Evaluation of the workshop Effectief studeren and the online course Snellezen

Effective study skills, which are tools or tactics for students' learning, are fundamental to academic achievement (Gettinger & Seibert, 2002). Low academic achieving students often show ineffectice study skills. One of the reasons students drop out of university is because secondary school did not prepare them with study- and timemanagement skills (Rausch & Hamilton, 2006). Students need to "learn to learn" (bermingham & Mahdi, 2005). Reading is an important part of studying, yet slow reading is a widely recognised problem for students (Bell, 2001). To support them, consultancy ProfAct developed the workshop Effectief studeren [effective study techniques] and the online course Snellezen Brons [speed reading Bronze]. The aim of this research is to analyse the following question: "What are the effects of the workshop Effectief studeren and the online course Snellezen Brons on the participants?". The research focused on the cognitive and affective effects of studying and speed reading after attending the workshop Effectief studeren and the online course Snellezen. A quasi-experimental design that used mixed-methods (namely observation, questionnares, interviews, memory test and reading tests) studied participants of the workshop Effectief studeren and the online course Snellezen.