Techniques for Succeeding in Bi 211, 212, and 213

  Skim assigned pages before coming to lecture. Jot down the main concepts and key terms in a notebook so you can build on this foundation when the  material is covered in lecture.

Take good lecture notes.  "Notes" does not mean writing down everything verbatim. It means writing down main points, key details of examples, definitions of important terms, and questions that occur to you.

Do not fall into the trap of writing down only what the instructor writes down! Very often instructors explain material by using illustrations, questioning students, or  using other techniques where they do not write things down. Some do not write anything down! Learn to take your own notes so you become independent of the lecturer's style.

  Review your notes after lecture, referring often to the text and its diagrams.

Concentrate on the conceptual framework. Details are much easier to learn and remember if they fit into a larger scheme that makes sense.  Think about trying to remember the images in a jigsaw puzzle. Isn't it easier if the pieces have been put together?

  Draw flowcharts and diagrams, make outlines, make up mnemonic devices, think of new examples of concepts, explain things in your own words, explain things forwards and backwards. If you wrap your brain around the material in as many different ways as possible, you'll be prepared to respond correctly to a question on the material no matter what form it may take. Simply reading and re-reading the same words over and over will not help you understand the material.

Study with others. Ask each other questions, explain material to each other. If you can teach something to someone else, you really understand it.

Study often, in small doses. Never cram, procrastinate, or pull all-nighters, which is bad for one's health as well as one's grades. You wouldn't prepare for a race by running all night, so why would you prepare for a test by studying all night? Success in either case depends on building up your ability over a long period.  A student who has been keeping up with and learning the material all along should need only a short review the night before the exam.

If something is unclear to you, ASK! Ask during class, after class, in lab, by phone, by email, or during office hours, but ASK! Write down your questions as soon as they occur to you and get them answered as soon as possible. Very often one topic builds on another so waiting too long can have a snowball effect.

Quiz yourself. Use the practice questions at the end of every assigned chapter and have your study partners make up questions.

  Be an active listener in lecture. Actively think about what's being said or done, rather than passively absorbing it.

Prepare for exams the way you would prepare for a performance or an athletic competition - PRACTICE!  Practice doing what you will be expected to do on the exam - answer questions on a whole range of topics in a limited time. Generate your own test questions. Trade questions with others and practice taking exams with a time limit and no notes or books.

Learn from previous exams. Go over every question. What did you get right? These are the things you are doing well - keep doing it. What did you get wrong? These are the areas that need work.

Compare the exam questions to your lecture and text notes. You should find the answer, or the information you need to generate the answer, to every question somewhere in your notes. If you do not, then your note-taking skills need some work.