Learning Strategist Consultations
Book an individual Consultation with a Learning Strategist. Learning Strategists work with you to create personalized study strategies for reading, learning from lectures, managing time, preparing for exams -- and more! See the Learning Aids below for topics you can discuss with a Learning Strategist. Book a face to face appointment, or connect online.
Learning Aids
A learning aid is something intended to enhance learning and retention by the learner. They may include, but are not limited to: written materials, visualizations, charts, diagrams, processes, strategies, or any other appropriate item.
The following materials will assist you in your acquisition of processes and strategies that aid in deep learning, retention, and transfer of content materials from courses and programs into your future endeavors.
Courses
| Decipher your syllabus / Reading course presentations. | Finding University Services - How to locate essential university serves at KPU. |
| Course Support - All the various supports that you can access at the Learning Centres. | Understanding your GPA - GPA - What does it mean and how can I keep it high? |
Reading
| Reading Effectively (SQ3R Method) - Get the best information from your textbooks | Reading Academic Journals - Read journal articles strategically to find the information you need |
| Three Column Note Taking - Use this method to improve your understanding of course materials and put ideas into your own words. | Get Started with Digital Texts - Develop a strategy for reading and taking notes from digital texts |
Managing Time
| Budgeting Time and Attention - Spend your time wisely. | Semester Scheduling.pdf - Look at the big picture of your semester. |
| Weekly Schedule- Schedule your week for efficiency. | Scheduling Your Day with a To Do List - Make and prioritize lists to get things done. |
| Schedule with your Smartphone - Put your schedule in your smartphone. | Set SMART Goals - Make goals that motivate you. |
Study Skills
| Study Smart - Many ways to massage your study habits. | Active Learning - Take charge of your learning to make efficient use of your classes. |
| Study Strategy Check - How are you doing right now? | Note Taking and Study System (Cornell)- Take and utilize the best notes possible. |
| Why Take Notes - Find out how taking good notes supports your learning | Four Key Questions for Learning Success - Plan, monitor, and evaluate your study strategies to meet course objectives. |
| Analyze Assignments - Discover strategies and steps to achieve assignment success | Get It Done - Tackle your assignment and projects systematically |
| No Procrastination - Think, Say, and Do to beat procrastination. | Three Phases of Learning - Take control of your learning to become more efficient and effective. |
| Math Success - Ways to study math successfully. | Learning with Your Multiple Intelligences - Eight ways to be and get smart. |
| Effective Studying for Learning - Improve your learning and your grades. | Learning Skills Development Plan- Create a plan to develop a specific learning or professional skill. |
| Use Your Accounting Textbook - Create a weekly plan for studying Accounting using your course materials. |
Thinking & Memory
| How Learning Works - Want to improve your learning? Here are the basic principles. | Learning Approaches - Use both Surface and Deep approaches to take control of your learning. |
| - What is it? How is it done? Ways to do more! | Case Studies - Analyze Case Studies like a pro. |
| Mastering Your Memory - Boost your memory and recall. | Ambiguity Tolerance - Practice skills to help you thrive in ambiguous situations. |
| Flash Cards - Drill your memory to learn new terms, concepts, and language. | Using Spaced Repetitions - Practice efficient learning techniques using your smartphone. |
Questioning
| Bloom's Levels and Questioning - Use your cognitive levels of learning. | Learning Through Critical Questioning - Deep questions to aid your learning. |
| Four Levels of Questioning for Learning - Use questioning for your learning. | Critical Thinking Through Deep Questioning - Learn at a deeper level using critical thinking. |
Communication and Working in Teams
| Active Listening - Ways to get the most from lectures and conversations. | Cross Cultural Communication - Communicate effectively in cross-cultural situations. |
| Getting the Best out of Group Projects - Be the best team possible. | Conflict Management - Manage potential and real conflict in group situations. |
