What Successful Students Do 
How can I do well and get an A in this class? This question is likely on the minds of many students as they begin the semester. Joe Hoyle has a simple and effective tip: Ask the A students how they did it. After each semester, Hoyle writes the A students and asks them to share their success strategies. In addition to getting invaluable feedback about his own teaching and tests, he compiles their responses into a document for incoming students. This fresh advice from peers resonates well with anxious incoming students and gives them practical tips and a tangible strategy for success.
Hoyle is an associate professor of accounting at the University of Richmond, but this tip would translate well to many others disciplines and classes as highlighted by James Lang in his book Cheating Lessons . Hoyle also has a book of teaching tips and maintains a current teaching blog with lots of other useful tips.