study skills

Preparing for Finals

Anonymous — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 19:54:39 +0000

Preparing for Finals Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/11/2022 - 13:54

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

Not sure how to prepare for finals? Watch this two-minute video to learn some helpful tips!

[video:https://youtu.be/FHDhxszsreE]

More suggestions to help you prepare and perform your best

Take care of yourself by getting enough sleep, eating healthy, and drinking water to maximize your cognitive capabilities!

Create a study plan to outline what, when, and how often you study for each course to reduce feeling overwhelmed.

Space out your study sessions and avoid cramming to remember the most content.

Practice active study strategies such as self-testing, drawing diagrams, and teaching others to help you identify what you know or don’t know yet.

Use study resources such as office hours, study groups, and class review sessions to resolve confusion and gain clarity about content.

Check out one of our online tools (you will be prompted to make a copy for your personal use):

Looking for more assistance? Schedule an appointment with your Academic Coach in Buff Portal Advising or email asacademiccoaching@colorado.edu.

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Are you ready for finals?

Anonymous — Thu, 19 Nov 2020 15:15:16 +0000

Are you ready for finals? Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/19/2020 - 08:15

How to stay motivated during finals

[video:https://youtu.be/FDLBAiX7N0s]

Preparing for final exams can feel momentous and overwhelming. It is hard enough to remember a full semester's information from one class, no less multiple classes which often test your learning in a variety of exam formats: multiple choice, free response, essays, the list goes on.

Perhaps the greatest challenge is developing a strategy for keeping all of the information straight. Taking time to organize your study approach, though, can help you examine the concepts in digestible chunks of content, which deepens your understanding, prevents you from over-studying certain material and neglecting other key information. It also improves the likelihood that you can recall the answers you know when it matters the most.

Fortunately, our academic coaching team put together a guide to help you prepare.

Download the guide

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The ABCs of Academic Success

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 20:20:31 +0000

The ABCs of Academic Success Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 14:20

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

In spring 2020, we surveyed students in the College of Arts and Sciences and asked them to offer advice to other students. Some common themes emerged, so we compiled them here for you as direct quotes from your peers. Read on for the ABCs of academic success and think about which ones resonate with you the most.

A - Avoid perfectionism

“You don’t need to get perfect grades or constantly be doing work. But if you can ask yourself, at the end of the semester, if you made the class worth it and learned the important things from the class; and you answer yes to that question then you have succeeded.”
“Honestly college is never going to be easy, but by taking care of yourself and staying positive, it'll make your experience better. No one gets perfect scores on everything and mistakes are normal. Embrace them and use them to learn how to do better next time. Also take time for yourself--school is important but if all you think about is grades and assignments you aren't going to be very happy.”

B - Balance

“The most important thing is balance. Be mindful of health and not only your studies. It is also important to balance school work with fun activities in order to not get ‘burned out.’”
“Make sure to find a good balance between your school life and social life, and get involved in activities on campus.”

C - Calendars and planners

“Keep a planner or a google calendar to keep track of all assignments, due dates and tests. I wrote all of them down from the syllabus for each class at the beginning of the semester, so I was never surprised by an assignment and I knew when things were due.”
“Keep a to-do list and/or calendar. You will need it.”

D - Don’t procrastinate

“Don't procrastinate. Even if you're just doing little bits of large projects, assignments or studying here and there, that little bit of effort early on goes a long way in managing stress and staying on top of coursework.”
“Don't procrastinate! If you space things out, including studying for exams, college is very manageable.”

E - Effort

“Success is 90% effort and 10% skill.”
“It’s ok to not always know everything. That is the reason for which we are in school--to learn. Just put in the effort to know whatever it is that you are struggling with. It'll pay off at the end.”

F - Figure out what works for you

“Figure out what schedule works for you and stick with it, be mindful of where you spend your time, and don't forget the value of taking a break.”
“Figure out what environment you are most focused in and get all of your work done, every week.”

