Skitch, another app that lets users add signs, drawings, and other symbols to digital presentations, photos, and other media files.
Penultimate, an application that allows tablet users to write and draw on their touchscreen using a special pen-like device.
UberNote: This tool stores all course materials in a cloud-based location, making individual accounts accessible from any computer or web-supporting device. The user-friendly interface enables multi-page viewing, dragging/dropping, and other helpful functions.
Zoho Notebook: This free online service is available to anyone who creates an account. The site is geared toward teachers and professors, allowing them to create live pages (known as ‘Books') and upload content to students who have been invited to the Book. Zoho Notebook is also useful for creating small study groups.
Most educational experts agree flashcards are an effective way to memorize and retain key course information. While some students prefer traditional paper cards, the following sites provide great digital alternatives.
StudyBlue: These free flashcards are fully customizable; users may choose their cards from a vast assortments of templates, or create their own designs. The StudyBlue app also allows mobile access to flashcards via smartphone or tablet.
Specialized flashcard templates are available for certain academic subjects and exam prep
StudyBlue account-holders can access an expansive, user-generated content library located on the company's website.
Cram: More than 1.1 million users have obtained membership with this crowd-sourced flashcard site. Account-holders can create new flashcards by scratch or by importing content from their Google Drive database.
Cram offers three mobile apps: Cram, Flashcard Elite, and FlashCards++; app designers are encouraged to submit their own designs for the chance to be featured on the site.
Additional flashcards are available for law enforcement and military programs, common core testing, continuing education, and some non-academic formats.
Quizlet: This site features thousands of user-generated, flashcard-style quizzes that cover everything from medical terminology to foreign vocabulary. A variety of formats, including a formal test and games like ‘Space Race' and ‘Scatter,' make this a great tool for learners of all ages.
Specific flashcard sets are geared toward entrance exams like the SAT, LSAT, and GMAT, as well as high school-level AP courses and the GED exam.
Flashcards also cover different topics related to five professional fields (law, medicine, banking, accounting, and technology).
These sites feature simple interfaces that allow students to create study groups, upload shared content to one place, and conduct web-based group meetings. Online small groups are especially helpful for individuals who value the collaborative experience, but are not necessarily able to make the time commitment for real-world meet-ups.
Chegg: This crowdsourcing site allows users to submit questions and receive answers from other registered users. The site features a team of academic experts who address questions specific to their fields.
Open Study: This site specializes in large, virtual study groups; offerings on-site include a math group with more than 168,000 members, a physics group with more than 28,000 members, and a history group with more than 29,000 members. Visitors can also get live assistance from subject experts and chat with fellow students.
Open Study features its own points system that allows users to build a ‘SmartScore' and obtain site credentials attached to their usernames.
Users can submit subject-specific questions and receive feedback from fellow Open Study account-holders.
TAUxThe site boasts more than 1 million site members in 160 different countries.
In recent years, many online education providers have begun to offer open courseware: mini-classes pertaining to a specific subject free-of-charge. Although open courses don't award actual college credits, they are a great opportunity to explore concepts related to one's coursework and major. The following sites are considered some of the top open courseware providers:
Khan Academy: One of the original purveyors of open courseware, Khan Academy offers dozens of courses related to five core subjects: math, science, economics/finance, humanities, and computing. Additional offerings include courses for entrance exam prep and ‘partner content' from institutions like the Museum of Modern Art and Stanford School of Medicine.
The student pretest allows first-time visitors to gauge the areas where they could use the most supplemental assistance.
Open course enrollees can record and track their progress using the site's Learning Dashboard.
The site also allows educators to create course modules, and other adults to play the role of ‘Coach' for the students in their lives.
MIT OpenCourseWare: In 2005, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the OpenCourseware Consortium, one of the first major initiatives for OCW offerings on the Web. Today, the site offers dozens of courses in 39 different academic fields of study (from aeronautics to writing).
MIT OpenCourseWare: In 2005, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created the OpenCourseware Consortium, one of the first major initiatives for OCW offerings on the Web. Today, the site offers dozens of courses in 39 different academic fields of study (from aeronautics to writing).
Users can search courses by subject, academic department, or (if applicable) a corresponding MIT course number.
96% of the nearly 100,000 educators who visit the site each month claim MIT Open Courses improve on traditional offerings.
edX: Thirty-four higher-learning institutions ― including Harvard University, MIT, University of California-Berkeley, and the University of Chicago ― have contributed courses to this OCW database. At any given time, the site hosts more than 150 courses collectively instructed by more than 400 licensed college-level educators.
Courses cover 26 different academic subjects, most of which are concentrated in STEM-related fields.
Students may earn certificates of completion for all finished courses, or simply audit different classes.
Many of the courses feature interactive media, such as the 3D molecule builder.
The following sites feature materials for a wide range of different subjects. Additionally, they contain blogs, user-generated posts, games, and other content that can help make the studying process a little more entertaining and enjoyable.
CliffsNotes: Best known for their annotated guides to famous literary works (with a section dedicated to Shakespeare), CliffsNotes also features guides for math, science, foreign languages, and more. Each guide is accompanied a brief quiz and links to similar works/subjects.
SparkNotes: In addition to a comprehensive list of annotated guides to books and other popular course texts, the SparkNotes site features test prep resources, blog posts, a ‘No Fear' section for notoriously difficult texts, and a pop culture-driven section known as The MindHut.
