Student Success Toolkit

Time management is one of the most crucial skills you can perfect as a college student. By planning and using your time wisely, you will be able to accomplish more and enjoy added free time. Below are a few time management tips to help you maximize your time. 

Time Management Assessment - The Time Management Assessment will evaluate your current time management skills.

Creating a Schedule - Creating a weekly schedule and planning two weeks in advance will help you identify upcoming deadlines. Here are three different options to create a schedule that will help you manage your time. 

• Hourly Calendar
• Google Calendar 
• Microsoft Outlook Calendar

Prioritizing - The Priority Quadrants will help you prioritize your tasks by identifying what tasks are Critical verses Not Critical and what tasks are Do Now verses Do Later. By completing this handout, it will help you create a to-do list. 

Time Management Calculator - Completing the Time Management Calculator can help identify the number of hours you have to focus on getting tasks completed. 

Being organized will not only help you in your personal life, but it will allow you to optimize your time to be more focused, less stressed, and perform better on assignments. Below are a few action steps you can utilize to help improve your organizational skills.  

Outlining Your Syllabus - Your syllabus is the road map to the success in any course you will take. This handout will help you outline your syllabi and help you stay organized when it comes to course expectations, course policies, and major assignments.  

Creating a Filing System - As you enter college, being organized will help you be successful as you have multiple responsibilities. This handout offers several tips to keep and stay organized throughout the semester. 

Action Plan for Assignments - When working on large or small assignments, it is always important to create an Action Plan that outlines different tasks or steps to complete your assignment(s). This handout will guide you through setting goals and deadlines to complete your assignments. 

Everyone has their own unique learning style which refers to how individuals process and learn new information. By knowing what type of learning style you have, it will help you to be successful when taking different courses. 

Learning Styles Assessment - Find out what Learning Style you have by taking the Learning Style Assessment. 

Learning Styles & Strategies - After you have taken the Learning Style Assessment, read about different study strategies to help you improve your academic performance in the classroom.

When it comes to your study habits, we all have room for improvement. It is important to continue to develop strong study skills as you become a lifelong learner beyond your academic career.

Study Skills Assessment - This assessment will help identify different areas of improvement as well as strengths as it pertains to study habits. This assessment will focus on the following areas: Time Management, Note Taking, Reading, Test Taking, and Memorization.

Study Cycle - Understanding the study cycle is important to your academic success. This handout will outline several steps you can do to help you prepare for classes, ultimately preparing you to engage during discussions and partake in small group activities.

Course Expectations - Knowing course expectations is important to your success in each course you take here at Illinois. It is important to refer to your syllabus as professors typically outline course and student expectations. This handout will help you prepare for each class. 

Effective notetaking is an important aspect to the learning process. Taking notes is one way to ensure you are learning material for each of your classes.

Note Taking Methods - When learning new information, it has been shown that individuals who take notes oftentimes are able to retain, recall, and recite material successfully. You will want to look at the different methods of note taking including the Cornell, Outline, and Concept Map/Flow Chart Methods to see what works best for you. 

• Cornell Method 
• Outline Method 
• Concept Map/Flow Chart Method

Active Listening - There can be many distractions that prevent us from paying attention. You may find yourself daydreaming, passing judgement on the speaker, or too tired to understand the material. There are several strategies you can implement to help yourself become a better listener.

When reading any text, it is important to critically read the material to understand the concepts, theories, or the point-of-view of the author(s). Reading critically will allow you to analyze, comprehend, and retain information.

Critical Reading & Annotating - As you are reading different texts for class, annotating will help you read critically to gain an understanding of the text. This handout outlines three steps to help you annotate your text. 

Exams are used by professors as a way to measure and assess students’ understanding of information taught in class. It is important to create a plan to prepare for exams. It is also euqally important to also think about how to prepare for different types of exam questions.  

10-Day Study Plan - When preparing for any exam, it is important to create a plan and a schedule for you to study your notes and review your textbook or articles. Creating a 10-day study plan will help you be prepared for your next exam.

Types of Exam Questions - Read about different tips on how to best answer multiple choice, true/false, short answer and eassy exam questions. 

How to be a good online student is something that you may be asking yourself. You may be used to the traditional classroom setting – being able to ask questions directly to the professor, socializing with classmates, and sitting in a classroom on a certain day and time. There are simple things that you can do to help yourself to be just as successful outlined below.

Zoom Etiquette - If you are taking a synchronous course, you will want to be thoughtful when attending your class. It is important to be respectful, not only to your professor, but also your classmates. This handout outlines several different tips while using Zoom to attend class. 

Video Lectures - When it comes to online learning, some classes may be asynchronous, and you may find yourself watching lecture videos and doing assignments on your own. There are several tips that you can follow to make sure you are successful when taking an asynchronous course.

Communicating with your professors and instructors is one important aspect to your success in any class. Your professor or instructor will typically outline the best way to communicate with them. You will always want to maximize your time with your professor or instructor, so preparing a head of time is critical. 

Preparing for Office Hours - Your professors and instructors will hold office hours for each of the classes they teach. When attending office hours, you will want to be prepared to use this time effectively. This handout will help you identify the purpose of your meeting along with outlining goals you hope to accomplish during your meeting. 

Email Etiquette - Oftentimes writing an email can be an efficient and easy way to communicate with your professors or instructors. In your email correspondence, you will want to state your purpose and goal(s) clearly. Here are some tips that will help you write a concise email to your professors or instructors. 

You will want to consider having a dedicated space to focus on your schoolwork. More importantly, your workspace needs to be one where you can focus, minimize distractions, and complete tasks. 

Study Environment Inventory - Completing the Study Environment Inventory will allow you to think about different components of a good work environment.

Tutoring Services 

Contact Daniel Almanza, Academic Learning Skills Specialist.