Scribba
A good study group can teach you more in two hours than an evening alone. A bad one turns into a snack break with textbooks open. The difference is usually structure: knowing what the group is for, who's doing what, and how you'll test each other.
This guide covers how to run a study group that actually helps, and how to share what's on your iPad with people who might not use the same app.
Keep it small and give it a goal
A group of three to five is a good size. Everyone gets a turn to talk, and nobody can hide.
Before you meet, agree on what the session is for. "Study for the midterm" is too broad. "Go through lectures 6 to 9 and do the practice problems from the review sheet" gives the group something to finish. Pick a place where you can talk out loud and write on something everyone can see.
Split the topics
The fastest way to cover a lot of material is to divide it up.
- List the topics the exam covers, one line each.
- Give each person a few topics to own.
- Each owner prepares a short summary and a handful of questions for their topics before the meeting.
- At the meeting, each owner teaches their part and quizzes the group.
Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. To explain something clearly, you have to recall it and organize it, and you find your own gaps fast. The person teaching often learns the most.
Tip: don't only study the topics you own. Everyone should still be able to answer questions on every topic by the end. Owning a topic means leading it, not being the only one who knows it.
Compare notes, but don't just copy
Different people catch different things in the same lecture. One person got the definition, another got the example, a third wrote down the hint about the exam. Comparing notes lecture by lecture is one of the most useful things a group can do.
When you find something you missed, write it into your own notes in your own words, rather than pasting someone else's page. Rewriting it is a small piece of recall, and your notes stay readable to you.
If two people's notes disagree, don't guess. Check the slides, the textbook or the professor's office hours.
Quiz each other
Quizzing is where a group earns its time. Some formats that work:
- Round robin. One person asks a question, the next person answers without notes, then asks the next question.
- Explain the wrong answers. On multiple choice, don't stop at the right answer. Have someone explain why each wrong option is wrong.
- Problems at the board. One person works a problem out loud while the others watch for mistakes, then switch.
- Make up exam questions. Each person writes two questions they think will be on the test. Trade and answer them.
End every session by deciding what each person will review before the next one.
Sharing your notes from Scribba
Scribba is an iPad notebook for class. It's built for your own notes, so it's worth being clear: Scribba has no live collaboration and no shared notebooks. Your group can't write in the same notebook at the same time, and each person's notebooks stay their own. What you can do is send copies of pages, notebooks and decks in formats anyone can open.
Share a page as an image
Open the page sidebar and share a page as an image. It's the quickest way to send a diagram, a worked problem or one page of definitions to a group chat. Anyone can open it on any phone or computer.
Export pages or a notebook as PDF
For more than one page, select the pages in the page sidebar and export them as a PDF, or export a whole notebook as a PDF. A PDF keeps your handwriting exactly as you wrote it, and your classmates don't need Scribba to read it.
If you'd rather share text than handwriting, Scribba can copy or share a page's handwriting as typed text.
Bring a classmate's notes into your notebook
If someone sends you their notes or a study sheet as a PDF, import it into your class notebook, either as a new notebook or into the current one. You can write on it like any page, and its text is searchable. Split View lets you open their PDF in its own window beside your own notes. Our guide to annotating lecture slides on iPad covers working with PDFs.
Share flashcard decks through Quizlet or Anki
Scribba can export flashcard decks to Quizlet or Anki, so group members who use either app can study from your deck. One person can make cards from their Vocabulary or Cornell pages, check them, and export them for everyone. See how to export flashcards to Quizlet or Anki.
Keep lecture recordings to yourself
If you record lectures, keep those recordings for your own review. Sharing a recording, even with friends in the same class, is different from recording for yourself. Your professor may not allow it, and other students' voices are on it too. If the group wants to hear something, ask your professor first. When the group disagrees about what was said, you can check your recording and transcript on your own, then share what you found in your own words. We cover this in more depth in is it OK to record lectures?
Frequently asked questions
Can my study group edit the same Scribba notebook?
No. Scribba doesn't have live collaboration or shared notebooks. Share pages as images or PDFs, and decks through Quizlet or Anki.
Can classmates without Scribba see my notes?
Yes. Pages shared as images and notebooks exported as PDFs open on any phone, tablet or computer.
Can I send my group a lecture recording?
Ask your professor first. Recording policies vary by school, professor and location, and a recording you made for your own review isn't automatically yours to share.