in the West Midlands
Study pages
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Course set books? Try here.
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The information presented here are methods used by Open University students which they found best for them. If you have any of your own methods to share (we are not in competition with each other) add them to the message board. In amongst these are books which are very relevent to the OU and study and some may be set books or recommended by the university (I have certainly found some of them of value in my courses. Trev White).
| Do not be afraid to write on the course books and materials. Use a hi-lighter to pick out key words and phrases. Colour code words - for instance, use red to indicate Marxist issues and blue for Freudian statements. Use a different colour to mark TMA items. |
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| For each paragraph, try to sum it up with a key word or phrase and write it in the margin. This forces you to read and understand the issue(s) so that you can create the keyword/phrase. In addition, you are left with an index so that come TMA time you can find relevent parts. Come Exam time you have those key words to recall. |
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Attend a Revision Weekend with one of the Societies. A concentrated period of exam specific revision taken by tutors usually at a university. Check to see if there is one for your course. The M500 society run successfull weekends at Aston university for maths and computing courses. Warning: A revision weekend is no substitute for studying but can make a difference in your final results. |
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The Sciences Good Study Guide
is one of a series of books produced by the OU which is recommended
reading for new and continuing science students. Click on the book for more details |
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| As you read through the course material, keep an eye on the TMA question. Write down, either in the margins or on a seperate sheet for your TMA, the references that you may need for it . In the book, write down the TMA No. but on the sheet mark down the book, the page and what the reference is about. When preparing your TMA you have a ready made list to refer to without having to go through the material again to find it. |
TMA tip
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"If you take the wrong approach to studying it can be frustrating
and disappointing. Whether you are new to study or more experienced,
The Good Study Guide will improve
your study skills by helping you to: Click on the book for more details |
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| Create your own Acronym! Take the initial letters of key words and makeup one word from them. Think along similar lines to the acronym ASH, which is from "Action on Smoking and Health". You don't need to be an action group to use acronyms. The new word, particularly this example, is may be linked to the subject but it doesnt need to be. As long as the word is linked in your mind it will work and serve as a memory jogger. |  |
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"The Arts Good Study Guide is essential reading for students of arts and humanities subjects. Based on the experience of real students, it offers practical examples and activities to help you develop study strategies that really work. It will help you: organize yourself so that you make best use of your time; read and understand written, visual and aural 'texts'; make useful notes; write fluently and convincingly, making good use of textual illustration and evidence; get the most out of lectures, group discussions, audio-visual media and visits to galleries, museums and theatre; use a computer in your studies; prepare effectively for exams." Click on the book for more details |
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| Be orderly and write brief notes on index cards but include book & page references. The act of writing will reinforce your reading. Use a similar device on your computer. MS Windows use to have a simple program called Cardfile that could automate sorting and searching rather than you ploughing through your paperwork - providing you had entered the information in the first place. |
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Use Post-its to write notes on and stick to pages. Use them as bookmarks sticking over the edge of the page and add a reference to it so you know what it refers to. Colour code again for subject or TMA references.We have a lot to thank Art Fry, inventor of Post-it Notes for.
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Yes, these pages are still being prepared -sorry!
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Study Aids |
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