Studies: Knowledge is the essence of smart thinking. No matter how much raw intelligence you have, you are not going to succeed at solving complex problems without knowing a lot. That's why we spend the first 20 (or more) years of our lives in school. Robert Bjork and fellow PT blogger Nate Kornell have explored some of the study habits of college students in a 2007 paper in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. Research on memory provides a number of important suggestions about the most effective ways to study. One of the most important tips is that students should study by testing themselves rather than just reading over the material. It is also important to study over a period of days rather waiting until the last minute to study. Kornell and Bjork's studies suggest that only about 2/3 of college students routinely quiz themselves, and a majority of students study only one time for upcoming exams. Of course, guidelines from memory research come from studies in idealized circumstances. Researchers bring participants (many of whom are college students) into a lab and ask them to learn material. Perhaps the recommendations drawn from these studies are not that helpful for real students dealing with real courses. To address this question, Marissa Hartwig and John Dunlosky related the study habits of college students to their grade point average (GPA) in a 2012 paper in Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. They asked students about a number of study behaviors. They also had students report their current GPA. The students with the highest GPA were more likely to study by testing themselves than the students with lower GPAs. What is the most effective way to test you, though? It turns out that most students report using flashcards, and the use of flashcards does not predict a student's grades. However, flash cards usually allow people to learn basic aspects of a domain like key vocabulary. Really understanding something new requires practice with explaining it. So, self-testing needs to involve deeper questions than the ones that are usually written on flash cards. All college students tend to focus their study on upcoming assignments. That is no surprise, because college is a busy time. The most successful students, though, also schedule time to study for classes even before the exam is coming up. The students who make a schedule and stick with it tend to get better grades than those who just work on whatever is coming up. Finally, the time of day that students study also matters. College students are notorious night owls. Indeed, few students reported studying in the morning, or even in the afternoon. Most students study in the evening and late at night. One of the interesting results of this research, though, is that the students who study late at night tend to get worse grades than those who study in the evening. It is always nice when studies of real-world behavior mesh with recommendations from basic research. In the case of studying, though, it seems particularly important to ensure that basic research influences behavior. People invest several years and thousands of dollars in a college education. That education has an enormous effect on their future productivity. Cognitive science can ensure that students maximize the value of that experience. Developing good study habits is crucial for any student pursuing higher education, but it is of particular importance to working learners. University of Phoenix provides its students with a robust support network that enables working learners to make the most of their existing skills and also boost their ability to be self-disciplined, self-directed, and ultimately successful in their degree programs. “Forming effective study habits is critical to a student’s success,” says Mari Lopez, Vice President of Student Services Operations at University of Phoenix. “I would encourage students to have a study plan set from the time they begin to take courses.” How can students best form their own study plans, especially if they are returning to school for the first time after a long period out in the world of work? “They should have scheduled time set aside to dedicate to their studies, to read their course materials, and to work on assignments or discussion questions," says Lopez. "Students should also attempt to remove any distractions that may disrupt their study time so that they are making the most out of the time they have carved aside.” If University of Phoenix students are having trouble balancing coursework and study time with their other responsibilities, the University offers support and resources to help keep them on track, such as the Life Resource Center. “The University of Phoenix Life Resource Center (LRC) offers complimentary services to current students to help them balance the demands of school, work, and family life,” says Lopez. “Students can receive support through a variety of services such as life and career coaching, financial advice, daily living resources and confidential counseling.” According to Lopez, current University of Phoenix students can access the Life Resource Center by logging in to their student website. “The services are available around the clock, 365 days a year,” she says. “In addition, the LRC site has thousands of articles, tips, podcasts and self-assessments that further support students in their study needs.” The LRC also provides resources on time and stress management, which can also directly impact study habits.

Working learners often find that they need additional assistance with specific subject areas — frequently writing and math skills. To that end, University of Phoenix has developed the Center for Writing Excellence and the Center for Mathematics Excellence, which provide current University of Phoenix students with additional support in these critical areas. Heather Lunsford, MAEd, MA, is Product Director for the Center for Writing Excellence (CWE), and her colleague Ruth Geiman, PhD, is Product Director for the Center for Mathematics Excellence (CME). “Students should be coming to our centers to continue their studies and also grow their skills,” says Lunsford. Both the CWE and CME provide multiple self-directed options for students to improve upon both their existing skill sets in writing and mathematics, as well as opportunities for one-on-one tutoring with a live instructor. “The Center for Mathematics Excellence has two basic functions,” says Dr. Geiman. “First, we offer review/refresh tutorials (called Running Start) that cover all levels of mathematics, from basic arithmetic all the way up to college-level statistics, linear algebra, and even physics. Many of our working learners, especially our graduate students, have not been in a traditional mathematics course for years, and they especially value these online tutorials. We want them to review what they already know, and hit the ground running.”
Running Start Running Start begins with a self-assessment that helps the student gauge her existing skill level and also suggests which online tutorials (e.g., Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Statistics, etc.) are needed.