Student tips for using course mastery on Khan Academy

Hi, I'm Shannon from Khan Academy, and I want to show you how to make the most of your learning time. First, make sure you're logged in to your Khan Academy account by checking for your name in the upper right-hand corner.

Now, on the left side, you should see your classes where your teacher has given you a mastery goal or assignment to work on. Click on the tab that says "Course Mastery" to view the goal your teacher set for you.

Now that you're viewing your goal, let's talk about the top five things to know about working towards course mastery on Khan Academy.

Number one: Your course mastery placement is a big goal from your teacher. On your learner homepage, you can see the progress you've already made towards your mastery goal and the due date your teachers set. But you can always work ahead or view past goals. Click on the mastery goal to be taken to the course homepage. Here, you'll see the units that make up the course as well as your progress towards mastery on each unit.

As you make progress on each unit, you'll see the purple bar fill from left to right. It's helpful to regularly check your unit progress so you know if you're on track to meet your goal. Click into a unit to view your current mastery level for each skill on the left-hand side. With every skill, try to get the crown and move your mastery level to mastered.

Number two: Mastery takes time and practice. As you practice skills and answer questions, your mastery level for each skill will go up if you answer correctly or down if you miss questions. If you want to make progress more quickly, try a mastery challenge. Mastery challenges allow you to strengthen the skills you've already practiced in just six questions.

Mastery is not easily earned, and that's intentional. But putting in the work to achieve mastery will prove you've earned and learned it. Remember, you can retry an exercise as many times as you'd like until you earn a score you're happy with. Struggles and mistakes are what help your brain grow.

Number three: Follow the blue button. Your big goal has a lot of skills you can practice at your own pace. To make sure you stay on track, look for the blue buttons throughout the course. The blue buttons will always guide you to what you should work on next.

Number four: If you're stuck, take a hint. It's normal to feel stuck when you're learning new skills. The important thing is you don't give up. Take a hint to get step-by-step instructions to the specific question you're working on, and write them down so you can reference them later. You can also try watching a video or reading an article on the skill. Once you've done that, you're ready to retry the exercise.

And if you're still stuck, reach out to your classmate, a teacher, or a family member for support.

Number five: The sky is the limit. Remember, you have the potential to succeed. Keep trying, keep making mistakes, and keep asking for help when you need it. There is no limit to what you can learn.