University can be a challenging time academically, and very different from anything you might have experienced before (especially school).

To get the most out of it, it is a good idea to make sure your learning skills are up to date. Fortunately, Monash Gippsland recognises this, and there a range of resources to help you help yourself, both online (including here) and on-campus. Follow these links to find study solutions.

Learning Skills Advisors

Improving Time Management

How to Improve Study skills and outcomes

Hints to improve Notetaking

How to get the most out of lectures

How to improve Learning Skills

How to improve Reading Skills

How to do better in assignments

How to Do your best

For more information

Learning skills advisers (part of the Monash library) can assist students in improving their academic language and approaches to learning. to find more, click here.

Learning Skills Advisors

Learning skills advisors can help with:

• academic English study methods and exam preparation
• effective listening and note-taking
• problem-solving and critical thinking
• reading strategies
• essay, report and thesis writing
• writing for research projects
• oral communication and presentation

'Drop in Sessions' are held by advisors in the library at the following times (subject to change):

Monday: 12:00 — 1:00pm
Tuesday: 12:00 — 1:00pm

Wednesday: 3:00 — 4:00pm

Thursday: 4:30 — 6:00pm
Friday: 10:00 — 11:30pm

Alternatively, appointments can be made in the library.

How to Improve your Time management

• Budget your time by priority. Value your projects/assignments in terms of importance and urgency, then schedule your time.
• Practice continual planning. Continual evaluation and re-evaluation of work priorities.
• Create large chunks of uninterrupted time.
• Vary study activities. Keep a healthy balance between long and short term projects, working with others and alone to maintain perspective.
• Look for ways to minimize time spent in unproductive tasks. Grouping and executing similar activities concurrently will often save time.
• Gather as much information as you can before acting.

How to Improve Study skills and outcomes

• At the beginning of each semester write up a study and assignment program.
• If you are having any problems in a particular subject, do not hesitate to see your lecturer.
• Read over your notes at the end of each day.
• Keep up with the work that is set - especially any reading assignments.
• Write up practical reports while they are still fresh in your mind.
• Take a short break when studying for long periods of time.
• Keep focused on the end result - a completed and passed degree.
• Building resistance by regular sleep, and good health and eating habits .
• Keeping study and non-study life separate (this goes for work life too).
• Make time for recreation, particularly exercise.
• Talking things through with peers in the same course, for advice and experiences.
• spread study out over the week as it is refreshed in your mind more frequently and doesn't become overwhelming.
• make a study plan each week, according to changing assessments, other commitments etc. (To do this, draw up a timetable [or grab a copy from the MUGSU offices], draw in your non-study commitments, and see when you can regularly schedule study time during the week. You may need to give each subject a number of shorter spots on the timetable, and make sure to timetable short breaks. Check in your diary to know if any upcoming assessment requires longer periods of study, and look for improvements of your timetable very week. Keep the study plan in a prominent place e.g. above your desk, and make sure you actually study for the time you put down.

If you can't plan your time, another way to record and improve study is to note when you do study, add up the total time and ascertain whether you need to do more).

• Summarize each topic once you have read/listened to it.
• Practice examples (particularly relevant for maths/science content) — the more the better.
• Make flash cards with important definitions.
• Practice drawing diagrams in preparation for the exam.
• Say things aloud.
• Review assessed work, and look at why you attained the mark you did.
• Read Actively i.e. take notes, underline, think deeply etc.
• Daily or weekly review of the material. Look at what it is about, where does it fit into the course, do you have a full understanding and is there further work which needs to be done arising from it?
• Use other media sources. If you find a website, newspaper article etc. relevant to what you re learning, take an interest in it.
• Having an appropriate studying environment. A good desk, lighting and minimal distractions are important.

Hints to improve Notetaking

• Listen Carefully and actively. Think before you write and think about exactly what is being said.
• Be open minded, don't let points you disagree with interfere with your note taking.
• Ask questions if appropriate.
• Develop & use a standard method of note-taking including abbreviations, punctuations etc.
• Use at least an A4 size notebook as it gives enough room for indents, additional examples etc.
• Leave a few blank spaces throughout your notes so you can fill in additional points later on if necessary.
• Do NOT try to take down everything the lecturer says. Listen carefully & take down the main points. Learn to discriminate the key information.
• Listen for cues which indicate important points e.g. emphasis, repetition, lists etc.
• Lectures often consist of a few major points and several minor points. Try to identify the main points and do not get lost in a multitude of minor points.
• Make your original notes legible and meaningful so they do not have to be re-written unnecessarily.
• Notes put on the board are usually important, so write them down and try to integrate them into your understanding of the topic. They may also provides cues to assist your memory after the lecture.
• Structure your notes — for example, draw a margin on the side of the page to put in headings, notes and summaries.
• Keep the notes organised by writing the date/topic etc. at the top. This will make them much easier to organise if they become loose.
• Formal definitions, phrases which indicate importance e.g. 'A basic idea is…', 'A notable feature is…'.
• Write down examples, even if you think they are not needed at the time.
• Write down references and important people related to the material.
• Take notes particularly carefully during the last 10 minutes of lecturers, as lecturers may have miscalculated their times and need to express important content.