G - Growth mindset

“Never give up. If you get a bad test score and you feel like you will never be able to succeed, just let that push you to make you work harder. I got a D on one of my physics tests and cried because I had studied so hard and I thought I would never understand and do well in the class. I changed my mindset and told myself I was going to do whatever it takes to do great on the next test. I got tutoring every week and changed my way of studying, and I ended up not only acing the final exam, but getting an A in the class. Just know you are capable of whatever you set your mind to.”
“Just don't give up! Striving for academic success is a lot like eating healthy. Every once in a while you might slip up and have a sugary snack (or not do as well as you hoped you would on exam), but that doesn't mean you abandon your goal altogether. Think about how you can prevent that mistake in the future and then go after your goal again.”

H - Help

“Get help if you need it--CU has so many great resources available to help you succeed.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask for help. Some concepts are really confusing, and having someone (whether it’s a teacher, a friend, a tutor, or someone else) you can go to for help is huge.”

I - It will be OK

“Don’t stress too hard over a bad grade. With enough work and help, you can almost always recover.”
“All you can do is be your own best.”

J - Just do your work

“Just get your work done. Stop procrastinating and get rid of distractions. Buckle down, focus, finish the assignment, then be done and relax.”
“Just do the work and put yourself out there, and opportunities will present themselves!”

K - Know yourself

“Know what you like, what brings happiness and goodness to your life, and what doesn't. Pursue the former things. Discard the latter. You will never be successful doing something that does not make you happy.”
“Know how you learn best and use that to your advantage. Also, know when to take a break.”

L - Lectures

“Go to every class! Even if they have a lecture capture!! When you’re in class, you’re not as distracted. I never missed a single class, and it turned out well.”
“Go to class, you will get something out of it, even if you don't think it is worth it to go.”

M - Manage your time

“Manage your time properly! Do your homework earlier rather than later! Get busywork homework done weeks ahead so that you can focus on bigger projects and studying for tests.”
“Use an organizer, manage your time so you can study and still have time to do fun things besides school, and take care of yourself when you need to.”

N - Never give up

“Perseverance is the only skill you need. It’s trite, but never give up. Life is a series of obstacles and it’s up to you to not let them take you down. If you know what you want, go out and get it.”
“When something gets hard, don't ever give up. YOU can always learn anything if you put the dedication and time into it. There is nothing that YOU aren't capable of doing for yourself.”

O - Office hours

“My #1 piece of advice is, just go to office hours. I went to every office hour my physics professor had, because I didn’t understand that class at all. It was only me and one other person there most of the time, and the professor was happy to help with anything we needed because we were putting in the effort to be there.”
“Don’t be afraid to ask your professors/TAs for help, most are excited to be visited during office hours.”

P - Prioritize

“Prioritize academics because if you just do everything ahead of time or on a consistent schedule, you'll still have ample time to party and have fun. If you have a super stressful week, just accept that you have to dedicate your energy to your schoolwork and you can have fun next week when you're stress free (going out with the stress of upcoming work isn't all that fun anyway).”
“Attend class, take advantage of what your professors have to offer, and prioritize your long-term goals.”

Q - Quiz yourself

“Set up your time in sections. When you get to the end of a time slot, quiz yourself on the topic. After the quiz, take a break with a set time and do something fun that isn’t school related. Then jump back to step one! I’ve found that this method helps me to absorb a lot of information while staying less stressed.”
“Do work between classes, quiz yourself, talk through complex problems, come back to something later if it is frustrating (and leave enough time for this to be an option).”

R - Read your textbooks

“Read the textbook (and really read it, don't just skim). Reading the textbook is the most important part of learning for me. Also, don't read it like a novel because it isn't; it can take a couple reading sessions to just get past a couple pages if the textbook is dense.”
“Read your textbooks. They can be surprisingly helpful.”

S - Stay on top of things

“Stay on top of your work and do not fall behind; if anything, get ahead.”
“It's very important to stay on track with assignments, and to not let yourself get overwhelmed by the amount of work due. Just take each assignment as it comes, and get it done sooner rather than later. It's huge for mental health and lowering stress.”

T - Take care of yourself

“The only way you will do well in classes is to make sure that you are doing ok physically and mentally.”
“Take care of your health, both mental and physical. You can't study or perform if you're ill.”

