JumpStart Your Learning Tutorial: Summary

Metacognition, or learning how to learn, is an important skill to develop at university. Being reflective and self-aware about the learning strategies that work best for you will help you

• plan your study time better,
• monitor your current learning strategies for personal effectiveness and
• evaluate the results of your learning so you can make the adjustments necessary to be successful.

Remember to

• read the syllabus so you know what to expect,
• familiarize yourself with the grade ranges and grading criteria so you are aware of how you will be assessed,
• complete a study skills inventory to assess whether your learning strategies are effective, and
• use a calendar to record the amount of time it will take to prepare and study for each of the courses you are enrolled in.

Most importantly, reflect, reflect, reflect. Reflect not only on whether you are meeting the learning outcomes of each course but whether you are purposefully engaged in each step of the study cycle. Keep making adjustments until you find the rhythm that works for you.

Bloom's Taxonomy Revisited

Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning was used in the first module to illustrate how learning in university can differ from learning in high school but more importantly, how your learning in university will be assessed. Having agency or becoming an active learner means practicing your independent help-seeking skills while strategically or purposefully working your way through each stage of Bloom's Taxonomy. When studying, try to move beyond memorizing basic facts and details, and spend as much time as possible making connections by applying and analyzing the material more deeply. In university, you will have the freedom and autonomy to make many decisions for yourself. Exercise your agency, be metacognitive and never stop striving to be the very best academic scholar you can be.

Source: Bloom's Taxonomy by Rawia Inaim in Learning to Learn Online is licensed under a CC BY-SA (Attribution ShareAlike) license