Academic Success Center / Name:
Date:
Students committed to learning will find many possible paths to success. No path is error free, but the path best for you may not look like the same path as another student. For this reason, students should continuously assess their academic progress in courses and adjust their academic strategies accordingly.
While there is no magic formula, the following suggestions may improve your ability to succeed in Biology and increase your retention of knowledge.
Study in pairs or groups. Discussion of biology enhances your knowledge in a way that individual review can never achieve. By working together, you will be able to apply content learned to real-life scenarios.
Biology happens for a reason.You are experiencing biology currently in life, hopefully this course content will help you understand why functions happen for a reason. There are a variety of ways to learn the concepts taught in biology, be sure to take full advantage of them visually, orally, and applying they to everyday life.
Talk through processes.It can be helpful to learn to pronounce vocabulary words correctly and talk through processes out loud to yourself or to a friend. The more contact with a subject you have, the more likely you are to remember and recall the information later. Learning the content now may even help you with future courses.
Create and review note cards. Creating notecards for biology will help you summarize information in small, manageable amounts. Notecards are more valuable than reviewing your notes because you can test yourself on terms or definitions and mix up the order. A great way to get vocabulary down is to make note cards. By placing the vocabulary word on one side and the definition on the other can help learn many vocabulary words with one tool. Keep a stack of notecards handy for a quick 5-15 minute review.
Attend class. There are many benefits by attending class; more exposure to the material, communication with your peers, and asking for clarification from the professor. By missing a biology class, you are missing out on material that is being explained and possibly for the only time this semester.
Attend Supplemental Instruction.Supplemental instruction sessions are free review sessions offered to students three days per week. The material covered focuses on the previous lecture’s material. Attending SI sessions is a great way to ask questions and meet other students in the biology class. During the sessions, students will work with their peers to master the material. Before exams, there will be a practice exam session to review concepts and answer questions.
Utilize book resources. Every chapter has a “test your knowledge” section at the end. In this section you will find multiple choice questions that can help determine how much you know from that chapter (and the answers are in the back of the book). Also at the end of each chapter is a “summary” section which provides a brief overview of the concepts discussed in each chapter. This can be a great way to look at the big picture.
Read selected book content. After you have identified the important sections, read for details in the selected book chapters. Take notes, draw diagrams, and discuss questions with a peer.
Read test questions carefully. Many students make mistakes by not following the test instructions. Read the instructions and each question carefully to ensure you are answering the actual questions. After completing your exam, go over the exam a second time. This can minimize any mistakes.
Visit your professor during their office hours. If you are having a difficult time with a concept, I encourage you to visit your professor. They can discuss course material one-on-one with you to better your understanding.
I wish you much success this upcoming semester!