Pathways To Academic Recovery: Empowering Students On Probation

Taking tests typically strikes fear, anxiety, and sometimes panic in the hearts of many students. During this session, the presenter will discuss strategies that give students the best chance of alleviating fear and passing those exams. This workshop will explain the difference between studying and learning, demonstrate a 5 step exam preparation process, and provide specific strategies for multiple-choice, essay, and final exams. Students will leave with specific test-taking strategies, which can be applied immediately in order to succeed during their next exam.

• Differences between studying and learning
  
• A five-phase test preparation strategy called The Study Cycle
  
• How to use campus resources such as the tutoring center, study groups, supplemental; instruction, etc.
  
• What to do once you’re actually taking the test
  
• Specific test-taking strategies for multiple-choice, essay, and final exams

Failure is often something that college students try to avoid, but it can be a transformative learning experience if students take a moment to reflect on how they got there and what they can do differently. This workshop provides an overview of what failure is and what it isn’t and emphasizes the importance of discussing failure as a part of underscoring it as a common experience. The workshop then presents common academic failures. Finally, the workshop describes how to reflect on failures to determine what happened, what needs to be changed, and what help may be needed.

• What failure is and what it isn’t
  
• Why it is important to talk about failure
  
• Common academic failures
  
• How to reflect on failure to determine what needs to be changed
  
• When to reach out for help to manage failure

Excelling in college courses usually requires a different kind of studying than students did in high school. In order to excel, it’s critical for students to understand the difference between studying and learning. One of the best ways to make sure that students are learning, and not just studying, is to introduce the concept of metacognition. This workshop walks students through the basics of metacognition. Using language that students will understand, the expert presenter explains how this concept can be integrated into study strategies and ultimately how it can help students move up Bloom’s Taxonomy from lower-level to higher-level learning.

• The difference between studying and learning
  
• The basics of metacognition
  
• How to use metacognition when studying
  
• The study cycle learning strategy
  
• How this study cycle can help you move to higher learning levels

Research suggests that students who build strong relationships with their professors and utilize campus resources report a more satisfying college experience and are more likely to succeed academically (Light, 2001). This interactive workshop will challenge you to think about the relationship with your institution as a friendship. Like the beginning of most new friendships, you are likely facing some unknowns; however, you do not have to face these uncertainties alone. “Making friends” with campus resources, departments, professors, and programs that support students inside and outside the classroom will help you take charge of academic uncertainties and the feelings that go along with them. This workshop will help you cultivate and strengthen your relationship with your professors and your institution, and confront those academic uncertainties.

• Discover your role in the learning process
  
• Understand how to clarify professor expectations
  
• Identify your responsibilities as a member of the campus community
  
• Clarify the role you play in the learning process
  
• Understand the ways in which to establish an effective relationship with your institution
  
• Identify attitudes and habits that contribute to academic success and achievement

Inextricably linked to time management and academic goal setting are the concepts of motivation and procrastination. Students may be able to motivate themselves to the point where they’ve planned how they’ll use their time, and they’ve even clearly set the academic goals they’d like to achieve, yet many just don’t follow through and use their schedules, even though they made them. They just can’t seem to get motivated. Why is this? What is motivation exactly? How does procrastination affect motivation? In this session, you will learn strategies to combat procrastination and ways to get motivated to reach your goals and achieve academically.

• What thoughts, feelings, and attitudes fuel procrastination behavior
• The consequences of procrastination
• How to gain control over procrastination
• To identify replacement activities
• Anti-procrastination behaviors and habits
• Solutions for combating procrastination

Students aren’t born knowing how to set effective goals, but it is a skill that can be taught. Goal-setting is an important behavior management skill that can support students to sustain motivation and achieve success. According to research in business and general psychology, goal-setting works to help individuals focus efforts, stay motivated, and prolong persistence (Weinberg and Gould, 2010). This interactive workshop is designed to help students understand the goal-setting process and implement it as a tool to reach their potential and achieve their educational goals.

• Learn the importance of goal-setting
• Understand the definition of goals
• Explore different types of goals
• Be able to articulate SMART goals (Smith, H.W., 1994)
• Develop an awareness regarding roadblocks and obstacles to effective goal setting
• Learn how to stay focused on achieving goals

Do you think you’re ready for your first college exam, test, or quiz? This interactive session will provide you with proven reading, studying, and note-taking strategies for optimal performance in lectures and on exams. Facing the testing situation in college is inevitable. This workshop will show you a comprehensive system of reading, studying, and note-taking for demonstrating mastery of course material and showcasing to your professors what you have learned.

• Consider the ways in which your learning style influences how you study
• Take effective notes in college
• Reconcile class notes with out-of-class notes on your readings
• Self-evaluate level of preparedness for exams
• Apply higher-order thinking strategies to study methods
• Improve performance on multiple-choice exams

The various aspects of college life place many demands on your time. Psychologists have studied time management practices extensively and have concluded that effective time management practices have a significant influence on college achievement. Consider that academic achievement takes time and you have to complete a large number of tasks in a short period. You may feel overwhelmed and stressed, thus leading you to consider how you might manage your time more effectively. This workshop will help you do just that: manage your time and behavior so that you can achieve academically and still have some room for fun.

• Strategies to self-regulate learning
• The 8-8-8 Formula for effective time management
• To plan for both long and short-term goals
• How to follow a three-tier time management system for college students: creating a semester schedule, designing a weekly schedule, and making a daily schedule
• Tips for following through with the time management plan