U - Understand the concepts

“The best thing to do to learn a subject is to ensure you truly understand the fundamental concepts and make the process of getting the answer more important than the answer itself.”
“You need to dedicate lots of time to understanding and comprehending the material. Study sessions should be focused, or else you will waste time.”

V - Vision

“One of the biggest things I have learned coming into college is that you have to surround yourself with people that motivate you and encourage you to work for your goals.”
“Keep a positive attitude and remember your long term goals.”

W - Work hard

“Work as hard as you can and don't get lazy or discouraged. Keep going. Be smart.”
“Work hard, prioritize, and don't quit.”

X - X factors

“The biggest thing you need to get through the semester is motivation. Find something that motivates you to keep studying, especially when you don’t feel like it.”
“Understand that your grades aren't the ultimate metric of success when it comes to school. Make sure that you get involved with the community, find ways to give back to others, take care of yourself, and foster relationships with friends/family. Academic success comes much easier when these things exist in your life.”

Y - You are in control

“My advice is to not let anyone else influence how you learn, study, or spend your time. Make sure to set time for fun and friends because breaks are important but also advocate for your education and make it your first priority.”
“No matter how much support you have, you still have to contribute effort and desire for the acquisition of knowledge.”

Z - Zero in

“Focus on the task you're doing, put a distraction blocker on and silence your phone while doing work.”
“Focus on your studies. Use your time effectively, read, develop skills, and help others.”

*Some quotes edited for grammar, spelling and clarity.

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3 tips to navigate uncertainty in college

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 19:43:28 +0000

3 tips to navigate uncertainty in college Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 13:43

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

You face a lot of uncertainty in your life, be it in your academic path, in your career path, in your major and finding a job after college. We want to help you navigate its disorienting challenges! Alicia Sepulveda, academic coach in CU Boulder's College of Arts and Sciences, offers three tips to navigate uncertainty.

For more on Carol Dweck's theory of mindset, check out her book.

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Why are office hours so important?

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 18:21:17 +0000

Why are office hours so important? Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 12:21

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

The University of Colorado Boulder surveyed students who have a 3.7 or above GPA and asked them what the most helpful resource was for their success. Audrey Blankenheim, academic coach in the College of Arts and Sciences, discusses their #1 answer: office hours.

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Tips for Success

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Aug 2020 17:47:52 +0000

Tips for Success Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/12/2020 - 11:47

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

Making the transition from high school to college requires an adjustment to greater academic expectations. Students often need to adjust the amount of time they study and have a deep understanding of academic strategies while monitoring their own progress and learning process. To develop learning and critical thinking skills, students should attend office hours and utilize resources to support learning in their classes.

Metacognition: Think about how you think

We recommend starting by reflecting on how you think. To help in this process and improve your ability to succeed in classes, our teammates in ASSETT created a video series called Metacognition: The Video Series That Gets You Thinking. By applying metacognition strategies, you can become a more active and engaged learner.

General Academic Tips

Everyone needs extra help. If you’re having difficulty in a class, seek out the support you need early and seek out support even before you think you need it.
Get to know your professors—go to office hours at least twice for each class during the semester for each class.
Make an appointment to meet your advisor and be prepared for your advising appointment.
Form study groups. It is helpful to test your understanding of what you know and what you do not know by interacting with others. Working in study groups helps you form a network of support, and you are more likely to have a better understanding of what you need to learn.
Get involved—balance is key, and one key predictor of success is who you choose to surround yourself with. Try one student organization or campus activity, and surround yourself with those who bring out the best in you.
Make sure that if you work it’s no more than 15 hours per week, especially if you are a full-time student.
Repeated exposure to the material you are learning is essential to retaining information and storing it into long-term memory. Do not only review to remember and remember to review, but also actively recall and self-test on information by engaging with your lectures, notes, and readings often and through thoughtful reflection.
Adopt a growth mindset so that when challenges or obstacles arise you embrace them as learning opportunities.

