To what degree does your course explicitly address critical practices such as time management and study skills? In what ways does your course offer a realistic understanding of the commitment (time, effort) that is needed to succeed?
Syllabus and professor clearly articulates expectations
Offer study skills module
- Study Game Plans: Do Students Know What and How to Study?
- Study Skills Self Help Information
- Why Students Procrastinate: 3 Hidden Reasons
Share with students and use rubrics for grading of assignments
Fill out a time management schedule and discuss with instructor
Give an orientation (syllabus, course practices) quiz
- First day of clickers: syllabus quiz
- Syllabus quiz (Click the Start now>> button to view the quiz.)
Bring in a successful upper class undergraduate to talk about the successful skills first-year students will need to develop to succeed in the university
Offer extra credit for co-curricular activities that reinforce these concepts. Examples: give credit for attendance at an Academic Success Workshop; provide extra points for students to use the Writing Center in essay development.
- Give credit for attendance at an Academic Success Workshop.
- Give extra points to students who use NAU’s Writing Center for help in developing their essays.
Work with The e-Learning Center on solutions for technology in the classroom
The e-Learning Center and Cline Library are producing issue segments that address socialization—academic and social—for first year students. In addition, Cline Library and The e-Learning Center can tailor these issue segments directly for specific disciplines, rather than at a general university level. It is believed that a disciplinary focus will be most effective.
Emphasize the availability and receptivity of instructors and other course personnel.
Partner with NAU’s Student Learning Centers (SLC) to develop course-specific study skills, critical thinking, or a time management workshop to be facilitated by SLC staff, either during class time or at another appointed time. Topics could be related to necessary skills for success in the course (e.g., textbook reading, note taking, preparing for tests, etc.).
Discuss the difference between high school and college briefly in one of your first courses. Assists with the understanding that student’s current level of skills may not be adequate to earn the grades that they desire.
- How Is College Different from High School?
- The Differences Between High School and College and the Importance of Student-Faculty Interaction for College Success
Information contributed by the Student Learning Centers. To contact, call 928-523-5524.