Psychology 2820E-001
Research Methods and Statistical Analysis in Psychology
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
An introduction to the design, conduct, and statistical analyses of psychological research. The intent is to provide students with knowledge of how to implement and evaluate research in both laboratory and applied settings. Design and statistical analysis will be taught in the context of specific studies and data sets from correlational, experimental, quasi-experimental and qualitative research. Written research projects will be required.
Antirequisites: Biology 2244A/B, Economics 2122A/B, 2222A/B, Geography 2210A/B, Health Sciences 3801A/B, MOS 2242A/B, Psychology 2800E, 2810, 2830A/B, 2840F/G, 2850A/B, 2851A/B, 2855F/G and 2856F/G, the former 2885, Social Work 2207A/B, the former 2205, Sociology 2205A/B, Statistical Sciences 2035, 2141A/B, 2143A/B, 2244A/B, 2858A/B and the former 2122A/B (and Statistical Sciences 2037A/B if taken before Fall 2010)
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if this course has an antirequisite that you have previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in this one.
Prerequisites: One full course in mathematics plus at least 60% in a 1000-level Psychology course. To fulfill the mathematics requirement, you must complete a full course equivalent by taking 1.0 courses from among the following courses: Applied Mathematics 1201A/B or the former Calculus 1201A/B, Mathematics 0110A/B, 1120A/B, 1225A/B, 1228A/B, 1229A/B, 1600A/B, Calculus 1000A/B, 1100A/B, 1301A/B, 1500A/B, 1501A/B, the former Linear Algebra 1600A/B, Statistical Sciences 1024A/B, the former Mathematics 030 and 031.
If Mathematics 0110A/B is selected, then either Statistical Sciences 1024A/B or Mathematics 1228A/B must be taken. The combination of Mathematics 1228A/B and Statistical Sciences 1024A/B is strongly recommended.
2 lecture hours, 2 laboratory/tutorial hours, 1.0 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Karen Hussey
Office: SSC 7250
Office Hours: the hour before class starts
Email: khussey@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Lectures: SSC 3014, Tuesdays and Thursdays 7-10pmIf you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
3.1 REQUIRED: There are two textbooks required:
1) Methods in Behavioural Research, Canadian Edition, by Paul. C. Cozby and Catherine D. Rawn; 2) Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, Fourth Edition, by B. Michael Thorne and J. Martin Giesen.
NOTE: Because we are using two texts, one broadly to cover research methods and the other to cover statistics, there will be some overlap of material between the two at times. This is not a problem as it will certainly create a situation in which the student will have a different perspective on the material (from different authors), and an additional opportunity to be certain of their knowledge of the material. These texts are available on the 2 hour reserve in Weldon.
3.2 REQUIRED: -You will require a calculator for this course. In exam situations, be absolutely certain that your calculator has fresh batteries (or keep a spare) as you do not want the calculator to give out part way through your responses to statistics questions! You also need to bring this calculator to class because we will be spending time performing calculations.
-You will also need to ensure that you have pencils, erasers, and paper for flipped classes. You will be working on calculations in class.
3.3 SUGGESTED: It is not necessary to purchase a copy of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) 6th Edition but it is necessary to have access to a copy (readily available at the library and the Psychology Resource Centre (SSC 3115). Also, the APA has this website for learning the 6th edition which may be helpful: http://wwwapastyle.org/index.aspx
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course considers a range of research strategies, including descriptive, correlational, experimental, and quasi-experimental research designs. Other topics include the research process, generation of research ideas, ethics in research, defining and measuring variables, sampling, and writing a research report. The student will also be introduced to basic statistical analyses and learn how specific methods of analysis are used in conjunction with specific research designs.
There are two major components to this course; the lecture component and the lab component. The lecture component will provide the background information for progressing through the various topics to be covered. The lab component is intended to give students first-hand experience with the research process including the generation of a sound research idea, literature search in support of that idea, ethic review, data collection and analysis, and writing a research paper suitable for journal submission.
By the end of the course the successful student
- will have a firm understanding of the scientific method as we use it in psychological testing
- will be able to identify how a research problem can be operationalized
- will be able to identify the statistical procedure, broadly speaking, that should be used to answer a research question
- can apply the correct statistical procedure, narrowly speaking, to a specific research problem and work out some basic statistical procedures by hand (these include, the z-test, the independent and dependent t-test, oneway ANOVAs both between- and within-subjects, the chi-square test, as well as basic analytical comparison tests).
