We want to help USM students avoid common learning challenges, and instead increase their memory, understanding, academic performance, and enjoyment of learning. To help students along this path, the following articles have been published, featuring learning strategies and service spotlights.
“AGILE My Inbox” emails sent to USM students:
“Learning: It’s What You DO That Matters” articles published in the Free Press across the academic year:
- Are My Academic Habits Working For Me?
- Are You Attending Class With Purpose?
- Managing Your Learning Environment
- Practice, Practice, Practice
- The Importance of Post Exam Review
- Overcoming Procrastination
- Where Do You Stand?
- Final Exams
- Sticking the Landing
- Embrace Planning as a Process
- The Importance of Attention
- Manage Your Mindset
- Learning is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
- Write On!
- Taking the Reins of Your Research
- Making the Pivot to Online Learning
- Preparing for the End of the Semester
- Conquering Your Online Final Exams
The Learning Commons YouTube Channel contains dozens of videos with step-by-step instructions on various academic strategies to help students achieve their academic goals. Visit our most frequented YouTube playlists and videos hyperlinked below or visit The Learning Commons YouTube Channel directly to access our comprehensive list!
Academic Support Services:
- Learning Commons Overview (5min15s)
Comprehensive Series:
- A Student’s Guide to Brightspace (12 videos)
- Learning with Zoom (7 videos)
- Learning with Other Technologies (7 videos)
- Preparing for Your Semester (5 videos)
- How Learning Works (6 videos)
- Presentation Skills (4 videos)
- Study Skills and Strategies (9 videos)
Featured Strategies:
- Making the Most of Your Time in Brightspace (6min23s)
- Understanding Your Course Syllabus (5min1s)
- How to Complete a Semester-at-a-Glance (1min36s)
- How to Take Cornell Notes (5min20s)
- Reading Actively with the SQ3R Method (7min37s)
- Introduction to Mind Mapping (7min29s)
- Creating Digital Mind Maps (20min47s)
- The Pomodoro Technique (4min15s)
- Post-Exam Review (9min13s)
Below are several worksheets, study strategy “how-tos,” checklists, and visual images designed to provide motivation and guidance when choosing or changing our approaches to academics.
NOTE: To edit linked Google Docs or Sheets, select File > Make a copy.
Planning Tools and Worksheets:
Note-taking and Study Strategies:
- Cornell Note-taking Method How-To (for lectures)
- Cornell Note-taking Template (for lectures)
- T-Notes How-To (for math and science)
- T-Notes Template (for math and science)
- Reading Actively
- Studying in Groups
- Using Flashcards
- Mind Mapping
Tip Sheets and Checklists:
Visual Images and Graphics:
The “Becoming as Successful Learner” virtual series in Brightspace was designed to help USM students navigate the demands, technologies, and opportunities of being a college learner. The modules in this series are filled with “doing”, including how to practice effective learning strategies, navigate the Brightspace learning environment, collaborate with others via Zoom and Google tools, prepare for the semester, and much more! Enrolling in the “Becoming a Successful Learner” course on USM’s Brightspace landing page is the first step to gaining access to the modules.
Once enrolled, USM students, faculty, and staff can use the “Becoming a Successful Learner” homepage link to access the course directly or choose to visit individual modules via the links below:
For in-depth guidance on specific academic strategies, visit our Study Skills and Learning Strategies page.