Academic Skills Tips

Time Management

Consider how you balance your priorities. Be sure that you allow plenty of time to start on long-term assignments and prepare for exams at least seven days in advance of each exam.
Start with a month-by-month calendar that outlines all of the major tests and assignments for the entire semester. On the calendar, include your study routine and write down when you need to start preparing for each deadline. Once you have your roadmap for the semester, reflect on the calendar. What weeks are going to be busy? How can you adjust your planning to create as much efficiency and balance as possible?
Remember this formula: for every three credit hour class, you should spend six to nine hours outside of class on that course each week. Therefore, if you are in a 15-credit schedule, you should plan to spend 30-45 hours a week outside of class on your academic tasks. Schedule in daily study time on your month-by-month calendar.
Prioritize your tasks through written or electronic to-do lists. There are many free web apps that help with prioritization. Wunderlist is one example.
Ensure that you schedule in plenty of daily study time. If you do not currently use a planner or calendar, try using a weekly scheduling tool to plan your week ahead.
Start your homework early—don’t wait until the last minute! Starting early gives you time to ask questions if needed.

Study Techniques

After taking notes in lecture, actively review them by writing key concepts from your notes on the front of a notecard and examples of those concepts on the back of a notecard.
Annotate – There are many ways to annotate a text. Underline main ideas; circle important words and words you do not know; and write notes in the margin of your textbook that summarizes key points and main ideas. Finally, write questions about the content in the margins. After you annotate, write a summary about what you read and/or try a few practice problems.
Self-test on concepts for each class every day for a few minutes. For example, quiz yourself by reviewing notecards; try practice problems without study aids; and write questions about what you learned in class.
Teach others the concepts to help cement them in your memory. This could be great to do with a friend or study group.
After you take an exam, use the post exam review to understand where you missed points. Consider using this as a study tool moving forward, and bring it to office hours to discuss with your professor.
Learn and review course material in daily blocks of time that are varied and repeated throughout the week through time-spaced learning.
Review the Lecture Capture if your lecture has one.
Try a SMART pen.
Try concept mapping – a variation on outlining in which you diagram main ideas and supporting details to learn concepts covered in class.
Manage Distractions - The Pomodoro Technique is a study strategy and productivity tool to help you stay focused and gain momentum to successfully complete assignments and stay focused during studying. Also, use apps such as Cold Turkey to block certain applications and your phone for certain periods of time if you are distracted by your phone or computer.

Note Taking

Try the before, during, and after process. Before lecture, set up your notes by listing the learning objectives at the top of your notes and comparing those to the notes you took on the readings and/or Power Points prior to class. During lecture, listen for and note key points, main ideas, and explanations of concepts and steps. After lecture, actively review your notes by summarizing them; creating note cards from them; and writing down key questions from the lecture, for example.
While taking notes during lecture, expand your understanding by writing questions in your notes to revisit after lecture, and ask the questions during class when time allows.
Work on your listening skills. Notice when your mind starts to wander and quickly jot down your distractions on a scratch piece of paper. Then, shift your attention back to the instructor. Refocus by leaving a space in your notes with a question mark to fill in as soon after lecture as possible.
Compare your notes from lecture to the notes you took on your reading. One way to do this is by creating a Venn Diagram of the two forms of notes.
Try the Cornell note taking process.
Try adapted Cornell Notetaking. Take notes on the right side of the margin and condense or expand them on the left hand side. Check out this article, which discusses different note taking formats.

Reading Assignments

Stay up-to-date on all reading assignments. Students often say they should have spent more time on the reading assignments for class, and when they start to engage with the readings more proactively, they notice their outcomes improve.
Preview the chapter before you read the assignment by skimming paragraphs, titles, charts, introductions, and conclusions. Write the learning objectives for the chapter at the top of your page. Then, read the assignment before you go to class, and annotate the text as you go. Take notes on your reading to keep you focused.
Review your reading notes and compare them to your lecture notes. What connections can you make between the two?
Try a reading log.
Try the SQ3/4R reading strategy.

