It comes as no surprise that most students want better grades. However, many students mistakenly assume that they will need to log excessive hours at the library or cut out weekend activities to achieve better results in the classroom. Luckily it can take only a few small adjustments for students to see some major improvements to their GPA.   With midterms on the horizon, there is still time to make some changes that will perk up those grades.

• Get Organized: Being organized is one of the most undervalued study habits students can implement to achieve better grades. With the fast paced lives of student’s today, keeping assignments, coursework and deadlines straight can feel nearly impossible. To support students with this, edtech leaders are continually improving tools to help students get organized and stay that way. For example, to ensure today’s digital solutions best support the student learnflow – or how they live and learn – Cengage Learning, a global education company, is conducting extensive student-focused research. By integrating student feedback, today’s digital tools are able to better assist with time management in traditional ways such as tracking assignments, due dates and upcoming projects to help be better prepared, but also by packaging study materials for delivery in digestible segments and convenient formats in order to maximize downtime for learning.
• Time, Time, Time: For college students, time management can be one of the most challenging skills to master.  On any given day students may be juggling coursework, extra curricular activities, job commitments, and spending time with friends and family. With all of these different demands and priorities, it can be difficult for students to manage time and get the most out of their day. Maintaining a detailed calendar, tracking time and creating a schedule at the beginning of each week are all helpful tools to help students manage time and maximize efficiency.
• Activate Learning: 80% of college students say that implementing digital technologies in their learning has increased their academic performance[1]. Yet, despite these overwhelmingly positive statistics, some studies show that as many as 40% of students are not taking advantage of digital offerings that are available to them. This means that in many cases, students are neglecting the digital components that come with the course materials that they purchase and missing out on the valuable benefits these digital solutions provide. With today’s online learning tools designed to optimize a student’s learnflow, they offer valuable opportunities to maximize productivity and understanding.  When students take advantage of the technology tools available to them, such as MindTap, Cengage Learning’s personalized e-learning platform, classroom engagement increases, information retention improves, and – grades go UP!
• Breathe Deeply, Sleep Soundly:  Improved study habits aren’t the only ways to get better grades, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is also critical to keeping the mind and body at peak performance. Students today are pulled in so many directions that staying healthy often slides to the bottom of the list. However, regular exercise, a healthy diet and a consistent sleeping schedule are essential to optimal brain performance. As a result, students who practice healthy habits report higher levels of energy, improved information retention and overall better focus.
• Get Engaged: It’s no secret that students who are more actively engaged in their course materials tend to be the ones who get the most out of class. Interestingly, according to research from Cengage Learning 77% of students attribute higher levels of engagement to courses that use digital learning tools[2]. Often this is because technology-enabled learning tools foster collaboration between students, instructors and classmates – allowing for improved student workflow, greater customization, and more visibility into individual progress.

Changing your behavior or habits doesn’t happen overnight. However, if you try to incorporate a few of these small changes to your study routine you can begin to see positive results in your performance.   It’s never too late to make a few changes that could improve your grades.

Good luck!