1.

Study skills

This is great site for generally improving all the study skills students need for academic success, one of the best I've seen.

2.

Transitions 1

Efficient readers pay attention to "transitions" (words, phrases and sentences that identify relationships), using them as clues to track the author's train of thought. Here's a link that offers a comprehensive list of transitions and their various meanings. But remember that when the author doesn't provide you with an explicit, or stated, transition, it's your job to infer the implied connection.

3.

Transitions 2

You can learn a lot about reading by thinking about how writers put thoughts into words. This is an excellent site for writing advice. But if you want to understand the function of transitions, the "transitions" document that you can open from this site is definitely worth checking out. It's great because it lists many different transitional words and phrases but it also discusses the other ways writers use transitional material to help readers move smoothly and quickly from one idea to another.

4.

Getting background knowledge

Having background knowledge is one of the keys to fast and efficient comprehension. If you are taking a history course, consider looking at this site to find information about topics addressed in your textbook before you begin each reading assignment. Written in wonderfully clear and direct language, it may well give you the background knowledge you need to fully understand your textbook assignments.

5.

How to succeed in academia

This site has some good information about how to go about doing academic work. It's quite comprehensive and addresses, for instance, listening along with reading. It also describes the structure of academic writing within the context of journals, and that subject doesn't normally get nearly enough attention. Don't be put off by the fact that it is listed as a web site for ESL students. There is a lot here that could benefit native-speakers as well.