grammar I
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