SMART Workshop Descriptions

7 Study Habits of Highly Effective Students

You want to be successful in college. With the right set of skills, you can be. This workshop is about learning how to learn. During this workshop, you’ll take an online questionnaire to assess your study skills know-how. You’ll receive immediate results in areas such as:

• Note-taking
• Test-taking strategies
• Reading strategies
• Motivation

This workshop will provide you with a ton of suggestions and tips on how you can become an independent learner.

ASU 101

Everything you wanted to know about college, but didn’t know who to ask! Learn helpful tips about:

• Using RamPort and Blackboard
• E-mailing Instructors
• Understanding College Terminology (such as core curriculum, GPA, and electives)

ASU OneCard

In this workshop you will learn how to use your ASU OneCard to access services, events, and facilities across campus.

Blackboard- Getting Started

In this workshop you will learn the basic elements of Blackboard such as how to login, locate the courses you are taking, explore the blackboard tabs, locate your grades, and where to get additional assistance. Upon completion of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Log in to Blackboard
• Navigate the content tabs
• Use the Discussion Board and other communication tools
• Learn how to upload your assignments
• Learn where to access online resources and tutorials

Blackboard- Taking Tests

In this workshop you will learn how to take an online exam, learn the different types of online exams, and check your exam grades. The course will also cover other testing tools such as the LockDown Browser. Upon completion of this workshop, you will be able to:

• Begin and complete an exam
• Download and install the LockDown Browser
• What to do if the LockDown Browser is locked
• Check your exam grades
• Learn best practices while taking online exams

Effective Strategies for Learning a Foreign Language

In this language workshop, you’ll learn how, when, and why to say what to whom.

Exploring Majors I: Colleges of Education & Art and Sciences

Can you major in Criminal Justice and minor in Art? The first in a series about declaring or changing your major: an advisor provides an overview of choices in the College of Liberal & Fine Arts and students currently majoring in some of these areas will share their perspective and answer questions.

Exploring Majors II: Colleges of Business & Health and Human Services

Whether it’s General Business or Physical Therapy you’re interested in, advisors from the Colleges of Business and Education give insight to various majors, including sequence of declaring majors, certification, and internship opportunities. Students in these majors will share their perspective and answer questions.

Exploring Majors III (Colleges of Sciences and Nursing and Allied Health)

Whether your interest is in a profession such as nursing or engineering, or you want to teach high school math, advisors from the Colleges of Nursing and Science explore the options with you. Students currently majoring in Nursing or the Sciences will share their perspective and answer questions.

Give Your Semester an Energy Boost

Having a study plan , sticking to it , and giving yourself plenty of prep time for tests can “give you wings !” This workshop will help you refocus your study habits, understand your GPA (Grade Point Average), and consider options to prevent having to withdraw from a class.

Learn to Converse with Your Textbook

Do you feel like reading textbooks is pointless because you do not retain the information you read? This workshop will introduce students to a critical reading call Above PAR. Using this reading strategy, students will:

• Preview reading material
• Actively read
• Review reading

Learning Styles (Computer Lab)

Your learning style profile provides an indication of possible strengths and possible tendencies or habits that might lead to difficulty in academic settings. In this workshop, you will take the Index of Learning Styles, an online instrument used to assess learning style preferences on four dimensions:

• Active vs. Reflective
• Sensing vs. Intuitive
• Visual vs. Verbal
• Sequential vs. Global

During the workshop, you will learn how to analyze the results of your learning styles assessment. We will also explore various approaches to learning, discussing the four dimensions and how they are best applied to suit your needs.

Mastering Academic Time Management

Being successful in college requires a great deal of your time and energy; but being successful also means having a life—being well rounded. How then can you evaluate your schedule to ensure you stay on track, effectively managing your time and priorities? This workshop will provide you with time management tips and tools to help you make decisions regarding the best use of your time at Angelo State:

• Identify your priorities and create a laser-like focus on your academic goals
• Support your goals by aligning daily and weekly activities based on your priorities
• Learn tips and techniques to overcome your main time bandits and increase your productivity
• Achieve more in less time (study smarter, not harder)

This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Note-taking Tips

Want to know what the fuss is about over lecture notes? Did you know there is more than one way to take effective notes? Ever wonder what do you with your notes once you have them? This workshop will help you organize your course materials and provide invaluable note-taking tips, while introducing you to various note-taking methods such as the Cornell Method, Outlining, and Concept Mapping. By the end of this workshop you will know how to do the following:

• Explain the purpose of notes and why you should take notes during lectures
• Listen to a lecture and apply the most effective note-taking system
• Review and clarify your notes
• Understand the value of collaborative/cooperative note-taking

Stress Relieving Tips for Test Anxiety

Most symptoms of test anxiety occur while taking an exam. The most common is freezing or experiencing a mental block. Some students read and re- read the test questions and find them meaningless or a feeling of panic may occur if they don’t know the answer to a question. Being easily distracted during an exam, worrying about one’s performance compared to other test takers, forgetting what you learned, or experiencing physical discomfort such as nausea, rapid pulse, muscle tension, headaches are also symptoms. If you are experiencing this kind of worry and anxiety this workshop is to help you learn ways of reducing this anxiety and improve your test performance.

Successful Writing Strategies

For many college students, writing can be a difficult and daunting process. Students encounter obstacles from the planning stages of composition writing to the final editing stages. Come join us for an enjoyable and fun workshop that provides you with useful strategies that can improve your writing and make you more comfortable with the process. You will participate in activities that will demonstrate the following:

• Invention/pre-writing strategies
• Drafting/organization methods
• Revising/editing techniques

Take the Lead- Form a Study Group

This workshop details the benefits and characteristics of successful study groups, as well as possible pitfalls. Students will receive tips and advice on how to get a study group started. Students will also receive a sample Study Group Planning Form.

Using Mobile Devices for School

This workshop will focus on the tools available to students on the go. This course will cover two mobile apps for the ASU community, Blackboard Mobile and ASU Mobile. Upon completion, you will be able to:

• Access to your class announcements, grades, discussions, roster and more
• Keep up with news, videos, and sports scores

What Are You Going To Be When You Grow Up?

How old were you the first time someone asked you these questions? Do you know the answers, yet? Self-assessment and career exploration are two hand-in-hand activities you will revisit throughout your entire life. If you don’t know “where are you headed” and/or cannot explain why you are headed there, this is the workshop for you. You will:

• Identify your work-related values
• Explore your personality type and interests
• Review occupations and fields
• Learn about occupational fit
• Leave with an understanding of why you have chosen (or might consider) an occupation or field

Resources for further exploration, verification, and confirmation will be provided.

Why Should I Study a Foreign Language Anyway?

Discover the many benefits of how studying a foreign language fosters more positive attitudes and beliefs about other cultures, as well as supports academic achievement and cognitive development.