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Student Academic Improvement Division (SAID)
Windsor University School of Medicine has introduced a Special Academic Program called ‘SAI ‘(STUDENT ACADEMIC IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM). Students and their parents invest their time, money and energy in Windsor University for their careers.
When a student is not performing well in the program and when a student fails a subject, Windsor University works with the students in improving their reading and academic skills.
Under this new program called SAI , Windsor University provides individualized instruction in the basic skills of reading, study skills, and test taking in all subjects and prepares students to take our school exams, standardized exams, such as the USMLE, Canadian and many board exams.
We have observed students first arrive at the school, with low confidence and self esteem, often having given up on their dreams. We have seen these same students do well with confidence returning along with skills for school success. We have a system which is based on providing the necessary skills in a positive, nurturing environment.
Year after year we continue to offer special programs in the form of supplemental instruction in Basic, clinical and related areas. The positive encouragement of our staff and teachers combined with individualized instruction based on our diagnostic testing, is what we believe sets us apart and continues to make our program a success.
The Carbondale center provides academic support to students in individual or small group settings. The Center staff coordinates Peer Tutoring with trained student tutors in selected courses where available. In addition, the Center director provides individualized assistance to students in evaluating and improving study habits and skills in such areas as note taking and test taking skills.
The SAI program is open to all students who wish to improve their basic science skills. Under this SAI program student who have academic difficulties and test taking problems will be given supervised notes which will not exceed 20 pages. In these notes after the student reads and understands test will be given from that notes to develop and build confidence in the student. In this way we build student academic knowledge, reading and test taking skills brick by brick.
Low GPA does not necessarily reflect either low academic ability or the absence of study skills, but the lack of motivation to do timely study in such a way to internalize course content.
AT WINDSOR UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE WE USE FREQUENT TESTING AND HOME WORK ASSIGNMENTS TO INCREASE STUDENTS' MOTIVATION TO ACHIEVE HIGHER GRADES BOTH IN SCHOOL AND IN USMLE OR CANADIAN LICENSING BOARD EXAMS
Students who do not study well in certain subjects will be identified and special workshops will be conducted to help facilitate learning in academically weak students. It is equally important to counsel students who do not use time management and study strategies.
AT WINDSOR WE HAVE WEEKLY TESTS ON THE TOPICS TAUGHT IN THAT WEEK. WE DO 72 WEEKLY TESTS IN THE BASIC MEDICAL SCIENCES IN 80 WEEKS. WE CONDUCT 5 FINAL SEMESTER ENDING EXAMS.
WE DO DAILY EXAMS IN USMLE TRAINING. STUDENTS MARK ANY ANSWER THEY WISH ON A MULTIPLE CHOICE FORMAT. IT DOES NOT TELL US IF THEY PREPARED FOR THE TEST AND IF THEY ACTUALLY HAVE SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE. SO WE DO FILL IN THE BLANKS FORMAT QUESTIONS ALSO. WE REVIEW THE TEST WITH THE STUDENTS.
MOCK USMLE SIMULATED PRACTICE TESTS ARE ALSO CONDUCTED BY THE WINDSOR UNIVERSITY AS PART OF THE PREPARATION FOR THE EXAMS.
We focus on students on two approaches for the recall and understanding of given text material:
(a) frequent testing to provide incentive motivation, and (b) outlining as a homework assignment to provide a study strategy
Typical low achieving students did not seem to spend the necessary time and effort, or apply themselves in the necessary way, to get the information they were learning in their classes into their long-term memories. What they seemed to lack was not intellect or skill, but drive.
Achievement requires aptitude and motivation, and motivation requires a combination of attitude, strategy, and drive We had been able to improve both attitude, and strategy but had not found a way to increase drive. We had begun to think about what it might be that finally drove a student to get information into long-term memory, which is none other than tests! Tests motivate students because they create the opportunity or necessity to achieve success or avoid failure. In that way, tests provide an incentive to learn. They are a source of incentive motivation.
(1) the value of an outcome to the student affects that student's motivation, and
(2) motivation leads to cognitive engagement, such engagement manifesting itself in the use or application of various learning strategies.
(3) people will perform an act when its performance is likely to result in some outcome they desire, or that is important to them Frequent testing and homework assignments, are required to outline each chapter by identifying the 20 most important concepts, and provide a textbook definition and elaboration (i.e., a description in one's own words) of each.
(1) At Windsor we do a five week segment of the 15 week course, includes tests and homework; on the whole course, where we include tests and homework conditions, we require all students to keep a log of time spent on coursework,.
