Top 5 Learning Challenges

Getting a lower than expected grade is a disappointment. Understanding the why and the how of the matter (in the most objective way possible) can help you re-align your approach to studying/research with your goals for next time. Sometimes, our own beliefs about learning may be our biggest obstacles. Here are a few examples:

Learning should be easy and fast (if I’m doing it well)

In fact, when we are learning something new by re-reading and highlighting (rather than self testing and solving problems), our brains often fool us into thinking that we are learning. This is called a fluency or familiarity bias and it happens when we think that something familiar and clearly explained has actually been learned. In fact, the best way to test whether you know something is to try to teach it to someone else – this will help you clarify your gaps in understanding.

Talent is everything. If I’m not talented in a subject – I can’t expect to do well.

Talent can help, but your attitude about learning is way more important. If you believe your learning abilities are fixed, you’ll put up mental blocks that hinder your learning. For example, if you are used to getting straight A’s you may tend to avoid risks that might take you out of your comfort zone and risk your perfect record. Conversely, if you believe you are not good at something (say math for example) you may lower your expectations,etc. Either way, those fixed beliefs will prevent you from opening up to new experiences that may have a profound impact on your learning. Students who have a ‘growth mindset’ about learning, and believe that they can really improve over time and with effort tend to take more chances, progress faster, and see risk and failure as part of the learning process (Dweck, 2006). See Myth #1 below for more information and resources.

I’m a good judge of my own learning.

Research tells us that we are not very good at assessing our own learning. We tend to overestimate or underestimate our own abilities. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, a well documented cognitive bias. According to Steven Novella (in his article about the Dunning-Kruger effect): “the most competent individuals tend to underestimate their relative ability a little, but for most people (the bottom 75%) they increasingly overestimate their ability, and everyone thinks they are above average.”

Memorizing the facts is what’s important in learning.

At university, what’s important is your understanding of concepts and ideas, when to apply them and how and in what circumstances they are useful. This sort of understanding is enhanced when you look for the connections between concepts and ask yourself questions about what you are reading so that you can extract meaning.

So how can you overcome some of these biases and problems and study smarter? Have a look at the strategies section for some good ideas.

Find out about common myths that impact this challenge and what you can do to bust the myth!

Talent can help, but your attitude about learning is way more important. If you believe your learning abilities are fixed, you’ll put up mental blocks that hinder your learning. For example, if you are used to getting straight A’s you may tend to avoid risks that might take you out of your comfort zone and risk your perfect record. Conversely, if you believe you are not good at something (say math for example) you may lower your expectations,etc. Either way, those fixed beliefs will prevent you from opening up to new experiences that may have a profound impact on your learning. Students who have a ‘growth mindset’ about learning, and believe that they can really improve over time and with effort tend to take more chances, progress faster, and see risk and failure as part of the learning process (Dweck, 2006). “Research suggests that students who view intelligence as innate focus on their ability and its adequacy/inadequacy, whereas students who view intelligence as malleable use strategy and effort as they work toward mastery.” (Schoenfeld, 1983). Mindset can have positive and negative impacts on learning: intelligence and ability are neither innate nor static. Our brains grow, change, and adapt as we use them.

A combination of motivation and focused effort in deliberate practice will really help you develop a deeper understanding. Deliberate practice is about more than just putting time in: it includes frequent feedback, repeatedly adjusting your approach, and a belief that you can learn and grow with effort. What you do is just as important as how often you do it.

References:

• Growth Mindset: Mindset Scholar’s Network Retrieved: May, 29, 2018.
• Ambrose, S.A, Lovett, M.C. (2014) Prior Knowledge is More Than Content: Skills and Beliefs Also Impact Learning, in Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (Editors). (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Available at the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php.

