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Active Learners

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Good students are active learners. This means that they are attentive critical thinkers, who
are inquisitive, vocal, and engaged! Read on for some suggestions about how you can be an
active learner:

Be Attentive

Pay attention to course requirements:

  • Be aware of what is required for each class. This means listening to lectures and completing your readings and assignments – watch out for due dates! Being successful means being organized and managing your time effectively.

Be Critical

Assess the validity of what you see, read, and hear:

  • Examine what you are learning both in and outside the classroom. It is important to pose questions, do research, and make connections between what you hear in lectures, what you read, and what you see on television and in the community. This investigation will help you be accurately informed.

Be a Thinker

Try out different perspectives:

  • Explore your options on different topics. Consider the opinions of your professors and peers and do research to investigate further. This will help you to create and support a strong, justified perspective of your own.

Be Inquisitive

Make inquiries and ask questions:

  • Whether it concerns academic requirements, writing and study skills, counselling, or career advisement (among many other things!), don’t be afraid to seek help when you need it. Universities come equipped with a host of student services that are there to help support you and your learning.

Be Vocal

Articulate your understanding of what you are learning:

  • Think of your assignments as a way for you to voice your opinion on a subject. Use them as an outlet to demonstrate your own perspectives. Accept and examine the criticism you are given and learn from it by further investigating your perspective and discussing the perspectives of others.

Be Engaged

Get involved on campus:

  • Stay updated through websites and new e-mails. Join clubs, do activities, and attend workshops. Give back to your university by volunteering or working on campus. Getting involved helps you put your learning into practice!