Student Survival Guide

How to successfully conduct Library and Internet searches

When you are searching for something online there are two possible places you can look for information. One is in the school library, and the other is through a search engine such as Google.

When you want to look for something on Google, you simply type in the address www.google.com. Once it pulls up the page type in what it is that you are looking for and press the Google search button. It will pull up a list of possible websites to the subject you are looking for. You just find the one that is best for what you need.

When you want to use the school Library you can access it from your class page.

Simply click on Library. Once the library page has been pulled up there are many possible ways to look for something. The easiest for me is to look at all databases alphabetically. Once you have done that a list of databases will pull up for you to choose from. You can choose the database from a list. After you have chosen a database you can type in what you are looking for. It will pull up a list of possible articles or essays and you choose the one you would like to access.

Upholding Academic Honesty

One of the most important things in school is to be honest about your work. Before you start any of your classes you should read the academic honesty policy. One thing you remember is to give credit where credit is due.

Any time you are writing any type of paper you have the possibility of using someone's work. If you do use someone else's thoughts about something you should give credit to that person by citing where you got the information from. You want to do this to avoid plagiarism.

Plagiarizing is very serious in school. You can get suspended or even dismissed from school if you plagiarize. It is very simple to not plagiarize. All you have to do is make sure you cite your work.

Developing Effective Study Skills

The way you study is very important when you are trying to get your work done. How you may have studied in high school may be completely different from the way you will have to study in college. But when you are in a distance environment you have to alter a lot of the way you do things. One of those things is your study skills. You want to be able to effectively research the topic you are studying whether it is in magazines, encyclopedias, or online. You also want to take time out of your day to study the material you are focusing on.

One thing to help with your studying skills is SQ3R. SQ3R is the abbreviation for survey, question, read, recite, and review. These steps help you in remembering information you have read.

*Surveying is skimming what you are about to read.

*Questioning is asking yourself questions about what you are reading.

*Reading is to actually read the material. You want to read in a way that helps you remember the best.

*Reciting is answering the questions you asked.

*Reviewing is going over what you have read. (Keys to College Studying)

Managing Time Wisely

Learning how to manage your time is very important. At the beginning of your classes you need to print a copy of your course calendar. Your course calendar shows you all of the assignments you will do and when they need to be turned in. Printing that calendar will help you balancing work between your two classes. You want to make sure that you do your work on time so that you do not