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Course Sharing

Pathways to Success

Learning new skills can take a lot of work—it's rare to be an expert the first time you try something new.

While we all use different strategies to learn new things and have different preferences for getting information (think: books, podcasts, videos, etc.), there are some basic rules to learning.

When we learn new skills, we need to

  • Have a clear goal to keep us motivated;
  • Create time in our schedules to practice;
  • Be patient when we get confused or overwhelmed;
  • Keep trying even when we fail at something.

Roadmap diagram titled Pathways to Success includes 4 keys points. 1. Set a clear goal. Ask yourself: Where are you now? Where do you want to be? 2. Practice. Progress happens when you practice a new skill regularly. Schedule time to practice! 3. Be patient. You might wish there was a short cut here. Can you reach out to an expert for advice? 4. Keep trying. Chances are you will fail before you succeed at something. What can you learn from your mistakes?

"So, how does this connect to course sharing and homework help websites?"

As we saw in the module's Introduction, commercial websites like Chegg, Course Hero, One Class, StuDocu, and more are used for contract cheating (where a student pays someone else to answer homework questions, write essays, and solve their exams problems). It might seem like a quick fix to use these sites when you're stressed out or frustrated by a problem, but it can make it harder to learn new information in the future—and put you at risk for academic sanctions or legal action.

Pause & Reflect

Take a couple minutes to ask yourself: What am I good at doing?

  • Which activities or hobbies do you spend the most time exploring in your free time?
  • Which skills or abilities do you like to use in the classroom, at work, or in a volunteering role?
  • How would your rate your experience level with these skills and activities (Are you a beginner? Intermediate? Expert?)

 

Now, ask yourself: How did I get so good at doing these things?

  • How long did it take you to see improvements?
  • What did you do when you felt like you weren't making any good progress?
  • Where did you go for help?

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