Midterm Reflection

Simar Dhaliwal (8937850)

Early Childhood Education, Conestoga College

LIBS1540: Student Success in Higher Learning

Lindsay Woodside

23rd March 2025

1. Describe the most practical or helpful piece of information
from this course. Explain how it has impacted your life as a
student.

The most beneficial thing that I have learned in this course is the need
to use a planner so that I can manage my time. I used to get stressed
because I had a lot of assignments, readings, and personal activities.
However, after using a monthly and weekly planner, I feel organized
and less stressed. Now I can plan my tasks better and finish them
within the allotted time.

One of the important learnings from the module is the 1:2 ratio of
study to class time. This is to say that for each hour I spend in class, I
should study for two hours (Woodside, eConestoga Module 2). Before, I
did not study enough and used to rush at the end. Today, I space out
my study sessions during the week, so I have more time to understand
the material instead of memorizing it for an exam.

By having a digital planner and apps like Clockify to monitor time, I

have also discovered where I spend my time. It was difficult to monitor
time initially, but gradually I was able to get the hang of it. Now, I can
reduce distractions and focus more on studying. Woodside
(eConestoga Module 2) states that knowing where we spend our time
makes planning and being productive more convenient. This has
helped me to utilize my study time and free time more efficiently.

Another helpful tip from the course is to give some additional time for
a task in case it would take more than expected. If I do get done
earlier, I can spend another time on myself or other projects
(Woodside, eConestoga Module 2). Now, I start tasks in advance so
that I can avail myself of my instructors' help if I need it.

Learning how to time-manage has helped me feel more in charge of

my studies and life. By preparing in advance, monitoring my time, and
 ranking tasks, I feel less anxious and more equipped. These are skills
that will benefit me in my studies and later on in my career.

2. What is the most important thing you’ve learned about

yourself? How will learning this help with your success at
Conestoga College?

The most important thing I have learned about myself is that I work
better when I plan my tasks. Before I learned about time management,
I had trouble balancing my studies, assignments, and personal life. But
after I started using a planner and tracking my time, I realized that I
get more done when I follow a set plan.

This lesson will help me do well at Conestoga College because it helps

me stay organized and avoid stress. According to Woodside
(eConestoga Module 2), knowing how we spend our time helps us plan
better and get more work done. With this, I can finish my assignments
on time, study better for exams, and have free time for myself.

I further learned that I need to give myself additional time for

challenging assignments. The course showed that giving additional
time could prove to be advantageous if an assignment consumes more
time than expected (Woodside, eConestoga Module 2). This has
decreased my levels of stress and has made me feel more confident
while studying.

3. What, if anything, got in the way of your progress most? How

can you attempt to resolve this for the remaining part of the
semester?

One of the issues that has held me back until now is not always having
been able to organize my time as well as I could have. I've come to
 find that when I fail to prepare and leave it all until the last minute, I
feel pressured and overwhelmed. This has hurt the quality of my work
and left me feeling unprepared for exams or assignments. Reflecting
on it, I realize that I need to be more organized and make sure that I
give myself enough time to get things done within the deadlines
without rushing through them. I will use a calendar to mark down all
the important dates, including assignment dates and test timetables
(Mahoney et al., 2017; Module 3, eConestoga). This will enable me to
see all that I have to do and be able to plan accordingly. I also want to
break huge tasks into tiny steps and provide myself with added time if
a thing takes more time than planned. By so doing, I won't rush
through all that's required towards the end.

I also plan to be more careful regarding what I do with my time.

Instead of spending time playing, I'd prefer to focus on being
productive during my study time and leaving my free time for what can
be done, particularly making sure I get to myself since overexertion
does not work either (Mahoney et al., 2017; Module 3, eConestoga).

By staying more organized, time-managing better, and sticking to my

schedule, I believe that I will be able to lower my stress and do well in
the remainder of the semester. I believe that if I get better at planning,
I can handle my personal life and academic life more conveniently.

4. What have you learned that you will continue doing? Explain.

Something that I have learned and will keep on doing is taking notes
when I read. It assists me in remembering the important things and it
makes it simpler to understand. Having notes to look back on makes
studying for exams or homework a lot easier. I also plan on having a
dictionary on hand when I read, so I can quickly look up the definition
of any word that I'm not sure of. It aids my studying more smoothly
and disorients me less on fresh terminology.
 I will keep utilizing the above ways because they let me study at the
best capacity and prepare myself appropriately for coursework (Frank,
2014; Stewart et al., 2023; Module 5, eConestoga).

5. Considering the course material, what is something you’ve

tried but will need to adjust moving forward? OR What is
something you have not yet tried but will implement in your
studies moving forward?

One of the things that I have tried but need to rectify is the way that I
make choices. In the past, I would make choices quickly without fully
examining all the options or results. Now, I realize that I need to slow
down so that I can fully grasp the issue and break it down into
workable parts (Stewart et al., 2023; Module 3, eConestoga). I also
learned that one must think of several solutions and reflect on them
before making a choice (University of Minnesota, 2010).

I will use the six steps of decision-making from now on. I will first
clearly identify the problem and then brainstorm a list of solutions. I
will also analyze the good and bad of each solution before choosing the
best solution. This will help me make better decisions in life and
academics (Stewart et al., 2023; University of Minnesota, 2010; Module
3, eConestoga).

6. Identify the topic you think we could have taught

better OR the topic you still want to know more about. Explain
why.

I learned that emotional intelligence is vital to being successful in life

and at school. It's not just a matter of being smart; it's also about
knowing how to regulate and be aware of your feelings and be aware
of other people's feelings too. Emotional intelligence involves self-
 awareness, empathy, and interpersonal skills (Myers & DeWall, 2015).
These skills can help us make sound decisions, even if we are angry or
under pressure.

I have considered situations where my emotions made it hard to make

good decisions. For example, I have made decisions when I was angry
or excited and later wished that I had thought more. Today, I
understand that by developing emotional intelligence, I can make
better decisions in the future.

I will also be developing my emotional intelligence. I did the quiz to

know where I excel and where I need to improve. I want to keep on
practicing self-control and self-awareness so that I can control my
emotions well and make smarter choices in life and school (Myers &
DeWall, 2015; Module 7, eConestoga).

References

Mahoney, N., Klassen, B., D’Eon, M., & Marken, L. (2017). University Success
- 2nd Edition. Simple Book Publishing. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
(Under Module 3, eConestoga)

Frank, T. (2014, December 4). 5 Active Reading Strategies for Textbook

Assignments - College Info Geek [Video]. YouTube. (Under Module 5
eConestoga).

Stewart, I., Maisonville, A., & Zriachev, N. (2023). A guide for successful
students (2nd ed.). St. Clair College. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0. (Under
Module 5 eConestoga).

University of Minnesota. (2010). Principles of Management. Retrieved April 6,

2021, from University of Minnesota Libraries. Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA
4.0. (Under Module 3, eConestoga)