Study Advice

Recommended study plan

• Read the recommended (specified in the lecture slides) textbook readings before lectures. The text is available online. If you prefer to look at a printed copy, it is generally on reserve in the science library along with several other textbooks you may find useful. If it is not on reserve when you check – let your professor know.
• Print and/or download lecture slides, come to lectures, and take notes on the lecture slides during lecture. You can use tools like MS OneNote (allows you to import the slides and annotate them) if you prefer not to print off the slides.
• look through and test yourself using the learning outcomes and questions in the workbook and lecture slides.
• Work through the vocab and study problems in the textbook and workbook.
• Try the review questions at the end of each chapter in the textbook.
• Join (or start) a study group.
• For students in Dr McBeth’s class:
  • Review the lecture capture (video of lectures up on BBLearn) for lectures you have missed as soon as possible if you are ill or unable to attend lecture.
  • Write down a list of words or concepts you do not understand during the lectures (or the closest approximation of those words you can pronounce), and let me know your problem words/concepts in the Top Hat “Weekly Check-In”. You can also try to find the words in the workbook vocab lists and textbook.
  • Review Top Hat questions: I post the Top Hat questions for review, and often include some questions based on the Top Hat questions on the exams.

Mid-term and other exam preparation: advice on picking your battles

• Start studying now.
• Attend lectures.
• Use the time that is set aside for the course lectures to prepare by listening and/or reviewing course content, whether you are here in person or not (e.g., if you have to stay home due to illness or weather, use the time to prepare if you are well enough).
• One hour seems like it will be easy to make up until you have missed 3, or 6, or more classes. Missed classes add up, this time has value for your studies, you have a choice to throw it away or make best use of it.
• Review your lecture notes.
• Read the assigned textbook readings.
• Read the review questions and vocab in the workbook.
• USask students: check out the rock and mineral displays in GEOL 261. Look at each mineral, igneous rock, and igneous texture and review your notes on these topics.
• Join a study group or find a study buddy if you are struggling, or if you find it helpful and motivating.
• After mid-terms – come to office hours and review the exam if your professor allows it. We can go through the questions you got wrong. Many students find this very helpful to figure out what they need to learn for future exams.
• For students in Dr McBeth’s class:
  • watch the lectures you missed on BBLearn as soon as possible after you missed them.
  • some students find it useful to rewatch or listen lectures while they are studying, to help pick up on vocab words they have missed or just to reinforce their learning.
  • Fun fact: of my top 10 GEOL 108 students (based on their midterm #1 scores) in the 2019 Winter term, nearly every single one reviewed the lecture capture regularly. Most of these students also attended class in person on a regular basis.

Note-taking approaches

• Some people think hand-writing your notes is better for your learning: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/
• A recent study suggests that this may not be the case: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10648-019-09468-2
• I am unconvinced that hand written notes are the answer for most students. In geology classes, we use a lot of images. It is hard to concentrate on processing and understanding the content if you are scrambling to write everything down. The number of illustrations and that also complicates note-taking.
• It is true though that it can help to take notes in class  – students have told me printing off the slides and taking extra notes on the printouts during lectures is a good compromise for them. Some students take notes in word docs, or convert the lecture slides to MS Powerpoint presentations they can take notes in. Some students focus on the lecture in class, then re-watch the lecture on Panopto and write notes.
• Another strategy would be to prepare notes collectively with friends (e.g., on Google Docs).
• Having said all of this – I take notes by hand. Primarily because it keeps me awake and focused! If I type notes I try to write too much, handwritten forces me to be brief.

– Dr McBeth

Problematic study approaches