Study Skills: From high school to university PDF

Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University Center of EL Bayadh –Nour Bachir- El Bayadh Department of English Level: 1st year (group 1; 2) Study Skills Lesson Two: From High Sc...

Algerian Democratic and Popular Republic Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research University Center of EL Bayadh –Nour Bachir- El Bayadh Department of English Level: 1st year (group 1; 2) Study Skills Lesson Two: From High School to University Teacher: AICHA Souiah  Studying at university is different from other types of education in that you will be expected to work much more independently. There will be support, but quite a lot of the time you will be doing work on your own in the library or at home. This will bring its own rewards as you gain confidence in your independent learning and enjoy the flexibility of making your own choices about the direction of your research. Why go to University?  You will have your own reasons, but you can include the following as good ones: To develop To work with To try out To think To improve To make To develop creativity. others. new things. differently. career good friends new skills. prospects To do To get a good To develop To have lots To enjoy To get a To develop something for degree. new interests. of fun. learning. different job. confidence. yourself. As you move from the school environment to the university setting, it's essential to adapt to the differences in academic independence to enable you to transform your approaches to learning from:  Dependent to independent;  ‘Spoon-fed’ to self-sufficient;  Accepting to questioning;  Avoiding difficulty to embracing challenges;  Indifferent to curious;  Passive to active;  Attentive to engaged;  Coasting to driven.  The Differences Between Studying at School and University School University  School is mandatory and usually free.  University is voluntary and usually expensive.  Your time is structured by others.  You manage your own time. You decide on co-  You need permission to participate in curricular activities. You must balance your extracurricular activities. responsibilities and set priorities. You will face  You can count on parents and teachers moral and ethical decisions you have never Overview to remind you of your responsibilities faced before. and to guide you in setting priorities.  You often have hours between classes, class  Each day you spend 6 hours each day, times vary and you spend only 12-16 hours 30 hours a week, in class. each week in class.  Most of your classes are arranged for  You arrange your own schedule you. You are not responsible for  You are responsible for knowing what it takes knowing what it takes to graduate. to graduate.  Guiding Principle: You will usually  Guiding Principle: You are expected to take be told what to do and corrected if responsibility for what you do and don't do, your behaviour is out of line. as well as the consequences.  School University  School year is 36 weeks long, with  Academic year is divided into two 15- some classes extending over both week semesters, plus a week after each semesters, allowing more time to semester for exams. teach material.  Classes may number 100 students or  Classes generally have no more than more (on campus). 35 students.  You need to study at least 2-3 hour  You may study outside class as little Study Mode outside of class for each hour in class. as 0-2 hours a week, this may be  You need to review class notes and text mostly last-minute test prep. material regularly and attend class  You seldom need to read anything regularly. more than once, and sometimes  You are assigned substantial amounts listening in class is enough. of reading and writing which may not  You are expected to read short be directly addressed in class. assignments that are then discussed,  Guiding Principle: You are and often re-taught, in class. responsible for reading and  Guiding Principle: You will usually understanding the assigned material, be told in class what you need to whether covered in class or not. learn from assigned readings.  School University  May not always check completed homework.  Check your completed homework. Remind May not remind you of incomplete work. Expect you of your incomplete work. you to initiate contact if you need assistance.  Approach you if they believe you need  Expect and want you to attend their scheduled assistance. Are often available for office hours. conversation before, during, or after class.  Have been trained as experts in their particular  Have been trained in teaching methods to Teachers & Professors areas of research, not "teaching methods". assist in imparting knowledge to students.  Expect you to get information missed in class  Provide you with information you missed from a classmate. when you were absent.  May not follow the textbook and expect you to  Present material to help you understand the relate lectures to text. May lecture nonstop, material in the textbook. expecting you to take your own notes.  Often write information on the board to be  Expect you to think about and synthesize copied in your notes. seemingly unrelated topics, thinking for yourself  Impart knowledge and facts, sometimes and drawing your own connections. drawing direct connections and leading you  Expect you to refer to the course syllabus for through the thinking process. assignment due dates.  