Pre read all assigned material so that you can follow the lecture. This will also help with procrastination! It is more difficult to get motivated to read if you wait until after the lecture is over. Also, reading beforehand will help you take more to the point notes. This will also help you understand an Instructor who has an accent or a fast talking Instructor.
When pre-reading pay attention to the lesson objectives they are after all, what your instructor will test you on. Think about it, If you are told that after a lesson you will be able to … “for example … perform a task” you can rest assured that there WILL BE an evaluation test question on that objective.
Before a lesson I ask all my students to find the pages of the lesson that discuss each of the objective and write the page number next to that objective, This helps students who over study for tests or study the wrong information for the test. I have seen an immense change in my students test score when they apply this strategy.
Always Review notes from previous lectures. In the automotive field we always build up on previous lectures.Use the learning center on line at www.utialumni.org Take notes and bring them to class. Once in class, you can take your notes from the slide show presentation and the instructor lead discussion.