Catholic University Of South Sudan

Course Title: Study Skills

Course Cord :116

Lecturer: Sister Dr. Sarah Justin

Class: First Year : BAF/BHR?BECON
Year 2023-2024
Week one

Introduction

What do you understand by study skills?

 In any educational organization there must be skills to be used in order to

help us in development of this organization in the universities today we need
to know how to integrate these skills so as one can perform it well.

 There are many ways to develop our skills through different methodology.
 Therefore, study skills are very important to be taught in our universities.

 In our course we will focus on important aspects of the study skills which
can help us understand it better according to the different writers which
includes:
 Definitions, types of study skills, clarification of each study skills,
 Definitions

According Ron Fry,(2013) define study skills or study strategies are

approaches applied to learning. They are generally critical to success in
school considered essential for acquiring good grades, and useful for
learning throughout one's life.

 Study skills are an array (collection) of skills which tackle the process of
organizing and taking in new information, retaining information, or dealing
with assessments.

 They include mnemonics, which aid the retention of lists of information;

effective reading and comprehension; concentration techniques and
efficient note taking, ``classroom preparation writing papers and test
preparation .study skills are increasingly taught in high school and at the
university level.
 Study skills are skills all students use to study effectively, whatever their
subject area.
 All students have them; it's really about recognizing them, developing
them, refining them and using them more effectively. Study skills refer to a
plethora of skills which are useful in tackling the process of organizing and
acquiring new information, retaining the information, and dealing with
assessments (Rutte and Roe, 2015)
 They are techniques which are discreet and can be merged in a short period
of time. They can also be applied to various and almost all fields of study.
 Study skills are often referred to as study strategies and academic skills and
are considered as an effective approach to learning.
 These include an array of transferrable life skills that helps a student to
acquire good grades in school.
 A study skill is a technique that will help a student in studying, recalling,
and retaining information. It can be easily learned and applied to every field
related to studies (Rutte and Roe, 2015)
Reading and comprehension: In reading speed
comprehension and recall are the three important
components of reading.
Comprehension and recall are specially interrelated
because it increases the ability of the reader.

To test your reading and comprehension skills, student

must read extensively this means read with concentration
and understand what you are reading
Types of study skills includes: Reading and
comprehension, Retention and memory development,
time management, basic library skills computer skills
note taking participating in class, writing papers, test
preparation, overall score
Reading and comprehension: In reading speed
comprehension and recall are the three important
components of reading.
Comprehension and recall are specially interrelated
because it increases the ability of the reader.
 To test your reading and comprehension skills, student
must read extensively this means read with concentration
and understand what you are reading.
Exercise:
Read the passage that follows, close the book, and jot down
the key point made in the selection you read, then review
the text and compare your notes with the reading selection.
You will get a good idea of how well you understood what
you need and just how good your top- of the mind recall is.
Five major scandals tainted (contaminated) the
administration of president Ulysses S. Grant. Although the
hero of Vickksburg was the first president to encounter
charges of substantial wrongdoing during his
administration. It was never proved that he was directly
involved in any way criminal acts nor that he profited from
any of the acts of others.
Retention and memory development:
There are specific methods to help you recall when must
remember a lot of specific facts.
 One of these is memorization- committing information to
word for word recall, memorize only when you are
required to remember something for a short periods of
time.
 The importance of study skills are as follows
Study strategies are important as it helps in cultivating self-
motivation
Study methods help in improving the organized skills
Study skills strategies are important because it helps in
improving the retention power in students
Study strategies boost the level of concentration amongst the
learners
Study methods help to achieve higher grades
Study strategies have proved a boon with time management
Study methods help a student in studying, recalling and
retaining information
Time Management
Time as a resource is very scarce. It is impossible to
store or stretch or restore once it has passed.

No matter how clever, diligent or wealthy you are,

time is finite. Thus, we talk of time usage. managing
the use to which you put your time.

Time management is therefore important to achieve

objectives. Making the best use of the available time is
a key element of good management.

