Raise your hand if you already feel like you're falling behind in one of your classes. Or if you seriously underestimated the amount of time you'll need to devote to required reading for another class. Or if the thought of picking a study partner from your music box classmates is as stressful as watching your phone battery die during a night out.
The University of Maryland’s Center for Transforming Teaching and Learning has expanded its efforts to support students this fall, adding popular guided learning sessions and a drop-in math success program.
“We're here for all students, undergraduate and graduate, at UMD, and we strongly believe that our services benefit both those who are striving and those who are succeeding,” said Tami Smith, associate director of TLTC, who leads the Learning Success team, which served more than 6,000 students last year. “We all have habits and things we want to improve.”
This, combined with University Library resources such as dedicated study spaces and free course materials, means UMD students are well equipped with the tools they need to succeed.
Check out some of the latest offerings from TLTC and the UMD Library.
Academic Coaching
Enhance your potential with a 30-minute academic coaching session from TLTC's Academic Success team. Free, one-on-one support helps students improve their study habits and strategies, and manage their time more effectively. The coaching program launched last fall, and students who have taken part in the program say they would recommend it to a friend. Schedule an appointment with the team.
Study Session
“Often, students believe or are told that, especially when they get to college, they have to do everything on their own without help,” Smith says. “But research shows that learning and a sense of belonging are improved by working with others.”
TLTC Learning Specialist Jayna Resman piloted the Study Group program in MATH113 and MATH120 this spring and is now expanding to MATH115 this fall. The goal is for students to connect with classmates, form regular study groups, and learn and practice how to study for STEM lecture courses. Resman is creating a Study Group Starter Pack with information and resources to be distributed in the spring. In the meantime, students can get tips by emailing learn@umd.edu.
Your learning “concierge”
This year, the Learning Success team will consolidate the website's resources into the tutoring.umd.edu site, formerly managed by the Office of Undergraduate Studies. The site has links to many faculty- and subject-specific help resources, from the A. James Clark School of Engineering's Keystone Center to the English Department's Writing Center. The goal is for the website to be a one-stop shop for students to find the right tutoring service, LinkedIn Learning module or YouTube video for their needs. In the meantime, Smith encourages students to email learn@umd.edu if they need help navigating the site. “As a concierge service, we can help you make connections,” she says. “Even if we're not the right place, we can help you find the right place.”
Expanding Top Textbooks to STEM Libraries
Do you find your huge engineering textbooks weighing down your backpack and leaving your wallet feeling light? Try the University Libraries' Top Textbooks program. The program covers about 150 of the most popular courses on campus and has now expanded from McKeldin to Kirwan Hall STEM Libraries. Students can check out textbooks for four-hour increments as many times as they need during the semester.
Communications Coordinator Julia Laughlin noted that the average price of a STEM textbook used in the program is $170. “Textbooks are a big added expense, so we want to keep the course materials affordable.”