Often take time to remind you of  May not formally take attendance, but will take assignments and due dates. Carefully note of your presence. monitor class attendance.  Guiding Principle: College is a learning  Guiding Principle: High school is a environment in which you take responsibility teaching environment in which you for thinking through and applying what you acquire facts and skills. have learned.  School University  Tests in School: Testing is frequent and covers small  Testing can be infrequent and cumulative, covering large amounts of material. amounts of material, which you need to organize in  Makeup tests are often available. order to prep for a test.  Teachers frequently rearrange test dates to avoid Grades  Makeup tests are seldom an option, if they are it is at conflict with school events. your request before a test date.  Teachers frequently conduct review sessions,  Tests are scheduled without regard for outside activities. pointing out the most important concepts.  Review sessions are rarely offered, but if they are you  Guiding Principle: Mastery is usually seen as the are expected to come prepared with questions. ability to reproduce what you were taught in the  Guiding Principle: Mastery is often seen as the form in which it was presented to you, or to solve ability to apply what you've learned to new situations the kinds of problems you were shown how to or to solve new kinds of problems. solve.  Grades may not be provided for all assigned work.  Grades are given for most assigned work.  Grades on tests and major papers usually provide most  Consistently good homework grades may raise your of the course grade. overall grade when test grades are low.  Extra credit projects are seldom available and most  Extra credit projects are often available to help you likely won't raise your grade. Tests raise your grade.  Initial tests are usually "wake-up calls" to let you know  Initial test grades, especially when they are low, what is expected, but they may also make up a may not have an adverse effect on your final grade. substantial part of your grade.  You may graduate as long as you have passes all  You may graduate only if your average in classes meet required courses with a grade of 10/20 or higher. the departmental standard.  Guiding Principle: "Effort counts.“ Courses are  Guiding Principle: "Results count. “Though "good- usually structured to reward a "good-faith faith effort" is important in regard to the professor's effort." willingness to help you achieve good results, it will not substitute for results in the grading process. Tasks 1. Short Answer:  List two differences in academic workload between high school and university.  Describe one major difference in the level of independence expected from students in high school versus university. 2. Multiple Choice 1. Question: Which of the following is a key  D) None of the above difference between high school and university? 4. Question: Unlike high school, university A) Structure: B) Class size professors often have a ______ approach to teaching and learning. C) Required attendance  A) More hands-on D) All of the above  B) Less specialized 2. Question: In a university, classes typically have a ______ compared to high school  C) Less individualized classes.  D) More structured A) Smaller class size B) Larger class size 5. Question: High school often has a ______ C) Similar class size D) Fluctuating class size schedule, while university offers a more ______ schedule. 3. Question: In a university, students have more ______ in choosing their courses  A) Fixed; flexible compared to high school.  B) Flexible; fixed  A) Restrictions  C) Variable; rigid  B) Elective options  D) Rigid; variable  C) Mandatory subjects Question: In university, the responsibility for managing and organizing your academic tasks and deadlines is primarily:  A) Less B) More  A) On the teachers  C) Equally D) None of the above  B) On the guidance counsellor Question: In high school, there is usually a ______ approach to teaching, whereas in university, there's  C) On the student often a ______ approach.  D) On the parents  A) Broad; specialized Question: High school typically requires ______  B) Specialized; broad attendance in classes, whereas university often allows more ______ in attendance.  C) Practical; theoretical  A) Strict; flexibility  D) Theoretical; practical  B) Flexibility; strictness Question: The level of personal responsibility and independence expected from students is generally  C) Voluntary; strictness ______ in university compared to high school.  D) Mandatory; flexibility  A) Lower B) Higher Question: Assessments in high school are generally  C) Equal D) Inconsistent ______ frequent compared to assessments in university. Homework: 1. How does the academic structure differ between high school and university? 2. How are classes and schedules different in high school compared to university? 3. What are the main differences in teaching style between high school and university? 4. How does the level of independence and responsibility change from high school to university? 5. How is assessment and grading different in high school versus university? 6. What is the typical class size difference between high school and university? 7. How does the social environment differ between high school and university? 8. What are the differences in extracurricular activities between high school and university?