All element definitions are linked to their corresponding Wikipedia pages.
The interactive diagrams allow users to toggle boiling/melting point, electronegativity, density, and other comparative aspects of different elements.
ChemnetBase: This database of reference materials includes guides to specific scientific topics, such as the ‘Combined Chemical Dictionary‘ and the ‘Dictionary of Drugs.' Subscriptions to the site are not free, but all new members receive a free thirty-day trial.
The site also includes a section dedicated to ‘Librarian Resources.'
‘Subject Collections‘ of e-books pertaining to 43 different professional fields are housed on individual pages.
A digital copy of the ‘CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics' is viewable in the read-only format, while hard copies are available for purchase on the site.
Chemtutor: Recognized by the National Science Foundation and SchoolZone, Chemtutor provides study guides related to 16 generalized chemistry subjects, including elements, kinetics, gases, and acids/bases.
All lesson plans are illustrated, and feature practice problem sets for new learners to complete.
The site features a search tool that allows visitors to browse different lesson plans for specific topics.
The site's link directory is powered by PSIGate, a search engine that exclusively yields pages related to the physical sciences.
PhysLink: This collection of learning tools related to physics and astronomy includes a directory of articles sorted by general topic, resources for educators, a job board for aspiring physicians and astronomers, and an online store.
The Physics and Astronomy Directory contains lists of university departments, student and professional associations, academic journals, and other resources pertaining to these two subjects.
Visitors can pose questions and receive feedback from experienced professionals, thanks to the ‘Ask the Experts‘ tool.
The ‘Fun‘ section features puzzles, cartoons, humorous articles, and other recreational materials.
Physics Help: Dr. Konstantin E. Nikitin maintains this compilation of study guides for different physics-related topics. Although the site is incomplete, Dr. Nikitin urges visitors to send him questions related to fields that do not have study guides at this time.
Each guide contains diagrams, tables, formulas, images, and other media to bolster the text.
Three appendices are available: Physics Constants, SI Units and Symbols Used, and Vectors.
MinutePhysics: Created and run by Henry Reich, this Youtube channel presents short videos geared towards educating viewers–students and non-students alike–on the wide range of physics topics.
They are presented in a style and language that simplifies complex topics without dumbing them down.
TAUxReview the following examples of test questions from a sociology class. The first question only requires that you recall a definition, which you can do well through rote memorization techniques, such as flash cards. The remaining questions require you to make connections or conclusions that may not have been directly presented by your professor or your text book.
To correctly answer test questions like those in the example, you must create study guides that will help you:
Condense course material into smaller amounts of information that are easier to remember.
Visualize, understand, and demonstrate relationships among concepts and ideas.
These study guides can be adapted based on your personal learning style and the information you need to organize. Experiment with these, as well as using other study guide formats that you have found to be effective. Remember, the purpose for study guides is to organize information so that you can demonstrate your knowledge at the critical thinking level your professor expects.
Many students benefit when information is presented visually. Concept maps and branching diagrams allow you to organize information spatially versus in a linear outline format. However, you still organize information from the general to the specific. You can then add details and examples that help you apply the information. Concept maps and branching diagrams are useful for classes in any subject area.
A comparison chart allows you to organize information visually so that you can see relationships among categories or characteristics. It is a very effective format when you need to be able to understand the differences or similarities among facts, theories, theorists, processes, etc.
A comparison chart allows you to organize information visually so that you can see relationships among categories or characteristics. It is a very effective format when you need to be able to understand the differences or similarities among facts, theories, theorists, processes, etc.
Concept cards are “flash cards on steroids”, and you create them using index cards that are 3x5 or larger. On the front of the card, you write the:
Organizing term or phrase (upper right-hand corner). This is the category or term that allows you to see how your key ideas or concepts are organized.
On the back of the card, you write what is most important to know and learn about the concept, in your own words. To ensure you do more than just memorize the information, include examples, summaries, and synthesis of main points as well as definitions. Include diagrams, time lines, or other visuals that will help you understand the information at the level your professor expects.
Diagrams allow you to visually represent dynamic information such as a process, procedure, stages, and steps. For example, in a geology class, you could create a diagram to describe how rock layers are formed. In a political science class, a diagram can help you understand and learn the process for how a bill is passed into law.
A time line allows you to organize information chronologically. You are able to review information that must be understood and remembered in sequence. Time lines would be effective for classes in which you are presented:
The purpose of study guides is to organize lecture notes and text book material so that you can increase your comprehension and memory of large amounts of information. Preparing study guides that are visual is even more effective, as the visual organization helps you see related concepts and make meaningful connections with the material, thus acquiring the higher levels of learning expected by many of your professors.
Preparing for tests often involves more than knowing facts, figures, formulas, and definitions. Many professors expect you to demonstrate critical thinking, which involves more than rote memorization. Therefore, you must organize and process course materials so that you can increase your comprehension and ability to think critically.
Review the following examples of test questions from a sociology class. The first question only requires that you recall a definition, which you can do well through rote memorization techniques, such as flash cards. The remaining questions require you to make connections or conclusions that may not have been directly presented by your professor or your text book.
A group of relatives by marriage constitutes a) a conjugal family b) an extended family c) a nuclear family d) none of the above
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