In this guide, you can review tips for:

1. Setting a schedule
2. Avoiding multitasking
3. Trading old strategies for new ones
4. Working with a group or project team
5. Available resources 

1. Setting a schedule

Setting a schedule for yourself can help provide structure and keep you motivated. If you don’t already keep a weekly or daily calendar, try doing it. Include time for exercise and self-care.

Use The Study Cycle model. You can adapt it easily to your online learning. Remember to break up your learning activity into hour-long chunks for which you set specific goals. This will help you avoid online fatigue.

Use your UP Outlook account or whichever email platform you use to create your weekly schedule and to schedule your exams.

Some of you have been using the Time Budget Sheet from the Shepard Academic Resource Center; keep using it as you organize your new online learning schedule.

2. Avoiding multitasking

If you do more work on your own and your time is less structured, you might be more tempted to multitask. Research shows that few people can succeed at doing multiple things at once or can switch between tasks quickly.

Some downsides to multitasking:

Assignments take longer.

Each time you return to an assignment (from Instagram, for example) you have to get familiar with it, find your spot, remember what you were going to do next, etc.

You are more likely to make mistakes. Distractions and switching between tasks tire out the brain.

You will remember less. When your brain is divided, you are less able to commit what you are learning to long-term memory.

Try this instead:

• Focus on one thing at a time.
• Take breaks between tasks.
• Consider working on a task for 25-minutes, then rewarding yourself with a 5-minute break. Research suggests this pattern helps achieve better concentration and alleviates “cognitive boredom” in most people.
• Use the Study Cycle.

3. Trading old strategies for new ones

You may be forced to adjust your routines in the early weeks of the semester. Look for ways to adapt your usual habits or to form new ones.

For example:

Ask yourself what kind of environment helps you study. Consider how you can recreate this at home. Maybe you need to study in a chair, rather than on your bed or couch. Maybe you need to move to a new spot when you change tasks. Do you need background noise? How about a white noise app?

If you always study in groups, try a virtual or phone-based study session with your group. Zoom and Microsoft Teams are great tools for study groups. If you instructor has a Teams page set up, you can ask if it’s possible to set up virtual study spaces on that Teams page. Also consider creating groups in Discord.
 
If you thrive on tight timelines, but now have a more open schedule, think about how working with others or setting up a schedule can recreate that for you. When following that becomes difficult, see if you can do even just fifteen minutes of coursework at a time. 

4. Working with a study group or project team

Remote collaboration is definitely possible. Here are some ideas:

Try not to procrastinate. That group project may be out-of-sight, out-of-mind if you aren't seeing your group members regularly.

Resist the urge to put the project off.  Make small progress regularly on the project and stay in touch.

Meet regularly, especially if you usually communicate during class or lab.

Consider a quick text on your group chat about progress every few days.

Ideally, have real conversations over video any week you’re working together.Remember to use our Group Work Lab on MS Teams. You can make an appointment with the Group Work Lab.

Set a goal for meetings and use a shared notes document, like in OneDrive or Google Drive.

Try to establish the purpose of your meeting in advance.

Take notes in a shared document so you can all contribute and follow along.

You can also record meetings in Zoom or MS Teams.

Meet with your cameras on when you can. As long as you can see whatever you need to collaborate, aim to keep the video visible on your computer screen. Doing that will help you see the expressions of your teammates and stay connected to each other.

Check on each other and ask for backup: if someone has been absent from your group meetings or chat, ask them directly if they’re still able to participate in the project.

If you aren't getting responses within a day or two, let your instructor know – this isn’t being petty, it is your team’s responsibility. 

Check our study group tips for more ideas.

The Shepard Academic Resource Center staff are here to support you.

Tutors are available in-person and online through The Learning Commons

Accessible Education Services is available to assist with accommodations.

This document was modified from a document of the University of Michigan (https://ai.umich.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/student-disruption.pdf). The modified document was produced by Maine Maritime Academy’s Center for Student Success, in accord with CC 4.0 copyright provisions. Thank you to our colleagues for making this available to students and learning assistance professionals in this time of need. We greatly appreciate their solidarity.

Use your Peer Power! You can create study groups, and the Learning Commons is here to help you succeed in connecting with your peers because we can study collaboratively and together.

Use this guide to support the creation of your study groups for some or all your courses this semester.

Why form an online or in-person Study Group?

Study groups provide connection. They also give you ample opportunity to practice and apply concepts you’re learning in class and to build communication and collaboration skills that are important in college and in your careers. They help you build routines and habits of thinking together. Additionally, you can use study groups to preview for a class, process concepts and problems after a class, and develop questions for class sessions or faculty office hours.

How can I get my Study Group up and running?

