MEDI102 Health Professions Education Notes: Study Skills, Reading, Writing, and Exam Preparation

Learning objectives

  • Understand the following: Effective study skills, academic writing, preparing for the exam.

Effective Study Skills

  • Very often the study habits and practices developed in high school do not work for college/university students. Question posed: Do you agree? (Yes/No)
  • Studying is a skill and is not related to intelligence or genetics.
  • Students must first learn study skills, practice them, and develop effective study habits to be successful.

When To Study

  • Study begins on the first day of class.
  • Successful students read and review notes before each class to recall previous class information and warm up for learning.
  • Review notes immediately after each class to reinforce learning.
  • Studying one hour 1 hour1\ \text{hour} immediately after a class will develop understanding more effectively.
  • Studies show that more than >50\% of material learned in class is forgotten within 24 hours24\text{ hours} without review.
  • Repeated exposure to material stores it in long-term memory.

Your Learning Preference

  • Self reflection prompts:
    • Am I more inclined to remember something when I see it (Visual)?
    • When I hear it (Aural/Auditory)?
    • When I read and write about it (Read and Write)?
    • When I experience or do something active with it (Kinaesthetic/Hands-on)?

To Improve as a Visual Learner

  • Visualize what you are studying.
  • Use colour in your notes (coloured pens, highlighters, etc.).
  • Visualize what the instructor is lecturing about.
  • Draw pictures and diagrams.
  • Use mind maps in notes.
  • Use pictures and graphics to reinforce learning.
  • Learn from videos.

To Improve as Aural/Auditory Learner

  • Talk and listen to taped recordings of assignments.
  • Tape record your own textbook reading.
  • Listen to audiotapes on the subject.
  • Read out loud.
  • Discuss what you are studying with others.
  • Participate in class discussions.

To Improve as Read and Write Learner

  • Make lists (like this one).
  • Order things into priorities or categories.
  • Use headings that clearly explain what follows.
  • Use bullet points and numbered paragraphs.
  • Read handouts/books.
  • Rewrite ideas and principles in your own words.

To Improve as Hands-On Learner

  • Stand up and move around while studying.
  • Take frequent breaks while studying.
  • Use your hands and write things down as you study.
  • Use the computer to reinforce learning.
  • Be physically active; experiment with objects.
  • Memorize or drill while walking or exercising.
  • Attend laboratory and practical sessions.

Methods for Learning and Retaining Information

  • Core idea: apply multiple strategies to encode and retrieve information effectively.

What Good Study Skills Do You Have?

  • Prompt to assess your current effective study skills.

For Effective Study Strategies, You Need To

  • Take responsibility for your learning.
  • Keep your mind free and clear of distractions.
  • Develop study habits, such as using time efficiently and becoming involved with the learning task quickly.
  • Relate learning to the real world or personal experiences.
  • Review your learning experiences often.
  • Question, summarize, and redefine new concepts and ideas in real world contexts.

Studying Skills Involves

  • Reading (SQ3R table) and dialog with the author on how to read an article.
  • Taking notes.
  • Listening.
  • Concentration and memory.
  • Motivation.
  • Study group.
  • Flash cards.
  • Mind map.

Strategies to Use to Prepare for Reading, Engage in Reading, and Review Reading

  • HOW TO SURVEY: Look over material including title, preview, headings, visuals, bolded words, summary. The purpose is to gain the big picture and decide what is important. Ask what, who, why, and how. Create a rough idea of background knowledge.
  • WHY SURVEY? It gives you the big picture, helps you decide what is important, connects to prior knowledge, and prepares you to read.
  • HOW TO QUESTION: Ask questions that create a purpose and interest; practice for quizzes.
  • WHY QUESTION? It provides focus on reading and a purpose, and helps in engagement.
  • HOW TO READ: Look for answers to questions; read for understanding.
  • HOW TO RECITE: Say it out loud in your own words; write notes in margins; underline or highlight important concepts; break reading into chunks; take breaks as needed; write a summary of paragraphs or sections; create notes or notecards; create a mind map.
  • HOW TO REVIEW: Look over notes and quiz yourself; make connections between readings and class notes; revisit weekly and test yourself on new and old material.
  • SQ3R Reading Strategy summary: Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review.
  • Origin: Oregon State University Learning Corner reference.

Dialogue with the Author

  • Create a dialogue with readings, even if not talking back.
  • Take an active role in reading; question the author’s reasoning.
  • Answers may appear several pages later; it keeps learning interesting and focused.

