EDUCATION

Ways in Which a New Student Can Learn Effectively Within Higher Education



Ways in Which a New Student Can Learn Effectively Within Higher Education

Introduction

Learning refers to an activity of reflection through which the learner is able to understand the past experiences as well as the current actions and knows how to shape his actions in the future to create new knowledge. The definitions of learning have changed over time. The new concept of learning is called effective learning. Effective learning means learning for a purpose, learning which is objective oriented and learning whereby the learner is able to apply what he has learnt in the practical life. This concept is crucial to higher education in that this is one of key stages in the student life of a person which determines the direction that a person will take in his professional life (Neary, 2004, p. 35).

Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin, though learning is not a consequence of teaching. Effective learning serves as a measure of teaching competency. The higher the learning the better will be the teacher at his job. The need for effective learning in higher education increases multifold in that the students have to be ready for the challenges of practical life during this phase (Huddleston, 2007, p. 4).

Since, higher education is the most crucial phase of a student, it is imperative for both students as well as teachers to develop ways in which this effective learning can be ensured at the higher education level for a new student. The paper discusses the various concepts and outlines the ways for achieving it.

Factors that inhibit learning

In order to develop ways to develop the effective learning in higher education student, it is essential to understand what are some of the factors that inhibit learning in these students. The factors that inhibit learning in higher education students may be classified into two categories. These are internal and external factors. Although, these factors differ from one learner to another, there are a few factors which are common to many (IE, 2002, p. 25). A lack of the willingness and ability to learn may lead to an impediment to learning. On the other hand, there are those who have the ability to learn but they do not believe in themselves.

Other students who fail to learn are the ones who have some medical issues associated with them in the present or had some issues as a child. For instance, the patients of anxiety may find it difficult to develop skills that are essential for them to become employable. For some other students, it is the family commitments and social commitments which become a major hindrance in their learning process whereby they are not able to concentrate or give due share of their time to studies (Dix, 2004, p. 39).

In addition, it has been found that student who were low performers at school will remain a low performer in higher education ...