Flashcards at Uni

14

Hi!

I’m first year studying biochemistry at uni and trying to find study methods that work for me.
At GCSE and A Level, flashcards worked really well for me, but I know the style of learning at uni is different.
So I’ve been annotating the slides during my lecture and then converting them into flashcards.
However 2 of my lecturers have advised against using flashcards as they say they make you see things as disconnected facts rather than the bigger picture and they force simple factual recall rather than understanding. One lecturer also said active recall is not a good way to learn/revise as there is too much content , but I always thought it was the best way.
I’ve had teachers before say flashcards are bad, but they’ve always worked for me anyways, so I’m not sure whether to ignore the lecturers on this or not.
I should also mention that these modules are 100% exam-based with multiple choice and short answer questions.

Does anyone have any experience or advice about the use of flashcards/active recall at uni? Or any alternatives i should try instead

Sorry for how long this is
Thanks!

Reply 1

UEA Rep Fatma

Official Rep

11

Original post

by LittleFire10

Hi!
I’m first year studying biochemistry at uni and trying to find study methods that work for me.
At GCSE and A Level, flashcards worked really well for me, but I know the style of learning at uni is different.
So I’ve been annotating the slides during my lecture and then converting them into flashcards.
However 2 of my lecturers have advised against using flashcards as they say they make you see things as disconnected facts rather than the bigger picture and they force simple factual recall rather than understanding. One lecturer also said active recall is not a good way to learn/revise as there is too much content , but I always thought it was the best way.
I’ve had teachers before say flashcards are bad, but they’ve always worked for me anyways, so I’m not sure whether to ignore the lecturers on this or not.
I should also mention that these modules are 100% exam-based with multiple choice and short answer questions.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about the use of flashcards/active recall at uni? Or any alternatives i should try instead
Sorry for how long this is
Thanks!

Hello! @LittleFire10 🙂
I'm a third year Natural Sciences student and I have taken various biochemistry modules. Here are some of the things I use to help revision!

•

If you know flashcards help you do use them! They are very good for making content stick and ultimately you need this for exams. Your lecturer is right in the fact they may make you not see the bigger picture, but I wouldn't discard them just because of that. Use other methods to develop the skill of being able to link content, such as mind maps. I'd recommend you actually use your flashcards on a near day to day basis as this ensures you are learning the content throughout the year and not just cramming at the end.

•

For mind maps, I'd recommend you just do these as simple diagrams so you don't have to fill in details. For example, if you are learning about multiple pathways try to link them, see which molecule is part of two or more pathways but don't actually draw the entire pathway with the molecule names.

•

Use the simple mind map to then help you brainstorm. Say for example you are doing respiration. Your mind map would be a simple glycolysis -> pyruvate oxidation -> Kreb's cycle -> oxidative phosphorylation. When you do your brain storming, you can use your mind map to then try to draw the individual pathways. (this example is just a simple one, try to link different processes to each other) (Hope this makes sense, if not let me know!)

•

Practice questions! Make sure you can access your university's previous exam papers and practice these as it prepares you for the exams. When you do questions, mark them and keep a sheet of paper where you list your mistakes. Turn your mistakes into flashcards or find some way to incorporate them into your revision so you don't repeat them!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions! 🙂
Good luck!
Fatma.

(edited 5 months ago)

Reply 2

LittleFire10

OP

14

Original post

by UEA Rep Fatma

Hello! @LittleFire10 🙂
I'm a third year Natural Sciences student and I have taken various biochemistry modules. Here are some of the things I use to help revision!

•

If you know flashcards help you do use them! They are very good for making content stick and ultimately you need this for exams. Your lecturer is right in the fact they may make you not see the bigger picture, but I wouldn't discard them just because of that. Use other methods to develop the skill of being able to link content, such as mind maps. I'd recommend you actually use your flashcards on a near day to day basis as this ensures you are learning the content throughout the year and not just cramming at the end.

•

For mind maps, I'd recommend you just do these as simple diagrams so you don't have to fill in details. For example, if you are learning about multiple pathways try to link them, see which molecule is part of two or more pathways but don't actually draw the entire pathway with the molecule names.

•

Use the simple mind map to then help you brainstorm. Say for example you are doing respiration. Your mind map would be a simple glycolysis -> pyruvate oxidation -> Kreb's cycle -> oxidative phosphorylation. When you do your brain storming, you can use your mind map to then try to draw the individual pathways. (this example is just a simple one, try to link different processes to each other) (Hope this makes sense, if not let me know!)

•

Practice questions! Make sure you can access your university's previous exam papers and practice these as it prepares you for the exams. When you do questions, mark them and keep a sheet of paper where you list your mistakes. Turn your mistakes into flashcards or find some way to incorporate them into your revision so you don't repeat them!

I hope this helps! Let me know if you have any further questions! 🙂
Good luck!
Fatma.

Thank you! That’s super reassuring. Unfortunately there are no past papers for most of my modules so I’m going in blind. I’m curious as to why it is so important to see the bigger picture? Is it to help with more application-based questions?

Reply 3

LJMUStudentReps

Official Rep

19

Original post

by LittleFire10

Hi!
I’m first year studying biochemistry at uni and trying to find study methods that work for me.
At GCSE and A Level, flashcards worked really well for me, but I know the style of learning at uni is different.
So I’ve been annotating the slides during my lecture and then converting them into flashcards.
However 2 of my lecturers have advised against using flashcards as they say they make you see things as disconnected facts rather than the bigger picture and they force simple factual recall rather than understanding. One lecturer also said active recall is not a good way to learn/revise as there is too much content , but I always thought it was the best way.
I’ve had teachers before say flashcards are bad, but they’ve always worked for me anyways, so I’m not sure whether to ignore the lecturers on this or not.
I should also mention that these modules are 100% exam-based with multiple choice and short answer questions.
Does anyone have any experience or advice about the use of flashcards/active recall at uni? Or any alternatives i should try instead
Sorry for how long this is
Thanks!

Hi,

I’m a third-year pharmacy student and I still use Q&A-style flashcards to revise all my content. There’s a lot to cover, but for me, it’s the most effective way to learn since I don’t retain information well from notes alone.

I’d also recommend making summary mind maps after each topic, they help you see the bigger picture and connect concepts, so you’re not just memorising disconnected facts.

Ultimately, it’s about finding what works best for you, some people prefer flashcards, others prefer reading or summarising notes. Combining methods, like I do with flashcards and mind maps, can be really effective for exam-based modules.

Hope this helps,

Tayba
Student Rep

Reply 4

UEA Rep Fatma

Official Rep

11

Original post

by LittleFire10

Thank you! That’s super reassuring. Unfortunately there are no past papers for most of my modules so I’m going in blind. I’m curious as to why it is so important to see the bigger picture? Is it to help with more application-based questions?

Yes you are on the correct lines! Being able to see the bigger picture means you can think about changes (such as diseases) and be able to predict most outcomes. Because ultimately, the processes you learn about are not individual ones that happen one at a time, they work together simultaneously and being able to link them makes you a better researcher.
No worries if you do not have past papers, just make sure you make the most of any practice questions you get set during workshops/seminars etc... 🙂
Hope this helps!
Fatma.

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