iStudy tutorials are available in the following categories to help students succeed in school, in life, and on the job!
- Study Skills
- Life Skills
- Career Skills
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Study Skills
Academic Integrity, Plagiarism, and Copyright
Every member of the Penn State community is responsible for upholding University policies on academic integrity and knowing how to properly use and acknowledge intellectual property. This tutorial has been reviewed by Judicial Affairs and the Academic Integrity Committee and is appropriate for use in all Penn State courses.
Conducting an Interview
Conducting an interview provides practical experience with gathering data from a primary source. Learn about how this kind of research demands a considerable amount of planning and preparation.
Active Reading
Active reading skills, when properly applied, can enable a student to improve recall and application of information presented in print form. Learn more about how to read actively in this tutorial.
Basic Statistics
Statistical terms play an increasingly important role as you advance through college. Understanding basic statistical terms and processes can help you understand your own and others’ research.
Databases
Whether you realize it or not, you use databases on a regular basis. Learn more about accessing databases for information.
ePortfolios at Penn State
ePortfolios are a popular way to efficiently share information about what you know, what you can do, and what you value. The purpose of this tutorial is to walk you through the fundamental design decisions involved in creating a useful and informative e-portfolio.
Learning Online – Are You Ready?
This tutorial provides an introduction to help you to determine your readiness to take an online course, to improve your learning strategies and styles in an online learning environment, to access available resources, and to familiarize yourself with online communication skills needed in order to succeed in learning online.
Making Revisions and Using Markup Symbols
Revising a written composition involves rereading, evaluating, and making changes to improve the written work. Knowing common markup symbols for editing makes the revision process more efficient.
Note-taking
Assembling a good set of notes is an essential component of successful learning in college. It is not an accident that the best note takers are often the most successful college students, and this tutorial provides useful information to enhance note-taking skills.
Peer Tutoring
Peer tutoring can help students move forward academically. A tutor does not instruct, correct errors, or write papers for other students. Knowing how to establish a tutor/tutee relationship will also help you be a better tutee.
Source Evaluation and Search Strategies
The use of poor sources for research is a common shortcoming of many college papers. This tutorial describes how to locate and properly evaluate information and data you have collected while conducting research.
Test Anxiety
Generally, we all experience some level of nervousness or tension before tests or other important events in our lives. The term “test anxiety” refers to the emotional, physical, and cognitive reactions that some students have to exams. This tutorial suggests ways to manage your anxiety as well as suggestions and tips applicable to anyone who takes exams.
Testing and Assessment
This tutorial provides information about testing, assessment, and evaluation, including strategies for taking tests.
Time Management
Whatever your expectations for the “total” college experience, planning and sequencing activities is important to your success. This tutorial suggests ways to manage your responsibilities and activities.
Written Reports
This tutorial provides basic knowledge about preparing written reports. It is intended to be used as a guide when you are faced with the task of writing a paper or report.
Life Skills
Active Listening
Whether assuming the role of student, friend, worker, or family member, we spend a lot of time communicating. This tutorial describes effective active listening skills and how to use them.
Brainstorming
Learn to use brainstorming to tap the creativity of a limited number of people for a large number of ideas in an uninhibited, nonjudgmental atmosphere of sharing ideas, concepts, policies, decisions, and strategies.
Celebrating Diversity in the Classroom
This tutorial is designed to encourage you to think about how you see others and how you see yourself based on all of the factors that have gone into making you who you are. As you move through this tutorial and think about your own experiences, we hope that you will join us in recognizing the richness that diversity brings to your life and in celebrating the resulting opportunities. Tutorial courtesy of the Penn State Office of Student Affairs.
Concept Maps
Concept mapping is a technique for representing what you know about a topic as a visual “map” or “web.” It is a good visual way to find key concepts in lectures and readings and show how they relate.
Conflict Management
This tutorial discusses some reasons for conflict, the importance of managing conflict, and five conflict-handling approaches. These skills will help you understand and manage conflict in your everyday life.
Cooperative Learning
The ability to work in a team is a skill most employers value. This tutorial describes the basic concepts of cooperative learning and presents techniques to help groups work effectively and efficiently.
Oral Presentations
Oral presentation skills are useful for any student, worker, or citizen. This tutorial describes the basics of preparing and delivering an oral presentation and includes activities to use as a guide.
Planning Your Time with Gantt Charts
A Gantt chart is a step-by-step visual representation of a proposed project that helps you organize and schedule time. The purpose of this tutorial is to help you understand what a Gantt chart is and what the different components of a Gantt chart include.
Problem Solving
Problem solving can be fun and intriguing. This tutorial suggests how to approach problem solving to maximize your college experience.
Stress Management
Life changes or events affect the amount of stress present in your everyday life. This tutorial helps you understand stress and how it is perceived, while highlighting ways to manage it.
Job Skills
Resume Writing
Writing a professional resume requires more than listing education and experiences on paper to send to prospective employers. The Combination Resume is the most common format for recent college graduates. Based on that, this tutorial will focus on teaching you how to put together your first Combination Resume. Tutorial courtesy of the Penn State Office of Student Affairs.
Writing and the College Experience
By working on an autobiography, you can practice important writing skills and perform self-assessment and self-reflection. Learn more about yourself and your style of learning through this tutorial.
Consuming and Creating in the Digital Age: How Fluent Are You?
Using technology to get the job done, solve problems and create new sources of information is a crucial skill everyone needs in order to be successful in school, on the job, and in life. This tutorial provides an overview of the various skills many term information and/or digital literacy, will help you identify your strengths and weaknesses in this area, and provides additional resources for you to increase your fluency in this area.