Summary of LSC services
Download and print a one-page summary of LSC services here
Below are some short explanations of LSC offerings. Included in italics are brief descriptions that are written directly to students. Please feel free to cut and paste the information below into your own communications with students.
Reflecting to Prepare for Next Semester
Before you start thinking about the new semester, you should take some time to think about what went well last semester (what helped you be successful?) and what you might do differently (what could you do to help you be more successful?). Check out the LSC Study Skills Module on gearing up for a new semester at Cornell to explore some ideas.
Find Study Partners and Groups
If you are an instructor, you can share the message below with your class. It is important to remind students of your expectations regarding group work and academic integrity.
A Powerpoint slide with information about our study partner program is available here
Study partners can help you learn! Studying with peers is a great way to connect with other students and is a powerful tool for learning challenging material in this course. Cornell’s Learning Strategies Center (LSC) can help match you with study partners. To find out more about study groups and partners and to sign-up, visit the LSC’s Studying Together webpage
Managing Your Time
Managing your time well is key to success in college and also in life! Students like you tell us that using a semester calendar and weekly calendar helps them make (and keep) semester-long goals, stop wasting time by finding hidden time, and be more prepared and organized. Learn more about effective time management here.
Strategies to Engage with Classes
Effectively (and actively) engaging with classes is critical to your success as a student. This starts with understanding your professor’s expectations for class. You need to develop strategies to make the best use of class time and to study. Read more from the LSC about “how to student” here.
Preparing for Prelims
It’s prelim time! Have you planned out your crunch weeks with a semester calendar? What are some strategies that Cornell students have found to be effective as they study for and take exams? The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) has resources to help you: identify effective (and ineffective) study strategies, develop a study plan to prepare for exams, consider strategies for taking different types of exams (online, open book, in-person), and identify strategies for tackling different types of exam questions (multiple choice, quantitative, and essay). For complete access to all resources or take a look at our website.
Learning from Graded Work
Whether the score you earned makes you want to jump for joy or curl up into a ball, learning from your graded work is an incredibly valuable opportunity. Don’t immediately toss or file away the test or essay you just got back! Here’s what to do instead.
Successful Students Ask for Help!
At the LSC, you will often hear us say, “Successful students ask for help when they need it!” This advice actually comes from our student tutors. So, you might be wondering, where do I get help if when I need it? Click here to get started on finding help with your courses.
Learning from Academic Materials (including digital materials!)
Learning effectively from academic materials, including books and papers, means that you need efficient reading and note-taking strategies. If you are using digital materials, it is important that you familiarize yourself with the highlighting, annotating, book-marking, and other tools that are often part of the digital resources. The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) has developed a guide to help you learn from digital materials.
Self-Enroll Canvas Modules to Start the Semester Strong
The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) has Canvas modules on “Gearing up for Academic Success”, “Managing Space and Time”, “Taking Effective Notes”, and “Preparing for and Taking Exams”. Each of the modules contains useful tips and information that will help you in your courses this fall and beyond. You can self-enroll in our modules at this link.
LSC Supplemental Courses
The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) offers supplemental courses. These 1-credit classes are taken alongside the “parent” course, and provide opportunities for you to get additional practice with challenging course material by working alongside your peers. Learn more about participating or enrolling in supplemental courses here.
LSC Tutoring
The Learning Strategies Center (LSC) provides free tutoring to Cornell undergraduate students a range of different courses. A full list of courses and instructions on how to access tutoring are on the LSC tutoring schedule webpage.
Guide for Students who Need to Miss Class
Illness is one of the many reasons students might need to miss class. Making plans ahead of time for how they will manage missing class can help foster the agency students need to get caught up on what they miss. The Learning Strategies Center has developed a guide to help students make a plan for if they need to miss class, which you can share with your classes.
There are many reasons you might need to miss class this semester. Making plans ahead of time for how you will manage missing class can help you keep up while you are out. The Learning Strategies Center has developed a guide to help you “make a plan for if you need to miss class”.
Neurodiversity @ Cornell: Resources and support for faculty and staff
This Canvas site is specifically for faculty and staff who want to learn more about effective ways to support students. This “course” is a virtual hub with information about neurodiversity, different resources both on-campus and elsewhere (e.g., conferences, study abroad), and information about relevant events. Staff and Faculty can self-enroll in the Canvas page.
Anytime Online Canvas Modules
If you’d like to do some review before classes start, or maybe you dropped a class and would find it useful to get additional preparation before you take the class again, then the LSC’s anytime online modules can help! Self-enroll links for these resources can be found on our supplemental course schedule.