A revisit to the student learning problem

A forgetful student wishes to accomplish a high knowledge level (ambitious) with a small effort (lazy). Two learning patterns are addressed. First, at low or intermediate knowledge level, the student improves faster as more knowledge is absorbed. Secondly, at high knowledge level, the more the student learns, the harder it is for an equal amount of improvement to be made. The study problem is cast into an optimal control setting. Study strategies are explored. One interesting finding in the second case is that the student may need to reduce the work intensity as the examination is approaching.