A Learning Strategies and Skills
Course at The University of Alabama
by Richard L. Livingston, Ph.D.,
The Center for Teaching and Learning
The University of Alabama

The Center for Teaching and Learning at The University of Alabama, in collaboration with the university Career Center, and library staff implemented a learning strategies course during the spring semester of 2003. This course was modeled on a similar course developed at the University of Texas at Austin by Dr. Claire Ellen Weinstein. Dr. Weinstein has also developed the internationally popular Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI) that serves as a foundational component of the course. Students are required to critically evaluate their own learning in each of ten study skills areas covered in the course and develop new behavior patterns that are conducive to academic success.

The students purchase the Web-LASSI and Web Module packets from the university bookstore. Students take the LASSI study skills inventory twice during the course, once at the beginning and again at the end. Their scores on the pretest LASSI are then used to identify areas of weaknesses that the students are expected to work on through the course of the semester. The course is partially internet based. Instead of a textbook, students complete online modules (Becoming a Strategic Learner, also authored by Weinstein) corresponding to each of the ten areas assessed by the LASSI. These ten areas are Attitude, Motivation, Time Management, Anxiety, Concentration, Information Processing, Selecting the Main Idea, Study Aids, Self-testing, and Test Strategies. The learning modules, completed online, require the students to critically evaluate their own study behaviors and then set learning goals based on new strategies that they have learned. Students are expected to become strategic learners by applying what they have learned and by developing new and more appropriate time management and study behaviors. Students are also required to complete a teaching project by researching a particular study skills area and present their findings to the class.

The learning strategies course requires that students examine their own behavior patterns and develop new behaviors that are conducive to academic success. Students are expected to attend and actively participate in every class. Out-of-class assignments, in the form of internet computer modules, are given weekly. Receiving a good grade in the course is dependent upon regular class attendance, active participation, completion of all assignments, and satisfactory grades on tests and assignments. In addition to study skills, students enrolled in the course also receive instruction in library skills and career exploration. The course is recommended for students who may have experienced difficulty in adjusting to the demands and study requirements of university-level academics. The course is particularly beneficial for freshmen who have been placed on Academic Warning or Suspension.

Follow-up research from the initial pilot course in 2003 showed the grade point averages (GPA’s) of students completing the course increased, on average, from below a 2.0 to above a 2.0. Students’ comments about the course were overwhelmingly positive. Because of this initial success, the course has been offered regularly since 2003. On-going research has shown that students successfully completing the course consistently improve their grade point averages. Research has also demonstrated that the GPA’s of students successfully completing the course are significantly higher that the GPA’s of students who withdraw from the course or who fail to attend. Retention and graduation rates of students completing the course have also been higher than those students who withdrew or failed to attend.

Student evaluations of the course are overwhelmingly positive. Following are a few of the end-of-course comments from students enrolled in 2005.

1. The information from the LASSI programs was very helpful.
2. This class has really helped me improve in my classes this semester.
3. This course has helped me learn a lot of new skills to use in my future courses.
4. I feel that in many ways this course has overall helped me as a person, in school, and in work.
5. The information was very helpful and easy to understand. The teacher was understanding and approachable.
6. It helps students improve study skills needed for college. It makes you realize how important these skills are.
7. This class helped me understand how important good study habits are, which allows for a less stressful environment.
8. This class gives good ideas to help you study. It showed me my weak points and what I needed to improve in.
9. The modules did help put my concerns into words.
10. The small class size is good for the subject.