 Hence, to make the best use of it, one must save it by

spending some time investing in it.
(Teklemariam,2009)
Your effective use of available study time can be
measured by two yardsticks, your ability to break down
your assignments into parts (For example, reading, note -
taking
Time itself can't be managed. It is constant and it always
goes forward, never backwards.

 Everyone has the same amount of time in a day.

Therefore, if you are managing time, you are not trying to
manipulate time; you are trying to make the best use of
your time.
 According to Dayton, (2021) time management is the act of taking
conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities.

 You exercise time management to increase productivity, effectiveness

and efficiency.

 You practice skills and use tools and techniques to aid you when
accomplishing tasks, projects that now are working toward goals and
deadlines.

 Time management is about effective scheduling of your time, goal

setting, prioritizing and choosing what to do and what not to do,
delegating tasks, analysing and reviewing your spent time, organizing
your workspace, keeping your concentration and focus at your work,
motivating yourself to work towards a goal.
 Definition is given by Claessens, Eerde, Rutte and Roe,
(2015) who say that time management refers to
behaviours that aim at achieving an effective use of time
while performing certain goal-directed activities.

This definition highlights that the use of time is not an

aim in itself and cannot be pursued in isolation.

The focus is on some goal-directed activity, such as

performing a work task or an academic duty, which is
carried out in a way that implies an effective use of time.
 Strategies for saving Time
Time management is a Key to academic success. Here are
practical tips, tools and skills to improve time management.

Time management starts with the commitment to change. Time

management is easy as long as you commit to action.

You can train others and improve your own time management
through better planning; prioritizing; delegating; controlling
your environment; understanding yourself and identifying what
you will change about your habits, routines and attitude

 The key to successful time management is planning and then

protecting the planned time. People who say that they have no
time do not plan, or fail to protect planned time.
1. Organize your time
Life improves when you decide to do things differently. In this
case, the goal is to gain control over time, rather than letting it
control you.

It is about taking ownership of time, which is the essence of
your life.

The main objective of time management is for you to have a

clear picture of your upcoming days, weeks, and months.

 It is a way for you to discover what time you have available to

devote to study, recreation, or other activities. Make the decision
to be the master of your life, rather than its suffering slave!
2. Assess your time
Many students genuinely believe that they study a lot.
Some even protest that they study all the time! In reality,
this is far from the truth.

The only way you will discover how many hours of your
busy day you actually study is by completing a personal
time assessment.

The method requires you to keep track of everything you

do for an entire week; from the time you wake up to the
time you fall asleep that means recording every single
detail.
At the end of the week, add up the totals. For example,
count the number of hours spent on eating, travelling,
studying, talking on the phone, shopping, exercising,
smoking, watching TV, being online, etc., until you have a
complete picture of where your time goes.

If you find you are losing a lot of time to activities other
than studying, try to balance your schedule.

 Start eliminating the time bandits by making small

adjustments in your habits and behaviour in order to get
better control of your precious time.
3. Make a schedule
After establishing your priorities, set up a schedule which
respects your priorities.
A wide variety of student organizers, diaries, planners, electronic
tools and time management systems are available on the market.
Choose or create whatever seems best for you. Many students
select weekly planners that enable them to see the big picture
more easily.
Make sure your system is something you are very comfortable
with as you will be referring to it often. Then, set up your
schedule in this order:
 Mark in all your fixed commitments such as classes, seminars,
tutorials, and part-time jobs. These are the givens, which you
cannot change.
 Add in study time. Block off large sections of your day,
reserved for studying alone, as well as shorter review
periods.

Organize your peak study times to coincide with the times
of day when you are most awake and alert.

Mark in other non-study activities these are the important

but lower priority items, such as exercise, recreational
classes, or socializing, which you will fit in when
possible.
4. Use a calendar
 In addition to your weekly planner, invest in a large monthly wall calendar.
Jot down all the important due dates, deadlines, exams, etc so they are in front
of you as a visual reminder.

