Four Tools for College Success

Welcome Students and Student Families!

Previous students got a big surprise when they saw the gap between the grades they expected and the grades they actually earned at IPFW. To get a sense of their “grade shock,” see the chart "Grade Expectations vs Actual Grades Received".

Overall, university students spend about half as much time in class as high school students; however, they are expected to learn much more. Efforts that earned A’s in high school do not measure up to university expectations. To help students understand the difference, IPFW’s faculty frame basic assignments around the first two principles of our Baccalaureate Framework: the Acquisition of Knowledge and the Application of Knowledge. Click here to explore all six of the objectives of IPFW’s Baccalaureate Framework.

On the banner running across the top of this page, click on the four exercises to explore how you can avoid grade shock. There exercises illustrate what IPFW faculty expect from you, particularly in terms of how you acquire knowledge and how you apply it. Note that you DO NOT have to complete all four at once. Be patient and give the exercises your best effort.

When you have completed the four exercises, you will be invited to provide your feedback to help us judge how effectively this website guides your understanding of these four basic tools for college success.

Exercise 1: Reading Assignments

The first step to academic success is to read your assignments. To gain an appreciation of what this means, you are asked to read a university-level assignment prepared by Dr. Joshua R. Gerow, IPFW Professor Emeritus of Psychology. Click on the university-level-reading link below to open the reading assignment. After opening the link, use a blank sheet of paper for note taking. Begin reading the text and writing down notes as if preparing for class. How do your notes compare to those produced by a student who has successfully met Dr. Gerow’s expectations?

University-Level Reading             Compare Your Notes To The model

Exercise 2: Listening To Lectures

The second step to succeeding at the university requires university-level listening. This means students should come to class having already prepared the reading and ready to take notes on their professor’s lecture. Listening to a lecture requires that you be able to compare how the professor’s lecture adds to and differs from the assigned reading. When professors emphasize key points or write information on the board, they are often marking where their presentation differs from the assigned text: the student should take note!

When you click on the listen-to-lecture link below, it will open a media browser called Echo 360. Click “Launch EchoPlayer” to listen to the video lecture. As you listen, keep in mind you are taking notes as if preparing for an exam. Once you are finished, compare your efforts to the model notes taken by two successful students.

Listen to Lecture            Compare Your Notes To Model 1     Compare Your Notes To Model 2

Exercise 3: Preparing for Exams

Once you have successfully followed the first two steps by reading the assignment and listening to the lecture, you are ready for step 3: preparing for university-level exams. A university-level exam requires that you demonstrate mastery of content by assembling the learning you have acquired by reading the assignments and by listening to your professor into a full and accurate understanding of the material. To prepare for a university-level exam, begin by reviewing your notes from the reading and from the lecture. Remember to ask yourself, what kinds of questions should I expect on the exam?

Exercise 3 gives you a practice test so you can experience a university exam. Open the university-exam questions link below. Once the practice exam is open, write your answers on a blank sheet of paper. Find a quiet place and give yourself plenty of time to think. Once you are finished, click the test-answers link to compare your efforts to the test answers prepared for you.

Remember! It is ok if you do not do well on the practice exam. This practice test is NOT a test of your ability to be successful in college; rather, it is intended to help you understand how to step up your performance to meet university expectations.

University Exam Questions                  Compare Your Exam Answers to the Model

Exercise 4:  Writing Papers & Additional Practice

Acquiring Knowledge: You have read an assignment and taken notes. In addition, you have listened to a lecture and taken notes. You have assembled the two into a test that allows your professor to examine the knowledge you have acquired. In the first three exercises, you have been engaged in acquiring knowledge.

Applying Knowledge: In exercise 4, you will be applying knowledge through the process of writing a university-level paper. University-level writing requires that you take the knowledge you have acquired from reading the assignments, listening to your professor’s lecture, and studying for exams, and then applying what you have learned from these three steps into your own composition.

Exercise 4 asks you to write a composition in which you apply the knowledge you have acquired from reading, listening, and studying. In 1-2 pages, reflect on the knowledge you have acquired and then apply that knowledge specifically by answering the question whether memory does or does not influence success in college and then explain why you think so.

Please click here to go to the Writing Center's home page if you need additional resources for how to organize your thoughts and how to write an effective academic paper. After you finish your composition, click on the compare-your-paper links below to see two student essays that apply the knowledge the students have acquired successfully.

Compare Your Paper to Model 1    Compare Your Paper to Model 2

Additional Practice:

The more familiar you become with the four basic tools for college success, the more prepared you will be for success in the classroom. Want some additional practice in acquiring and applying knowledge? Click on Additional Practice to bring up more readings and lectures. IPFW is committed to your academic success! Please visit CASA'S Website to discover the many academic resources that are available to support your progress to graduation.

Remember, IPFW cares about your success. These resources are four basic steps toward helping you understand what university professors expect from you. These resources will NOT impact your admissions decision and will NOT be graded for others to see.

Your Feedback is Appreciated!

We invite you to provide your feedback to help us improve the “Four Tools for College Success” website. Click on Feedback to complete a short assessment of how well you have understood the “Four Tools for College Success.”