Learning Commons

We are approaching the end of the Spring 2013 semester, and the Learning Commons has made several changes to the normal schedules for peer consultations and subject tutoring in advance of final exams.

The finals period begins with a study day on Wednesday, May 1^st. Final exams begin on Thursday, May 2^nd, and continue through Tuesday, May 7^th.

The last day for drop-in tutoring hours in all academic departments will be Tuesday, April 30^th. Individual matched tutors may continue to meet with students at the tutor’s convenience through the end of the finals period.

Writing, speech, and technology consultants will also continue their normal schedule (3:00pm – 5:00pm and 7:00pm – 11:00pm) through Tuesday, April 30^th.  Writing consultants will be available to meet with students from 12:00pm to 5:00pm ONLY on Wednesday, May 1^st. Speech consultants and technology consultants will not be available after Tuesday, April 30^th.

Professional staff are available to meet with students during normal business hours (8:00am – 5:00pm, Monday through Friday). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the Learning Commons at (814) 332-2898, or learningcommons@allegheny.edu.

WE CAN HELP! 

The Learning Commons provides a wide range of services to help students at all GPA levels.

Meetings with our professional staff:

• Review your syllabi to make sure you are aware of your professor’s expectations and important due dates.
• Design a study schedule that works for you.
• Talk about the most effective ways to tackle your reading.
• Set realistic goals for the term and determine the best way to achieve them.

No-Fee Tutoring Services:  Check our website for all schedules and applications.

• Drop-in tutoring in many subjects.
• Individual tutoring.
• Speech, Writing, and Technology consultations are from 3 – 5 and 7 – 11 Sunday through Thursday.  You can stop by or schedule an appointment.
• Matched writing consultations.

The Learning Commons Website:

• Handouts on a variety of topics including: time management, study skills, procrastination, citation, and writing tips.
• Study Group Starter Kit – tips on forming effective study groups
• Links to other great resources

THREE WAYS TO CONTACT US:

PHONE: (814) 332 – 2898

EMAIL: learningcommons@allegheny.edu

WEBSITE: http://learningcommons.allegheny.edu

AVOID THE PITFALLS OF PROCRASTINATION. 

CONTACT US RIGHT AWAY!

**You can also DOWNLOAD this post in a handy flyer!

One of the topics we discuss with students most frequently is how to “cure” procrastination. Unfortunately, there is no cure, but we can all work on how to better manage and avoid procrastination.

A group called AsapSCIENCE put together the following video on the science of procrastination, which might help you do a little (or a lot!) less procrastinating in the future. If you’d like to meet with us to talk about procrastination after watching the video, you can complete our individual meeting request form, and we’ll set up a time to speak with you.

Here’s the video:

Are you looking to take your studying to the next level in 2012? The Learning Commons would like to recommend a set of instructional videos from Dr. Stephen Chew, Professor of Psychology at Samford University, on how to get the most out of your studying.

Dr. Chew has prepared five videos with recommendations for better studying based on principles of cognitive psychology. Though that may sound intimidating, the videos are easy to follow, and contain valuable information about how you can change your approach to studying to better understand your course material, and be more successful on your exams.

In the first video, Dr. Chew explains the importance of “metacognition,” which is a term for what you think about your own processes for studying:

You can access the rest of the series by clicking here. Good luck, and good studying!