 This will make you more aware of important dates and allow you to adjust or
rearrange plans if you are behind schedule.
5. Use review cards
 Always keep some review cards with you to read over when you are waiting
for something else to happen.

 This could include when you are travelling or waiting in line at the bus stop,
bank, supermarket, and cafeteria and so on.

 You could also place review cards in common locations which you pass
frequently in your house, such as on the fridge door, bathroom mirror, etc.

 Frequent repetition and review is one of the keys to remembering information

6. Plan activities logically
 Get to know your bodily cycle; then, schedule activities around it
as much as possible. If you always feel sleepy after lunch, for
example, use the time to get in your daily walk, instead of fighting
to keep your eyes open over a history book.

7.Basic Library skills

 Making the most of library is a function of understanding its
organization and using the more time you spend there- studying
reading, researching the more productive you will become adept at
tracking down reference material and finding the information you
need quickly.

 All libraries follow the same organization once you understand it

you will be library literate no matter which library you use.
Resources that are available in library includes: Books,
periodical, select and find books learning directories,
encyclopaedias , dictionaries, magazines, newspapers
documents, microfilm files.
It is very important to learn how to select and find books,
in library you will fine learning Dewey Decimal and
library of Congress systems.
 Week two: Setting and Achieving Goals
 A goal is something that you want to accomplish or achieve at some define point
in the future.
There are generally two types of goals, short-term goals and long-
term goals. Short-term goals are goals you want to achieve in the
near future (i.e. in a week or two) and long-term goals are goals you
want to achieve down the road (i.e. by the end of the term.)
 Setting realistic goals and accomplishing those goals is the key to
achieving and maintaining academic success.
However, not all goals are appropriate goals. In order for your goals
to be appropriate they need to be in line with what you desire to
accomplish academically.

 You goals must also be clear. If your goals are not clear they effort you put towards
achieving these goals will lack direction and focus. In preparing your goals follow
"The Three W's of Goals".
 First WRITE down each of your goals.
 Second, each goal should state WHAT you want to accomplish.
 Finally, you need to identify WHEN you'll accomplish each goal. For example, an
appropriate goal might be the following:

 Characteristics of good goals include the following:

 Achievable. Setting goals that are so lofty that there is only a slight chance you'll be
able to achieve them is not part of effective goal setting. Make sure the goals you set
push you to excel but are well within your skill set and ability to accomplish.
 Realistic. Setting a goal to get straight A's when you're approaching the end of the
semester and failing most of your class may not be realistic. A realistic goal may be
to pass all your classes and get a few A's and B's.
 Flexible. Don't set such rigid goals that you can't modify your goal if circumstances
change. Also, set goals that allow you to achieve some success even if you don't
achieve your entire goal.
 Your goal also needs to be realistic and attainable to be successful. In other
words, it should stretch your abilities but still remain possible.
 When you set an achievable goal, you may be able to identify previously
overlooked opportunities or resources that can bring you closer to it.
 Achievable goals are the pinnacle of a smart goal-setting strategy. Sure, you
should be able to achieve your goals, generally speaking. Yet, there is a lot
more to achievable goals.
 This is because goals are high-productivity enablers. By itself, goal-setting
provides structure to individual or team efforts.
 And making sure that goals are achievable builds on that. Most of all,
achievable goals motivate.
 They become a milestone. One that requires resilience. To put it simply,
achievable goals are something people feel. Achievable goals reward
because they feel like the achievement that they are.
 Achievable goals put things in perspective. They ensure you and your team
have the right focus. Two main reasons. They feel like the right place to
reach. And the right place to be. To set achievable goals, you need to make
your goals smart. Or maybe even smarter. Here are 5 steps to do so.
1. Be specific
 Making goals specific means you need to give values to the X of the
equation. Make the goals clear, easy to understand. In addition, include all
the elements of a proper definition. Focus on everything that defines the
goal, and nothing extra. Merely state what is necessary and sufficient to
precisely describe the goal.
 There are some tricks that ensure achievable goals are specific. Do not let
your goals sounds like a bold, open-ended statement. Instead, flesh them
out properly. Better yet, use the 5 magic W’s:
 Who, as in which roles or which people are involved. “Who” can also relate
to functions or capacities.
 What, as in what the end result is. What should be achieved. If possible,
include what is necessary to achieve the goal. Especially what needs to be
done.
 Why, as in why the goal is a focus point. Why it is a milestone and why it is
important to your team or strategy. Moreover, why it is a goal in the first
place.
 Which resources are necessary? Whichever resources that you control are to
be involved.
 Where is it? Most things have a location. Sure, many things are in the cloud
these days. Nonetheless, the location is everything. So, always include the
location.
 This trick enables your goals to be specific. And when you set specific goals,
you set achievable goals.
 Specific goals become much like a list. In it, you cover what needs to be
done. That is because strategic choice in itself leads to boosts in performance.
At least when compared to merely accepting goals.
2. Measure your goals
 A journey of one thousand steps starts with the first step. And typically
continues with a second step.
 The point here is simple. At any moment, on your way, you can tell how
many steps you have made. And how many will follow. This provides
clarity. To some extent, it tells you where you are. And that ensures you can
strategize your energy. Either push forward, full-steam ahead, or cautiously
wait.
 Make your goals attainable. It should be possible to reach that goal. And
you should set goals so that it is realistic to reach them. This does not, by all
means, imply you should not challenge yourself.
 Quite the opposite. When you challenge yourself, you can take better care
of all opportunities.
 Make your goals attainable
Many dreams seem impossible until you set your mind to achieving them. Yet,
some things cannot be achieved no matter how hard you try. The unattainable
is a perpetual struggle. The point here is not to be a Sisyphus.
 Realistic goals are goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant,
and time-bound (SMART). They help you clarify what you want to
accomplish, how you will do it, and when you will know if you succeeded.
 A realistic goal is one that you can reach given your current mindset,
motivation level, timeframe, skills and abilities. Realistic goals help you
identify not only what you want but also what you can achieve.
 When you examine your goals carefully to make sure each goal is
realistically achievable, you increase your chances for success, whether at
home, at school or in the workplace. Setting realistic goals maximizes your
time and resources, and helps keep you motivated. Setting and achieving
realistic goals also helps boost your self-esteem.