Subjects. Number of subjects in each study All students meet everyday at the same time of day, cover the same content (learning theories), use the same textbook, and were taught by the same instructor.
(4) Homework condition. One class in each study will be given the homework assignment by identifying the most important concepts in the assigned chapter, and preparing a definition of each term along with a elaboration of each. Students were given training before they started and after having done two assignments. They were also given feedback on all aspects of each assignment so their proficiency would improve. Each assignment was graded (A, B, or C) based on number of correct terms included, correctness of definitions, and appropriateness of elaborations.
What we like to achieve?
Frequent testing condition earned significantly higher examination grades and students with the homework condition will archive even higher grades Frequent tests worked better and daily homework improves achievement It is the extent to which the frequent tests work not as an incentive to study, but as a direct training aid or targeted study guide for the achievement exams. Frequent tests enhanced motivation for students who have typically performed poorly to get content into long-term memory rather than merely targeting for them what to study.
Students in the frequent test condition are motivated to do better and the homework conditions improve their scores much better, since both tests and homework assignments were graded. Homework involves using the text to prepare a document on paper, thereby providing no motivation to store text information in long-term memory. Tests, on the other hand, require such storage in order to have access to the information while taking the test.
Strategic studying techniques may help students achieve success in their exams Strategic studying is defined as the knowledge and application of effective study skills or techniques by students. There are many efficient study techniques that could be used by students based on the learning environment. These study strategies include Question-Read-Recite-Review , summarizing and note-taking, using graphics, and self-questioning. Extensive course loads and the comprehensive information covered in today's curricula necessitate the use of effective study strategies for academic success.
Time management skills are also important to academic success. Time is important in the organization of study/course load .Time management skills include activities performed by students such as planning in advance, prioritizing work, test preparation, and following schedules. Higher academic performance may be achieved by balancing time management and study techniques effectively. Test anxiety is negatively associated with academic performance. Test anxiety is a set of responses like worry, depression, nervousness, task irrelevant cognitions, etc, to a class of stimuli arising from an individual's experience of assessment or testing. Various stress management programs help students to improve academic performance by reducing stress levels.
It is important to explore the effect of academic competence, test competence, time management, strategic studying skills, and test anxiety on students' academic performance. Early detection and understanding reasons of academic failure may help certain students perform better if adequate guidance on improvement is provided efficiently..
This means that students who have difficulty in coping and managing the study material for tests will have a lower GPA, irrespective of other factors.
Many students found it hard to combine and organize their study and leisure time, which could be attributed to their perceived course load and stress associated with examinations. Studying continuously for an average of 8-9 hours per day may create fatigue and overall exertion among students, which may lead to lower performance on examinations. A break time while studying is necessary for refreshing individuals mind and help them enhance their overall performance.
At Windsor, faculty members hold review sessions before examinations or assignments to assist students in understanding and appropriately applying their course material.
Testing anxiety
1. Thoughts of doing poorly interfere with performance on examinations
2. During an examination students frequently get so nervous that they forget facts they really know
3. During examinations, students find themselves thinking of things unrelated to the actual study material
4. Students feel very panicky when they have to take an exam
5. After important tests, students are frequently so tense that their stomach gets upset
6. Students usually feel their heart beating very fast during an exam
7. Students usually get very depressed after taking an exam
8. Even when students are well prepared for a test, they feel very anxious about it
Academic Competence
1. Students are not able to manage the academic course load in the school
2. Students cannot easily understand course material taught in the school
3. Students do not find the courses taught in the school interesting
4. Students do not enjoy the classes offered in the curriculum
Test Competence
1. Students cannot easily manage the amount of study material taught for an exam
2. Students find it difficult to prepare for examinations
3. Students cannot easily cope with examination tension
4. Students have great difficulty managing the amount of study material for examination
Time Management
1. Students find it very difficult to combine their study and leisure time.
2. Students find it difficult to study regularly
3. Students usually end up “cramming” for examinations
4. Students cannot organize their study and leisure time easily
5. Students do not start preparing for an examination well in advance
Study Strategies
1. While student is studying, students do not regularly try to find out what questions professors may ask and how they may ask examination questions
2. Students do not plan well in advance for the best way of handling a study subject
3. students do not review course material with fellow classmates while studying for examinations
4. Students do not test their knowledge before taking an examination by means of mock examinations, tests, asking questions, etc.
5. While studying students do not regularly summarize the course material in their own words
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