There’s no question that smartphones offer plenty of ways for today’s students to have fun, from messaging with friends to playing online games to listening to music. But they’re good for serious business, too; in fact, more students than ever have started using smartphones to help them study and learn more effectively.
A recent study conducted by the American learning science company and educational publisher McGraw-Hill Education found that, in 2014, 81% of college students across the US used mobile devices to study: a remarkable 40% increase from the previous year. Furthermore, students are not just increasingly using mobile technology as a part of their studying, they are also finding that it helps them achieve better results. A remarkable 77% of students surveyed in the McGraw-Hill study said that the use of mobile technology had a positive impact on their grades, and a further 62% reported that technology and mobile devices helped them feel better prepared for class.
So how can students make the most of their smartphones as a powerful study tool? These tips, tricks, and ideas can help:
Record lectures or study meetings.
If you’re taking notes by hand during a lecture or study meeting, it can be hard to make sure you’ve captured all the necessary details. After all, there’s a limit to how fast you can write (or type), and sometimes you’re concentrating so closely on what you’re writing that you miss what’s said next. Fortunately, today’s smartphones double as excellent recording devices; just hit record at the beginning of your lecture and you can capture the whole thing for easy review later on. (To make it easier to find the information you’re looking for in the audio file, it can help to keep tabs on the time points when specific details were discussed.) And in order to avoid any privacy concerns, make sure you get permission from your professor or fellow students before you start recording.
Review notes anywhere.
Because your smartphone makes it easy to carry schoolwork around with you wherever you go, you’ll always be able to make use of any unexpected free time. Download the textbook chapter you have to read for next class or save a draft outline of the essay you’re writing right to your phone. Then, the next time you miss your bus or the friend you’re meeting is running late, you can take advantage of the delay by getting some studying done.
Use reminder features as “pop quiz” tools.
If your phone has a reminder alarm feature, you can use it to give yourself pop quizzes when you’re preparing for an exam. Instead of an event or appointment, enter in short questions about the subject matter you’re reviewing; then, when your reminder alarm goes off, challenge yourself to answer the question on the spot, without going back to your notes. If you try to surprise yourself by setting reminders for random times, you can really see how thoroughly you know your subject.
Block off designated study time.
Scheduling study time into your smartphone calendar, just as if it were any other appointment or obligation, can be a helpful way of ensuring that you deliberately make time for it rather than fitting it in whenever you don’t have anything better to do. Try pretending that your study time is another lecture and reserve a regular slot for it in your weekly schedule.
Find online study guides.
Your class may have online course material or resources that you can access, but even if it doesn’t, chances are that you can find a wealth of helpful study guides online for any subject you might be learning. In addition to factual information about the subject matter, many of these guides will also include valuable sample exam questions or other helpful tips.
Create virtual study groups.
If you can’t meet your classmates in person for a study session, your smartphone can help you organize virtual study groups through tools like Skype or FaceTime. Studying with peers is widely recognized as a highly effective way to learn; not only do you get to ask questions about points you don’t understand, but explaining concepts that you do understand to others is one of the best ways to deepen your knowledge about a particular subject.
Download study and learning apps.
Whatever you’re studying, and whatever your learning style may be, there’s an app out there that can help you. App stores have a huge range of apps available that are specifically designed as support tools for students; just browse your favorite store to find apps that can help you with everything from managing your study time to creating flashcards for your next exam. (Students will particularly appreciate the fact that many of these useful apps are free of charge.)