The most useful thing that I learned from this module is the difference between searching and researching. Searching is very easy to do, the only thing that you need to do is to type some words into a search engine. However, research is totally different from that. At first, you need to narrow down the topic and then you should choose a right search engine such as google scholar to find some resources to read and write.

The idea that I put into practice is to do some necessary preparations before I write the paper. For example, after I narrowed down the topic, I will send an E-mail to my professor to know whether my direction is correct and meaningful to write. This method can save plenty of time, because if your direction is incorrect, no matter how many words you have written, they are meaningless and you will receive a low grade of this paper.

One thing I will put into practice in the future is using some skills of researching. For example, I will practice more with the Google Scholar. Google Scholar can give lots of academic resources that related to your topic, you just need to type in some key words and you can find lots of resources such as some journals and books.

One suggestion I would give to students is communicating more with your professors. Sometimes we think we can finish the essay or paper by ourself, but paper is different from a simple math problem, it doesn’t have a stand answer. Therefore, when you meet some difficulty, don’t be shy to ask your professor for help.

The most useful thing that I learned in this module is some ways to take notes. For example, the outline method. This method can give me a very clear view of what the lecture or some material told us.

One specific example that I have already used into practice is the outline method. Using this method, I can get the structure of the lecture and therefore feel easier to review for this lesson in the future. When I am taking a math course, I will use this method to write down the formula first and some followed explanations for it. This way saves me lots of time in reviewing some meaning of this formula. After learning how the formula appear. I can be more familiar with some practice questions which will use this formula.

One idea I learned from this module that I will put into practice is the Cornell method. This method is more flexible compared to the outline method. This method can always add some important notes that you came up with yourself as a reminder in your notes. Once you review these special remarks, you will know what difficulty you had before and you will pay more attention to it.

One advice that I would give to students is to use the outline method. Because this method is easier to use and this method has a clearer structure compared with the Cornell method. Once you feel familiar with using the outline method, you can try to use the Cornell method, this method is especially useful in some hard courses and concepts.

The most useful thing that I learned from this schedule is reding online. This way is really efficient because it saves you lots of time to find a book in a book store. In addition, you can make some notes on an electric version which can be a reminder of some important contents.

One specific example that I put into practice is using the kindle to read some e-books. As we all know, the traditional books are very expensive, however, for the text books, we might just use it for one semester and then this book is not useful for us. In addition, the second hand book is much more cheaper than the original one. However, e-books will always be cheaper than the second hand book, which is useful and reasonable for students to use.

The idea that I will put into practice in the future is to use the Quizlet website. Quizlet is really helpful when you are preparing to review some exams and tests. It will give you an explicit explanation on some hard definitions. In addition, Quizlet also has some basic foundational questions and problems to help you make sure that you are familiar enough with some important definitions.

The advice that I will give to students is trying to use the Quizlet. As I mentioned before, Quizlet can save you considerable time in reviewing. In addition, Quizlet is very clear to see instead of some scrawled notes. And you can download some vital cards from the Quizlet to help you review better.

References:

https://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/being-a-better-online-reader

https://quizlet.com/

One of the most useful things that I learned from this module is to create your own time line schedule. If there is no timeline, it is hard to know how much time you spend on one thing or task and you cannot get a clear schedule on the follow things. For example, if you spend too much time on doing one project you will have less time to do another one which has a same deadline. This will cause a big problem in your schedule, like one part broke, all the other part cannot work.

One thing I have already put into practice is the Google Calendar. Google Calendar is really helpful because you can set the remind time and the time period that the task will cost. In addition, you can add your own comments into the task, the description of the task is really useful in using less time to prepare the task. In the end, the whole efficiency improved a lot.

One thing that I will put into practice in the future is reducing the digital interruptions. For example, I will keep my phone away from me and set the silent mode  when I am studying to avoid some messages which might distract me. In addition, when I am using the computer to write the paper, I will give myself a limitation that just go through the import related page.

Based on what I’ve read or experienced during this module, one advice that I can give to students is that you should create a comfortable environment to study. For example, you should choose a quiet place to study which can help you be more concentrated and increase your learning efficiency.

Reference:

https://open.lib.umn.edu/collegesuccess/chapter/2-2-organizing-your-space/