Learning resources

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Explore the resources below as a starting point to study more effectively in university. Meet with an upper-year student for personalized support integrating these study tips into your student life.

The Writing and Communication Centre offers online resources and in-person appointments to support academic or professional writing and communication. Campus Wellness also offers online workshops and seminars to support mental and emotional health.

How to use these strategies

Channel your potential with these behaviours for academic success

Self-regulation is not a mental ability or an academic performance skill. It is the self-directive process by which learners transform their mental abilities into academic skills.

What does this look like in practice? Highly self-regulated learners are particularly aware of how their thoughts, feelings, and actions influence their learning outcomes. They also use various strategies to achieve their academic goals.

Phases of self-regulated learning

There are three phases to work through to become a more self-regulated learner. Each phase includes behaviours to practice or be mindful of. We encourage you to continuously monitor your progress toward a goal, check the outcomes of your efforts, and redirect unsuccessful efforts. Explore the three phases below to support your self-regulated learning.

Phase 1: Forethought

The first phase happens before you begin learning. You have to set your intentions and plan your approach.

How can you work towards this behaviour?

Set short and long-term learning goals: Having realistic goals can help motivate you to learn and achieve academic success.
Adopt self-motivational beliefs: Believing in your ability and the importance of a task or skill enables you to attain your academic goals.

Phase 2: Performance

The second phase is when your actual learning occurs. It involves using learning strategies and monitoring how they affect your attention and actions.

How can you work towards this behaviour?

Monitor learning process and comprehension: Think about how near or far the end-goal is from the current point in time; obtain informative and accurate feedback to adjust your strategies.
Seek help from others: Focus on a specific aspect of your learning that you need support with and identify a person or resource that can help.

Phase 3: Self-reflection

The final phase is using reflection to assess your learning. Compare your performance or outcome with your original goals.

How can you work towards this behaviour?

Evaluate own performance regularly: Evaluate whether challenges or errors resulted from limited ability or insufficient effort.
Revise strategies and correct mistakes: Reflect on your academic performance. Think about what worked well and what you might change in the future.

For additional help with self-regulation or how to use these strategies contact success@uwaterloo.ca.