Academic Success Strategies

SELF-PREPARATION (i.e. commitment, application, strategy, perseverance & association)

Effective time management Effective learning Effective note-taking Pre-requisite skills Effective use of textbook Effective on assignments Effective problem solving techniques Effective examination preparation Effective use of lecturers Effective use of campus resources

will help you

Work hard yet smart Maximize effective studying time Get most from university resources

Effective time Management

Since the creation of this universe, Al-Mighty God gives every one of us and other creations exactly 24 hours a day .neither less nor more
So there is no point in saying that I have no time since you have just as much as anyone else

The single most significant change between high school and university is the acquisition of
No one can make me to do things No one can remind me to do things

FREEDOM
No one can tell me what to do

This is even more serious if you come from a boarding-school

REMEMBER !!!!! Time is not money . one second lost is never replaceable Time is like a sword.you dont use it correctly, it will kill you

so manage your 24 hour-time correctly and productively Prioritize your time

Non-negotiable time .. Commitments as a student (i.e. attending lectures, assignments, revision etc) Maintenance time self-caring (i.e. sleeping, eating, washing, recreational activities etc) Negotiable time.. Social activities (i.e. leisure, entertainments etc)

Make a master schedule or planner ( highlight important dates)

Long term whole academic year

Short term
Daily Weekly Monthly

Make to do list

The 60-hour rule :- You should study two hours out of class for every hour in class

Effective Learning
Group Work

Why group work? Provides opportunity for collaborative learning Keeps you motivated Prepares you for team work : in real world, almost engineering is done by team

Solitary learning vs Collaborative learning

Solitary Learning

Collaborative Learning

Learning Pyramid Attributes

Effective Collaborative Learning

Work in groups of three or four 25-30% of studying time Preparation (e.g. study or outline problem solutions / materials by yourself first) prior to group meeting Make sure everyone understands every solution

Always remind yourself and your group members of the main objective of forming a group work/study ..

Effective Note Taking

Teaching delivery styles
Category 1 :- Lecturer that writes everything down Category 2:- Lecturer that writes down very little and instead prefers to talk his/her way through the lecture with the aid of an overhead, slides, etc Category 3:- Lecturer that employs a combination of the two previous methods Thanks God . Almost all lecturers in UTM prepare lecture notes but this does not mean you dont have to do anything..
Preparing lecture note requires long hours & many textbooks

 However Notes might not be complete and sometimes what she/he says is very important and yet not in the notes so pay full attention (physically and mentally) to his/her lecture Be extra-careful to certain things that she/he always emphasize or repeat Read the lecture notes beforehand

Sit as close to the front of the class as possible Ask! Ask! and ask! If you dont understand Do revision immediately after lecture Short-hand note taking Compare your notes with your friends if anything missing Adapt your learning style to lecturers teaching style as quickly as possible Seniors lecture note is very helpful .and many more

Mind mapping is aimed at structuring information in such a way that your brain can relate it most efficiently
Further info: www.Mind-Map.com

Learning is a reinforcement process

A positive memory cycle

A negative memory cycle

A positive concentration cycle

A negative concentration cycle

Pre-requisite skills
Most engineering courses are accumulative
your performance in any particular subject depends heavily on certain skills developed or knowledge gained in previous subjects Mass balance (SKF 1113) Thermodynamics (SKF1013) Energy balance (SKF 2123) Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics (SKF2213)

Make sure that you know what your lecturer assumes you know

Effective use of textbook

Textbook is part of necessary items . not replacement of lecture notes that provides you A back up source of a course material A source of illustrative examples A good supply of practice problems

Effective problem solving techniques

Types of engineering problems
Type A : Those that require mainly the application of known techniques and minimal thinking (i.e apply a formula or a set procedure) Type B : Those that require mainly thinking and minimal application of established techniques (i.e. word problems (mathematics) problems posed in English rather than in mathematical languagesa common way to describe realworld problems)

Blooms Taxonomy of educational objectives

Higher Level Thinking Skill

Undergraduate Education

Effective problem solving TYPE A

Read through the problem carefully : - identifying the class to which a particular problem belongs Read through the problem again, and decide what (exactly) you are required to find Go to major sources of information .. e.g. class notes, textbook etc Apply the known procedure to solve the correct solution

Effective problem solving TYPE B Read through the problem carefully : - translate the problem from English to mathematics . This process is called mathematical modeling Identify what you want (unknown(s)) and what you have (known(s)) You may require to draw a diagram to get clear understanding of the problem Introduce a suitable formula or mathematical notation to relate what you want and what you have this will be your mathematical model The problem may require you to do some sort of physical interpretation of your result . Outsource notes, textbook etc

Effective on assignments
Why need assignments? Worth anything from 5-20% of the final course grade Tell you where you should concentrate your practice Identify problems that best illustrate key concepts to enhance understanding Identify problems similar to those that may be asked on tests

 Be successful on examinations

success in course exams

Effective examination preparation

Long-term
builds a solid foundation in the course material works consistently and conscientiously throughout the semester

Short-term
concerns with preparing for the examination itself Involves fine-tuning, targeted (smart) practice and examination technique

Long-term
Lectures and classroom time Assignments and homework Developing efficient problemsolving techniques Asking for help

Short-term
What to be covered on the exams from (recent) past exams & lecturer Apply smart practice ..once you have a good idea of topics to be covered .review related theories, worked-out examples, solved assignments, relevant & suggested problems Work through old exam papers Examination techniques overcome exam anxiety & insufficient time practicing old exam papers plays an important role in developing your examination technique

Making effective use of your lecturers

The role of your lecturer is more than delivering lectures..

Give you the benefit of the doubt on a borderline grade Provide you with invaluable one-to-one instruction Give you academic advising, career guidance etc Serve as a valuable reference for applying jobs etc Help you for a vacation job even hire you on their research grants

Carnegies six ways to make people like you

Rule 1 Become genuinely interested in other people

Rule 2 Rule 3
Rule 4 Rule 5 Rule 6

Smile smile is an act of charity

Remember that a persons name is the sweetest and most important sound in any language to him or her Be a good listener Encourage others to talk about themselves Talk in terms of the other peoples interest Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely

These rules emphasize the importance of both showing interest in others and approaching them from their perspective

Effective use of campus resources

Class tutorials PSZ Library Resource centers e.g. FKKKSAs ESSO resource centre Career center Counseling center (UTMs UPSP) Financial aid office (UTMs HEP) Student health center (Klinik UTM) Sport center
etc

Behaviours to avoid
Coming to class late Talking in class Sleeping in class Doing homework in class Leaving class early Failing to do the assigned home work Copying assignments from friends
.. You name whatever actions that harm you & others

Concluding remark

Group discussion
So far we have been discussing the following study skills and strategies
1.

Self-preparation

2.
3. 4. 5. 6.

Effective time management

Effective learning Effective note-taking Pre-requisite skills Effective use of textbook

7.
8. 9. 10. 11.

Effective on assignments
Effective problem solving techniques Effective examination preparation Effective use of lecturers Effective use of campus resources

Which of these strategies do you think are most important for success in engineering study? Rank your choices from 1 (most important) to 11 (least important). Which skills or strategies do you personally need to improve? Devise a plan for improving these skills.

Value Judgement
Positive feeling Positive thought Productive actions Negative feeling Negative thought Non-productive actions

The Student Success Model

Three steps to achieve changes 1. Knowledge know what to do 2. Commitment want to do 3. Implementation do it