Test Preparation

In the first week of classes, document all of your first exams on one page using the first exams of the semester template.
If available, utilize practice exams and old exams to prepare. Simulate the testing conditions for the practice exams as much as you can so you have a clear roadmap of your strengths and challenges. To simulate the testing conditions, take the practice exam in the same amount of time with the same study aids (if any) that you will have on the exam. Try to take the practice exam in a similar location in which you will be assessed.
Utilize as much active practice as possible through practice problems and by applying these critical thinking words to self-test. Remember, do not simply study to remember; study to have a thorough understanding and analysis of the concepts.
Find practice problems and/or questions in your textbook, from your professors, and through other resources such as open access textbooks for example.
Prepare for an exam at least one week prior to the exam, and ensure that you quiz yourself daily on the material.

Goal Setting

Utilize the SMART goal process to ensure your goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time oriented.
Monitor your progress toward your goals by journaling about your progress and telling others about your goals for an extra layer of accountability. If you are not making progress toward your goals, seek out additional support.

Connections and Campus Resources

Utilize resources and support even before you think you need them.
Move outside of your comfort zone by introducing yourself to someone in your class; forming a study group; meeting with your professors and TAs; and trying a campus organization.
Attend office hours to introduce yourself to your professors and meet with them consistently throughout the term.

How Do You Choose A Strategy?

Meet with your professors during office hours to discuss your academic success strategies, and talk to academic support professionals on campus about which methods may work best for you.

Additional Resources

ASAP Tutoring – Free tutoring for any student living on campus or commuting first-year students.
Campus Resources

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The Feynman Technique

Anonymous — Fri, 07 Aug 2020 11:36:09 +0000

The Feynman Technique Anonymous (not verified) Fri, 08/07/2020 - 05:36

Cam

The following article was first published in Customizing Life: Personal development - One day at a time.

Richard Feynman was a world renowned and widely successful theoretical physicist, even managing to win the Nobel Prize in 1965. He was a brilliant guy.

And Feynman developed his own personal method for deeply learning and internalizing topics. Now known as the Feynman technique, it’s a simple process, containing 4 repeatable steps:

Step 1 – Study

The first step is easy. In fact, anyone who’s reading an article about learning processes is probably already doing it.

All you have to do is choose a topic and start studying.

Naturally, this makes perfect sense for educational based study, but it can also work equally well for other skills such as sports. Simply write down all of the things you know about the skill on the piece of paper. Try and break it down into its core components and seek to understand it as a whole.

Example

As an example, we’re going to be using the game of chess.

With that in mind, applying step 1 to learning chess would be simple. You’d simply have to start learning the rules and basic strategies. Keep in mind that you’ll need to know enough that you can teach someone else in step 2.

Step 2 – Teach

Once you’ve completely covered the topic, it’s time for step 2. You’re going to teach it to someone else.

If you’d rather avoid actually teaching someone, you can just teach it to an imaginary audience. But the Feynman technique works much better if you use a real person. They’ll be able to give feedback and let you know when something isn’t clear.

Ideally, the person you’re teaching will ask questions and probe you, trying to find holes in your knowledge base. This might feel a little uncomfortable, but it’s exactly what you need in order to proceed to step 3.

Example:

Continuing with the chess example, step two would require you to teach someone else to play chess. You’d need to be able to explain the games’ objectives, rules, how the pieces move and some basic strategies to win.

As your student asks questions, you’ll inevitably discover holes in your knowledge – questions that you can’t answer. But this is exactly what you want.

Step 3 – Fill the Gaps

As I mentioned, step 2 will uncover some gaps in your knowledge.

Step 3 involves going back to studying, but with an intense focus on these gaps. The aim of step 3 is to remove these weaknesses and turn them into areas of strength.

Example:

What holes in your knowledge were uncovered in step 2? If you couldn’t quite remember how a piece moved, how a rule works or why a particular strategy is effective, then this is a weakness that needs to be focused on.

Now, you can go back and study exactly what you need to know. Recover the rules and search for information regarding the effectiveness of the strategy.

Step 4 – Simplify

Ideally, you’ve already greatly improved your understanding of the target skill. However, you’re not done. Now you need to simplify the content.