Check out some of our student toolkits to support your learning:

• Exam Prep
• Time Management
• Textbook Reading

• Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology
• The Myth of Learning Styles
• Self-Regulated Learning: Beliefs, Techniques, and Illusions
• Principles of Learning
• Fixed vs. Growth Mindset[pdf]

Videos:

• College Info Geek: How to Overcome Perfectionism
• College Info Geek: Study Less Study Smart

Health and Wellness at UBC:

• Wellness Centre
• Stress and strategies to cope

I failed a course. You’ve failed your first big exam or maybe an entire course or two. Now what? First off, failure it not unique to you, it is common. It can often be one of the most powerful teachers we have. Recovery (and even using failure as a catalyst to learning), requires a shift in perspective. Instead of beating yourself up, ask “what can I learn from this?” In order to make good decisions about what to do next, you need to understand what happened. Here are some common scenarios that may lead to your first “bomb:”

Waiting too long to seek help

This is a common mistake for first year students who are often nervous about meeting with their profs outside of class. You may feel like you will be judged or that your questions are stupid. It may be helpful to know that your questions will likely not be new to your professors – they’ve likely heard it before from many students before you and can offer some immediate and specific advice to help you. Remember that your professors and TAs are here to help you learn and they want to see you succeed.

Not doing the work

Maybe you got by in high school when you skipped the readings or didn’t work through problem sets outside of class. But in university, you are aiming for deep, conceptual understanding. This kind of learning takes practice over time and in many forms. After all, you are preparing to use what you’ve learned in a professional setting after you graduate – so you need to spend the time to learn it well. You may need to ask yourself why you are not making time for the work outside of class. The answer to this question will lead you to a strategy for improving your self discipline.

Not going to class

Every student makes decisions about when, why and whether or not to go to class. Missing too many classes can be de-motivating, especially of you are missing important lectures or learning activities that help you make sense of the course content. Again, you need to ask yourself (and answer honestly), why you are missing classes. Conflicting schedules, poor health or sleeping habits can be contributors and are fixable.

Ineffective study methods

Cramming, multi-tasking, re-reading (without self testing) are all methods that fool us into thinking we are learning and being productive with study time. Reflecting on your own study methods and a willingness to try new approaches is a good first step.

The following myths about learning are relevant to the challenge of failure.

Being a self-directed learner requires planning.

Answering the 5 questions from the graphic above can help to build a disciplined approach which will help you tackle your academic work.

Planning can also help you develop a workable schedule for studying. “Research shows spacing study episodes out with breaks in between study sessions or repetitions of the same material is more effective than massing such study episodes. Massing practice is akin to cramming all night before the test.” (Clark and Bjork, 2014).

Planning reduces stress, helps you avoid cramming, and builds skills in metacognition. Planning is an important part of any career or occupation, so learning to plan well contributes to your overall competency. Even learning to plan takes practice, so start early!

Reference:

• Clark, C.M., Bjork, R.A. (2014) When and Why Introducing Difficulties and Errors Can Enhance Instruction, in Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (Editors). (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Available at the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php.

“Every success is built on the ash heap of failed attempts.” This reminder from Prof. Michael Starbird (U of T at Austin) offers a good reason not to fear failure. Failure doesn’t often feel good, but it may be your best teacher. In fact, in their book 5 Elements of Effective Thinking, professors Edward Burger and Michael Starbird, say that failure is, in fact, an important foundation on which to build success. But, as they point out seeing failure as an opportunity for learning requires a fresh mindset. “If you think I’m stuck and I’m giving up; I know I can’t get it right, then get it wrong. Once you make the mistake, you can ask, why is THAT wrong? Now you’re back on track, tackling the original challenge.” Failure is an important aspect of much creative work – though it goes by a different name – iteration. Iteration is important in refining, working though problems, starting small and refining until more can be added. Iteration is a feature of work in design, science, technology and really any field where innovation is important.

Reference:

• Burger, E. B., & Starbird, M. P. (2012). The 5 elements of effective thinking. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

• Interacting With Profs
• Exam Prep

• UBC Policies on Academic Standing.
• Academic Advising
• Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology

Videos

• College Info Geek: When You Just Can’t Motivate Yourself to Study, Consider This.
• College Info Geek: My 3 Tier Planning System for Getting Things Done
• College Info Geek: How to Bounce Back from Failure.

