Studying Advice

(The advice below is a possible "best plan" for approaching learning in this class.  Each student is different in the way that they learn and understand new material.  Therefore, a "one size fits all" approach does not exist.  Part of a college education is understanding how you learn, and what works best for you.)

• Always read the textbook carefully and actively before lecture.  Lecture will then reinforce the knowledge and understanding that you gained during the reading.
• Actively attend class.  This means that you should take notes, focus on the subject at hand, and (if necessary) convince yourself that the material we are covering during the 95 minutes of lecture each day is important and interesting.
• Always work through practice problems (see "Practice Problems" portion of the syllabus for a complete list) as we cover the material.  That is, you should be working through problems each and every day.  This will help you learn the material as we cover it.  With this strategy, "studying for the exam" will involve reviewing concepts that you have already learned.  If you wait until a day or two or three before the exam to work through problems, you are forcing yourself to do a lot of learning in a short amount of time.  Although this may work for some people, it does not work well for most students.
• If necessary, reread the textbook.  Your success on practice problems will give you a gauge of your understanding of material.  If necessary, reread the textbook.  In any case, it is probably a good idea to review the text before the exam.
• Get help early.  If you have trouble with material, come to office hours with a list of questions.  (The earlier you do this, the better!) 
• Review for the exam.  If you have been "learning as we go", then studying for the exam will be the easy part.  You will be reviewing concepts (lecture notes, textbook, and practice problems) that you have already learned.

Good Luck to All!