Marybeth Norcross

Reflect: How are you doing?

At this point, most students are about halfway to mid-term exams, making it a good time to look at how the semester is going. How is your academic performance? Have you set yourself up for success? What about your study skills and test scores? If you aren’t where you hoped to be, it’s probably a good idea to reflect on how well what you are doing is working for you.

Realistic Goals

Goals provide structure to your academic life. They help you focus on what’s important and ignore other distractions. Are you on track to meet your semester goals? If you are, then you probably don’t need to change anything. If not, then you will probably want to consider some changes.

Are your goals achievable? If not, you’ll need to revise them. If, on reflection, your goals are realistic, ask yourself if you you have planned adequately to achieve them. You may need to change some of your habits, like how you manage your time, or try sharpening your study skills. Often, our goals require us to change how we work to achieve them.

Maybe you haven’t consciously set goals for yourself. If that’s the case, I strongly encourage you to make the time to do so. Goal setting should be part of your academic preparation. Without specific and realistic goals, you will find yourself making random decisions you may regret. You can find more information about goals setting on our post, Setting Academic Goals.

Organization and Time Management

I know I’ve said this repeatedly, but the fact is that success at UAMS is dependent on organization and time management. It’s hard to keep up with multiple courses, projects, exams, and family, friends and, often, a job. Are you actively managing your time? Do you know where you are in every assignment? You may need to change the way you manage your time. Learn more by reading Time Management and Organize and Manage Your Time on this blog. You can also find resources to help you under the Time Management tab on our Learning Support page.

Study Skills

Successful students have good study skills. Even if you’ve never had to study much before, you will need strong study habits to meet the rigorous academic requirements at UAMS. Reflect on what you have been doing. Do you feel you are well prepared for your exams? Maybe it’s time to improve how you study and build your skills. You can read more in our posts Sharpen Your Study Skills and Step Up Your Study Skills. You can find more resources under the Study Skills tab on the Learning Support page.

Test-Taking

Test-taking skills begin before the test. In fact, the time to begin preparing for a test is the first day of class. Good test-takers use strategies before, during, and after a test. Reflect on your test performance. If it’s not what you hoped, consider the following.

Before the Test: One of the leading causes of low test scores and anxiety is poor preparation. Students often wait until the last minute to study, and then cram all night trying to catch up. They arrive at the test exhausted and overwhelmed. If they try to replace rest with caffeine they might begin to feel sick, which will make it even harder to perform well. Take a look at how you prepare, including your studying, note-taking, and time management. Making necessary changes will help you improve your academic performance.

During the Test: Even the best prepared students can make errors during the test. They may lose track of time, spend too long on one question, or second guess themselves and change answers that were correct. You may need to look at how you are taking your test, and correct some of your habits.

After the Test: What you do after the test is very important to your success. Good test-takers examine their test results to find the source of their errors. Were you missing the information? Maybe you left questions blank. Analyzing your errors can help you take steps to avoid making them on your next test.

There are more helpful resources under the Testing tab on the Learning Support page.

Make the time to reflect. How is your academic performance? Now is the time to change the things that aren’t working for you. Use our resources to help you improve your time management, study skills, and test taking skills. If you want more personalized help, complete and submit the Academic Coaching Request to make an appointment with a Learning Specialist to find the strategies that will work best for you.

Sleep for Success

Did you know that sleeping is important for academic success? Me either. It turns out that sleep is vital to forming long-term memory. Getting a good night’s sleep lets the brain move information from short-term to long-term memory. So, while you may think staying up late to cram is going to be helpful, you’re actually better off going to bed and getting up early to review.

The Benefits of a Good Night’s Sleep, from TED-Ed, explains how sleep “resets” the brain. The video also explains how our brains form and retain memories.

The benefits of a good night's sleep - Shai Marcu

Watch this video on YouTube

Think about it before you stay up all night cramming for an exam. Give your brain the sleep it needs to form the long-term memory you’ll need to be both academically and professionally successful.

To learn more about how learning takes place check out the resources under the Learning tab on the Learning Support page.

Organize and Manage Your Time

I talk a lot about organization and time management, but the fact is that success at UAMS is dependent on organization and time management. It’s hard to keep up with multiple courses, projects, exams, and family, friends and, often, a job.

Staying on top of your workload doesn’t need to be complicated. In fact, it usually centers on three parts; a calendar, a to-do list, and cloud storage. Some people like to use a paper, but more often, students prefer to use a smartphone and a couple of apps.

Keep a Calendar

Get a calendar. Use your calendar. It doesn’t matter if it is a traditional hard-copy notebook, or an online calendar you have on your phone or mobile device. Just make sure you have some place to keep track of your assignments, projects, tests, and deadlines for all your courses. Add your personal stuff too. The busier you get, the more you will appreciate how your calendar is helping you manage your time.

If you like hard copy calendars, then use them. The point is to find a calendar you will use. If you want to use your smartphone, either use the calendar on your phone or try Google Calendar. I like it because I can move easily from my phone, to my tablet, to my laptop, to my desktop. Most of the scheduling is done on my laptop or desktop, but I use my phone to stay up to date and to check for conflicts. As you see below, I really like Google.

Use a Task or To Do List

Using a task or to-do list helps you break down big projects into manageable chunks and work on them a little at a time so you aren’t overwhelmed when the deadline is upon you. Make a to-do list daily or weekly, and prioritize your tasks according to importance.

Keeping a to-do list is easy on paper. Just grab a note-pad and go. If you like more structure to your list, and if you like to look back over what you have accomplished, consider keeping a Bullet Journal. The Bullet Journal is a customizable and adaptable organization which involves a notebook and a pencil or pen. Learn more about it at bulletjournal.com.

With my mobile devices, I like to keep it simple, with two free apps. Any.do is a super-simple, easy to use, and you can create subtasks, move tasks between lists, and share tasks with others. Todoist is a more robust to-do app, which syncs across devices, and comes with a bunch of features in the free version. Both apps have iOS and Android versions.

Find Cloud Storage Platform

The advantage of having a copy of your files in a cloud storage system is that you can access them anywhere on any device. The three below offer storage and the ability to share and collaborate with others.

Google Drive is my personal favorite. They give you 15GB of free storage, the ability to work both on and offline, realtime editing and sharing, collaboration, and a host of great apps, like Docs, Slides, and Sheets.

Box gives you 10GB of storage, syncs across your devices, and allows you to share with others and edit documents. It connects to a lot of other apps you are already using, like Office 365 and Google Apps. It works well with Windows, Apple/Mac, iOS, and Android.

Dropbox gives you 2GB of free storage. You can’t do realtime editing with Dropbox, but your files sync across your devices so you can access them anywhere.

Whether you prefer analog with paper or choose to go digital, choose a system and stick with it. Organizing and managing your time will reduce your stress level and make your semester much smoother.

Step Up Your Study Skills

Good study skills are a requirement for student success. Even if you’ve never had to study much before, you will need strong study habits to meet the rigorous requirements at UAMS. Don’t wait until you are falling behind to step up your study skills. Take control and start now.

Step Up Your Preparation

Stepping up begins before a class session. Students with the best study skills prepare for their class meetings. Review your class syllabus and schedule so that you know what the instructor plans to cover during the class session. Before each class, skim materials like your textbook to get an overview of the content. Read the learning objectives, headings and subheadings, and pay attention to charts and graphs. You will be ready for the explanations, details, and facts from your instructor if you have a general idea of how the content is connected. Your notes from the class sessions will be more meaningful if you take the time to prepare.

Step Up your Participation

Stepping up your participation means you are completely engaged in your learning. Start with active listening. Don’t sit passively and let information drift over you. Take notes and ask questions. Use short phrases and abbreviations but be careful that what you write is meaningful, because you will need to understand it later when you review. If you ask a question, make sure you can restate the answer in your notes so that you fully understand it. If you took the time to preview the material for the class session, you will already understand the general outline and organization of the material which should make note-taking more efficient.

Step Up Your Review Process

Step up by including multiple opportunities for reviewing your notes and materials. Plan to review your notes within 24 hours of your class session. This will allow you to check that you understood the material presented, and that your notes are clear and complete. Mark anything in your notes that you don’t understand and then go back and find the information you missed.

Schedule study sessions on the days your classes don’t meet, and if possible, schedule some review time with other students in your classes. Review your notes, re-read portions of your textbooks, summarize information in your own words, and test yourself by creating practice questions. Explain the material to another student to check how well you understand what you learned.

Step Up Your Support

The Student Success Center’s website has resources to help you improve your study skills, including information on how you learn and retain information, reading strategies, study strategies, and test taking skills. For more information, visit the Learning Support page. If you want more personalized help, use the Academic Coaching Request to make an appointment with a Learning Specialist to find the strategies that will work best for you.

You need good study skills to be successful at UAMS. Stepping up your preparation, participation, and review process will help make the hours you spend studying more productive and increase your academic achievement.