Health and Wellness at UBC:

• Wellness Centre
• Stress and strategies to cope

Keeping up with all of the work expected of you at university can be challenging. Between classes and readings and assignments sometimes it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. You are not alone in this feeling. The workload increases dramatically from high school to university, and you no longer have your parents keeping on top of you to get things done. This means that it is important to plan well and to use your time effectively by avoiding procrastination as much as possible. But it’s also important to stay healthy and to leave time for having fun as well as studying. Some issues that might be impacting your feeling of being overwhelmed are:

Reading everything

Generally a syllabus is divided into required readings and recommended readings. It is next to impossible to read every single article or book mentioned by your professor, and trying to will lead to feelings of burnout and falling behind. You will need to find ways to deal with reading overload by determining which articles and texts are the most deserving of your attention.

Not going to class

Every student makes decisions about whether or not to go to class, after all most profs don’t take attendance like teachers did in high school. But remember that missing too many classes can be de-motivating, especially if you are missing important lectures or learning activities that help you make sense of the course content. While classes generally are a big time commitment, not going will likely cause you to fall more behind and actually increase your stress. Just copying a friends notes won’t truly help you engage with the content and classes are also an excellent time to ask questions if something is confusing.

Not writing things down

While you may have been able to get through high school without taking notes, most profs don’t provide handouts that outline the important points of a given lecture. This means that you need to determine for yourself what information is important and write it down. This is especially true when details are given in class about assignments and tests, as many teachers will not continually remind you that an upcoming assignment is due. Staying organized is key to success in university!

Waiting too long to seek help

This is a common mistake for first year students who are often nervous about meeting with their profs outside of class. You may feel like you will be judged or that your questions are stupid. It may be helpful to know that your questions will likely not be new to your professors – they’ve probably heard it before from previous students and can therefore offer some immediate and specific advice to help you. Remember that your professors and TAs are there to help you learn and they want to see you succeed.

The following myths about learning are relevant to the challenge of keeping up with your work.

Sometimes, study methods that worked in high school – just don’t serve you well in university. If your tried and true study strategies aren’t working, use a different approach. Monitor your learning, by measuring your knowledge against what you expect. Before you start studying, guess how it’ll go. Predict your homework and test results, and see if you’re accurate or not. Notice when your expectations fall short of (or overshoot) reality, and adjust your approach accordingly. This is called metacognition, and it’s an important part of effective learning.

There’s also some evidence to suggest that mixing it up (in terms of where, when and how we study and learn) promotes recall (Carey, 2015)

Being a self-directed learner requires planning.

Answering the 5 questions from the graphic above can help to build a disciplined approach which will help you tackle your academic work.

Planning can also help you develop a workable schedule for studying. “Research shows spacing study episodes out with breaks in between study sessions or repetitions of the same material is more effective than massing such study episodes. Massing practice is akin to cramming all night before the test.” (Clark and Bjork, 2014).

Planning reduces stress, helps you avoid cramming, and builds skills in metacognition. Planning is an important part of any career or occupation, so learning to plan well contributes to your overall competency. Even learning to plan takes practice, so start early!

Reference:

• Clark, C.M., Bjork, R.A. (2014) When and Why Introducing Difficulties and Errors Can Enhance Instruction, in Benassi, V. A., Overson, C. E., & Hakala, C. M. (Editors). (2014). Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum. Available at the Teaching of Psychology website: http://teachpsych.org/ebooks/asle2014/index.php.

Check out some of our student toolkits to support your learning:

• Managing your Time
• Preparing for Exams
• Reading Textbooks

• Maclean’s Magazine Ten Things I Wish I’d Known in my First Year of University
• Life Hack Freshman 15: Coping with the First Year of College
• Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology

Videos

• Wellcast: How to Stop Procrastinating
• College Info Geek: How to Deal with Student Burnout
• College Info Geek: 5 Ways to Build Focus and Concentration

Health and Wellness at UBC:

• Wellness Centre
• Stress and strategies to cope

I’m studying hard and it’s not working. Though putting lots of time into studying can make it feel like you are learning a lot, the fact is that studying must be effective rather than lengthy to be useful. Studying for hours every day will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something, but if the information you are learning cannot be quickly and easily put into practice, then you need to re-asses your study methods. Many of our ideas about studying actually negatively impact our learning, such as:

Learning is fast

When we are learning something new by re-reading and highlighting (rather than self testing and solving problems), our brains often fool us into thinking that we are learning. This is called a fluency or familiarity bias and it happens when we think that something familiar and clearly explained has actually been learned. In fact, the best way to test whether you know something is to try to teach it to someone else – this will help you clarify your gaps in understanding.

