Academic Success

Reviewed by Abe Saunders, Instructor, Learning Strategies, College of Charleston on 2/22/21

Comprehensiveness rating: 5 see less

The search feature serves as a very nice index of the thorough content in this textbook.

Content Accuracy rating: 5

From my perspective, content is highly accurate in the field of learning strategies (from notetaking techniques, to goal setting and time management, pre-reading to critical reading, Bloom's Taxonomy and growth mindset). It's all there!

Relevance/Longevity rating: 5

The content is highly relevant and up-to-date in the field of learning strategies (from notetaking techniques, to SMART goals, pre-reading to critical reading, Bloom's Taxonomy and growth mindset). It's all there!

Clarity rating: 5

Authors take a "come alongside you" approach to their writing. This is helpful, particularly since this is a textbook designed to be utilized for first-year university students. The authors are thoughtful in the way they explain how to "do" university successfully, but as importantly, why the strategies they recommend are useful. Context and meaning and interwoven from the introduction to the end of each chapter, highlighted by graphs and images as well.

Consistency rating: 5

The contents of the four chapters (and subchapters) flow quite well. There is an Introduction to begin - and a "Key Points" to end - each section.

Modularity rating: 5

Elaborating on the comments mentioned above, each chapter is broken down into sections (ex. Successful Foundations broken into EL Foundations and Working with Information). Subheadings help the reader break down text into smaller chunks to read. Aesthetically pleasing as well.

Organization/Structure/Flow rating: 5

The contents of the four chapters (and subchapters) flow very well. Readers would be able to put into practice the key reading strategies shared in the book (pre-reading, skimming, scanning, detailed reading, and critical reading) because its organization is laid out nicely.

Interface rating: 4

The online version is easy to navigate. I wish the search function, when used, still left the drawer on the left side of the screen where you could navigate quickly back to the chapter you were reading. There are informational graphics such as tables and flow charts throughout, and in most cases they are aesthetically pleasing.

Grammatical Errors rating: 5

This is a grammatically sound book.

Cultural Relevance rating: 4

Thank you for the acknowledgement of country statement at the beginning of this book. Authors also acknowledge that first-year students don't have to be traditional-aged (at one point referencing that students may be coming straight from secondary school, or others may be attending university after first entering the workforce). Images embedded in the chapters are thoughtful, in that they appear to represent diverse groups in terms of race and ethnicity.

Comments

As an instructor of a Learning Strategies course, I can say that this textbook has a great deal to offer students and instructors alike. It is relevant and up-to-date. It highlights the key transition issues for college students (thank you for discussing mental health issues in the book) and provides a clear roadmap that, if implemented, would help students create a collegiate environment conducive to their success. It is evident that the authors wanted to make this book as comprehensive, yet as reader-friendly as possible, for first-year students. I believe they have achieved that!