- can write up the results of their statistical procedures using appropriate APA6 formatting
- has a clear understanding of the ethical requirements for research
- will have completed a complete APA6 independent research report
- has considered some of the basic underlying issues of research and statistical procedures
- will be a better consumer of statistical and methodological information5.0 EVALUATION
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
In order to pass this course the student MUST pass both the text-based and the lab-based portions of the course. Because you are REQUIRED to separately pass both the text-based and the lab-based components the situation may arise in which the student’s overall grade may be a passing grade but failure occurs because one of the two components was not independently passed.
For the student who passes the course, 50% of their grade comes from the lecture-based evaluation and 50% comes from the lab-based evaluation. For the student who fails one or both components but has a calculated overall grade above 50%, an artificially deflated grade of 48% will be the final grade recorded for the registrar. In this case, the 50/50 split is not the actual calculation. In this case, there is not a suggestion that the student almost passed the course. This is, instead, departmental policy which results in a failing grade without unduly lowering the student’s overall university standing.
Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need, and you will not be given the opportunity to improve your grade by completing additional assignments beyond what is listed here.
The breakdown of course components and their final worth towards the final grade follows:
|
Evaluative Component |
Percentage Contribution to Final Grade |
Cumulative Percentage |
|
Text-based component |
||
|
First exam (1.5 hours) |
8% |
8% |
|
Second exam (2 hours) |
8% |
16% |
|
Third exam (2.5 hours) |
10% |
26% |
|
Final exam (3 hours) |
20% |
46% |
|
Quizzes |
4% |
50% |
|
Lab-based component |
||
|
Research idea and background |
7% |
57% |
|
Introduction |
7% |
64% |
|
Methods |
8% |
72% |
|
Results |
8% |
80% |
|
Final research paper |
20% |
100% |
|
Bonus* |
2.5% (maximum) |
102.5% |
*There is also a bonus opportunity available described in 6.4 below.
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
6.1 Exams: There are four exams and these will cover both textbook and lecture material. The exam dates can be found in the schedule (Section 8.0) and the evaluative contribution can be found in Section 5.0 above. The final exam will be a comprehensive 3 hour exam with the date and time to be set by the Western Registrar (August 2 or 3). As soon as the time and location are finalized this will be announced in class and on Owl. All exams will have multiple choice and short answer questions (including calculations). Work space and formulas will be provided for the relevant statistical questions. Although the majority of questions on exams will be from the most recent material since last testing, exams will have some cumulative component and will cover all materials from the textbook covered to that point.
MAKE-UP EXAMS WILL NOT BE GRANTED BECAUSE YOU MADE TRAVEL PLANS. THERE WILL BE NO MAKEUP OR EARLY EXAMS. ONLY EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES (E.G., HEALTH RELATED) WILL BE CONSIDERED A LEGITIMATE EXCUSE FOR ABSENCE FROM AN EXAM.
6.2 Lectures: Most classes will be strictly lecture but we will be using some in-class activities including flipped class activities when we work on statistical procedures in the second half of the course. For all lectures there are outlines from lecture slides available on Owl.
For all classes it is the student’s responsibility to cover the text material BEFORE class.
It is a student’s responsibility to cover any textbook material not covered specifically in lecture. Our focus in class is to elaborate on main ideas and to perform demonstrations that will reinforce the lecture material.
Because combine both lecture and lab together, attendance to classes is mandatory. Quizzes are used as attendance counts but showing up just for the quiz will be recorded as a missed class. Arriving more than 20 minutes after class has begun is recorded as late. Two late days are equivalent to one missed class.
If you attend (according to the above definition of attend) 80% or more of the labs you will not lose any lab points. If you attend only 70-79.9% of the labs you will lose 5% of the lab portion of the course grade. If you attend only 60-69.9% of the labs you will lose 15% of the lab portion of the course. If you attend only 50-59.9% of the labs you will lose 25% of the lab portion. Missing more than 20% of your classes (which would mean missing 5 of the total 21 classes (this excludes exam days) for this course
6.3 Quizzes: At the end of each class there will be a very short quiz. There will be 5 multiple choice questions and one short answer question. These will be graded out of 6. The total number of quizzes will be 21 with only the best 16 counting toward the 4% this component comprises for the final grade. There are no extensions of accommodations for these quizzes. The content tested will always be the content covered (either in lecture or from the text which students will have covered before coming to class that evening) for that same class.
