Study method
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How to optimise your study method?
So many textbooks and lectures … how to study it all!?
Tackle it step by step:
- Preview
- Attend the courses
- Review your notes
- Study
- Check
Check the steps of a study process (website) or read them below.
Preview
Start your study with a short orientation on the subject matter: read through the intertitles, the introduction or the conclusion and get a picture of what you will learn.
Previewing the study material takes little time and increases your concentration, insight and efficiency.
Attend the courses
Students who attend the courses have higher degrees. So go to your classes and take notes since the professor might teach subject matter not in the PowerPoint or the textbook.
Write down the key concepts on paper or on a laptop, whatever you prefer.
Online recorded lectures?
Use a similar approach as during on-campus lectures: write down the key points and valuable examples. Pause the recording if necessary, but be aware that you don’t have to write down everything (that would waste too much time).
Boredom can strike more than in a regular lecture, so stay active while listening, e.g. by taking notes, drawing a scheme or writing down your questions.
Review your notes
After the lecture, read through your notes and look for gaps.
- Have you written down all the essential information?
- Did you miss out on something?
- Is everything clear?
Study
After the lectures, it's time to study.
This is what you do during autonomous learning:
Read the course material
Most courses will provide a textbook, articles or a reader.
The professor might not teach all the subject matter in the lectures, so read your literature carefully.
Reading might take time, so read the necessary chapters each week and don't get behind.
TIP
To study a textbook efficiently, structure it. There are different ways to do so: you can annotate and highlight the text, schematise, or make an excessive table of contents.
You can combine these strategies to make sure you fully understand the material.
- Learn how to read textbooks efficiently (video, 7')
- Five tips for better highlighting (video, 4')
- Discover how you draw a mindmap scheme (video, 2')
Prepare for practice sessions
If you have a practice session coming up, prepare for it.
Check Blackboard to know what the teacher expects from you. Then, solve the exercises, do the reading assignments and send in your questions so you can get the most out of your practice sessions.
Study thoroughly
When you study, ask yourself questions about the subject matter (e.g. why is this so? How does it work?) and try to answer them.
Asking critical questions about the content and then trying to answer them yourself will deepen your insight.
- Learn how to study while questioning and explaining yourself (website)
- Discover how you can ask questions, explain and make connections during learning (video, 5')
TIP
- Are there questions you can't answer? Ask your fellow students or the teaching team.
- Does a fellow student have questions? Try to answer them. Explaining the content matter to someone else is an excellent study strategy.
Find out how it exactly works:
Don't take it too easy
Do not think too early: 'Yeah, I understand everything (more or less)'.
You only learn deeply when you make yourself difficult.
How do you do that? Check out:
- Discover how 'desirable difficulties' enhance your learning (website)
- How challenges in learning can help you (video, 4')
Bring variation to your study method
For instance, don't read the same textbook all day, but vary by doing exercises or alternate subjects.
Check
Check if you’re on track:
- Do you keep up with the tasks and reading week by week?
- Do you fully understand the course material?
- Can you solve new exercises or problems on your own?
Get help if you come across any issues!
You can contact:
- Your teacher, with any subject-related question
- Your study coach for guidance on how to study