| Presentation Plan - Plan your next presentation for maximum impact. | Connecting with Your Instructors - Communicate effectively with instructors in person and online. |
| Speaking with Confidence - Develop your speaking voice for positive and effective presentations. | Tuckman's Team Development Model- Action steps to move you through Tuckman's four stages of team development. |
| Develop Your English Vocabulary - Create a plan for learning and remembering important words. |
Writing Basics
| Essay Writing: Preparing an Outline - What every essay needs. | Essay Outline Template - A structure to help you start writing a complex essay. |
| Writing a Strong Thesis Statement - Consider the elements of a strong thesis statement. | Thesis Statement Design - Template for creating a basic thesis statement. |
| Academic Paraphrasing and Summarizing - Paraphrasing/Summarizing for essays. | Reflective Writing - Develop a reflective writing practice that supports you in preparing journals, ePortfolios, and reflective essays. |
| Literature Reviews - Include all the elements of a good literature review. | Academic Critiquing - Take a scholarly approach to article and paper analysis. |
| Self-Edit Your Grammar: Execute a Plan to Improve Your Grammar. | Self Editing in Five Steps - Learn the basic skills of self-editing. |
| Develop Strong Body Paragraphs - Use the PIE Method to structure an effective paragraph. | Terms in Essays ( and Examinations) - Define what the Instructor asks for in essays. |
| Write the Abstract - Create a concise abstract for your academic paper. | Restructuring Sentences - Use the paramedic method to restructure and improve sentences. |
| Writing Lab Reports - Apply the key elements of Lab Reports to your writing. | Write Effectively in Biology - Analyze and respond to questions in biology. |
| Using Error Logs- Error Logs will help you to correct your common errors. | Use Dictionaries - There are many types of dictionaries, find out which ones you need and how you can use them. |
| Write an Executive Summary - Create and format the executive summary of your report | APA Citation Aid - Infographic that makes the major citation decisions easy. |
| Subject-Verb Agreement - Find and fix subject-verb agreement errors. | Writing an Outline: Hourglass Structure - Use a visual model to shape the structure of your essay. |
| Sample MLA Paper -Use this template to determine the correct format for a paper that requires MLA. | |
| Virtual Writing Centre - This site is developed by the Kwantlen Polytechnic University English Department. The pages here offer numerous guides to help you with nagging grammar and style issues, self-directed exercises to practice, detailed information for writing about literature, various guides to citation formats, and helpful links to find more information on any of these topics. | |
| KPU Library Citation and Plagiarism Guides - This page provides detailed guides to common citation formats, including APA, MLA, and Chicago style. | English as a Second Language - This page provides links to a variety of topics including vocabulary, pronunciation, listening, reading, grammar, and writing. |
Reflection
| Learning Flow - Get In the Zone for Learning. | Independent Learning - Move from being a dependent to an independent learner. |
| Personal Journalling - Reasons and ideas for personal journals. | Concept Mapping - Map out ideas to understand relationships. |
| Mind Mapping - Identify what you know and don't know about your topic. | Evaluate Your Learning - Use feedback to plan the next steps in your learning. |
| Create Your Portfolio in PebblePad - Step by step guide to create a Portfolio | Using Your Stengths - Identifying and working to use your strengths for better learning. |
| Using PDFs in your PebblePad PortfolioStep by step using PDF's in your PebblePad Portfolio | Using Pebble Pocket - Learn how to use PebblePocket |
Tests and Exams
| General Test-Taking Strategies - Write the best exam possible. | Multiple Choice Testing - Tips for answering Multiple Choice questions |
| Study to Answer Exam Questions - Plan a process to complete exams effectively and efficiently. | Plan to Answer Your Exam Questions - Plan a process to complete exams effectively and efficiently. |
| Study for Problem-Based Exams with Interleaving - Organize problem-solving study for better results | Prepare for Open Book Exams - Know what to expect and how to prepare for open book tests |
Contact a Learning Strategist in any of the KPU Learning Centres for personal support and more ways to promote your academic success.
Learning Aids by https://kpu.ca/learningcentres is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.