This step is extremely effective at building your cohesive understanding of a subject. To be able to cut away clutter and explain something so clearly that even young children with limited vocabulary can understand, is extremely difficult. Attempting to do this, forces you to not only deeply master the information/skill but to also grasp how all of the different elements join together.

“If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.”

– Albert Einstein

Example:

You now have a much better understanding of chess. But could you explain it in such a simple, clear way that others will certainly understand? Probably not. Chess is a complex game with many rules and strategies involved. To be able to explain this to a child who’s never played and have them understand, is a difficult task.

Break it down into its simplest form. Attempt to express this in a short, clear way. It’s easier said than done.

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A&S Students Tell Their Peers: Office Hours Are Vital Support!

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:23:22 +0000

A&S Students Tell Their Peers: Office Hours Are Vital Support! Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 11:23

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

In a 2020 survey of College of Arts and Sciences students, respondents were asked to name resources that were most helpful to their academic success. Office hours was the most common response!

Utilizing office hours is clearly important, but how do you know if you’re taking advantage of office hours enough or if you’re getting the most out of your meetings with professors and TAs?

Read through these scenarios and answer the questions to learn more!

1. It’s the first week of the semester. You keep hearing that it’s important to utilize office hours, but you don’t know what you would talk about with your professors. It’s too early to have any specific concerns about your courses. Do you plan to go to your professors’ office hours within the next week anyway?

Yes.
No.

Answer: It’s never “too early” to go to office hours, and you don’t need to have specific concerns to take advantage of the resource. Meet with all of your professors within the first few weeks of the semester, introduce yourself and ask questions about the course. For example, you might ask, “What skills and strategies do I need to develop in order to be successful in this class?” or “What is your advice when it comes to studying for exams?” You can also let the professor know more about yourself. You might explain why you’re taking the class or if you have previous exposure to the subject.

2. Despite your best efforts, you’re disappointed with your exam grades in one of your courses. It’s now the end of the semester, and the final exam is two weeks away. You want help, but you don’t think your grade will improve much, even if you’re able to do well on the final. Is it worth it to meet with your professor for that course?

Yes.
No.

Answer: It’s also never “too late” to go to office hours. It’s true that, if you’ve been struggling with a class all semester, meeting with the professor probably isn’t going to help you completely turn your grade around at the last minute. However, that doesn’t mean it isn’t worth the effort. Your professor may give you a study tip or vital information that helps you finish strong and gives you a boost of confidence going into the next semester. They may also give you a learning strategy that helps you in a future class.

3. It’s a few weeks into the semester, and you’re starting to get concerned about your time management. You try to do all of the readings and the homework, but it takes you a long time and you aren’t able to spend as much time on your other courses. You want to work more efficiently. Whose office hours would you go to for help?

Professor.
TA.
Neither: You’ll figure it out yourself.

Answer: Even if you believe you can resolve your concerns on your own, it’s helpful to get another perspective. You can go to either or both your TA’s or professor’s office hours, but your TA’s office hours might be more helpful. They’re students just like you, and they had to be successful in that subject in the recent past in order to become a TA. You can pick their brain for tips and tricks, and you can discuss how to best approach your professor about this situation. You can also get connected to Academic Coaching!

4. You didn’t do as well as you wanted to on your first exam in one of your courses. You felt positive about your understanding of the material and you put your usual amount of time and effort into studying. The exam turned out to be more difficult than you expected. You’re not sure what went wrong, so you decide to meet with the professor during their office hours. Which approach do you think will lead to a more fruitful conversation?

Approach 1- Tell the professor that you didn’t do well on the first test, because it was more difficult than you thought it would be. Tell the professor that you want to improve your grade in the class and ask them what you should do to make that happen.
Approach 2- Tell the professor that your understanding of the material during lectures didn’t translate to success on the exam. Tell them you noticed that there seemed to be a difference between the difficulty of the homework questions and the difficulty of the exam questions. Ask them why they think you perceived the discrepancy, and what they might recommend you do in order to close that gap for the next exam.

