New Perspectives in Science Education
University Study Methodology : Innovative and Adaptable Digital Modules to Foster Student Success
Marie-Laure Barbier, Aix-Marseille University (France)
Elisabeth Annequin, Aix-Marseille University (France)
Romain Couderc, Aix-Marseille University (France)
Abstract
As part of the New University Curriculum DREAM-U ("Design your own path to success at Aix-Marseille University"), funded by the French National Research Agency, an innovative program for training academic study skills was developed to enrich teaching practices and foster the autonomy and academic success of undergraduate students. This program was developed through a collaboration between cognitive science researchers, instructional librarians, and instructional designers. It consists of 20 modules that encourage students to reflect on their practices and train specific skills—some involving AI—in three areas: (1) Documentary research ; (2) Source evaluation and critical thinking development (Caroti et al., 2025) ; (3) Study organization and note-taking in listening and reading situations (Dunlosky et al., 2013; Barbier & Zoubir, 2023). Nearly 10,000 students enroll in this program each year across all sectors of Aix-Marseille University (law and political science; health; sciences and technology; arts, literature, languages, and humanities; and economics and management). The modules, available on Moodle to the entire university community, are interactive and adaptable to different disciplinary contexts.The analyse is based on data collected in 2024–25 and 2025–26 to study the relationship between students’ use of the modules (enrollment, activation and completion rates), their pre-university academic profile (baccalauréat track and honors) and their final first-year average grade. The aim is to examine the extent to which module use effectively contributes to the academic success of undergraduate students.
Keywords: Academic success, Methodology, Information literacy, Critical thinking, Learning strategies, Digital learning
REFERENCES
[1] Barbier, M.-L. et Zoubir, L. (2023). Enseigner la prise de notes : Des stratégies explicites pour s’informer et structurer sa pensée. De Boeck Supérieur.
[2] Caroti, D., Adam-Troian, J., Theraud, M., & Bagneux, V. (2025). Critical thinking education to decrease conspiracy and paranormal beliefs among secondary school students : A phase I trial. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 83, 102413. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102413
[3] 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. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23484712
