It seems that instructors and professors--from community college to the Ivy League--are concerned by the lack of work completion in their courses, and therefore by student level of preparedness for class, or indeed, college. Work completion is typically a very large portion of course expectations-- often beginning on day one--and it is generally…

It is common for freshmen students to enter Calculus I with a wide range of levels of preparation and mastery of background material. In addition, many of the students struggle with the adjustment from high school to college. In an effort to help the students to solidify their understanding of concepts as they progress through the course, as well…

We discuss an educational development approach to embedding academic literacies instruction within disciplinary curricula. This developmental, embedded approach contrasts with the generic, extra-curricular, study-skills approach adopted in many universities. Learning Commons partners at York University, including librarians, writing instructors,…

This article describes an effective strategy to encourage students to accurately self-evaluate their understanding of different mathematical concepts both before and after assessments. It contains examples of pre- and post-assessments as well as an activity sheet. (Contains 4 figures.)

A system is described in which students are assigned to keep minutes for each class, read the minutes to the next class, and submit them for grading. The approach is helpful to both teachers and students throughout the course in diagnosing problems, introducing grading criteria, and reinforcing basic skills. (MSE)

For certain kids, doing homework is a near impossibility. Educators increasingly realize that they must change their traditional homework assignments to create opportunities for children to succeed. Written assignments can be replaced by interviewing projects, inclass cooperative learning activities, or afterschool study centers with appropriate…

Explains the Big6 approach to teaching information skills and describes its use in a high school social studies class to improve student test scores, teach them how to learn, and improve the teachers' skills. Highlights include the balance between content and process, formative and summative evaluation, assignment organizers, and study tips. (LRW)

After describing the development of a listening component in a university study skills curriculum, this paper presents ten assignments on effective listening skills for use as college study skills. The listening assignments are presented in a sequence beginning with focusing attention and following oral instructions precisely and ending with…