Answer: Approach 1 may leave you feeling disappointed. First, you aren’t giving the professor much detail to work with. Saying that you didn’t expect the exam to be so difficult is a vague concern, and the professor might not know how to respond without asking a lot of followup questions. Second, saying that you want to improve your grade is a broad goal. Any advice the professor gives you will probably be broad as a result. They may even feel that you are trying to place responsibility for your success on them.

Approach 2 will likely lead to a more helpful conversation. You are more specific about your concerns and about what you are hoping to take away from the meeting. You’re giving the conversation clear direction and focus, and you’re seeking concrete action steps. Now, the professor can better understand your situation.

5. You’ve been to office hours several times in the past, but you’ve never found it to be helpful. You feel like professors don’t put much effort into understanding you and helping you when you have a problem. Do you keep trying to connect with professors, or do you look elsewhere when you want help?

Keep trying to connect.
Look elsewhere for help.

Answer: Professors are all different and previous negative experiences shouldn’t deter you from utilizing office hours.

6. You want to meet with your professor during their office hours, but you have another class during that time. What do you do?

Reach out to the professor and schedule a meeting for a different time.
Give up on meeting with the professor and just email them.

Answer: “Professors understand scheduling conflicts and will often work to accommodate your request for an alternative meeting time.” If you aren’t available during a professor’s office hours, keep working with them until you figure something out. Part of the college experience is learning how to advocate for yourself.

Office hours tips in short:

There’s no such thing as a wrong time to go to office hours. It’s never too early or too late to ask for help. We all need help to learn, and learning does not take place in a silo.
Even if you don’t feel like you “need” help, it’s good to get another perspective on the challenges and opportunities you face. If nothing else, it’s good to connect with professors and TAs and/or explore your passion about the material.
Have a specific and manageable goal when you utilize office hours. What do you want or need in the meeting? Give the conversation clear direction and focus, otherwise you might be left feeling frustrated. See the TIME model for support.
Keep in mind that office hours are meant to give you guidance, but professors and TAs can’t fix problems for you. It’s important to have realistic expectations about the extent to which they are able to help you, and it may also be worth pursuing tutoring, peer-to-peer study groups and academic coaching.

CU Boulder students say that faculty office hours are the most helpful resource for academic success. Utilizing office hours is clearly important, but how do you know if you’re taking advantage of office hours enough or if you’re getting the most out of your meetings with professors and TAs?

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Working Through Uncertainty: Navigating the Uncertain when Nothing is Certain

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 17:08:45 +0000

Working Through Uncertainty: Navigating the Uncertain when Nothing is Certain Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 11:08

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

“What do I have to do to make this uncertainty the best thing that happened to me?” - Bill Johnson, Life Design Catalyst Coach and Facilitator, UNC Greensboro

As a college student, uncertainty is all around you. You make a lot of decisions that may impact your current and future success, and those decisions aren’t always easy. On top of that, there’s plenty of uncertainty in the world. This much uncertainty can cause stress and anxiety, so it’s important to know how to work through it.

No matter what kind of uncertainty you experience, working through the unknown requires a growth mindset and self-awareness. This article helps you reflect on your approach to uncertainty and gives you guidance for creating as much certainty for yourself as possible.

Growth Mindset

When you think about your life’s unknowns, you probably don’t think of them as “good.” There aren’t many people who enjoy uncertainty. However, that doesn’t mean that uncertainty has to be “bad.” Think of uncertainty as neutral, a space of possibility that can lead you to any number of outcomes. If uncertainty is a space of possibility, then your attitude and actions can affect how that uncertainty is (or isn’t) resolved. This is where a growth mindset comes in.

Facing uncertainty often connects to feeling a lack of control. You may become frozen with indecision, or you may try to avoid dealing with the uncertainty. With a growth mindset, you can embrace the challenge of uncertainty and see it as an opportunity to learn and grow. It’s like choosing “fight” over “flight” or “freeze.” Having a growth mindset means having a strong sense of agency: you are confident in yourself and in your ability to solve problems and accomplish goals. In short, you believe that you control your decisions, and you have hope that you can resolve your uncertainty in the best way possible.

