Strategies
for College
Summer 2008 SFC 1000-100
Instructor:
Email: Mary_Turchi@ivcc.edu Address:
Strategies
for College is designed to help
you create greater success in college and in life. You may never again have the
opportunity for this much self-growth within a college class…Please make the
most of it!!
Course Objectives: In this course,
you will learn how to…
1. TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE. You will learn to
make wiser choices, thus gaining greater control over the results you create in
college and in the rest of your life.
2. INCREASE SELF-MOTIVATION. You will learn how to create inner motivation necessary to keep going when you run into life’s inevitable challenges.
3. IMPROVE PERSONAL SELF-MANAGEMENT. You will learn proven strategies for creating greater results that will move you effectively and efficiently toward the accomplishment of your goals and dreams.
4. CREATE POWERFUL NEW BEHAVIORS AND BELIEFS.
You will learn how to identify and change self-defeating habits that are
keeping you from fulfilling your greatest potential.
5. MAXIMIZE
YOUR LEARNING. You will learn powerful strategies that will enable you to earn
better grades in college, to become an effective life-long learner, and to
develop your natural wisdom.
6. RAISE YOUR SELF-ESTEEM. You will learn how to develop
greater self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-respect, and unconditional
self-worth.
7. WRITE MORE EFFECTIVELY. You will learn how to improve
your writing skills through extensive practice offered by your journals and
reaction papers.
8. IMPROVE CREATIVE AND CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. You
will learn how to enhance the thinking skills that are essential for analyzing
and solving problems in your academic, professional, and personal lives.
9. LEARN TO ACCESS IVCC’S SERVICES AND OPPORTUNITIES. You
will learn who to contact for information and services, as well as what
activities are available to you here at IVCC.
Required Course Supplies:
1. Downing, Skip. On Course: Strategies for Creating
Success in College and in Life, Fourth Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company,
2005.
2. Three ring binder or folder for your portfolio is
optional. You can send files via email.
3. Access to the Internet on a weekly basis
What to Expect:
By
reading On Course, you will learn empowering strategies that have helped others
create great success. By keeping a guided journal, you will hopefully learn new
things about yourself and discover how to apply the strategies you have learned
to your life. By participating in WebBoard
discussions and completing various activities, you will learn different ways to
become successful in college and in life.
Attendance Policy:
This
course does not have a traditional attendance policy due to the nature of the
on-line class, but it is necessary that you turn assignments in as they are
due. Falling behind in this class defeats the purpose of this class.
Withdrawal Procedure:
You
are responsible for initiating a withdrawal from this course. Failure to assume
this responsibility in a timely manner could result in a failing grade for the
course. Students will also be withdrawn for non-participation. The instructor
will attempt to contact you prior to the withdrawal.
Course Grades:
Letter
grades will be assigned on the percentage of total course points earned.
A=90-100% B=80-89% C=70-79% D=60-69%
Course Projects:
15 Success Journals (5 points each) 75 points
Assignments 130
points
Participation in Blackboard 35points
Conferences (10 points each) 20 points
Midterm Assessment 40 points
Final Assessment 70 points
370
points
Assignments
v
To
access assignments week by week, go to the webpage at www.ivcc.edu/turchi.
Click on SFC 1000 Online and download the activities for the week. This will
include all directions, activities, and worksheets that you may need. Save all
documents as .rtf whether you are using Word, WordPerfect, Works, or the Mac
version of any of the above. It is found in the File Type list right
below the File Name box.
v
Please be sure that
all work is your own. Cheating and plagiarism will result in 0 points for the
specific assignment for the first offense. A repeat offense will result in
withdrawal from this class.
Menu of Activities
A link to the Menu of Activities is
available from the course homepage. Choose items that appeal to you—something
that is new or you may not have considered before. You must earn at least 25
points from the list—10 points on the midterm assessment and 15 points on your
final assessment. For each activity, a ˝ page minimum written summary is
necessary. These activities will need to be turned in with your midterm and
final assessments. You may work on them at your own pace any time during the
semester.
Journals
Journals will be written based on the directions
and questions in the On Course textbook. There may be some modifications
to entries that are noted in the PowerPoint presentations or on the weekly
website. For most chapters, you will choose 3 of the 4 journals to complete. It
is recommended that you look them all over before starting so that you can
choose the 3 that will be most beneficial to you. These journals will be
submitted via email and should be turned in when completing the chapter
(weekly). Although spelling and grammar
are not the primary focus, please do the best that you can.
v
The length of the
journal entry is not as important as the completeness of the entry. Be sure to
address each section completely.
v
Label each journal entry with the number and your name. Save
all documents as .rtf whether you are using Word, WordPerfect, Works, or the
Mac version of any of the above. It is found in the File Type list right below the File
Name box.
v
Journals will
only be shared with the instructor, but keep in mind the security issues that
are part of submitting information over the Internet. It is your option to
discuss personal information at that time.
Turning in Assignments
Be sure to label the
assignment with your name and the title of the assignment if needed.
Assignments can be checked two ways--as you complete them or by turning in an up-to-date portfolio of all
required items. It is your choice. Assignments can be emailed to me, sent to me
via regular mail at the college address, dropped off at the IVCC mail room in
Shipping and Receiving in the lower level of Building C, or dropped off to the
secretary in the Reading, Writing, and Study Skills Lab in Room B201. Please
let me know which method you are using and when you have turned assignments.
Always
keep a copy of your assignments for yourself.
Reaction Papers
At the midterm and final,
you will be asked to react to the course in a more personal manner. There will be more specific guidelines for you before
these are due, but this will be your opportunity to express your feelings about
the course, about college life, about what you are learning from this
experience, and to provide feedback to me on your view of the class. These papers will
be submitted with your midterm and final assessments.
Final Remarks:
This
class will be as beneficial for you as you want it to be. We hope that you will
find some very real strategies for you to use in your college life and beyond.
The more thought you put into your journals and activities, the more you will
benefit.
The
activities and journals are fast-paced, so it is important that you keep up and
not fall behind. It will be difficult to catch up once you get behind the
class.
I
am available in the evenings after
I always recommend saving copies of your
work before you send it over the Internet. Keep these until after you receive
your final grade for the class….just in case!!