Studierhandwerk.de
Learning More Effectively at University
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Studying is a craft. You can learn it.
Thirty-five sessions on how to learn effectively at university—free of charge. You choose how to start: with the Courses by Level (Basics, Advanced, Expert, plus Future Skills and E-Learning) or with the Courses by Task, for a specific task at university, such as getting a good start, passing exams, or ending procrastination.
You have two options, and both appear side by side on every course tile:
Start the course with an account—your progress is saved and is available again on any device. For this, you choose a username and a password and enter your email address; you confirm the email address once via a link. A real name is not required and is expressly not wanted.
Start the course without an account—no name, no email address, no form. You open the course and start learning right away. The trade-off: your progress is tied to this one browser, does not move to another device, and is deleted after a set period.
A session consists of three to six lessons, usually five. A lesson usually takes three to five minutes—a whole session between 12 and 25 minutes. Afterward, you know not only what to do but also how we know it: every statement names the study it is based on.
You have two options, and both appear side by side on every course tile:
Start the course with an account—your progress is saved and is available again on any device. For this, you choose a username and a password and enter your email address; you confirm the email address once via a link. A real name is not required and is expressly not wanted.
Start the course without an account—no name, no email address, no form. You open the course and start learning right away. The trade-off: your progress is tied to this one browser, does not move to another device, and is deleted after a set period.
A session consists of three to six lessons, usually five. A lesson usually takes three to five minutes—a whole session between 12 and 25 minutes. Afterward, you know not only what to do but also how we know it: every statement names the study it is based on.
Why “I’m just not a math person” isn’t true
Students often hear this sentence, and at some point they say it themselves. It sounds like a statement about a person. But it only describes a result—and results depend on what you do.
For decades, learning research has measured what works in learning. The biggest difference lies not in talent but in the approach:
Whether you test yourself or read the text again.
Whether you spread your practice over two weeks or leave everything for the last evening.
Whether you explain the material to someone or just mark it with a highlighter.
The differences between these approaches are not small but large—and each of these approaches can be learned. Hence the name: Studierhandwerk (“the craft of studying”). Studying is not a talent and not a matter of being a certain type, but a craft. First, know how it works. Then practice.
For decades, learning research has measured what works in learning. The biggest difference lies not in talent but in the approach:
Whether you test yourself or read the text again.
Whether you spread your practice over two weeks or leave everything for the last evening.
Whether you explain the material to someone or just mark it with a highlighter.
The differences between these approaches are not small but large—and each of these approaches can be learned. Hence the name: Studierhandwerk (“the craft of studying”). Studying is not a talent and not a matter of being a certain type, but a craft. First, know how it works. Then practice.
Why the right thing often feels wrong
One finding runs through almost all sessions—and it is the most reassuring of all:
What works feels harder than what doesn’t.
Reading a chapter a second time feels good: everything seems familiar. Testing yourself without notes instead feels tedious, halting, sometimes embarrassing. Yet the measurements show the same thing every time: the second does a lot, the first does little.
This leads to a sentence many people never get to hear: The fact that something feels hard does not mean you can’t do it. Usually it means you are doing exactly the right thing.
What works feels harder than what doesn’t.
Reading a chapter a second time feels good: everything seems familiar. Testing yourself without notes instead feels tedious, halting, sometimes embarrassing. Yet the measurements show the same thing every time: the second does a lot, the first does little.
This leads to a sentence many people never get to hear: The fact that something feels hard does not mean you can’t do it. Usually it means you are doing exactly the right thing.
How a lesson works
1
Read
A short section on one thing—with an example and evidence. No chapter, no lecture.
2
Check
Questions on the section. Not for a grade, but because retrieval itself is what makes things stick.
3
Apply
At the end, a question for reflection and a key takeaway: what you can do differently this week.
What you won’t find here
- No learning styles. The idea that people learn better through the “right” channel is considered refuted by research. Session 4 of the Basics course explains why—with a source.
- No promises of saving time. What you find here makes learning more effective. Not shorter.
- No motivational slogans. Where a well-known recommendation does not hold up to scrutiny, the text says so—even if the recommendation sounds nicer.
- No claim without evidence. Every statement names its source and the limit beyond which it does not apply.
Where the statements come from
The sessions are based on more than 150 studies from learning and memory research and neighboring fields. Every lesson names its sources, and every session ends with a bibliography.
That also applies where it gets uncomfortable. When other researchers later could not confirm a well-known piece of advice, this is noted—for taking notes by hand, for the “growth mindset,” and for the ten-minute exercise against test anxiety. Two much-cited papers were retracted by their journals while these courses were being developed; that is included too, with the date and the reason.
That also applies where it gets uncomfortable. When other researchers later could not confirm a well-known piece of advice, this is noted—for taking notes by hand, for the “growth mindset,” and for the ten-minute exercise against test anxiety. Two much-cited papers were retracted by their journals while these courses were being developed; that is included too, with the date and the reason.
Courses
- Courses by LevelCourses that build on one another—from getting started to your thesis:BasicsAdvancedExpertplus: Future Skills and E-Learning5 coursesView courses →
- Courses by TaskCourses for a specific task at university:Getting a Good Start at UniversityPassing Exams and Retaining What You LearnStudying Alongside Work, Children, or CaregivingStop Procrastinating and Stay on TrackReading and Working with Academic TextsCoping with Stress and Test AnxietyUsing AI WiselyReady for Work: Presenting, Working in Teams, Showing Your Profile8 coursesView courses →