Course Syllabus - Learning Skills
Doing well in BI 101 (and many other courses) relies on having three well-developed skills: note-taking, studying, and test-taking. Problems with any of these skills can lead to difficulties learning and recalling information. In addition, these skills have to often be fine-tuned to particular subjects. Below are hints for effective techniques related to the BI 101.
Note-taking
Educational research suggests that the process of actually taking notes can assist students in learning material, in comparison to just listening or reading. That is not to say that you can't learn or recall information without taking notes, it just means that for many people, the process of writing notes strengthens memory of the material. It also, of course, gives you something to study at a later date. Notes are not provided for this course, to encourage the development of note-taking skills.
Lecture
• Write down what is said, in addition to what is written on the slide. It may be most effective to paraphrase (put in your own words) what is being said.
• If a lecturer asks a question, make sure you write it down, because this is often a point that is important, and may be an indicator of the type of question asked on the exam.
• In addition to writing down words on slides, it can help to loosely sketch figures presented. This can help jog the memory when studying the material.
• Make note of any textbook page numbers or figure numbers that are mentioned.
• Watch for gaps in your lecture notes. Most humans can concentrate 10-20 minutes and then take a "mental break" before re-concentrating on a task. Check your notes regularly (possibly against someone else's in the course) to see if there appears to be missing components.
• Share notes! Sometimes someone else will encapsulate concepts in a unique manner that can help you learn the material.
• If you miss lecture for some reason, get notes from one or more classmates, review them, and if you have questions over the notes, see the instructor.
Online Readings• Try to put concepts into your own words, instead of repeating phrases used in the Online Readings. You will be practicing this in an assignment for Portfolio #1.
• A big advantage of taking notes on the Online Readings, is that when it comes time to study for the exam, all of the concepts from the Online Readings and lecture can be in the same basic note form (eliminating the need to re-read all of the assigned readings).
• One effective technique is to limit yourself to one summary sentence for each paragraph of text.
• Don't forget the pictures! Often if a concept is important, there is an accompanying image.
Studying• Re-reading notes and textbook assignments can be effective ways to study for an exam, however it is often more effective (and efficient) to re-work your material into a different form. This way, you are not able to skim over any difficult part of the notes/readings, because you have to make sense of the information when you re-write it.
• One of the best ways to study basic biology is to write questions (which is why this is an assignment for portfolio #2). From your lecture notes, activities, and assigned readings, write possible exam questions. The key is to not write the answers. Put your list of questions away for a day or so, and then try to answer them as thoroughly as possible. You will quickly know what you know and don't know. The real advantage of this technique is that you know you will have to search for the answers if you get the questions wrong, which often means you'll be careful to understand the material as you write the questions. Added advantages: this can be time-efficient, you'll probably write several questions that closely match what is actually on the exam, and you can share questions with classmates.
• Remember that learning ultimately means there are changes occurring in your brain. To support this, neurobiological research suggests that it may be important to sleep well, eat well, keep hydrated, and reduce excessive stress as much as possible.
Test-taking• One of the most effective ways to take a multiple choice exam is to treat it like a "short answer" exam. Read the question and write an answer on the test booklet before looking at the answers. It often takes as much as ten seconds to recall an answer. By taking the time to recall and write your own answer, you will be less likely to be "tricked" by your brain into picking an incorrect answer. If your response is in the possible choices, you can feel more confident in your answer. If not, at least you are aware this may be a missed question and can spend time on other questions.
• After an exam it is key to dissect what you got right and wrong to prepare for the next exam. Look for trends in missed questions. First, and foremost, look to see which types of questions you missed most frequently (from lecture? from the textbook? definitions? thought questions? etc.). You will be doing this for Portfolio #2.
Common test-taking problems and solutions:
• Missing more questions at the beginning of the exam (could be having a difficult time settling in - try focusing closely on the exam by writing responses to the questions on the exam booklet).
• Missing more questions in the middle of the exam (may be losing focus - try refueling with a drink or food, and/or take a short mental break to think about something else).
• Missing more questions at the end of the exam (may be distracted by people leaving - try focusing on the exam by writing responses to questions).
• Missing blocks of question, consistently missing two or more questions in a row (could still be focusing on the first question in the block, sabotaging the questions that follow
• try putting brief notes by the problem question so you can return to it later, and shift focus to the next question).
