How to Create an Online Study Guide

Students have many classes and exams to navigate throughout the school year. Online study guides make it easier for them to review and access their materials. Learning how to make an effective online study guide can help students optimize their study efforts.

What to Include in Online Study Guides

When determining how to make a study guide online, understanding what to include can ensure a quality, comprehensive guide that prepares students for assessments and other assignments. Some elements each student should have in their study materials include:

Practice questions: Regardless of the subject, reviewing classwork can help individuals identify areas where they are struggling. Students can copy practice questions into their study guide to get an idea of what they need to work on and what might be on the exams.
Vocabulary and glossaries: Many exams test understanding by asking students to define and use new terms. Whether completing matching exercises, translation activities, or essay questions, vocabulary lists help ensure students remember new concepts introduced in that unit.
Notes: A notes section explores subjects and topics by breaking them down into terms the studier will understand. Students can organize their notes in several ways, from outlines with headings and subheadings to the Cornell notetaking system.
Diagrams and charts: Visual materials like pictures, graphs, and diagrams can help people visualize complicated concepts. For example, students might use a drawing to show how animal cells multiply. Mind and concept maps can show the relationships between ideas, terms, and key figures for a deeper understanding.

An online study guide is highly adaptable and customizable. Students can change elements to fit their unique study needs and use their study guides for various school subjects.

How to Make an Online Study Guide

Knowing some tips and tricks students can implement is essential for those new to making online study guides or who want to improve their methods.

1. Keep Notes Organized in a Digital Source

Many kids take notes in class and find them disorganized and unhelpful later. After class, students can use online study guides to reorganize their notes so all relevant information is together and everything is easy to read. Traditional study guides often use a lot of paper, sometimes resulting in mixups and lost sections. With digital study materials, students can keep their notes organized without losing anything.

When creating study guide notes, students should describe the content and terms in their own words. This method makes study guides easier to understand, helping the learner remember and apply the information later. Some students love to include fun digital features like memes or emojis to help them better connect to the material.

Students should also consider storing their notes in a cloud-based app like Google Docs. These services ensure they can access notes from any device or location and study wherever inspiration hits. Cloud-based apps are excellent for students with multiple devices, allowing them to access their study materials from smartphones, tablets, and laptops.

2. Use Interactive Flash Cards and Study Apps

Digital study guides can take several forms other than outlines and retyped notes. Students can use apps and websites to create study guides that optimize their review sessions and help them perform better in school. Some essential study sites include:

Quizlet: Quizlet allows students to engage with their vocabulary words in a whole new way. They can study flashcards, take tests, and play games. Students can choose how they want to engage with their study sets to appeal to their study and learning preferences.
Khan Academy: This site offers short lessons on various topics and subjects, making it a great resource when students struggle with a concept. Students can use lessons, guides, and other materials to build out their notes or add helpful lessons to review again later.
GoConqur: Similar to Quizlet, GoConqur offers a place where students can use virtual flashcards and take practice tests. However, it expands services with notetaking, concept maps, and planner capabilities.

Using diverse online study materials can more comprehensively cover topics and prepare students for assessments. When integrating other sites and sources, they might have to play around with settings and services to find a combination that fits their study habits.

3. Integrate Color Coding

Color coding can enhance study guides. Students can use different colors to group concepts or separate sections. Many people use specific colors to identify ideas, like important people, dates, locations, or new terms. Creating a color guide can help learners easily identify each color’s meaning when reviewing. Students can also use boldface, italics, underlining, and highlighting to bring attention to important points.

The Benefits of Using Online Study Guides

Study guides are excellent resources for students. Knowing how these tools benefit students may motivate them to integrate them into their study routines. Some benefits of using online study guides include:

The Benefits of Using Online Study Guides

Turning messy handwriting into organized notes: Many students take notes physically because it keeps them engaged during class. However, students might find it challenging to review notes later while studying. Transforming notes into online study guides allows learners to group similar concepts so content flows sensibly.
Making adjustments quickly without erasing: When creating a physical study guide or notes, students must stop to erase mistakes. Erasing can rip paper and make notes look messy or hard to read, which impacts the study guide’s quality and useability. When students make a mistake on an online study guide, they can remove or delete content for a fresh look. Many platforms have version histories, so students can access deleted materials if something accidentally gets lost.
Storing notes in a safe location: Writing physical notes might mean study materials are scattered across different notebooks, folders, and binders, making them hard to locate when it’s time to study. With online study guides, students can organize guides into virtual folders by subject, unit, or project, ensuring they always know where everything is. File searches can help individuals look up the guide by name if they forget where they filed it.
Catering to your learning method: Online study guides have more room for personalization and customization, allowing students to change as much as they need to fit their ideal learning preferences and study habits. Visual learners benefit from color options, graphs, pictures, and diagrams. Auditory learners can use programs to read notes back to them or embed video lectures. Kinesthetic learners can transform materials into games with sites like Quizlet or engage with materials by tying them out.

Online study guides are a powerful tool that students can use to better prepare for their courses and exams.

Improve Your Child’s Study Habits With CCA

Studying is an essential part of learning, and CCA can help students establish effective study patterns for more significant results. Commonwealth Charter Academy is a public cyber charter school for K-12 students across Pennsylvania. Our excellent teachers, academic resources, and personalized support provide students with the skills they need to succeed academically.