Course
Description:
While developing English
language skills, College Success is designed to inform students about American
colleges and teach strategies that aid college success. The course will be taught in a small class
environment with lecture, discussion, small group work, and individual student
presentations. Course topics will
include an overview of American higher education and an introduction to the
college application process, to learning psychology, and to life and lifelong
learning strategies that make for successful postsecondary learners.
Objectives:
By the end
of the course, students are expected:
Instructional
Methods: Students will listen to
mini-lectures, take notes, read textbook and source material, work in small
groups, discuss, present, and write shorter and longer responses to questions
arising from classwork. Textbook
reading and exercises will be supplemented with actual college catalogs, model
syllabi, and resource material such as the CUNY Undergraduate Admissions
Guide
Grading: The final grade is based on the following:
|
Class Participation |
25% |
|
Assignments |
50% |
|
Exams |
25% |
|
Total |
100% |
The
grading scale is: A=90-100%, B+=85-89%,
B=80-84%, C+=75-79%, C=70-74%, D=65-69%, F=60-64%
Course Outline:
|
Weeks |
Topics |
Assignments and Tests |
|
1-2 |
Understanding
American colleges: comparison of
system of education in the United States and in students' home countries;
terminology of American education;
types of higher education institutions, overview of degrees, levels,
programs, majors/minors, etc. Practice
accessing college catalogs and information on the web. Discussion,
note taking, and classifying information.
|
Classification
exercise based on board notes about different levels of education. PP.
1-35, CUNY Guide, question formation and explanation of a degree
program of interest. From
the CUNY Guide and website, write a summary of any one program’s goals, the
degree offered, the number of total credits required for graduation, and the
credit distribution. |
|
3-4 |
Applying
to college: college promotional and
informational materials, reading the catalog, understanding college and
degree requirements; understanding application processes, especially for
international students; completing an application. Pre-entrance
exam requirements and placement tests.
Transcript
and transfer credit evaluations for international students; acceptable credit
evaluation services. College
admissions requirements for international students. |
Read
textbook pp. 236-237 Compile
a checklist of admissions application requirements based on the CUNY process
for international students. Research
international student admissions process for any CUNY college on-line and
write a summary. Write a report on
the steps required for international student admissions to a CUNY college
with an estimate of the time required for each step of the process. Describe the documents that you must
submit as part of the application process.
Complete
the sample CUNY admissions application. Write
a personal or autobiographic essay for a college application Using
the Internet and other sources, research a career area that interests you
requiring a college degree. Following
the guidelines provided by your teacher: ·
write a description of the career area and the educational
preparation it requires; ·
describe the CUNY or other college program that prepares for that
career; ·
indicate the steps that you would have to take to apply for the
program and to be accepted; ·
explain why you would pursue that career. ·
be prepared to present orally in class, as well. |
|
5-6 |
Understanding
American academic/classroom culture: Estimating
the time required for certain class assignments (e.g., reading, written
assignments, lab work, etc.) |
Read
pp. 245-46. Read
pp. 15-16. Write
a summary of at least four important kinds of information found on a syllabus
In
writing, explain how a semester GPA is calculated for two courses, one for 3
credits in which you got an A and the other for 4 credits in which you got a
C. Then explain the difference
between a semester GPA, a GPA needed for demonstration of academic progress,
and a cumulative GPA. Write
an essay describing your American college goals and how you plan to achieve
them. Follow the guide provided by
your teacher. Be prepared to present
orally in class. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study-p. 251—write a report summarizing Tara’s problems
and providing recommendations for her with reasons.. Be prepared to present your
recommendations orally in class with reasons. |
|
7-8 |
Using
chapter map and other textbook learning aids. Locating
and understanding bibliographic information for a book. Processing
information from lectures: listening,
note taking based on mini-lecture (teacher reading of p. 114 on left or right
brain); strategies for recording and reviewing notes. Mapping
(textbook note-taking): label in the
margin and visual representation; mini-lecture, different kinds of
mapping. Introduction
to sensory learning styles. |
Read
"practice with mapping" p. 133 and map the second paragraph. Describe
in writing the textbook learning aids in your textbook and explain how they
would be helpful. Describe
in writing the textbook’s basic bibliographic information. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study-p. 120—write a report summarizing Sara’s problems
and providing recommendations for her with reasons. Be prepared to present your recommendations orally in class Read
pp. 115-116 on note taking. Read p. 125.
