Guide to Reflective Thinking on University Learning Strategies: Actualizing my Intellectual Potential

Abstract

Learning in the university is not always a rest cure. On top of the volume of knowledge to be acquired, the assimilation of new concepts, and the complexity of discipline-specific procedures and technologies, students must also take into account all the other factors that may impact on the quality of their learning : professors’ requirements, educational styles, team assignments, the vagaries of their own attention and memory, their motivation level… To succeed, the student must become a strategist and draw up a battle plan. Being strategic in one’s studies and learning is to reflect before, during, and after each activity in order to maximize its efficiency ; in other words, to optimize the yield of the efforts invested to succeed and achieve the competency level prescribed by the training program. This guide sets out the essential knowledge for a better self-understanding and the principles for dealing efficiently with one’s studies, in order to help students achieve their personal goals.