Learning Strategies FAQ

Professional staff are always available to answer educator and staff questions, receive feedback about students' Learning Strategist experience, or listen to ideas on how to improve the program. You can reach the Learning Strategist Program staff by sending an e-mail to aah@ucsd.edu.

Who Are UC San Diego's Learning Strategists?

Learning Strategists are UC San Diego undergraduate students who have undergone training to assist others in enhancing their study skills, developing a growth mindset, and a focus on metacognitive learning, all to help students be successful academically.

Are your peers that are highly trained to recognize challenges, many of which they've also experienced being a UC San Diego student.
Work with you to develop your learning goals and to add or improve your strategies to obtain those goals for your courses.
Help you utilize new or adjusted study strategies for your specific course content.
Promote strategies that encourage you to engage and communicate with others in your course.

What are the goals of a Learning Strategies Tutoring Session?

1. Recognizing Challenges - Identifying the areas or environments in order to improve your learning effectiveness.

2. Making Thinking Visible - Learn to utilize course resources to identify and manage the instructor and/or course expectations to meet your success goals.

3. Developing Metacognitive Strategies (Reflecting on what is working and not working with study strategies) - Using metacognitive strategies that students can adapt to various subjects and contexts. Making students more aware of their own efforts and study strategies and adopt new ones. Students will learn to recognize how and when a strategy works for a variety of courses.

Who should attend Learning Strategies Workshops or schedule one-on-one appointments with a Learning Strategist?

Currently our sessions are being offered through Canvas, which is available to UC San Diego students. If you would like to work with us to develop or to hold synchronous, remote workshop, please email AAH@ucsd.edu. We will be in touch to work with you.

All current undergraduate students are eligible to schedule a one-on-one appointment to meet with a Learning Strategist. Students give the following reasons for working with Learning Strategists:

“I struggle with anxiety and limiting beliefs and often spend as much time trying to quell my anxiety as I do actually studying.”
“My current study methods only focus on short-term and basic understanding, but with my classes building on previous material that I have forgotten I am starting to not be able to keep up.”
“I am having trouble adapting to the quarter system. I am not used to this pace and would like to get support to understand better lecture material, note-taking and get better study skills.”
“I’m having trouble managing my time and organizing myself. It usually causes my priorities to be all over the place, which is causing me a lot of stress.

How many times can I meet with a Learning Strategist?

Learning Strategists conduct an initial intake meeting with students to determine the duration and frequency of follow up meetings. Because the needs of every student is different, there isn't a set amount of appointments it will take to answer the initial areas of concern. Students will work with the same Learning Strategist as long as needed, unless they have a preference to meet with a new one.

How can students be informed about the Learning Strategist Program?

There a number of ways students can be informed about the option of meeting with a Learning Strategist:

If you have used the programming as a student, recommend us to your peers and professors.
Provide a link to the Learning Strategist course website and/or the AAH main webpage
Make an announcement about the Learning Strategist program on the course syllabus and/or course website
AAH can provide you with slides that highlight important Learning Strategist information
- Email aah@ucsd.edu to request slides
AAH can send a program representative to speak to your remote class to provide a brief presentation.
- Email aah@ucsd.edu to request a representative to speak to your class
Inform TAs about the program and encourage them to make announcements in their discussion sections
Refer students to the program during your office hour appointments

How can I contact a Learning Strategist?

Learning Strategists are available for one-on-one meetings by appointment.

You may schedule an appointment with a Learning Strategist here.

If you would like to request a workshop for your organization, program, or course, please submit a request for a workshop

How can I become a Learning Strategist?

Applications will be available in the Winter quarter, via the Instructional Assisting Hiring Campaigns or Handshake for our liaison positions. Interviews and hiring will take place in Winter, with training starting in Spring. Then starting as a LS in the Summer or Fall.