There are two parts to the answer to this question. First, you need to get a group of peers from your class on board with you. This may involve reaching out individually or asking the professor if you can announce in a session that you want to create a study group.

Once you have your group, you need to figure out your platform. As UP students, your groups members have Microsoft Teams and Zoom accounts. Teams allows for storing files and easy messaging with each other between your study group sessions. Zoom offers nice breakout group and annotation tools. You can also explore other platforms such as Discord.

How big should my Study Groups be?

Keep it manageable. A group size of four, five, or six allows for doing some breakout group work. Groups that are too small can become stale fast, and groups that are too big can begin to feel anonymizing.

How often will we meet?

That’s up to you and your peers. Once a week might be enough, but when you have tests coming up, you may want to meet more.

How can I ensure our Study Group works for all members?

Success for all requires planning. We suggest that your first meeting be about process. Together you can discuss and document your answers to questions such as:

• What goals do we have as a study group?
• When and how frequently will we meet?
• How long will our study group sessions be?
• How will we stay in contact with each other?
• What platform will we use? Teams? Zoom?
• What are our norms and expectations? (See below)
• How should everyone prepare for our study group sessions?
• How will we go about deciding what to do in our study group sessions?

What can I do to support everyone’s learning in my Study Group?

Plan. Without a plan, groups will falter. Start sessions by planning backwards:

• What do we want to come away with at the end our study group today? (For example, “We will be able to summarize the reading and develop a list of questions for our next class.”)
• How will we know we’ve reach are goals? (“We discuss the strengths and weaknesses of our summary and questions.”)
• What activities can we do to reach our goals? (“We divide the reading into parts and summarize. We work in breakout rooms then come together. We relate this text to other material in the class. We brainstorm questions directly related to the text that we genuinely can’t answer.”)
• In general, engaging in collaborative work will help you and your peers the most. Elaborating on what you are doing or reading is important and can be done well in small groups or pairs first and then in the whole group.

Use the technology to your advantage. For example, divide up in breakout groups instead of doing everything the whole time in one large group. Use whiteboards, Google Docs, Google Jamboard, Zoom or Teams polls, Zoom annotations, etc. 

What are some norms for Study Groups?

Examples include the expectations that members show up on time, take turns, inclusive, actively participate, ask questions, and so on. The norms conversation should happen in your first meeting. Try inviting one of our Group Work Co-Pilots to help your groups strengths and values.

Can we invite Co-Pilots to help us in our Study Group?

YES! Our tutors and writing assistants can support your study group by facilitating discussions and sharing their knowledge on using technology platforms that they are familiar with. Remember that our tutors work in the areas of math, sciences, languages, nursing, econ and business, and speech and presentation.

Co-Pilots use an online scheduling program to schedule tutoring services.

Click on the link below to schedule an appointment with a Co-Pilot.

Co-Pilot Appointments

Still need help creating a group?

Contact us at learning@up.edu with the subject line "Need help creating a study group".

Step One: Preview Before Class

Skim the chapter. Note headings and boldface words. Review summaries and chapter objectives. Come up with questions you’d like the lecture to answer for you.

Step Two: Attend Class

Ask your questions and take meaningful, thorough notes. Engage in the lecture.

Step Three: Review After Class

As soon after class as possible, read notes, fill in gaps in your notes, and add any questions you have.

Step Four: Study the Material

Repetition is key. Ask questions such as “why”, “how”, and “what if.” Use Intentional Study Sessions (see below). Do three to five short study sessions a day. Use weekends to review. Read notes and material from the week to make connections to previous weeks’ material.

Step Five: Assess Your Learning

Periodically perform reality checks. “Am I using study methods that are effective? Do I understand the material enough to teach it to others?” 

How to do Intentional Study Sessions

You can get a lot done in sixty minutes or so.

First: Set a Goal (1-2 minutes)

Decide what you want to accomplish during this intentional study session.

Second: Study with Focus (30-50 minutes)

Interact with the material:

• Preview it
• Ask questions
• Define terms, create examples, list characteristics of each term, and connect terms together
• Make concept maps
• Summarize, process
• Connect material to earlier readings and lectures
• Predict how it may fit in with future class sessions
• Re-read, fill-in notes, and reflect.

Third: Reward Yourself (10-15 minutes)

Take a break. Call a friend. Get a snack. Take a short walk.

Finally: Review (5-10 minutes)

Go over what you just studied and learned. Write down any questions.

(Adapted from The Study Cycle by Frank Christ (LSU): LSU Center for Academic Success.)

This section of the Learning Commons Resource Library provides several helpful tips on how to approach note-taking in your college-level courses. It also provides students with examples of popular note-taking methods that have shown to be effective in aiding students' comprehension of material.