Basic rules for Group study & Advantages of Group study

A study has proved that students are more successful when they work within a group rather than studying on their own.


Manuel Cebrian, a computer scientist at the Jacobs School of Engineering at the University of California San Diego, and colleagues analyzed 80,000 interactions between 290 students in a collaborative learning environment for college courses. High achievers were more likely to be the ones who formed strong connections with other students – exchanging information and encouraging each other along the way.
Study groups have the following benefits:

• Material is better understood and retained – students in study groups generally learn faster than students working alone
• Students can confirm with each other any confusing or complex subject material. They can also share new perspectives on information that might enhance learning.
• Fellow students can be a source of support and encouragement
• Increase in confidence in academic capability
• Opportunity to learn new study habits and skills from peers
• Prevents procrastination – less likely to wait until the night before a test to study

At a study group, to get the most out of each session, groups should:

• Establish goals and what you hope to accomplish by joining a study group
• Review lecture notes together; discuss anything you did not understand
• Discuss key concepts from lectures and from the textbook
• Work on assignments
• Study for tests or exams; Discuss what questions you expect to be on the test
• Review past exams if the professor has made them available

Ground rules should also be established for study groups, such as:

• Be on time and prepared
• Be respectful of others’ ideas
• Bring class notes and textbooks to study sessions
• Have homework, study guides, sample test questions, etc. completed before session
• Have questions about material ready to discuss
• Do not meet sporadically—schedule consistent weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly sessions