Memorizing the facts is what’s important

At university, what’s important is your understanding of concepts and ideas, when to apply them and how and in what circumstances they are useful. This sort of understanding is enhanced when you look for the connections between concepts and ask yourself questions about what you are reading so that you can extract meaning.

Talent is everything. If I’m not talented in a subject – I can’t expect to do well.

Talent can help, but your attitude about learning is way more important. If you believe your learning abilities are fixed, you’ll put up mental blocks that hinder your learning. For example, if you are used to getting straight A’s you may tend to avoid risks that might take you out of your comfort zone and risk your perfect record. Conversely, if you believe you are not good at something (say math for example) you may lower your expectations,etc. Either way, those fixed beliefs will prevent you from opening up to new experiences that may have a profound impact on your learning. Students who have a ‘growth mindset’ about learning, and believe that they can really improve over time and with effort tend to take more chances, progress faster, and see risk and failure as part of the learning process (Dweck, 2006). See Myth #1 below for more information and resources.

It’s fine to multi-task while studying

Though we all believe that we multi-task well, the truth is we don’t. Every distraction we have when studying decreases the amount we are able to learn, and increases the time we must devote to studying. We are especially bad at multi-tasking when one task involves concentration and effort, meaning that studying is best done with extreme focus and minimal distractions.

I’m a good judge of my own learning.

Research tells us that we are not very good at assessing our own learning. We tend to overestimate or underestimate our own abilities. This is known as the Dunning-Kruger effect, a well documented cognitive bias. According to Steven Novella (in his article about the Dunning-Kruger effect): “the most competent individuals tend to underestimate their relative ability a little, but for most people (the bottom 75%) they increasingly overestimate their ability, and everyone thinks they are above average.”

The following myths about learning are relevant to the challenge of studying.

Often, we are fooled into thinking we understand something, because terms or concepts sound familiar. You might find yourself feeling like you really understand the material, when your brain is really just responding to the fact that it’s seen this exact material before. To add to that, if it is presented in a clear and pleasing manner, it might create an illusion of fluency. This is called a fluency bias or familiarity trap—when everything seems familiar, your brain doesn’t have to work so hard, so it feels like you’ve mastered the material, even though you haven’t. Try to mix things up as you’re studying.

More and more, evidence suggests confusion is where deep learning lies. It might even be that some level of confusion activates parts of your brain which regulate learning and motivation, helping you achieve a greater level of understanding. If you’re not confused, you might not be learning. See Learning Goes Through the Land of Confusion by Rhett Alan, a physics professor at Southern Louisiana University, for a brief explanation. Don’t let yourself get discouraged if it feels like you aren’t ‘getting it’: that’s a good sign.

Other science educators have found support for the idea that confusion is important to learning. Eric Mazur, a Harvard physics education researcher, has done some interesting research on the topic—a summary of his findings can be found in this blog post. Another researcher and science educator, Derek Muller, has looked at the relationship between learning and video. Watch this video where he explains his findings and talks about the strengths and weaknesses of Khan Academy.

Check out some of our student toolkits to support your learning:

• Preparing for Exams
• Managing Your Time
• Taking Notes

• Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology
• Psych Central: 10 Highly Effective Study Habits
• University of Guelph: Learning How to Study

Videos:

• College Info Geek: Study Less Study Smart
• College Info Geek: How to Study Effectively: 8 Advanced Tips
• College Info Geek: Exam Tips: How to Study for Finals

Health and Wellness at UBC:

• Wellness Centre
• Stress and strategies to cope

I forget the important stuff. While attending classes, taking notes and doing your assigned readings are important parts of learning at university, simply doing what is asked of you by your professor will not necessarily result in your retention of new information or a deep understanding of key concepts. While you may be putting in lots of study time, and feel as though you are studying hard, how, what and where you are studying may be impacting your memory. To improve your retention of information you need to rethink some of these thoughts and practices:

Memorizing the facts is what’s important in learning.

