A guest blog by Student Ambassador, Stephanie Mora, from San Diego City College
Starting the semester with new classes can be overwhelming; however, Hawkes provides students with many features that can make your courses more manageable and less stressful. As a student using Hawkes in my course, I found my personal favorite features. The following helped me succeed in my classes, and I hope they will do the same for you!
Practice Mode
Although it can feel more time-efficient to go straight to Certify, the Practice mode is a great place to start if you have all your notes ready. Personally, Practice helped me understand sections I was struggling with and simply reinforced what I already knew. Some benefits of the Practice module are:
- You can practice as many times as you’d like, even if you already finished Certify.
- The difficulty is customizable.
- You get immediate error-specific feedback if your answer is wrong.
Tutor Feature in Practice Module
I highly encourage my peers to work on the Practice module before Certify. It is not just because it helps you become more familiar with the content, but because of the Tutor feature. This option is located at the bottom left of any assignment you are doing in Practice. (Hint: It’s a red button!)
What I love about the Tutor is it gives you a step-by-step process to reach the final answer. While in that Tutor, there are explanations on how and why you need each step. It surely is a unique way of studying and is great for note taking!
Practice Tests
We all experience some anxiety before a midterm or a final, especially if you are not so sure where to begin to study. Luckily, Hawkes has my favorite feature ever: Practice Tests. These are customizable tests that Hawkes creates for you based on the content you choose. For example, maybe you did a great job in Lesson 2.1 but need to reinforce Lesson 2.2, you can create a test just for that section!
How to create a practice test:
1. Access your course from your dashboard, then find the “WEBTESTS” tab. Once you click on it, select “Practice WebTests.”
2. This is the part where you can customize your test based on what you need! Make sure to name your test. Then, you can select the sections you want to have on it from the drop-down menu. Don’t forget to type how many questions you want and how much time you will have to finish it. When you have all that information, it’s time to go!
3. Once you click, “Start,” you are ready to start answering your test! Remember, don’t stress! This does not count for your grade. It is only for your practice. This layout will be the same one for your real tests, this also helps you to get familiar with the platform.
When you finish your test, you can submit your final answers and see how many were correct and incorrect. It is a great way to see where you are standing and what areas might need more support. You can make as many practice tests as you want or retake previous practice tests.
Overall, Hawkes has amazing tools that can smooth your journey through a course. Make the most of them! You can gain great studying and learning skills that will positively impact your future classes.
Meet the Author:
Stephanie Mora is a sophomore at San Diego City College majoring in Philosophy. She works as an English Tutor in her college and is part of the supplemental instruction program. After finishing her Philosophy degree, she plans to attend Law school and help immigrants and their families around the country. Stephanie is a passionate music and film lover, she enjoys art, concerts and is an avid reader of fantasy books. She also loves to spend time with her two dogs Benny and Nube.
Stephanie served as a Hawkes Student Ambassador throughout the spring 2024 semester. If you’re interested in learning more about Hawkes Learning’s Student Ambassador Internship Program, please click below:
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