Proper Usage

From BluWiki

Introduction

Philosophies on Learning

It is generally accepted to be true that making one's own study notes is the most effective way of learning course material. This is because the process of writing the notes requires the student to fully understand and comprehend the material, as proven by the fact that the notes are written out in his/her own words. There are many resources available (beyond the textbook and professors) to help students understand the concepts so that they are able to make these notes in their own words, such as Google.

Having said all this, why then does/should the UWaterloo Wiki provide study notes? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of effective studying? In a sense, it does - in an ideal world, everyone would make their own notes and through doing so, learn the material fully.

However, it must be realized that in reality, it is not always feasible to make one's own notes, and in these cases it is hoped that the UWaterloo Wiki will be a useful aid.

• Due to the lack of time: often, students who have not yet mastered the art of time management and efficient studying do not have enough time to write out all their own notes (it is certainly a laborious process). In these cases, the provision of notes for their courses from an outside source will be helpful, although not ideal.
• Due to the lack of understanding: as stated earlier on this page, the course material as presented by the professor is sometimes not clear enough (or slowly enough explained) for the student to understand. It may be useful for the student to read another person's interpretation of the concepts in an effort to complete his/her own understanding.

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