In 2011, Stephen Chew, Chair of the Psychology Department at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama, created a five episode video series applying the principles of cognitive psychology to suggest study strategies for students. Dr. Chew describes the series as follows:
"The overall theme of the videos is if students use ineffective or inefficient ways of studying, they can study long and hard and still fail; but if they use effective strategies, they will get the most learning out of your study time and be more likely to succeed."
Video 1: Beliefs That Make You Fail...Or Succeed
The first video examines common mistaken beliefs students often possess that undermine their learning. The video tries to correct those misconceptions with accurate beliefs about learning.
Video 2: What Students Should Understand About How People Learn
The second video introduces a simple but powerful theory of memory, Levels of Processing, that can help students improve their study.
Video 3: Cognitive Principles for Optimizing Learning
The third video operationalizes the concept of level of processing into four principles that students can use to develop effective study strategies.
Video 4: Putting the Principles for Optimizing Learning into Practice
The fourth video applies the principles of deep processing to common study situations, including note taking and highlighting while reading.
Video 5: I Blew the Exam, Now What?
The fifth video addresses students should and should not do when they earn a bad grade on an exam.