English Iran

If you wish to revise effectively, it is crucial that you know what you are trying to accomplish. One way of gaining this understanding is to divide the revision and exam-sitting process into components and look at what you need to achieve at each stage. The process is essentially about managing information, the facts and understanding gained during your course, and can be separated into three main elements:

• information gathering;
• information processing; and
• information retrieval and delivery.

If you do the right things in each of these phases you will greatly increase your chances of achieving excellent grades.

→  Information gathering
As a result of attending lectures, tutorials or practicals, and from carrying out additional background reading, you will have access to a large amount of information in the form of lecture notes, handouts, printouts (for example, PowerPoint presentations), tutorial or practical notes, textbooks, notes from textbooks and other sources, coursework you may have carried out, and online material. You will probably be able to consult two other vital resources: learning objectives (or learning outcomes) and past exam papers. You should not forget to consult any feedback that you received on coursework assignments as this may give you useful direction on areas of weakness or aspects that require more attention on your part.

In this phase of revision your aim is to ensure that you have copies of all that you require close to hand, and to make sure that it is well organised so that you can consult what you need, quickly:

• Check that you have all the lecture notes and make arrangements to download or copy them, if you do not have these things in place.
• File your notes in sequence.
• Buy or borrow the textbooks that support your course (check the reading list in the course handbook). Alternatively, look these up in your library catalogue and place reservations on them if they are available only on limited access.
• Gather together all other materials that might be relevant, such as completed coursework with feedback.
• Bookmark any online resources that you might be expected to consult.
• Obtain copies of past papers and model answers, if available.
• Find out where the learning objectives or outcomes are published (for example in the course handbook), and make a copy of them.
• Look in your course handbook for any special guidance notes on the exam and its format.
  
  

Managing the time taken for information gathering
You must not let the information gathering phase take up too much of your revision time – recognise that it can be a displacement activity and limit the time you allocate to it within your revision timetable.

There are many potential sources of information about any topic, and a key aspect of your early university education is that you are guided by your tutors as to what is important and reliable, and what is not. Students at higher levels are expected to carry out elements of this task for themselves, as autonomous learners. Working out exactly how much and what kind of extra information you require is closely linked to how you will need to process it.

What is autonomous learning?
At university, you are normally expected to frame your own learning within the context of your course. This self-management is often referred to as ‘autonomy’ and means that you need to be able to work on your own, defining the knowledge and understanding that you need to achieve goals, solve problems and create new outcomes. The ability to learn autonomously develops over time. As you become more experienced as a student, you will recognise and develop skills and approaches that will make you an independent learner.