Self-Awareness

Growth mindset helps facilitate your agency for effective decision making, but you also need a strong sense of self-awareness to guide your actions. When you face the unknown, it helps to know your strengths--your unique talents or abilities that you can turn to whenever you face a challenge. If you’re not sure what yours are, take the CliftonStrengths Assessment through CU Boulder and discuss your results with friends, family and your academic advisor.

In addition to knowing your strengths, it’s important to know your long-term goals. Of course, your long-term goals can be the source of uncertainty. If that is the case, reflect on the five aspects of wellbeing:

Purpose: What do you look forward to? What is something that you would be happy to do every day?
Social: What do strong relationships look like for you? How do they help you?
Financial: What does financial security mean to you? How will you attain it?
Physical: What does it take for you to feel good and healthy? How will you have the energy to get things done on a daily basis?
Community: What do you need from your community? What do you want to give back to your community?

Thinking through these questions brings your long-term goals into focus. When you have a clear sense of your long-term goals, resolving uncertainty can be a matter of making sure that your daily actions and choices are aligned with those goals.

Finally, remember to practice self-care and try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Everybody experiences uncertainty, and your relationship with uncertainty is a process that takes time and effort. Be kind to yourself and be willing to reach out for help.

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Productive Failure: How to Turn Failure into Success

Anonymous — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 16:41:06 +0000

Productive Failure: How to Turn Failure into Success Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:41

A&S AAC Academic Coaching Program

When you think about what it means for you to be academically successful in college, you might think of it as an “either-or” question. Either you understand the class material or you don’t. Either you complete all of your assignments or you don’t. Either you get good grades on your tests or you don’t.

There are actually more than two outcomes when it comes to your academic performance. It’s not just about success or failure; it’s about whether or not the learning experience was productive. Productive learning experiences are ultimately beneficial to your long-term learning, not just your short-term performance.

It’s easy to assume that all successes are productive and all failures are unproductive, but that’s not the case. Depending on how you approach success and failure, your successes can become unproductive and your failures can end up being productive. The following will help explain things.

Productive Success

Maximizes your performance in the short term and maximizes your learning in the long term.

Example: You study hard for your test and get a good grade, but you still take the time to review the test and make sure you understand every question.

Unproductive Success

Maximizes your performance in the short term, but does not maximize your learning in the long term.

Example: You cram the night before your test and it works well enough to get you a good grade, but you completely forget the material as soon as the test is over.

Productive Failure

Does not maximize your performance in the short term, but maximizes your learning in the long term.

Example: You do poorly on your test, so you go to a tutor for help. You make sure that you learn from your mistakes and understand the material before moving on.

Unproductive Failure

Does not maximize your performance in the short term or your learning in the long term.

Example: You do poorly on your test, but you don’t reach out for help. You give up on trying to understand the material and hope that the next test will be easier.

Let’s focus on productive failure, which is perhaps the most important section of the chart. It’s nearly impossible to be academically perfect, so you’re bound to experience failure once in a while. That’s OK! When you do experience failure, what matters is that you know how to turn that failure into success. As you can see from the example, productive failure requires three key elements: reflection, growth mindset and reaching out for help.

When you experience a failure, your first instinct might be to move on and try to forget about it.That’s probably not going to help you in the long run. If you take the time to reflect on what went wrong and what you could have done differently, you’re much more likely to learn from your mistakes and improve your academic performance.

Growth mindset is also essential. Try to adopt a curious, self compassionate approach and think about what is the next small, productive step you can take. Finally, it’s important to reach out for help when you need it. You don’t have to struggle alone and figure everything out by yourself. Whether it’s office hours, tutors or academic coaching, there are plenty of resources out there for support.

So, if you ever find yourself feeling unsuccessful, remember that you have the power to change things. Failure is just a temporary setback and an important learning experience on your journey to success.

Salazar-Núñez, B., 2020. Productive Failure. University of Colorado, Boulder

There is more to your academic performance than Pass/Fail. Productive learning experiences are ultimately beneficial to your long-term learning, not just your short-term performance.

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