Asked where new knowledge comes from students invariably answer "brains"! But when asked about how they study, they often describe procrastinating, cramming, and other behaviors as if knowledge somehow comes from elsewhere and not from neurons. Time Sheet Genie was developed to address student's misconceptions about how knowledge is acquired. Time Sheet Genie is a neurologically focused, scientifically sound, study system for Learning Skills Specialists and their students.

Unlike computers, biological processes are slow. Muscle fibers and neurons take days or weeks to adapt to changing conditions. Body builders do not exercise the same muscles every day. Instead they plan schedules focusing on different muscles groups, allowing previously exercised organs time to respond and grow while at rest. The same principle applies to synaptogenesis during memory formation. The formation of new synapses, and therefore new knowledge, takes time.

Over a hundred years ago Dr. Hermann Ebbinghaus (1885/1913) demonstrated the need to repeatedly relearn material to counteract the effects of forgetting, and showed that memory retention is best when study sessions are spaced apart. A process we now call spaced repetition, or distributed practice. Many hundreds of experiments have since been conducted that overwhelmingly point to distributed practice as the most effective strategy for long-term learning (Dunlosky, et al., 2013).

But distributed practice is difficult to organize in real-world settings. Ebbinghaus was learning short lists of three-letter "nonsense words" and his task was simply to recall them. Today, higher education students take multiple courses filled with dificult to understand content. Plus their task is to not only recall information but apply it during examinations. Trying to organize multi-activity timetables for every single lecture, every day, can be phenomenally complex. Left to their own devices students frequently abandon neurologically sound timetables, and instead opt for activities grounded on convenience and personal preferences. This is the primary reason why students often act as if knowledge comes from "elsewhere" despite claiming that new knowledge must somehow come from their brains.

Time Sheet Genies are customized distributed practice timetables that take the complexity out of designing study schedules. Genies indicate when each activity should be completed, including reading, synthesizing, reviewing, self-testing, and following-up on areas of weakness. Time Sheet Genies are proven in higher education settings to boost grades, often dramatically. By timetabling every single activity, every hour of every day, students are free to concentrate on being the best scholars they can be. While students focus on academic content, your Time Sheet Genie takes care of their neurons.

Dunlosky, J., Rawson, K. A., Marsh, E. J., Nathan, M. J., & Willingham, D. T. (2013). Improving students’ learning with effective learning techniques: Promising directions from cognitive and educational psychology. Psychological Science in the Public interest, 14(1), 4-58.

Ebbinghaus, H. (1913). Memory: A contribution to experimental psychology. (H. A. Ruger & C. E. Bussenius, Trans.). Teachers College Press. https://doi.org/10.1037/10011-000

We're here to help and answer any questions that you might have. Email us at pjl@timesheetgenie.net.