I am a lecturer with over 30 years of experience teaching at both public and private universities, with hundreds of classes, thousands of lecture hours, and many generations of students whom I have taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels (Master's and PhD). I would like to share some lessons and experiences to help students study well at the university level.
To achieve great results after about four years of university, students often ask themselves: How can my work be highly evaluated and given high marks by teachers or lecturers? How can I apply the knowledge learned in a course to life and work after graduation? Is it too difficult to study well? Is it too difficult to achieve a "Good" or "Excellent" ranking? And many other questions.
This article shares with students some perceptions, skills, and knowledge so that you can find the most suitable learning method for yourselves, while still achieving the results and evaluations you expect and becoming a good student after four years of hard work.
First of all, students need to clearly define their own learning goals: Studying to gain knowledge? Studying to access new information? Studying to understand modern technology? Studying to know how to do business? Studying for joy in life? Studying to please parents? Studying to have a solid position in society? Studying to find a job? Studying to have a stable income after graduation? and hundreds of other questions.
Students should remember, learning goals will be the motivation to help you strive and try. Studying at university without clearly defining what you are studying for and why you must study will surely lead to being vague and directionless; you will not know which subjects to study or how to study them.
The subjects you choose to study, besides the compulsory subjects or modules, depend entirely on your learning goals. When you clearly define the subjects, it seems as if you have mapped out a clear path and will walk on that path for about four years so that the destination is graduating in the major you expect.
Participating in class, interacting with friends through group assignments, and communicating directly or indirectly (via Teams, Zalo, Zoom) with lecturers is very necessary. It helps you understand the lesson more easily, brings many emotions and positive energy, helps you easily overcome boredom and monotony in learning, resolves questions about assignments, and allows you to learn many more experiential lessons.
Home assignments may seem simple, but they are a very effective tool to help students consolidate learned knowledge and prepare for mid-term and final exams. Only by doing homework will you understand what knowledge you are lacking, which calculation formulas you have not mastered or understood clearly, and which situations you cannot solve by yourself.
AI and online information are a precious source of documents for students who know how to use them intelligently and scientifically. If you ask AI and search the internet for even a small question, a simple math problem, or a practical situation, this way of learning will stop your brain from thinking, making it passive and rigid, and eventually, you will no longer have deductive and logical reasoning. You will copy information from AI and websites like a machine without knowing how to consider right from wrong, or reasonable from unreasonable. You will write essays tens of pages long, but the paragraphs will lack information, the words will be hollow, and the lecturers evaluating you will not know where to base their marks because none of it is your intellect or your thoughts, but merely a copy from robots and computers.
AI only helps you simplify the "housework" of learning such as: designing a catchy and attractive slide for you, helping you translate some scientific terms, suggesting a few ideas for you to choose from, or reducing the time you spend sitting in front of the computer. But it is also AI that makes you dependent on the machine, making you subjective and reliant; you study without focus or a plan, and ultimately, you will not be able to achieve the expected results. One of the most dangerous things when you are too dependent on AI and social networks is that your brain will be empty after four years of university and you will not know anything to do, to make decisions, or to determine a strategy for yourself and the place where you will work. Even worse, you may not be able to fully answer simple and everyday questions from your own parents regarding the professional field or major you have studied.
Health is an indispensable factor. Our grandparents said: "Having food is necessary to practice the Way," which means you must have health to study well.
In summary, for you to study well, achieve the goals you set, and be satisfied with those results, students should act correctly from the very first day you step onto the university campus. Identify learning goals as a priority. Participate in learning and interact with friends and teachers as much as possible. Complete all home assignments to the best of your understanding. Study with a plan and practice physical fitness for good health. Consult AI and information on social networks in an intelligent and selective way.
I wish you all to study well and be as successful as you expect!
Ho Cao Viet, Faculty of Economics and Management