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Are you one of the many students who experience high test anxiety?

First, know that you are not alone!

Test Anxiety image showing a person holding there head as formulas and equations swirl in the air around them.

Second, know that your instructional team has strategically embedded activities throughout this course to help boost confidence and reduce test anxiety. To help reduce some of the exam specific anxiety, you will have an exam review in MyLab prior to each exam. In addition, those who attend SI Sessions with Kyle will benefit from activities designed to help you gain confidence and practice the concepts as you interact with classmates.

Active Engagement = Increased Confidence

Regular communication while completing the weekly lessons and homework is something we have notice many students in the top half of the class do on a regular basis. For example they:

(1) reach out to Kyle and attend SI Sessions,

(2) work with the IUE math tutors through Upswing when they have homework questions, and

(3) they interact with classmates in the weekly P&E discussion forums.

Thought bubble saying "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can, I know I can!" from the Little Engine That Could.

Once we noticed the trend of engagement leading students toward the A & B grade ranges, we embedded 'reward' points (some regular credit; some extra credit) in many of the weekly P&Es. Meaning that you can earn points during some P&Es for engaging in conversations that we know will help boost confidence, solidify understanding, and ultimately reduce test anxiety. Staying actively engaged throughout the course will not fully eliminate test anxiety. But it will increase your confidence with the course concepts which helps keep the test anxiety manageable.

Proctor Simulation = Reduced Anxiety

During exam weeks for all 4 exams, Kyle has a special activity during SI where he simulates a short proctored exam. Many of our students find these simulations help reduce anxiety for the proctored final exam at the end of the course. This is also helpful because the questions in the simulation are actual exam type questions that will be reviewed at the end of the proctor simulation. Be sure to watch for more information about exam reviews from Kyle during exam weeks.

Conclusion: Working together anxiety can be manageable.

As you go through the semester, remember communication is your friend. Reach out to your instructional team when you have concerns. Reach out to Kyle and your classmates in SI Session where you'll gain confidence and a deeper understanding of the concepts through prepared activities. Reach out to the online math mentors (tutors) through Upswing when you have homework questions. We are all here for you!

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