Start Strong

School has now officially started and you are probably already busy with your classes. It is much easier to finish strong in your classes if you take the time to start strong, so take the time now to set yourself up for success.

Set Goals

If goal setting isn’t part of your academic preparation, it should be. Goals provide structure in your academic life. Setting and prioritizing goals helps you to focus on what is most important and ignore other distractions. Without specific and realistic goals, you’ll find yourself making random decisions you may regret. Start strong by setting realistic goals. You can find more information about setting your academic goals here.

Manage your Time

Success at UAMS is dependent on time management. You have multiple courses, projects, exams, study groups, and deadlines, and keeping up with them can seem like a part-time job. To help you manage it all, get a calendar and combine it with a To Do list. I prefer to use an online calendar and to-do app that will sync across all my devices, but if you prefer a hard-copy calendar and to-do list, that’s fine too.

As soon as you can, download the schedules for all your courses and put all your assignments, projects, tests, and deadlines for all your courses on your calendar. This will show you when you are going to be the busiest. Break down your big projects into manageable chunks and work on them a little at a time so you aren’t overwhelmed when the deadline is upon you. Keep tasks on a To Do list and check them off when complete. Having a good system for your calendar and tasks will keep you organized and make your academic life much easier. It is a good way to start strong for success.

You can find more information, tips and tools for effectively managing and organizing your time here.

Identify Help

At some point during your time at UAMS, you may need help. Become familiar with all the services that the Student Success Center has to offer. You might find yourself falling behind in your courses or struggling to pass a class. Don’t wait to seek help. Go get the support you need right away. Check out the Student Success Center on the 3rd floor of the library or browse through our website to discover all the ways we are here to help you achieve academic excellence.

Sun-Safe Summer Fun

There are many summer activities to enjoy on the beautiful rivers, lakes, trails, and mountains here in the Arkansas. However, with temperatures climbing up to triple digits, it’s wise to be sun-safe, and take a few precautions.

Heat-related illnesses can affect anyone, so it’s best to follow these tips to avoid dehydration, heat-stroke, and other heat-related illnesses.

Drink plenty of water or other non-alcoholic beverages. You want to try to get more fluid in than you are losing.
Wear lightweight, loose-fitting clothing that is light in color;
Reduce strenuous activities or do them during the cooler parts of the day, like before 10:00am or after 4:00pm.

Being sun-safe also means avoiding sunburn and limiting your exposure and protecting your skin. The sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause damage to the skin, eyes and immune system, and can also cause cancer.

Stay in the shade, especially during midday hours (10 a.m. to 4 p.m.), when UV rays are strongest and do the most damage.
Cover up with clothing to protect exposed skin. Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade the face, head, ears, and neck.
Wear sunglasses that provide UV protection.
Use sunscreen with sun protective factor (SPF) 15 or higher, and reapply it every two hours after being in the water or exercising and sweating.

UAMS has resources to help you beat the heat as you enjoy summer fun. Learn more about staying safe in the sun in Don’t Sizzle this Summer from Living Healthy at uamshealth.com. You will find more information about heat related illnesses from Here’s to Your Health. Stay sun-safe and enjoy yourself this summer.

Board Prep with BoardVitals

UAMS students preparing for USMLE, NCLEX, and NDBE exams have access to BoardVitals, a high-quality, effective, and powerful board prep tool available through the UAMS Library. Effective June 30th, the Library is adding new test banks, including PANCE, NAPLEX, Dental Hygiene, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, and Nursing exams, including Psychiatric-Mental Health NP, Critical Care Nursing, and FNP.

As a result, more UAMS students will have access to board review questions from leading medical publishers, research institutions, and clinicians. Users can identify their strengths and weaknesses and create customized practice tests. You get explanations with each answer and links to references and additional sources.

Learn more about Board Vitals on the UAMS Library website, or contact the Library reference department at 501-686-6734, or at https://uams.libwizard.com/f/question.

Conquer Compressed Courses

Taking a course during the summer is a good way to catch up on prerequisite classes or to move closer to completing your program. There are a number of advantages to summer courses. For example, they often have fewer students, meaning you have more opportunity to connect with your instructor and peers.

Compressed Courses

Summer courses are compressed. They don’t last as long as a full semester, so they may meet more often during the week or have longer class sessions. They tend to be more intense, in order to cover all the material they present in a full semester. This means that students have a heavier class workload over a shorter period of time. Maximizing your success in compressed courses requires a particular set of strategies. Here are four tips to help you successfully complete your compressed course work this summer.

