Student Guidance

Effective learning doesn't just depend on what the instructor does -- what students do, and what they believe about how to learn, are critical components to success. These documents are aimed at students to help them get the most out of their college experience.

How to Succeed in College: Learn How to Learn

Robert A. Bjork, American Psychological Society, 14 (3), (March 2001).
This paper provides guidance to students on how to learn most effectively, based on all the research that has been done on learning and retention of learning. The author is one of the leading experts in that area of research.

by Professor Stephen L. Chew, a cognitive psychologist at Samford University
This is a very good resource for undergraduate students that discusses common misconceptions about learning and how to study effectively. This is a series of 5 videos, each about 7 minutes.

by Professor Stephen L. Chew, a cognitive psychologist at Samford University, Association for Psychological Science April 2010 (V. 23, No. 4, item 14) 
A nice short article that discusses many of the points made in his video series How to Get the Most Out of Studying(above).

  • Succeeding at Learning 101
    Practical advice for learning more in university courses. A list of practices suggested for university students from faculty observation and from research on student learning (developed by the CWSEI).
  • Advice from Senior Undergraduates for First-Year Students Pursuing Science Degrees at UBC
    A 2-page summary by Ashley Welsh of responses that senior UBC undergraduate science students gave when she asked them to provide advice for incoming students regarding how to be successful in the sciences.
  • Considering the Student Perspective: Factors that Undergraduates Perceive as Influential to their Academic Performance in Science
    A 2-page summary based on research conducted by Ashley Welsh for her Master's Thesis (includes recommendations for students).
  • A Research Approach to Learning 
    Jackie Stewart's keynote presentation at the UBC Get Learn'd Conference on January 26, 2008.

The Expert Mind 

Philip E. Ross, Scientific American, V. 295, Issue 2, pp. 64-71 (August 2006).
This article discusses research on how individuals become experts within their respective fields through the examination of chess masters and their mental processes. "The preponderance of psychological evidence indicates that experts are made, not born."

By Geoffrey Colvin, Fortune Magazine, October 19 2006.
Similar to The Expert Mind, but with business and sports examples. "The good news is that your lack of a natural gift is irrelevant - talent has little or nothing to do with greatness. You can make yourself into any number of things, and you can even make yourself great."