College students spend an average of 14.1 hours a week reading assigned material. That's a lot of time and energy! Reading assignments in college can be boring and tedious, especially if the textbook is long and complicated. When I was a freshman, I remember putting aside several hours in my day to tackle assigned readings. It was even worse knowing that a lot of material on the exam would come from these readings. However, Pearson's Revel eText is designed to solve this problem! Using Revel eText enhanced my knowledge of the subject, while cutting back on my reading time. Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your Revel eText.

Tip #1: Play it out loud

By far one of the best features of Revel eText is the “audio playlist” feature. At the top right of the screen, you have the option of having the page being read aloud to you. This is super convenient and can even help you process the material better. I sometimes find myself getting distracted while I read. Listening to the audio version keeps me engaged and focused. It’s especially nice because having the text read aloud allows you to do other things, like going for a walk or doing the dishes. It saves time and lets you multitask!

Tip #2: Pop-up definitions

Another cool feature is the pop-up box with a definition when you hover over a highlighted word. I can’t count how many times I’ve had to flip to the glossary or find a dictionary just to understand a word a textbook uses. Having to search up many complex words used in a textbook can get frustrating and tedious. Not a problem with Revel! Hovering your mouse over the word gives its definition in an instant. This has helped me save so much time and energy in the long run.

Tip #3: Use the search feature

Can’t remember what page covered the Nitrogen cycle? Revel has an awesome “search” feature. Click on the magnifying glass icon to search for any word or short phrase. This makes it way easier and faster to find the information you need. As college students, we need all the shortcuts we can get. Searching using keywords can quickly find what you’re looking for.

Tip #4: Highlight

Need to make a study guide for that big exam coming up? Revel eText lets you highlight important sentences on the page with your cursor. All your highlighted sections will be saved in a notebook, which can be found at the notebook icon/section that’s labeled ‘notebook.’ After you finish your readings, all your highlighted texts will conveniently be in one spot for you to study. You can even color code them with different colored highlighters. Making a study guide has never been quicker or easier. Now, you are well on your way to ace that test!

Tip #5: Flashcards

Revel eTexts have a flashcard section, which can be found by clicking on the flashcard icon. This lets you make your own deck(s) of flashcards to test yourself. It’s like having your own little Quizlet, but even more convenient! You can highlight any piece of text you want on the flashcard, so no need to type anything out.

With these features, studying activities that used to take hours and many different resources can be done more efficiently in one place! These resources have helped me save so much time and energy while improving my grades.

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