Students find academic personalities
by Derrick Ayres, reporter

    Participants in a NW Campus enrichment workshop recently discovered their learning profiles.

   Jim Sherwood, counselor and associate professor, conducted the workshop, featuring the Learning And Study Strategies Inventory, or LASSI.

   The LASSI program works like a questionnaire to determine a a student’s academic personality. The criteria measure levels of interest in school, motivation, anxiety and the ability to select important information from assigned readings.

   Participants began the workshop by completing the LASSI. Once they finished the evaluation, they could outline their learning profile, which plots their different areas of interest and compares them to national averages in each area.

   “If there is a lack motivation or interest in school, it is likely that other aspects of the profile will also fall short of the curve,” Sherwood said.

   Sherwood explained that a student who cannot supply an adequate answer to “why are you here,” may have a shortage of set goals.

   If a student finds it difficult to prepare for a test, Sherwood suggests flash cards or a study group to improve retention of key points.

   Students who attended the workshop received a packet containing suggestions on developing more efficient study skills, better self-testing techniques and even time-management capacity.

   For students who did not have the opportunity to attend the workshop, the LASSI is usually available at the counseling center on all campuses, without an appointment, and even by computers in some cases.

   The survey takes 30 minutes to an hour to complete.