Practicing College Learning Strategies

For more than 30 years, Dr. Hopper has been involved with Student Success at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. She is a nationally known lecturer and workshop leader on topics such as learning how to learn, learning styles, memory, time management, effective classroom techniques, and using technology in the classroom. She is a frequent guest at the National and Fall Energizer conferences for College Survival and is active in the NADE and CRLA organizations. Carolyn's Study Skills website (http://capone.mtsu.edu/studskl/) has been visited by more than a million people! When asked to describe her teaching style, Carolyn says: “I am first of all enthusiastic about learning how to learn. I get excited about learning and hopefully my students catch the spirit. My classes are a combination of lecture supported by many visuals and hands-on activities. Skills for being successful in college are learned by doing. So, once students understand a concept, my aim for them is to develop the skills by practice and make modification to the skills that will work for them. A student in my class can expect homework due every class period. My style may seem casual and somewhat laid back, but each class is carefully planned with goals and objectives in mind. I am extremely demanding but would like to think that I am patient. I try to make sure that everything we do in class is backed up on the website.”

• 1. Making a Smooth Transition to College.2. Applying the Principles of Time Management.3. Critical Thinking.4. Setting Goals.5. Learning Principles.6. Processing Information from Lectures.7. Processing Information from Textbooks.8. Learning Styles.9. Test-Taking Strategies. 10. Managing Stress.11. Information Literacy.Appendix A: Principles of Studying Math.