6.4 Bonus: Take part in summer research! For each study you take part in I will award you 0.5% extra for your final course grade up to a maximum of 2.5%. This is not based on the hours of participation (like in PSY 1000) but rather the number of studies. To demonstrate your participation I will require a short form filled out by you about the study and you will require the signature of the research along with their study approval number from REB. The forms for this are on Owl. THESE BONUS CREDITS CANNOT BE USED TO PASS THE COURSE.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
C&R = Cozby and Rawn, Methods in Behavioural Research, Cdn Ed; T&G = Thorne and Giesen, Statistics for the Behavioral Sciences, 4th Ed
DATE TEXT CHAPTER DUE DATES
Tuesday, May 10 C&R: Chapter 1: Scientific understanding of behaviour
Thursday May 12 C&R: Chapter 2: Where to Start; Appendix A: Writing research reports
Tuesday, May 17 C&R: Chapter 3: Ethical research
Thursday May 19 C&R: Chapter 4: Studying behaviour
C&R: Chapter 5: Measurement concepts
Tuesday, May 24 C&R: Chapter 6: Observational methods
C&R: 7: Asking people about themselves: Survey research Lab Assignment: Research idea and literature review
Thursday, May 26 EXAM 1 (1.5 hours)
Tuesday, May 31 T&G: Chapter 1: The language of statistics
T&G: Chapter 2: Definitions and scaling
Thursday, June 2 T&G: Chapter 3: The frequency distribution
T&G: Chapter 4: Graphing data
Tuesday, June 7 T&G: Chapter 5: Measures of central tendency Lab Assignment: Introduction
Thursday, June 9 T&G: Chapter 6: Measures of dispersion and standard scores
T&G: Chapter 8: The normal distribution
Tuesday, June 14 T&G: Chapter 7: Probability
Thursday, June 16 EXAM 2 (cumulative, 2 hours)
Tuesday, June 21 C&R: Chapter 8: Experimental design Lab Assignment: Method & TCPS
Thursday, June 23 C&R: Chapter 9: Conducting experiments
Tuesday, June 28 T&G: Chapter 9: Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing
Thursday, June 30 T&G: Chapter 10: Significance of the difference between two sample means
Tuesday, July 5 T&G: Chapter 11: One-way analysis of variance with post hoc comparisons
Thursday, July 7 EXAM 3 (2.5 hours)
Tuesday, July 12 C&R: Chapter 10: Complex experimental designs
T&G: Chapter 12: Factorial ANOVA Lab Assignment: Results
Thursday, July 14 C&R: Chapter 12: Understanding research results Describing variables and relationships among them
C&R: Chapter 13: Understanding research results
Tuesday, July 19 C&R: Chapter 11: Single case, quasi-experimental, and developmental research;
C&R: Chapter 14: Generalizing results
Thursday, July 21 T&G: Chapter 13: Correlation and regression
Tuesday, July 26 T&G: Chapter 14: Chi square Lab Assignment: Final Paper due
Thursday, July 28 T&G: Chapter 15: Alternative to t and F
AUG 2-3: Exam 4 (cumulative, 3 hours) exact date, time, location TBA
7.1 LAB ASSIGNMENTS:
There is no separation of lecture and lab based on meeting times. Lab-based portions will make up a percentage of class time each week.
For each of the following lab assignments, the brief information here is only that, a BRIEF introduction. For each step there are more specific instructions and examples, etc. in the individual lessons in class. You cannot move on to the next lab assignment until I have the previous.
7.1.1 LAB ASSIGNMENT: Research Idea Summary and Background Literature (due at the start of class Tuesday, May 24th, 2016).
You will develop an idea for your research project. It is important to note that the research hypothesis will be used as the basis for your lab report. In choosing a research hypothesis, it must be psychological in nature, it must not be trivial, and it must be something for which you can actually conduct research. Though you won’t be collecting data (you’ll be given a data set) in choosing your research idea, you must consider the practical limitations on the type of research you can conduct: you are not allowed to develop any research hypothesis that would require that you ask participants about sensitive issues (e.g., sexual practices or orientation, history of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, illegal drug use, body image issues) or that would require that you engage in any harmful or illegal behaviour. To avoid ethical problems, the following are not acceptable: research conducted in preschools, elementary schools, or secondary schools; research conducted on individuals less than 16 years of age. Students cannot use the same hypothesis as other students. If the student has taken the course before, they must develop a NEW project, not recycle a previous project. To complete this stage, you will submit a one-page summary of your research hypothesis regarding how you thought of it and what specific predictions are made.
