Resources to Help You Balance Work, Study, and Family

Academic Support Tools You Should Know About

Being an adult learner isn’t easy. It’s like trying to juggle a hundred things at once. You’re working a full-time job, taking care of the kids, managing household responsibilities, and still trying to find time to study. Maybe you’re doing grocery runs between lectures or squeezing in assignments after a long day of work. On top of all that, there are meetings with instructors, deadlines to meet, and the constant pressure to keep up. It can feel like the to-do list never ends and you’re always running behind.

But here's the thing: you're doing an incredible job balancing all of this. And while it may seem overwhelming at times, there are tools that can make this journey a little bit easier. These resources are designed to help you with everything from writing and research to managing assignments and checking your work for plagiarism. They can save you time, reduce the stress, and give you the confidence to tackle your schoolwork—without having to sacrifice family, work, or your sanity.

In this post, you'll find a list of tools that can support you every step of the way, helping you stay on track and achieve your academic goals—even with a packed schedule. You’ve got this, and these tools are here to help!

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is an invaluable resource for finding scholarly articles, research papers, and academic journals. Whether you’re working on a research project or simply need to cite credible sources, Google Scholar offers free access to a wide array of scholarly literature. https://scholar.google.com/

Pro Tip: Always filter results to focus on peer-reviewed articles for the most credible and reliable sources.

Grammarly

Grammarly helps you fine-tune your writing by checking for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and clarity issues. It offers a free version for basic checks and a premium version that provides advanced suggestions, including tone and style adjustments. Whether you’re working on papers, reports, or even emails, Grammarly ensures your writing is polished and professional. https://www.grammarly.com/

Pro Tip: Grammarly can also help with academic writing by ensuring your citations and references are properly formatted.

QuillBot

If you're looking to improve your writing or paraphrase content, QuillBot is an excellent tool. It uses AI to help rephrase sentences, summarize paragraphs, and even rewrite entire articles. It’s a fantastic way to make your content more original and avoid accidental plagiarism. https://quillbot.com/

Pro Tip: Use QuillBot to strengthen your work by rephrasing sentences, but double-check that your content still conveys your intended meaning.

Mendeley

Mendeley is a tool for managing your research papers, organizing citations, and collaborating with fellow students or colleagues. It’s perfect for larger projects that require a lot of reference management. Mendeley also allows you to highlight and annotate PDFs, making it easier to keep track of important information. https://www.mendeley.com/

Pro Tip: Use Mendeley to organize your research notes and create automated bibliographies to save time when writing your papers.

Quizlet

Quizlet lets you create or search for flashcards to help memorize key terms and concepts. This is perfect for exam prep, reviewing definitions, or getting ready for quizzes. Quizlet’s interactive study modes make learning fun and engaging, whether you're working on a subject like biology, history, or business. https://quizlet.com/

Bonus: Use Quizlet's "Learn" mode to track your progress and identify areas where you need more practice.

Studocu

Studocu provides access to study notes, exam papers, and textbooks that have been uploaded by fellow students. It’s a great way to review past exams or get access to notes that may fill in the gaps in your own. You can search by subject, school, and course, making it a versatile tool for adult learners. https://www.studocu.com/en-ca

Pro Tip: Check out the study guides and exam papers to get an idea of what to expect, but make sure to engage with the material actively to fully understand it.

Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning platform offering thousands of classes on subjects ranging from business and technology to art and design. It's a great resource for adult learners looking to improve their professional skills while also working on academic goals. https://www.skillshare.com/en/

Pro Tip: Supplement your academic studies with practical courses on Skillshare to learn new tools and skills that can help in your career.

Chegg Study

Chegg Study is an excellent resource for finding textbook solutions and expert help on difficult subjects. Whether you’re struggling with math, science, or business, Chegg offers detailed step-by-step solutions and Q&A sessions with experts who can help clarify tricky concepts. https://www.chegg.com/

Pro Tip: Use Chegg to check your answers and work through problems, but always try solving them on your own first to fully understand the process.

Course Hero

Course Hero is an educational platform that offers study guides, practice problems, and access to textbook solutions across a range of subjects. It’s also great for finding study materials from other students who have already taken your course, which can help you prepare for exams and assignments. https://www.coursehero.com/

Pro Tip: Explore Course Hero’s free resources, but consider upgrading if you need full access to all materials and additional tutoring support.

Mathway

Mathway is a must-have tool for anyone taking math-related courses. It solves math problems across a variety of subjects, from basic algebra to advanced calculus, and shows step-by-step solutions. It's perfect for checking your work or understanding how to solve complex problems. https://www.mathway.com/Algebra

Pro Tip: Use Mathway to verify your answers and review the steps involved in solving math problems.

Bartleby Learn

Bartleby Learn offers 24/7 homework help, textbook solutions, and tutoring services in a range of subjects. If you're facing challenges in a course or need some extra guidance with your homework, Bartleby connects you with expert tutors who can walk you through the material. https://www.bartleby.com/

Pro Tip: Leverage Bartleby Learn for personalized help with specific questions or concepts that need further clarification.

Brainly

Brainly is a community-driven platform where students can ask questions and help each other. If you're stuck on a math problem, science question, or need clarification on something in your studies, Brainly allows you to get answers from other learners and experts. It’s like having a study group, but you can connect with people at any time. https://brainly.com/

Bonus: Use Brainly to connect with a supportive community and get help when you need it most.

Turnitin

Turnitin is a widely-used tool to check your work for plagiarism before submitting it. The Draft Coach feature helps students ensure that their work is original by scanning it for similarities to other published sources. It also provides feedback on citation issues and other potential areas for improvement. https://www.turnitin.com/

Pro Tip: Always check your work with Turnitin Draft Coach before submission to catch any accidental plagiarism or citation mistakes.

Scribbr

Scribbr offers plagiarism checking along with citation generation tools. It is especially useful for students who are finalizing their papers and want to ensure that their references are correctly formatted and their work is plagiarism-free. Scribbr also provides a citation tool to generate citations in various styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.). https://www.scribbr.com/

Pro Tip: Use Scribbr’s plagiarism checker in conjunction with its citation generator to ensure both originality and proper formatting.

Notion

Notion is an all-in-one workspace that helps you stay organized with your schoolwork, tasks, and personal projects. You can use it to create study schedules, take notes, track assignments, and keep all your resources in one place. Its flexibility makes it a favorite among students for keeping everything organized. https://www.notion.com/

Bonus: Notion’s templates can help you set up your workspace quickly, whether you need a study planner or a task manager.

Evernote

Evernote is one of the most popular note-taking apps available. It allows you to organize your notes by subject, project, or topic. You can add text, images, and even voice recordings, making it perfect for capturing ideas on the go. Plus, its web clipping feature allows you to save research directly from the internet. https://evernote.com/

Pro Tip: Keep a notebook for each course and use tags to make your notes easier to search through later.

OneNote

Microsoft OneNote is another excellent note-taking tool that syncs across all your devices. It offers flexible ways to organize your notes, from text and images to drawings and audio clips. OneNote integrates well with other Microsoft Office tools, making it a great option for students already using programs like Word and Excel. https://www.onenote.com/

Pro Tip: Use OneNote’s sections and pages to organize your notes by topics or modules, and use the search function to quickly find what you need.