REMEMBER whether notes are made in lectures or from reading, much of the benefit is gained in making them.

How to get the most out of lectures

• Be present at the start of a lecture, for any housekeeping information. For the same reasons, the first and last lectures of a course are important not to miss.
• Try and attend all lectures. The stress and time taken trying to fill in gaps created by missing links often takes more effort than attending the lectures in the first place.
• Sit somewhere where you can see, hear and/or pay attention to the lecturer, for example, near the front of the room.
• Be prepared before class by pre-reading, which will enable you to more easily link what is being said to other concepts, and reading after the lecture, to cement the knowledge (also review what the lecture was about, where does it fit into the course, are there any concepts which need clarification).
• Listen actively and consider asking a question, which will necessitate paying attention to what the lecturer has said already.
• Take notes — they are much easier to access than your memory, and look after them.
• Make sure you understand precisely what is being asked of you in assignments. ASK if you are not sure.

How to improve Learning Skills

• Repetition — whether it is writing, stating, reading — boring but useful!
• Use different approaches to record information, for example, diagrams, flow charts, writing things by hand and computer, activates the mind and prevents boredom.
• Adapt material into a rhyme or song.
• Sub-grouping — break up material into smaller groups which can be remembered individually e.g. a phone number. If each sub-group has a rhyme or a mnemonic that's even better.
• Lucky associations. Everyone can find information which may remind them of some other knowledge, for example, the name of a friend, or a special day of the year. You might need to split up a piece of information to make it fit, for example, Mt Fuji is 12365 feet high — divide that number and what commonly known numbers come out?
• Acronyms. We all know how many of these are used nowadays. Or make up a phrase using the first letters of the information needed e.g. Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit.
• Making stories. This is a technique used by memory champions for rote learning. Associating each item of information with a point in a story can be helpful.
• Explaining concepts to someone else. This ensures you break down the concept in a way which can be understood (to you as well, hopefully).
• Flashcards. Put half the information on one side and the rest on the other, or a question on one side and the answer on the other.
• MAYBE BEST TIP Look at the meaning of the information, not as material to be rote-learnt. Think how the knowledge can be usefully applied, why it is being taught, how it fits into the subject, and how it could be examined.

How to improve Reading Skills

• Read actively, as opposed to passively. You need to ask yourself 'Why am I reading this?' In other words, 'What am I trying to learn from this material?' Keep this is mind when using the following techniques:
• Preview what you are going to read, using the contents, index, introduction, selected pages, and if it's not useful, don't read it.
• Mark important information as you read it (or not it if you don't want to damage a textbook).
• Make notes generally about what you have read (citing your source, of course, if you copy any information from the text).
• Look for definitions, examples, lists, words signalling an important point eg. 'remember'.
• Keep in mind when reading a passage that you want to get the answer to the question, 'What is [the heading of the passage]'. If you can't, read further.
• Look for main ideas (often the first sentence of a paragraph).

How to do better in assignments

• Give yourself enough time to do the assignment to a standard you are happy with.
• Consider what the questions asked actually means (look carefully at the wording, particularly keywords, such as 'compare', 'discuss' etc. Speak to your lecturer if baffled).
• Work out your own ideas/opinions.
• Do active reading. Read a range of resources to give you more than one point of view but don't read things which don't positively answer 'Why am I reading this Book?'
• Think about your ideas once you have completed your research, and critically evaluate your own ideas.
• Make an assignment / essay plan (including introduction, main body and conclusion — for more information on these, Google or Language and Learning Online are good).
• Write a draft quickly to formulate your ideas and then leave it before cleaning it up.
• Have it in good order to hand in (if on paper, not creased. If electronic, logical file name etc.)

How to Do your best

• One often-asked question is 'How much work do I devote to a particular concept / subject / study in general?' The answer that is often given is 'Do your best', which many people / students find confusing. Does this mean to devote all your time to the one activity, ignoring other aspects of your life? What does your 'best' mean?
• The best answer that may be given is your 'best' is relative to the importance of what you are doing. If uni study is important to you, then your 'best' is probably just that, the best you can do.
• If it is essential that you work full time while studying, and uni only shares importance with this, your 'best' is going to be different.

For information on exam preparation and tips see the MUGSU brochure and website "Exam Tips".

For further information:
Information about the Learning Skills Program: http://www.lib.monash.edu.au/learning-skills/
Language and Learning Online:
http://www.monash.edu.au/lls/llonline/ Reading, writing, speaking, grammar, study skills, including for particular subjects.
MUGSU: Education Research Officer 0351227198 or david.law@mugsu.monash.edu.au

Adapted from :

- Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University. Division of Student Affairs

- Study Smarter not Harder; A guide to Tertiary Study Skills, edited by David Abbott, Student Services, Monash University College