Taking Notes

  • Make notes brief.
  • Use your own words.
  • Organize major and minor thoughts.
  • Use appropriate note-taking method:
    • Cornell Method
    • Outline
    • Mapping
    • Charting
    • Sentences or Paragraphs

Listening

  • Be ready for the message.
  • Listen for main or new ideas.
  • Understand what you are hearing.
  • Repeat mentally.
  • Ask questions.
  • Listen to the whole message.
  • Respect all ideas.
  • Decide what is important and what is not.
  • Sort, organize, and categorize.

Concentration and Memory

  • Establish a routine study environment.
  • Study earlier in the day if possible.
  • Minimize distracters and interferences.
  • Set time goals.
  • Take breaks.

Motivation

  • Set study goals.
  • Learn actively.
  • Ask questions.
  • Plan study time.
  • Work with study groups or with one other person.

Study Groups

  • See material from different perspectives.
  • Stay motivated because the group needs you.
  • Commit more time to studying.
  • Group discussions help learning the material.
  • Share class notes and other material.
  • Pick up new study tips and habits.

Mind Map

  • Mind maps are created around a central word, idea, or theme.
  • Create branches to other major concepts related to the central word.
  • From there continue to create branches from every word or concept you add to the map.

Flash Cards

  • Good for classes with a lot of terminology or vocabulary.
  • Helpful for remembering material.
  • Strength of flash cards lies in testing yourself on the concepts.
  • Alternative to words on one side and definitions on the other is questions on one side and answers on the other.
  • Use them to quiz yourself.

Myths and Facts

  • Common myths listed include:
    • Studying more or longer yields better grades.
    • There is one study system that works for everyone.
    • Merely knowing course material is enough.
    • Cramming the night before will keep material fresh.
    • Writing has little impact on learning.

Five Tips for the Students
1) Study in small chunks instead of one long period (Pomodoro).
2) Review syllabus to identify where test questions come from.
3) Develop a studying system that works for you.
4) Learn what the professor expects.
5) Maintain a healthy brain through physical exercise, mental exercise, good nutrition, and stress management.

Activity

  • Reflect on your best learning method.
  • Write the best ways to improve learning skills according to your learning method.
  • You may have more than one learning method.

Break

  • Break of 5 minutes.

Academic Writing

What Do We Expect?

  • Content
  • Text organization
  • Quality of evidence
  • Grammar
  • Formatting
  • Originality

How Do You Plan Your Academic Writings?

  • Plan overview includes: No (numbered steps), Tasks, Estimate Time, Due Date
  • Steps:
    1. Analyse the question
    2. Brainstorm
    3. Research
    4. Develop an outline
    5. First draft
    6. Edit
    7. References

Analyse The Question

Establish Your Focus

  • Consider audience, appropriate level of detail, prior knowledge, aspects to cover, breadth/depth, useful books/articles, how the work will be assessed.

Develop an Outline (Taxonomy)

Write Notes

  • While writing notes you may alter your outline; include notes to supplement the outline.

How To Structure

  • General to Specific
  • Chronological Order
  • From Problem to Solution (present need before explaining the solution)
  • From Received Wisdom to Innovation

Making Paragraphs (Example)

  • Topic sentence
  • Supporting sentences with evidence
  • Example: Adults should read to infants as a means to later reading; benefits include linking words to language and positive associations with reading time.

Tips on Drafting and Editing

  • Word count: cut dead wood and avoid overly long sentences.
  • Build a coherent story; ensure each section flows.
  • Use your own words and support with references.
  • Read drafts aloud to catch small errors reducing readability.

Be Cautious – Be Humble

  • Qualifying adverbs (Possibly, Probably, Usually, Generally, Virtually, Predictably, Largely, Mainly, Mostly, Greatly, Extensively, Widely, May, Might, Should, Be likely to, Ten)
  • Expressions of quantity (Most of, Nearly all, A large number, A majority, A great quantity, A great deal)
  • Conditional expressions (If present trends continue, If circumstances remain unaltered, If nothing is done to prevent this, Unless something is done)

If I had more time, I would have written a shorter letter

Don’t Say - Say The Question as to whether

  • There is no doubt but that -> Doubtless/no doubt
  • There is no doubt but that is a phrase to avoid in academic writing; prefer concise forms
  • Examples of substitutions: This is a subject that -> This subject; His story is a strange one -> His story is strange; The reason why is that -> Because; In spite of the fact that -> Although
  • Be concise.