 It's important to set goals to be successful. But just setting goals doesn't
guarantee success—setting goals is only one part of a process that can lead
you to success. Setting goals is key to planning, executing a plan, staying
motivated and ultimately evaluating your success.
 In this article, we review the process for setting realistic goals and provide
some example goals.
1. Write down your goals
 The simple act of writing down a goal is the first step toward achieving it.
Written goals help you analyze your expectations. It's possible that the
goals you had in mind need further clarification once you write them down.
If your goals as written don't match the goals you imagined for yourself,
regroup and try again.
2. Take inventory of resources and threats
 Achieving goals relies on having the resources you need and overcoming
the obstacles you face. Make an inventory of the things you have access to
that can help you achieve your goals and the circumstances which may
impede your success. These include:
 Time: Determine how much time you have to reach your goals and
whether the timeline is in your control. Make a list of other tasks
potentially competing for your time while you're working toward your
goals.
 Motivation: Ask yourself whether you are committed to achieving your
goals. Consider if your other commitments may conflict with working on
your goals.
 Information: Make sure you have all the knowledge you need to reach
your goals. Research any topics you need to help you achieve your goals.
 Training: Take inventory of the skills you possess to reach your goals.
Undergo further training to help you meet your goals.
 Funding: Assess whether you have the monetary assets you need to
achieve your goals. Find out if things are depleting the budget you need
to reach your goals.
 Support: Determine if you need any assistance in reaching your goals. If
so, ask for help from someone who is in a position to support you in
reaching your goals.
 Reassess and adjust as necessary
 Now that you've taken the time to write out your goals and to examine
factors that help and hurt you on your journey to reach your goals, you can
honestly reassess your goals and adjust them if necessary.
 Example: If your goal is "I will establish a new company to provide
creative services to pet-related retail stores" but you do not have the capital
to launch your business, you could adjust your goal to be "I will put aside
30% of my pay for six months while I look for investors to help launch my
new company.“
4. Determine milestones
 Since achieving goals is a process, you need milestones along the way to let
you know whether you're on track.
 If you miss a milestone, you may need to modify your timeline. Milestones
also help you see your goals in smaller segments, breaking down your tasks
into manageable segments.
 It is much easier to follow sequential steps than to try to complete
everything at once.
 Example: If you anticipate your goal to take six months to achieve, set
reminders for yourself to check your progress every three weeks. If you
find yourself behind schedule at one of these check-ins, decide whether
you need to adjust the timeline or adjust the steps you've planned to meet
your goal.
5. Share your goals
 When you tell someone else your goals, you are opening yourself to be
held accountable for your actions along the way to achieving them.
Colleagues, friends and family members are good resources for sharing
your goals. Be sure to tell them that you appreciate their help to stay
focused and that when they ask you “How's it going?” they are helping you
remain on target to meet your goals.
6. Consider the SMART approach
 If you need a more structured framework for setting realistic goals,
consider using the SMART method. Two of the letters in the SMART
acronym — A and R — are directly related to how realistic your goals are.
 Flexibility is a personality trait that describes the extent to which a person can
cope with changes in circumstances and think about problems and tasks in novel,
creative ways.
 This trait comes into play when stressors or unexpected events occur, requiring
that a person change their stance, outlook, or commitment
 The flexible person's superpower is their ability to adjust to new, different or
changing requirements quickly and with ease.
 They are very fluid in how they manage life's circumstances. They are not set in
their ways and are willing to modify their approach as needed. They can change
course when something isn't working and are not shaken by uncertainty and
ambiguity.
 Flexible people also tend to be open-minded and receptive to new ideas,
approaches, and feedback from others.
 They are not rigid in their thinking and prefer to consider different perspectives
to gain a full view of available options.
 They are curious about the world around them and are always looking for ways
to expand their knowledge and understanding.
 And, the flexible person is resilient. They are able to work through
challenges and bounce back from setbacks.
 They are not easily discouraged by failures and tend to be pretty good at
maintaining a positive attitude even in difficult situations. They likely are
driven by a strong sense of purpose and are committed to achieving their
goals despite obstacles.
 In addition, a flexible person is often characterized with having good
communication skills, a willingness to collaborate with others, and an
ability to think creatively and outside the box.
 Giving flexible people more ability to successfully adjust to the situation.
 Benefits of Being Flexible in School
 Education systems are constantly changing, and being flexible allows you
to adapt to these changes quickly and easily. Remember when schools had
to suddenly switch to online learning due to COVID?
 Having the ability to adapt to changing circumstances likely helped the
flexible person adjust to the new format, keep up with coursework and
maintain their preferred level of performance. Whereas others less flexible
may have struggled due to the enormous change.
 In school and throughout life, we must be problem-solvers. Being flexible
helps to think outside the box and allows for a more creative approach to
solving a problem.
 This is advantageous when things change unexpectedly or if you are
challenged to tackle a complex assignment or project that requires
innovative solutions anytime in your life
 And, having flexibility allows you to comfortably explore new areas of
interest and try new experiences without the fear of failure, due to the
resilient nature of the flexible person. This can be especially valuable after
leaving school, as it allows you to continue learning and developing new
skills throughout your life.
 Ultimately, you want to set goals that will provide you direction and
motivation to succeed academically. If you quest to achieve important
goals, managing impulsivity will help you to avoid diversion and
distractions.
 Building motivation
 Wellness, Career and Money.
 Being able to stay well, pursue a meaningful career and maintain your
finances requires Staying open to continuous learning. Your wellness,
career and your finances and your overarching life goals are all subject to
constant change. If you continue to learn and to seek improvement, you
will be better to stay on top of the changes that happen and to use them to
craft the life you dream.