Focus on the goal. Why are you taking a summer course? Is it is prerequisite that you need to complete for your degree? Are you trying to raise your GPA? Are you trying to finish your program early? Focusing on your goal will help you stay motivated and improve your success.
Manage your time carefully. Compressed courses offer unique time management challenges. Because the course length is shorter, you need to dedicate more time daily for class work and personal study. Create a realistic study schedule and stick to it. Consider minimizing other time commitments during the course. Compressed courses are shorter, so your intense study schedule won’t last forever.
Try to stay ahead of the deadlines. Compressed courses don’t allow time for procrastination. Try to complete assignments and projects early, so you don’t get caught when life gets crazy. Remember, the course will be over soon, so stay on task.
Connect with your peers in the course. Your classmates are in this with you! Form a study group and review the material together. You will learn from one another and get support in your study sessions. Online students can meet in groups too, using free tools like Stoodle or Google Hangouts.

There are a lot of advantages to taking compressed courses during the summer. Focusing your goals, managing your time, staying ahead of deadlines, and connecting with your peers will help you maximize your success in your compressed courses this summer.

Tech-Wise Test Preparation

Most of the programs at UAMS have at least one board/certification exam, and scheduling some group review time is an effective test preparation strategy. Trying to explain a concept to someone else tells you just how well you understand the material. However, some students attend their classes online, and aren’t able to come to campus to meet with their peers. Using a tool like Google Hangouts is a great way to meet online to answer questions and review content. You can share your screen in a video call, which makes group test preparation sessions much easier to facilitate.

Up to 9 people can join your Hangout, which will accommodate most study groups. But, what if you wanted to host a larger review session? Maybe you wanted to combine with several study groups for a comprehensive test preparation session, or to share information about the exam. Is there a tool that could broadcast your session and allow more people to participate?

Test Preparation for a Bigger Audience

I recently learned about live reviews for AP exams in US History, European History, and Government hosted by Keith Hughes and Tom Richey using Hangouts on Air. The two teachers broadcast their discussion of AP exam topics through their YouTube channel. Students from all over the country joined the hangout, submitting their questions through Twitter and Instagram. The teachers had their students monitor the Twitter and Snapchat feeds, identifying questions for the teachers to answer. In addition, they were able to guide students to their video resources for more information about topics they should review before the exam. Using a platform like Twitter or Instagram as a backchannel for questions, comments, and suggestions allows more people to participate directly.

Google provides plenty of resources to help you get started with your own Hangout on Air. You can get started with step-by-step instructions on Google Help or by visiting the Google Help YouTube channel.

Whether you are a distance student or just looking for alternative ways to host group study sessions, Hangouts on Air can offer you options for large group test preparation.

Reflecting on Reflection

I’ve been thinking about reflection a lot lately. Maybe because the school year is over and I’m wrapping up finished projects and starting new ones. Maybe it’s because as I’ve grown older, I’ve become more reflective. Mostly though, I think it’s because I believe that reflection is the key to growth, and I look for ways to improve. Taking time to reflect always results in making changes in how I do the things I do.

Uncomfortable Reflection

I don’t always enjoy reflection. I’m never a superstar when I look back over what I’ve done. Most of the time I see things I could or should have done differently. In hindsight, I could have accomplished more, had less stress, or drama, learned more, increased my efficiency, and been more organized. More personally, I could have been kinder, more helpful, more encouraging, and more patient. I could always have been more patient. So it’s not exactly fun.

Joyful Reflection

On the other hand, it’s not a total downer either. I get to see what I’ve accomplished, the goals I’ve achieved, and a whole bunch of new experiences and challenges I didn’t expect, but really enjoyed. Taking time to reflect helps me appreciate all the great people in my life; my family and old and new friends. We celebrated graduations, birthdays, new homes, and even qualifying for the Boston Marathon (my husband). Reflection brings gratitude because I am so lucky to get to celebrate with the people in my life.

Balanced Reflection

I think the key to growing through reflection is to find the balance between celebrating success and taking steps to improve. When I look at things reflected in water, it’s never a clear or perfect picture. Shapes are exaggerated and lines are blurred. What you see are fuzzy images rather than crisp detail, because we reflect through a filter of our own feelings and thoughts. Knowing this, I focus on learning from my reflections, changing the things I can change, and enjoying the celebrations. Doing this helps me grow both professionally and personally, and makes the reflective process both useful and satisfying.