Punctuation - What They Say

  • Quotation marks, comma, full stop/period, semicolon, three dots, colon, brackets, exclamation mark, apostrophe, question mark, hyphen

Transition Words

  • ADDING: and, as well as, moreover, furthermore, in addition, too, on top of that, another point is
  • SEQUENCING: first, firstly, first of all, second, secondly, third, next, meanwhile, now, subsequently
  • ILLUSTRATING: for example, such as, for instance, in the case of, as shown by, illustrated by, take one example is
  • COMPARING: similarly, likewise, as with, like, equally, in the same way
  • QUALIFYING: but, however, although, unless, except, apart from, as long as, if
  • CONTRASTING: whereas, alternatively, unlike, on the other hand, conversely, nevertheless, however
  • CAUSE AND EFFECT: because, because of, as a result of, consequently, therefore, thus, owing to, due to
  • SUMMARY: in short, on the whole, in other words, overall, generally, in general, in brief
  • EMPHASIZING: above all, in particular, especially, significantly, indeed, notably

Plagiarism

  • The unacknowledged use of another's work as if it were one own.
  • Examples include:
    • Inclusion of more than a single phrase from another's work without quotation marks and acknowledgment.
    • Summarising another's work by changing a few words or altering the order without acknowledgement.
    • Copying another's work.
    • Use of another's ideas without acknowledgement or presenting work as one own which substantially mirrors another's ideas.

Plagiarism Detection Software

  • Turnitin
  • SafeAssign
  • iThenticate
  • Part of Blackboard/Moodle
  • Quick to use; scans web and internal database; highlights similar text

Why Reference

  • To place your work in academic context
  • To acknowledge the source of your information
  • To distinguish between your own opinion and the views of others
  • To validate knowledge, theories, and discussions you present
  • Display breadth of reading/research
  • To show you have researched your material
  • To allow reader to follow up your work
  • To avoid accusation of plagiarism

Avoiding Plagiarism

  • Do not copy and paste from online sources directly into writing
  • Paraphrase thoughtfully; think about why you wish to include material
  • Always acknowledge sources
  • If in doubt, reference it

Paraphrasing is

  • A potentially better alternative to direct quotation
  • A means to show you have understood the other person’s argument
  • A skill that can be learned and refined
  • An essential element of academic writing

APA System

  • Two elements: in-text citation (author/date) and a reference in the bibliography/references list
  • Note: No referencing in footnotes

APA Referencing – practical tips

  • Direct quotation requires exact page number in addition to author surname and year, e.g. Sethi (2022, p. 3)
  • Mention all authors’ surnames the first time you cite; for three or more authors, use first surname et al in subsequent citations
  • Always list up to six authors in full in the bibliography
  • Do not shorten internet references

Preparing for an Exam?

How to Read an Article

  • Read the title and abstract
  • Identify aims of the study
  • Skim the article to identify structure
  • Identify main points and questions answered
  • Determine main conclusions
  • Take notes as you read

Preparing For an Exam

  • Begin studying early
  • Maintain concentration
  • Revise several times and focus on important concepts
  • Practice on old exams
  • Be prepared physically and mentally: sleep well, eat well
  • Organise all you need for the exam

Answering Essay Type Questions

  • Identify how much time you have per question
  • Read the question; highlight keywords and requirements
  • The score helps identify time to allocate
  • Think and organize; brainstorm; outline key ideas; write the response
  • Structure: Thesis statement - Body – Conclusion
  • Proofread for clarity, coherence, and grammar
  • Practice writing in similar situations to improve

Answering Multiple Choice Questions

  • Read the question carefully and attempt to answer before looking at choices
  • Read all options; strike out wrong answers
  • Mark answers clearly and consistently; avoid changing answers unless certain
  • If you do not know the answer, move on and revisit at the end
  • If all else fails, make an educated guess
  • Answer all questions unless there is a penalty for guessing

Take Home Message

  • You cannot just write your opinion; back everything with evidence (what others have written).
  • Do not copy others' work; reference sources.
  • Always reference where you obtained information.

Exam Takeaways

  • Be prepared with a broad toolkit of study strategies including SQ3R, note taking, mind maps, flash cards, and group study.
  • Academic writing requires clear planning, outlining, structured paragraphs, and proper referencing to avoid plagiarism.

Contact

  • Dr Hisham Alshaikhli, MEDI102 – Health Professions Education, Qatar University contact details as provided