Study Guides:These
study
guides provide basic outlines of the material covered in the course. The
guides have different sections ranging from study questions and/or
chapter review questions. If you are able to answer these
questions you have a good grasp of the material. Links and recommended
readings are available to further enhance your study of zoology. [Advice
on
how to study zoology].
You will need Acrobat
Reader to be able to access some of the files
“One Learns to Be a Student by
Being a Student”
“What should I study”? “What should I know”? These are two common
questions that originate from students taking Biology 41. Each lecture
is accompanied by a study guide with questions directly related to the
lecture material. The study guides often contain supplementary
material as well as links to different web sites or multimedia that
will enhance your learning experience. The publisher of the text book
has also developed an excellent web site
that will aid you throughout the semester.
One
of the skills that one should learn during the first two years in
college is to distinguish between information that is important and
information that is less important. After all, one cannot learn
everything, so study sessions tend to be prioritized according to what
one expects to find on the upcoming exams. Unfortunately, testing as
the means of evaluating students has led to such consequences.
However, one should try to study for life and not the short-term
benefit of a good grade on the latest test.
Almost every student that put in enough time (see below) into the
class will pass it. Feel free to read these comments by previous
students.The earned grades correspond directly with the level of
effort put into the class. It is also very important that you
demonstrate your knowledge on the exams as well as the projects
throughout the semester.
Study Techniques and Preparation:
Motivation:
The most important aspect of being successful in a discipline is to
allow oneself to be immersed in it. I.e. to be independently
motivated to expose oneself to the material on a continuous basis
throughout the semester versus the oscillating study tactics we tend
to gravitate towards (e.g. cram for one class and the cram for
another). Reading, writing, studying, listening, talking and seeing
are all different aspects of learning that you should attempt to
employ during your college years. Beyond motivation all the other
tools are more of a practical nature.
Put in the time
(as related to the grade you are trying to earn). An 'A' letter
grade calls for about 12 hours of focused work and studying outside
of class per week (a 'B' about 9 hours and a 'C' about 6 hours per
week). These hours are an approximation that will depend on your
current study skills. In addition, make sure to keep up with the
material as well as the different assignments each week. You really
need to put in those hours to earn the grades you wish to get in
this course.
Class Time:
The class runs between 9:20am-1:55pm two days a week.
Pace your
studying.
It has been shown that paced learning is much more powerful in terms
of recalling information, as well as long-term memory, compared to
bursts of cramming the material.
Health:
Take care of yourself throughout the semester (eat right, sleep, and
exercise). Have a good and solid meal before coming to class.
Come to all
lectures, labs and field trips
(never skip class or schedule appointments during class
time). Missing a day of this class is like not reading a chapter in
a book, i.e. you are going to miss a large portion of the material
as well as laboratory experience. Don't do it!
Use all of the
time in the laboratory to work with the material. Work
on your journal in the lab. It is typically detrimental to try
to leave the lab early. There is a direct correlation between
students who do well in class with the time they put into the
material.
Read any
assigned chapters in the texts. It is very important that you use
your text as a learning tool. Read it carefully and then re-read it.
It is crucial that you spend time with your text as a
resource to learn the material. You will assimilate a large amount
of your knowledge of biology from your text (but only if you put in
the time). This may be a shift from your previous strategies if you
come directly from high school. It is not always easy to understand
more complex material but persistence pays off. Write down questions
about unclear passages in the text. It will be very difficult to get
a good grade in this class without spending much time with your text
(at least 6-8 hours per week) [reading
skills]. See the first section as well in regards to the
necessary time needed for this class.
Re-read your
notes/handouts and expand on any section that seems
relevant.
Focus on the
material emphasized in class.
At this time it can be
helpful to write your own summaries (the journal is a
good place for these) as well as to put together possible test
questions that seem appropriate for the material.
Allocate two hours of
journal writing for each lab outside of class. Make sure to complete
each section on a continuous basis. Do not fall behind.
Record all organisms
seen in labs or field trips. Review pictures/ field guides so you
will recognize these species from slides during the visual tests.
Come to office
hours and/or ask questions in/after class to fill in
gaps in your notes (clarify readings).
Get together with
one or two other students from the class to review and
learn the material (ideas
about forming study groups). This is a very powerful method to
learn the material. It is recommended that the members of the group
already have approached the material (and tried to master it) before
the group meets.
Repeat each week.
Review all your
notes four to five days before the test.
Review all of
your notes, handouts and summaries the day before the test.
Relax and get some good
sleep the night before the exam. Have a solid meal before
coming to the exams.