At university, what’s important is your understanding of concepts and ideas, when to apply them and how and in what circumstances they are useful. This sort of understanding is enhanced when you look for the connections between concepts and ask yourself questions about what you are reading so that you can extract meaning. Simply re-reading your notes or textbooks will not lead to remembering important information, your learning must take place at a deeper level than that. Most teachers will not test for the memorization of isolated facts, they will ask you to demonstrate your comprehension of a concept by applying it. Being able to interpret a concept and think about it deeply is key to retaining new information.

If I put in the effort, I will learn

Intention to learn does not actually help your memory, nor does simply playing close attention to the material you are studying. All learners have various levels of processing that go from shallow to deep. In order to remember information, you must use your deep level processing, this means using study activities that involve interpreting information and relating it to your prior knowledge or experience.

Using ineffective study methods

Cramming, multi-tasking, re-reading (without self testing) are all methods that fool us into thinking we are learning and being productive with study time. Reflecting on your own study methods and a willingness to try new approaches is a good step to improving your understanding of new concepts. Just putting in the time, does not mean that you are actually learning, you must spend time interpreting and applying new concepts to make your study time useful. It is also important to continue studying even after you can simply recall a new concept. You must be able to recall it quickly and easily to have truly mastered it.

Learning should be easy and fast (if I’m doing it well)

In fact, when we are learning something new by re-reading and highlighting (rather than self testing and solving problems), our brains often fool us into thinking that we are learning. This is called a fluency or familiarity bias and it happens when we think that something familiar and clearly explained has actually been learned. In fact, the best way to test whether you know something is to try to teach it to someone else – this will help you clarify your gaps in understanding.

So how can you overcome some of these biases and problems and study better? Have a look at the strategies section for some good ideas.

The following myths about learning are relevant to the challenge of memorizing.

Sometimes, study methods that worked in high school – just don’t serve you well in university. If your tried and true study strategies aren’t working, use a different approach. Monitor your learning, by measuring your knowledge against what you expect. Before you start studying, guess how it’ll go. Predict your homework and test results, and see if you’re accurate or not. Notice when your expectations fall short of (or overshoot) reality, and adjust your approach accordingly. This is called metacognition, and it’s an important part of effective learning.

There’s also some evidence to suggest that mixing it up (in terms of where, when and how we study and learn) promotes recall (Carey, 2015)

If you stay up all night cramming for a test, you’ll probably pass. If you’ve got a test tomorrow and you haven’t cracked a book, you don’t have a choice. But have you really learned anything while you were cramming? Cramming doesn’t give the brain time to process information and make critical connections necessary to retrieve it from memory later. If you have classes that build on previous courses, you’ll wish you’d spaced out your studying. That’s your note to self for next time.

Learning goes beyond your test scores: critical thinking analysis, applying principles to solve problems, the ability to assess your effectiveness, revise, and apply what you know are skills that you’ll need through the rest of your life. If you have a test the next morning, you might have to pull that all-nighter, but you’ll do better on the test and remember the material for longer if you spread your learning out, and use some of the strategies laid out here.

Check out some of our student toolkits to support your learning:

• Preparing for Exams
• Managing Your Time
• Reading Your Textbooks

• Life Hacker Why Your Memory Sucks
• Life Hacker Study Less,Study Smart
• College Atlas How to Retain Information
• Optimizing Learning in College: Tips from Cognitive Psychology

Videos

• College Info Geek: Study Less Study Smart
• College Info Geek: How to Study Effectively: 8 Advanced Tips
• AsapSCIENCE: 9 Best Scientific Study Tips

Health and Wellness at UBC:

• Wellness Centre
• Stress and strategies to cope