You will explore various bibliographic databases (PsychINFO) to identify previous research relevant to your hypothesis. The bibliographic databases provide abstracts which you can read to decide if you want to read the entire article. You must obtain at least 10 references related to your project. For each you will write a short synopsis of the paper, without replicating the abstract, and a second short paragraph explaining how the paper is related to your research idea. This lab assignment is worth 7% and will be graded out of 14.
7.1.2 LAB ASSIGNMENT: Introduction(due at the start of class Tuesday, June 7th, 2016).
In this step you will prepare the introduction to your project. The introduction will presumably be based on literature that you have identified in but you may include other papers as needed. Although length may vary, an acceptable Introduction could not be written in less than 4 full double-spaced pages. The introduction must use APA6 formatting and include a title page and a reference page. You must submit an electronic copy to Assignments on OWL as well as bringing a paper copy to class. This Step is worth 7% and will be graded out of 21.
7.1.3 LAB ASSIGNMENT: Methods due in class, TCPS due online (Tuesday, June 21st, 2016)
You will need to complete the Tri-Council ethics certification (http://tcps2core.ca/welcome). There is no mark associated with this but it must be completed, and a copy of your certificate (the site supplies a pdf file of your certificate) placed in your DROPBOX. If you have previously completed this certification you do not need to complete it again. Simply put your certificate into your DROPBOX.
In this assignment you will prepare the Methods section of your project. The methods section contains several subsections. Some subsections are in every methods section, and some subsections are included or left out depending on the actual study. Every methods section must include a separate participants section, a separate materials section, and a separate procedure section. In addition to the method section, you will submit the Letter of Information and Debriefing Form that will be used in your study. This Step (including the methods section, Letter of Information, and Debriefing Form) are worth 8% and will be graded out of 32. A portion of these marks are for your ethical papers
7.1.4 LAB ASSIGNMENT: Results (due in class Thursday, July 12th, 2016).
For this stage you will have been given your data in an excel file in your Dropbox. You will calculate the results using the appropriate statistics. You will need to include descriptive and inferential statistics and this must be written in appropriate statistical statements. This Step is worth 8% and is graded out of 8.
Late penalties on LAB ASSIGNMENTS (excluding final paper in Section 7.1.5) are as follows:
Late penalties for each of the other steps is 2 marks per 24 hour period being late. Submissions will still be accepted for grading ONE WEEK after the due date.
7.1.5 FINAL LAB PROJECT PAPER (paper copy due at the start of class and electronic copy online through Assignments, Tuesday, July 26th, 2016).
The final paper, written using appropriate APA 6th formatting will be handed in as a paper copy in class and electronically submitted through the turnitin.com link available on WebCT through the course. SUBMIT TO ASSIGNMENTS before you hand in your paper copy! This Step is worth 20% of your final grade and is graded out of 60.
Given the detailed schedule and the responsibility students have to meet the deadlines, it is expected that students will not leave assignments to the last minute and thus leave themselves open to potential problems in meeting the deadlines (e.g., getting sick, computer problems, etc.).
Late penalties on the FINAL LAB PROJECT paper are 10% per 24 hour period that follows the due date without exception.
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
10.1STUDY HELP
Some notes on studying for a content-heavy course such as this one (but that can be applied to any course and comes from the learning and memory literature).
10.1.1 Keep up with your class syllabus –and if you want to increase your learning ability then you need to make yourself an active participant. Be aware that it is your –active- input in the learning process that will increase learning and improve your grade. Yes, quality of the material and the quality of the professor’s abilities will impact learning (typically via encouraging students to become active learners!) but ultimately it is the student’s input into the process that will impact the end result. Keeping up means reading the material available to you that will be covered in that week and taking advantage of all extra materials available (the text publisher’s site has an abundance of extra materials).
For this class I have included short quizzes (available online) which are not mandatory or part of your evaluation. These are a no-cost way to encourage your practical use of the eight hours that should be devoted to this class. My hope is that if you aren’t used to keeping up with your course material this way, because you are more passive than active, that you notice how much easier this is for your own learning process and that you will continue this practice in your future studies.
10.1.2 Use your textbook wisely – The number one study strategy of students, and the one they prefer to use, is reading and re-reading. Experimental work in the psychology of learning and memory tells us that, sadly, this is also the worst study strategy students could employ.
