Professors claim that studying in a group can help a student’s grade, but the busy college schedule makes it difficult to coordinate varying schedules.
However, there may be hope. To help ease the burden of stress, clinical laboratory sciences major Dustin Fausett created YourStudyGroup.com, a free service to students that allows students to create study groups online.
Fausett’s experience of dealing with the stress of arranging group meetings is what inspired him to create YourStudyGroup.com.
“My hour-long breaks in between classes turned into some of my limited study time,” Fausett said. “In my first year back to school, I had been invited to about three or four study groups. I was only contacted for one, which was to be held the night before the test at 7 p.m. But due to scheduling conflicts, I again wasn’t able to attend.”
Fausett has been working on the website for eight months and plans to make it so BYU will be the first school to test it out.
“BYU hasn’t expressed any opposition when I asked about it,” Fausett said. “The website is not a BYU website. It is independent. So sending emails to your whole class would be done through Learning Suite and not YourStudyGroup.com.”
Those who join the study group can set up a specific time and place to meet. Once the group has been created, students can then go on the website and search for available study groups in their classes. The group’s creator also has the option of limiting the number of students that can join the group.
In the near future, Fausett plans to add a webcam device to the website that allows students to meet online. He is also working on creating a feature with which students can rate other students on how easy they are to work with.
“We plan on having many new features at the start of next semester, including online study groups so you can have a study group from the comfort of your own bedroom,” Fausett said.
Note sharing and a customized calender will also be offered soon, giving students a chance to share and plan their study group dates effectively. Fausett said study groups are one of the most effective ways to learn classroom material and study for future exams.
“This cuts down time and effort to a minimum,” Fausett said. “Study groups help students stay focused on the material, see it from different perspectives, and the social aspect is a bonus.”
After graduation, Fausett plans to keep the website running and wants to continue making it free for students to join.
“Eventually, we will take on advertisers, which will cover the costs of the website,” Fausett said. “I plan on keeping the website up and running for as long as students are willing to use it. We want to take on advertisers because I want the website to stay free for students.”
To start a study group, click here.
