How Instructors Can Help First-Generation Students Study

Students who are the first in their families to go to college have drive and determination, but they often lack study skills to succeed in rigorous courses. Instructors can help first-generation students by teaching study skills in class and encouraging struggling students to reach out for additional assistance, according to Gail Horowitz, Ph.D., a faculty member at Bard High School Early College Newark. Dr. Horowitz, who previously taught chemistry at City University of New York Brooklyn College, shared her tips for helping first-generation students study in a recent article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

Dr. Horowitz’s strategies include putting study tips in the syllabus and reviewing them in class; focusing on problem solving, not reading, for more effective studying; listing a number of study resources in the syllabus; and tracking down struggling students to meet with them about their course work.

Check out the Chronicle story for more of Dr. Horowitz’s tips and a list of citations on first-gen students, STEM, and study skills.