First off, be aware that our attention span is relatively short; fifteen minutes or so of active full attention can be sustained before waning of attention occurs. Second, this is another learning activity that students typically approach as a passive activity; again, picture the empty vessel being filled with words, not meaning, as though that’s enough to learn well. I have far too often had students in my office hours telling me that they don’t understand why they are doing poorly when they spend “hours and hours studying”. Every time I inquire as to what “studying” means it typically is defined as reading and re-reading. And the problem with this is that spending time reading makes us feel as though we are working, that we are learning. After all, reading is work, even when we are beyond the limit of our attention span and not really able to take much in. But this is a passive process and it isn’t leading to knowledge. It leads to a feeling that we worked and a feeling of familiarity with the material (e.g., “I feel like I know that term!”) because we encountered it in reading and in class without actually learning it (e.g. much the same way that we recognize a person we’ve seen before but can’t place where we know them from because we never actually got to know them).
To read actively use your headers! Headers are in every textbook and they can be used to your advantage to become an active reader and to perceive when you are losing your attention. And, better still, becoming an active reader means you don’t have to re-read and re-read ad nauseum. Here are the steps to use:
1 – Starting at one header, read all the way to the next header.
2 – Stop. Close the book.
3 – Relate the material by writing it down in a summary or saying it out loud. And I do mean out loud, not just in your head. Saying it out loud is more similar to writing it down because it causes you to have to make it sensible and use complete sentences to relate it. Otherwise you might just end with that feeling of knowing and you would also lose the opportunity to repeat the information which boosts to your learning.
4 – Skim the section quickly and check your knowledge. If you were able to correctly relate the material then move on to step 1 and start again. If you were not able to relate the material correctly (that is, you are in error when you check your knowledge) then check what you missed or got incorrect and think…did you miss it because it was just a small error or was it that you found that you weren’t remembering the material at all? Ask yourself if you need a break. Definitely if you proceed in this more active way then you will become more aware of when you are losing your attention, moreso than the passive reader whose eyes will merely continue across the page without this awareness. Being a passive reader can, ultimately, be a waste of your time.
5 – When you find your attention waning, whether it happens after 15 minutes or 30 minutes, take a break! Take a break for 15 minutes and return. Or if you accomplished a lot of active reading for the day already (via a series of active reading and breaks) then give it up for the moment and return to it later, another day, or move on to work for another course! Changing to new material will also recharge your attention batteries.
10.1.3 Be aware of how you will be tested – I know of no professor who employs “power reading” or reading in general as a testing method. That is, no course has a final exam in which the students are tested by reading material and not responding to it in some way. The best way to recall material, that is to bring it from your long-term memory to your consciousness, is to ensure that the recall (the remembering of the material) and encoding (the way you get the information into your memory) are well-matched. That is, that they are similar. So, why then are we studying by reading when no one tests us that way? Good question and one I ask students all the time! Many textbooks, including the one we’re using for this course, have great sections at the end of each chapter that far too many students ignore. I suspect they ignore it because being an active learner can be, or at least feel like, more work than passive learning. The payoff though is worth it though as active learning is the only way to ensure that actually know the material.
Once you have actively read through a chapter, use the key terms to actively define the terms for yourself, in your own words. Do this without referring back to the text. Also, do this by either writing the definitions down or by defining or explaining out loud. Indeed, the best way to do this is to teach it to someone. Now, most of us don’t have partners or roommates or relatives who are willing to let us teach them about transduction, glial cells, and microvilli so, -and don’t laugh-, I suggest that you find a favourite teddy bear, a pillow, a beloved pet, or even just a sock on your hand to teach. Remember that the important part of this process is that you are doing it aloud. That is, forming sensible sentences that are clear and concise and comprehensive, as all teachers must do (I couldn’t even imagine how hard it would be to teach when one has no knowledge on the subject). Do the same for any questions, such as the end of chapter questions that the authors have included in the textbook chapters.
For any keywords or questions you had problems answering or made errors on, circle them or highlight them. After you’re done your active review go back just to that portion of the text to remind yourself (our text has page numbers after the keywords to help you out with this).
So, now you have had another session of studying, of active learning that did not require more reading AND, better than this, is a way of studying that is similar to how you will be tested on the material. Another more active way to make encoding and recall work for you in studying is to spend some time making your own questions. For our class you should make up some multiple choice questions and short answer questions. Again, pretend to be the teacher!
10.1.4 Use the obvious resource your professor – Your professors all offer office hours. Ours are online but still, use them! And definitely use the email. It can be easier for a content dense course. TIPS: first make sure you tell me what class you’re in! Make sure you are writing in complete sentences! Be as complete with your questions and comments as you can so that I can respond without having to guess what the question is. And please don’t wait until the last couple of weeks of term, get yourself in for help earlier rather than later.
