Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints*

If you are looking for ways to be successful, you have come to the right place. Assembled here are tips and suggestions that are intended to help you succeed in my classes.

DOING WELL ON EXAMS

Exams in this class are primarily essay questions. Here are a few suggestions that previous students have found helpful.

1. Study with a small group. This seems to work well for students who benefit from "talking out" their answers to study questions. It also gives you the chance to check your understanding with others and to benefit from others' examples and ways of explaining concepts.

2. Keep up with assigned readings and questions. Previous students have emphasized the importance of not getting behind in this class. Exam questions ask you to think about concepts and apply them. Last minute cramming doesn't prepare you as effectively as possible for this type of exam.

3. Check that you understand how to apply the material. Like most classes, a certain amount of memorization is necessary. But be prepared for exam questions that expect you to apply the material, and to use the material to think through an answer.

EXAMPLE EXAM QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Example exam questions and answers will be provided in class about a week prior to the exams. Those students who carefully prepare and write down answers for each of these questions tend to do much better on the exam.

OTHER HINTS

What are some additional suggestions for doing well in the course? Here's a list of ideas that previous MKT 405 students have found to be helpful:

Prepare for class by thinking about the posted discussion questions. Previous MKT 405 students have stated how important it is to prepare for class.

The discussion questions are intended, in part, to help guide your studying, give you a better idea of what to emphasize in the chapter, and prepare you for class discussion. You will find that although some of the questions are definitions, many of them are application-oriented and get you to think and apply the material. In addition, students are often called upon during class to answer questions or give their opinion about an issue. It pays to be prepared for this class.

THINK! Stay out of memorize and regurgitate mode. A few comments from previous students: first, students frequently say that this class is a bit different from many other classes -- "we were not asked just to memorize and spit it back on a test," and "the instructor expects us to apply what we are learning." Students often have said that they weren't really prepared for a more applications-oriented class. They had to learn as the course went along how best to approach it. So, to give you a head start, here are three signs that you are not approaching the course the best way:

1. You think all you are being asked to do is memorize and regurgitate - if you think this all that is needed, then you are probably missing something. Better look again!

2. You think this is all familiar territory; you've heard in another class before, it's easy, it's nothing new. If this is in your thinking, you'd better go back and find out what you are missing.

3. Your recurring thought is "I'd do fine if only the instructor would just give us a specific list of "what you need to know". According to previous students, there is some memorizing involved, but if you really understand the material you won't need a detailed list of things that you must spit back on the test.

Work to be an active participant in class. Previous students have stated that they get more out of class when they stay tuned in during class. When you get to class, be awake and enthused enough to participate actively. Active participation is not limited to just 'talking' in class! It includes active listening as well. It includes thinking of examples in your mind, making note of questions or ideas you have, and following the flow of the discussion. This will help you out if you are called upon to speak, as well.

But I hate to speak up in class! We all know that not everybody feels real comfortable participating verbally in a class of 40 students. How can you make it easier for you to participate?

1.Prepare for class - the discussion questions serve that purpose.

2.Realize that your MKT 405 the instructor will not slice and dice your comments. Making a student feel small about opening his or her mouth to speak is not what the class is about.

3.Realize there are dumb questions and don't ask them. (For example, "I did not come to class last week. Did I miss anything?") To be honest, there are few really dumb questions, but make sure your's is not one of those to help you avoid embarrassing yourself. Here are some other classic examples:

"Can you review for me what I missed in class last time?" (asked in front of entire class or in my office - of course the instructor cannot summarize in two minutes what we spent a whole class period covering).

"Do we have to know this for the test?" (memorize and regurgitate mode).

"Can you give me the definition of _________?" (fill in the blank with the term of your choice from the book).

You get the idea. Basically, dumb questions are inappropriate ones; they are easy to avoid asking.

Take good notes. Previous students who have done well in the class tell me they didn't just wait for the instructor to write something on the board, or slap up an overhead. They wrote down what was being discussed. Sometimes
their notes became a bit disorganized during class. So they went back after class (soon after class, before the discussion was forgotten) and organized or clarified their notes.

Previous students have also said that sometimes their notes from class discussions are not in a nice, neat order that matches with the text chapter. It is your job to bring order to your notes. Go back through your notes, your
text, and any handouts you've received and organize them in a way that makes sense to you. (Here we are applying something we know about how people learn-if you have to make order out of something yourself, your understanding will usually improve.)

Ask questions!! If you are lost, if you don't understand something, or you are confused, you may be the only one who knows that. So ask questions, when in doubt. If you are uncomfortable asking about something during class, try reaching Dr. Gremler through email, the phone, or just stop by his office.

Take responsibility for your actions and your situation. You can expect to find that your instructor is understanding. If some major disaster befalls you, we can usually work something out. Yet, please leave the excuses and sob stories at home. When a student ends up in a pickle, it's usually his/her own doing.

Please don't ask the instructor to make accommodations for your mistakes, no matter how innocent they may have been at the time of making. Please take responsibility for your own choices and circumstances and you'll have no trouble. For an example, if you miss class, for whatever 'good' reason it may be, you are still responsible for getting a hold of notes, copies of handouts, and so forth.