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Welcome to the Student Study & Learning Resources Guide

Huron Library has pulled together various study and learning strategies to help our students with their coursework and exam prep. Please keep an eye on this page as we will be updating it with new info periodically as new strategies and tools become available.

General Tips and Tricks

It is very important that you focus on recognizing strategies and learning skills that will help your individual needs best. Everyone learns differently and at different paces and it is important you recognize your own needs and focus on strategies and resources that fit your learning styles.

Remember, always work SMART. Use the below strategy to set concrete goals and micro-goals to avoid feeling overwhelmed or behind on your tasks:

  • Specific – What exactly are you going to accomplish?
  • Measurable – How will you know when you’ve reached your goal?
  • Achievable – Outline exact stages of progress and steps you will take to reach your goal.
  • Realistic – In the time given, can you actually reach your goal?
  • Timely – When do you want to achieve your goal?

Time Management

It is always best to organize your tasks and set deadlines for yourself during the semester and when preparing for exams. Remember to be realistic in what you can achieve and plan your time accordingly. Organizing your readings, assignments, and general to-dos into various lists and then organizing them into your daily and weekly schedule can be of major help.

Try creating the following and working them into your schedule:

  • Daily and weekly to-do lists
  • Assignment and tests list with appropriate dates
  • Reading list

There are quite a few great tools to help you with creating these lists and keeping on-top of them. Here is a brief list of different time management tools and some of their standout features you can use:

Microsoft Outlook
Make sure to use the calendar feature to set yourself reminders
Colour code all your various to-dos (as appointments) so you can view what type of task it is at a glance
Phone app available

Microsoft OneNote
You can easily create rows and columns by hitting the “tab” button on your keyboard
Checklists! You can add “to-do” tags to any list that you can check off as you complete the various tasks you’ve entered
Completely searchable, with the ability to organize tabs and pages
Phone app available

Microsoft Excel
Easy to create templates for lists that you can work from
Each file can contain multiple tabs, so that you don’t have to use multiple files for your lists

Apple Notes
Works similarly to Microsoft OneNote but on Apple products
Phone app available

Todoist
This is an app that lets your organize your daily and weekly to-dos
Checklists
Phone App available

Remember the Milk
Another app similar to Todoist with similar features

My Study Life
This is an app that lets your organize your daily and weekly to-dos
Organize your assignments, lectures, and exams with set reminders
Phone App available

Note-Taking

Take a look at the different note-taking strategies available to you and make sure you find one that best works for you. See below for a quick list of different strategies.

Cornell Method

  • The Cornell Method was named after Cornell University and is where this strategy originates. It uses a chart structure focusing on a specific subject, its keywords, notes around it, and top level summaries.
  • Example:

Cornell Method grid example

Charting Method

  • Another chart structure that takes advantages of columns and rows, but in a more traditional manner vs the Cornell Method.
  • Example:

Charting method visual example showing column and row structure

Mapping Method

  • A more visual approach to linking a main idea with subtopics and details.
  • Example:

Mapping notes visual chart connection main ideas to subtopics and details

See the Writing Services Learning and Studying Strategies Guide for more info

 

There are some great tools to help you get organized and create more interactive notes. You can also look to different mind-mapping software if you are planning on using the mapping method of note taking. Take a look below for some different software options to help you with taking better notes:

Note taking software:

Mind-mapping tools:

Places to Study

Map of study locations

1. Huron Library ( Room Booking Available)  |  2. The Great Hall  |  3. Former SAC  |  4. New Academic Building  |  5. Wellness Centre  |  6. Apps House
7. Weldon Library ( Room Booking Available)  |  8. Western UCC  |  9. Taylor Library ( Room Booking Available)