Time Management

Stepping Up uses surveys, sample syllabi (complete with deadlines), and an academic calendar to familiarize students with the many demands college will put on their time. Accompanying activities help students learn to prioritize, schedule, and plan for tasks weeks or months in advance. The goal: to equip students with the time management strategies they’ll need to thrive in college from day one.

Note-Taking

Stepping Up features transcripts of lectures from a variety of academic disciplines, giving students hands-on practice taking and evaluating notes—a scenario they are likely to experience in college. Accompanying activities coach students on how to recognize cues that speakers use to signal important ideas and concepts. Stepping Up teaches students what to look and listen for in class so they can take better, more complete notes.

Study Skills

Studying is an essential activity in college. Unfortunately, many students don’t know how to do it effectively. Stepping Up prepares students to study by first introducing them to key concepts about how learning and memory function. Building on this research, Stepping Up goes on to provide practice activities that teach students different ways to store and recall information from memory. Activities also work to help students create study plans, evaluate their own knowledge, and prepare for tests.

Test-Taking and Reading Skills

Drawing from actual textbook passages, Stepping Up teaches active reading strategies anchored in the PRWR method, an approach proven to help students understand and retain information. Instruction and practice in identifying main ideas, supporting details, and key transitions is also included. In addition, Stepping Up features a learning module devoted to test-taking. Topics covered include test anxiety, item-specific exam strategies, and ways to build and gauge test readiness.

• Relevant Assignments that prompt students to explore their campus, boost their motivation, and assess their readiness as they embark on their college journey.

• Informative Readings that introduce each key skill area in a practical and relevant context that will resonate for new and aspiring college students.

• Review Activities after each section to reinforce concepts taught in the readings. Students can revisit each passage as they work and complete activities multiple times at their own pace to achieve mastery.

• Real-World Practice Assignments that encourage students to apply the concepts they’ve learned. Stepping Up includes textbook excerpts, audio lectures, course syllabi, and sample test items to prepare students for what they will encounter in their own classes—and equip them for success.

• Instructive Feedback that is clear and helpful. All review and practice activities for the digital version of Stepping Up feature meaningful feedback that explains key concepts and deepens understanding.

Stepping Up teaches through real-world practice by using:

Sample Test Questions to Practice Test-Taking Skills

Sample Lectures to Practice Note-Taking Skills  

Sample Textbook Passages to Practice Reading Skills  

Sample Course Schedules to Practice Time Management

Below are three excerpts from the printed version of Stepping Up. This content—and enhanced versions of the book's many interactive assignments—are included in the digital subscription.

• Sample 1: An excerpt from Looking Inward (pages 1-3)
• Sample 2: An excerpt from Taking Good Notes (pages 37-39)
• Sample 3: An excerpt from Test-Taking Skills (pages 128-129)

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