Success in Biology, Chemistry, and other Dartmouth courses requires more than just acquaintance with the material.
Rather, you need to demonstrate an ability to recall concepts, recognize patterns, and problem-solve through application. Therefore, simply reading, highlighting/underlining, and making flashcards is insufficient to develop a solid understanding. Effective and long-term learning requires effort beyond repetition alone and should be challenging. TSFs Keli, Meggie, and Ian have compiled the following study strategies document based on educational research and personal experiences:
TSF Study Strategies: A Summary
Here is a video of a presentation made by the 2024-2025 Teaching Science Fellows and the TSF Program Director, Professor Lee Witters, as part of a session with the incoming Class of 2028 with the Dartmouth’s Academic Skills Center:
On this page also are a series of short videos that explain some study strategies from the book “Make It Stick” by Peter C. Brown. They talk about the importance of a growth mindset, and key tips and tricks to study effectively. The two links below are from YouTube, and the others were made by former TSFs Miranda, Victoria, and Nick. In order to make the material stick, you must first learn how to learn!
The video above discusses the growth mindset and how improvement happens after failure. Learning is hard, don’t be discouraged when you make mistakes!
This video discusses study strategies to effectively learn your course material, including interleaving, retrieval practice, and more! These are research-backed study methods that are proven to be much more helpful than simply rereading and copying your notes. These strategies come highly recommended by your TSFs.
If you have any questions about study strategies, please make an appointment with us, we would love to talk to you about them!
The videos below were made by former TSFs, Miranda, Victoria and Nick
Introduction:
Retrieval and Self-Testing:
Spaced Practice:
Interleaving:
Elaboration and Mnemonics:
Doing Problems the Right Way:
Reflection:
Closing Remarks: