Division of Academic Support Programs
Monday and Wednesday, 9:05-10:00
Textbook: Becoming a Master Student, 10th
Edition, by Dave Ellis
ISBN: 0-618-20909-3
Instructor: Melissa Lach, M.Ed
222 Barnes Hall
Office Hours: Monday – Friday, 8:00 – 5:00
(706) 864-1433, Email: mjlach@ngcsu.edu
Welcome! My goal in this course is to
offer you one of the most valuable learning experiences of your entire life.
And I need your full cooperation to make it work!
Course Purpose: This course is designed to help you
create greater success in college and in life. In the coming weeks, you will
learn many proven strategies for creating greater academic, professional, and
personal success. We will use guided journal writings to explore these
strategies, and as a bonus, you will learn to express yourself more effectively
in writing. You may never again have an opportunity quite like this one to
discover how to create a rich, personally fulfilling life. I urge you to make
the most of this extraordinary opportunity! If you do, you will dramatically
change the outcome of your life-for the better!
Class Attendance and
Participation
Most of the material in this
class will be taught by means of group work, exercises, and discussion. The
more you take an active part, the more you and we will learn. In this course,
you, the other students, and I are all instructors. Thus, the more you
participate, the more the other students and I will learn from you. This also
means that you should make it a point to attend each class. I expect everyone
to make it to every class and to make it on time. You will receive a maximum of
ten points each day for participating and attending this class. Excessive absences will result in your being
dropped from the course. According to the North Georgia Undergraduate
Bulletin, “If a student’s total number of absences exceed 14% of the
scheduled classes, it shall become the prerogative of the instructor to drop
the student from the class roll with a W or WF or to continue the student in
class”. Class periods for SFCS this semester total thirty. If you miss more
than five classes, you will exceed the 14% limit and you will be dropped from
class. If you are dropped before mid-term, you will receive a W. If you are dropped
after mid-term, you will receive a WF.
Method: You will be keeping a guided journal,
and you will discover how to apply these entries to help you achieve your own
goals and dreams. Additionally, I will be providing PowerPoint presentations of
the different strategies that may help you become more successful. By
participating in class activities and focused conversations, and by completing
course projects, you will further improve your ability to stay on course to
your success. Once you make these new strategies your own through application,
you'll have the ability to dramatically improve the outcome of your
life-academically, professionally, and personally.
Each of these components of your grade is explained below.
1. Quizzes (100 point scale)
This is a
course for students who wish to be successful in college and in life. One of
the most important factors of success in any endeavor is consistent and active
participation. To encourage and reward your preparation for active
participation at every class, four scheduled quizzes on the chapters and PowerPoints will be given. No quiz may be made up without a
medical excuse. Great success is created one small step at a time. Each time
that you take a quiz, you take an important step toward your success in this
course ... and in life!
2. Success Journals (100 point scale)
Your SUCCESS
JOURNAL provides an opportunity to explore your thoughts and feelings as you
experiment with the success strategies presented in each chapter of Becoming
a Master Student. By carefully examining each strategy and
experience in your journal, you will discover which ones will assist you to
create a rich, personally fulfilling life. Although I will be collecting your
journals and looking through them, write your journal for yourself, not for me.
Your journal entries will occasionally be read by your classmates.
Journal Writings: During this semester, you will write
in your composition notebook 10 numbered journal entries from our textbook.
These entries will be written outside of class. Additionally, you will write
occasional lettered journal entries based on class exercises. These entries
will be written in class. At various times you will have an opportunity to read
a journal entry to one or more classmates. THEREFORE, PLEASE BRING YOUR
TEXTBOOK AND JOURNAL TO EVERY CLASS.
If you choose to type your journal on a computer, you may print
hardcopies of all entries and bring them to class neatly organized in a 3-ring
binder. This requirement will assure that none of your entries gets lost. At
the end of this semester, you will have your entire journal to keep for years
to come. Many students come to regard their personal journal as one of their
most valued possessions.
Journal Evaluations: I
will collect your journals weekly. You may pick up your journal in the
departmental office forty-eight hours later. It is not my intention to read
every journal entry you write. Instead, I will look through your journal book
to verify the completion of each assignment and to give credit for a job well
done. I read occasional journal entries to get a sense of the issues you are
working on. With this knowledge I can be of greater assistance to you this
semester.
If you want
my comment on a specific part of your journal, simply turn down the corner of
the appropriate page. On that page, write a note about the response you desire
from me.
Privacy: Occasionally you may write a journal
entry that you wish to keep private. If so, simply fold the appropriate pages
over and staple them closed at the top and bottom. You have my word that I will
respect your privacy. I do reserve the right to confirm that there is, in fact,
writing on these pages. You may lock up to three journal entries; more than
that will require my permission. Locked journals will be given scores equal to
the average score of all other journals.
Journal Points: Each journal entry will be awarded up 100.
A journal entry will be awarded the maximum points if it fulfills the following
two criteria:
1. The entry is complete (all steps in the directions have been responded to), and
2. The entry is written with high standards (an obvious attempt has been made to dive deep).
Grammar, spelling, and punctuation
will NOT be factors in awarding points in this journal. You are free to express
yourself without concern for Standard English conventions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: All 10 journal entries must be completed to earn a passing
grade in the course.
3.
Cultural Events Journal Entries (100
point scale each)
There will be a wealth of
opportunities to attend plays, concerts, guest speakers, and other
cultural events on campus during the
semester. You will be required to
attend three cultural
events and submit a journal entry on
your reaction to the event. In addition to the journal entry,
you must attach an event stub or
program as documentation of your attending the event.
4.
Georgia Career Information System
(GCIS Project) (100 point scale)
An important component of the UNIV course is exploration of
academic majors, careers, and occupations. You will be required to complete the
interest inventories to help you either decide an academic major (for those of
you undecided) or choose an occupation based on your academic major. You will
also be required to report on the results of your survey and reflect on those results.
5. Mindex Survey (100 point scale)
The Mindex Survey will reveal many
things about you that will help you be more successful: it will reveal your
learning style, Right Brain vs Left Brain tendencies,
structure preference, and thinking fluency. Becoming aware of these traits will
influence the best ways to study for your classes and may indicate which
careers and occupations you should consider.
One of the
components of UNIV 1000 is learning work together in groups. Depending on class
size, I will be assigning small groups of 5-6 each. These will Cooperative Learning experiences. Each
member of the group will have an assigned task to complete the project, and
each member will have an opportunity to evaluate the members of the group.
Course Rules for Success
To create the
very best environment for supporting your success and the success of your
classmates, this course has three important rules. The more challenging these
rules are for you, the more value you will experience by adopting them. By
choosing to follow these three rules, you are choosing to be successful not
only in this course but in your life. These rules will support your success in
every goal you pursue!
1. Show
up! To support my success, I choose to attend every scheduled class period in
its entirety.
2. Do the work! To support my success, I
choose to do my very best work in preparing all of my assignments and hand them
in on time.
3. Participate
actively! To support my success, I choose to stay mentally alert in every
class,
offering my best comments, questions,
and answers when appropriate.
Schedule of Assignments (subject to
additions and deletions during the course of the semester; students will
receive ample notification to make changes)
REMINDER: Chapter quizzes will be given. No quizzes may be
made up without doctor excuse.
Assignments
below are due at the first class of the week in which they are due. Bring your textbook and journal to every
class.
Week 1: Introduction to course and PowerPoint of differences between
HS and college with discussion
Week 2: What’s in a Name? Activity with discussion
Class
discussion re: Journal Entry #1 & #2
First PowerPoint Getting on Course to Your Success with discussion
In
class essay of first presentation, What is your
definition of success?
Due
January 14: Journal entry #1 and 2
Personality
Types survey
Week 3: Results of survey and small group assignments
The
Discovery Wheel, p. 14 and Learning Styles Inventory, p. 19
Ppt. on Diversify
Your Learning Style
Due
January 23, The Discovery Wheel and Learning Styles
Inventory
Week 4: Quiz over PowerPoints and
Week 5: PowerPoint, Be a Great Time Manager
The Time Monitor/Time
Plan Process (pp. 40-45)
Class
Discussion and in-class essay of p. 39 (Journal Entry #4)
Group
Presentations of Time Management Strategies presented in Ch. 2
Week 6: PowerPoint of Wise
Choices in College—Effective
Memorization Techniques presented in
Ch. 3
Week 7: Quiz over Effective
Reading Ppt., JE #5, p. 89 due
Explanation
of GCIS project and demo of GCIS
Week 8: Quiz over Ppt. on
Learning Styles
Mindex survey
Week 9: Discussion on Mindex
survey and journal of results
Ppt.
on Listening and Notetaking
Journal Entry #6 (p. 119)
Week 10: Ppt.
Taking Tests and Exams and Chapter 6
Exercise
on p. 137 and Journal Entry #7 (p. 146)
Week 11: Quiz over Ppts Listening and Notetaking and
Test Taking Strategies
Chapter 7, Critical Thinking and Creative Thinking
Exercise Practicing
Critical Thinking, p. 157
Group Activity: P. 158 Working with Assumptions
Week 12: Presentation on Solving Math and Science Problems, 165
Group
Presentations Working with Assumptions
Week 13: Presentation by Ms. Gena Trust, Director of Multi-cultural Services
Chapter
8, Communicating and Diversity and group exercise, p. 186
Ppt. on Writing Effectively
Week 14: Gaining
Interdependence and when to ask for help!
GCIS
Projects due
Week 15: Chapter 10, What Next?
Journal Entry #8, p. 240
Final Exam: Monday, April 21 (the last day of classes)
The Discovery Wheel
(full circle, p. 241) and quiz, p. 253
Summary of Required Journal Entries
and Quizzes:
|
JOURNAL ENTRIES |
QUIZZES |
|
#1 Page 3 of Textbook |
Ppts. 1 and Chapter 1 |
|
#2 Page 3 (continued) |
Effective |
|
#3 Page 23 Enjoyable Learning |
Learning Styles |
|
#4 Page 39 Time Management |
Notetaking and Testing Taking |
|
#5 Page 89 |
|
|
#6 Page 119 Notetaking |
Final Exam, April 21 |
|
#7 Page 146 Testing Taking |
|
|
#8 Page 240 Intention Statement |
|
Academic
Integrity Policy:
Honor Code: “On my honor, I will not lie, cheat,
steal, plagiarize, evade the truth, or tolerate those who do.”
Suspected
violations of the Academic Integrity policy should be referred by students to
the instructor. If the instructor concludes that a violation of the Academic
Integrity policy has occurred, the instructor will either (1) penalize the
student and file an incident report with the Academic Integrity Council or (2)
refer the matter directly to the Academic Integrity Council. If an incident
report is filed by the instructor, the instructor will review the completed
report with the student and will request that the student sign the report as an
indication that the student is aware of the contents of the report.
Evaluation methods:
Mid-term grades will be
posted on Banner 8:00 a.m. March 3.
Early alert/Early Intervention Policy: NGCSU has
implemented this new program. I will
refer you to other persons/services at the university designed to help you
achieve your academic goals. You will be
expected to take advantage of the help offered to you.
Class Evaluations: Class evaluations at NGCSU
are now conducted on-line through Banner. Evaluation of the class is
considered a component of the course and students will not be permitted to
access their course grade until the evaluation has been completed. The
evaluations will be accessible beginning one week prior to Final Exam week.
|
Accommodation
for Students with Disabilities: North
Georgia College & State University (NGCSU) is committed to the full
inclusion of individuals with disabilities and to the principle of individual
rights and responsibilities. To that end, the policies and procedures of
NGCSU reasonably ensure that a person with a disability is not, on the basis
of that disability, denied full and equal access to and the enjoyment of
academic programs and co-curricular activities or otherwise is subjected to
discrimination in such programs and activities. The
policies for access by individuals with disabilities at NGCSU are designed to
ensure full compliance with all pertinent federal and state legislation,
specifically to include Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990. To
receive disability accommodations, the student should contact the Coordinator
of Disability Resources, Office of Academic Support Programs, Room 122 Barnes
Hall. Approval of reasonable accommodations will be made on a case-by-case
basis. |
Cut here and bring to Ms.
Lach NLT January 22, 2008
“I have read the syllabus for
Freshmen Experience (UNIV 1000) class and will do my best to achieve the
objectives outlined”
_________________________ _________________________
__________
Print Name Signature Date
Give this portion to me for 5
extra points.