1. You CAN take it with you: Activities that encourage students to transfer study skills to other courses
Marcia Toms, PhD
Academic Success Instructor
Wake Technical Community College

2. This Hour Review of scholarship on transfer
General strategies for encouraging transfer
Sample activities

3. My journey

4. Transfer of learning From one problem to another
From one course to the another
From one semester to the next
From school to home
From school to workplace

5. Learning without transfer is meaningless
The ability to transfer learning is the difference between education and training

6. Key Concepts of Transfer
Initial Learning is Necessary 
Context Matters
(Bransford, et al., 2000)
1. Initial Learning
Nothing can replace learning the original information.
Before stressing out about providing appropriate context, make sure students actually get it.
2. Context
Students might be able to handle percentages fine when dealing with money, but struggle with formal mathematical formulas
Students might be able to zoom through difficult algebraic equations, but struggle with a word problem.

7. Types of Transfer Near Far Literal Figurative Low road High road
Forward reaching
Backward reaching
Table listing four different types of transfer
Near and Far
Literal and Figurative
Low road and High Road
Forward reaching and Backward reaching
(Schunk, 2003)

8. Near and Far Near: very similar situations One math problem to another
Far: Little similarity between situations.
Chemistry problem that requires use of exponents

9. Literal and Figurative
Literal: Using the whole skill or knowledge in a new situation
Solving for an unknown
Figurative: Using some aspect of knowledge to think about a new problem
Pizza example

10. Low and High Roads Low Road: Automatic transfer Driving a new car
High Road: Apply a learned rule or principle to a more general case.
Mindfully choosing what strategies/knowledge to use

11. Forward and Backward
Forward reaching: Looking toward how knowledge could be used in future
Backward reaching: Looking backwards to see how previously learned skills and knowledge could be useful

12. Help Transfer Across Contexts
Ask students to apply knowledge in multiple situations
Direct students to use skills in new contexts
Ask “What if this aspect of the situation were changed?”
Ask students to generalize the information
Help students see benefit of transferring knowledge/skills

13. What are the barriers to students transferring study skills?

14. Creating “Embedded” assignments in “Bolt on” Classes

15. General Principles
Create assignments that require students to transfer study skills to their other classes
Ask students to use their hardest class
Make the assignments as flexible as possible
Be prepared for students who aren’t taking classes outside of yours

16. References
Bransford, J., Brown, A. L., & Cocking, R. R. (Eds.). (2000). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school (Expanded). Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press.
Schunk, D. H. (2003). Learning theories: An educational perspective (4th ed). Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.
Wingate, U. (2006). Doing away with “study skills.” Teaching in Higher Education, 11(4), 457–469.