Complete the exercise on p. 126.
Then turn each quiz item into a complete sentence. Read pp. 127-130 on learning styles. Complete practice quiz 129. |
|
9-10 |
Mapping
Chapter 7 before studying it. Understanding
individual learning profiles:
left/right brain dominance, linear vs. holistic processing, sequential
vs. linear processing, logical vs. intuitive processing, symbolic vs.
concrete processing, verbal vs. nonverbal processing, reality-based vs.
fantasy-oriented processing. Close
reading and oral summarizing of homework reading passages. Review
for exam, week 8. |
Map
Chapter 7 before studying it. Read
pp. 147-156. Answer questionnaire on pp. 149-151. Write out answers to all
questions on the reading. Prepare
guided writing on hemispheric dominance and sensory learning styles. In
your own words, write an essay explaining why it is important to determine
learning styles. Bi-monthly
exam, week 8. |
|
11-12 |
Understanding
how you process information. Sensory
modes of learning: auditory, visual, and kinaesthetic learners. .
Sensory
Modality Inventory: discussion of
results Small
group inventory and group report of group member's auditory learning
strategies. Ditto for visual
strategies. Multiple
intelligences: linguistic,
logical-mathematical, spatial, musical, bodily-kinaesthetic, interpersonal,
intrapersonal, naturalist |
Read
pp. 157-170. Answer all questions, in writing. Complete
the Sensory Modality Inventory, pp. 158-160. Complete
the "Social Inventory." p. 164. Write
at least one sentence explaining how each of the intelligences listed on p.
166 could be used to learn the biology classification system on p. 170. Select
one of the topics about careers and majors on p. 173 for an oral
presentation. Select
the other topic on p. 173 for a written report. Make sure you answer all questions and provide reasons. |
|
13-14 |
Using
multiple intelligences to make decisions:
choosing a college major, choosing a profession. Compiling
individual learning profile. |
Complete the learning profile inventory on
p. 174. Use the questions as the
organizing principle for an essay about your learning profile. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study-176. In
writing, summarize the students’
problems and providing recommendations for them with reasons. Use the questions after the case study as
your guide. Be prepared to present
your recommendations orally in class |
|
15-16 |
Understanding
and improving memory: mini-lecture
(p. 68) and memory inventory with and without note taking;. The
biology of memory. Ten
memory principles: interest, intent
to remember, basic background understanding, selectivity, meaningful
organization, recitation, visualization, association, consolidation,
distributed practice. (Students are
asked to list five from memory at the end of class and again the next day
after they have studied them.) Strengthening
memory. Mnemonics. Short-
term memory: reception to memory,
memory processing. Long-term
memory: processing from short- term
to long-term memory; nature of long-term memory, retrieving from long-term
memory Applying
memory principles: Small
group work to develop mnemonic(s) for ten memory principles on p. 83. Small-group
work: drawing charts of how memory
works. Review
for exam, week 16. |
Read
pp. 67-71. Summarize the passage. Outline
the paragraph on p. 69. What is the main idea and what are the supporting
details? Write
a description of the kind of information stored in each part of the brain
based on the brain drawing on p. 71.
Then explain why it is or is not important where memory is stored. Read
pp. 74 (bottom) to 77. Take notes (to
be read in class tomorrow). Write out
answers to all questions. Read
pp. 78-83. Write out answers to all
questions. Using
the list of memory principles on p. 71, explain in writing how Kelly puts
these memory principles to work as described on p. 83. Read
pp. 84-92. Write out answers to all questions. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 96. In
writing, summarize Marlene’s problems and provide recommendations to solve
her problems with reasons. Be
prepared to present your recommendations orally in class Bi-monthly
exam, week 16. |
|
19 |
Lifestyle
management and college success:
time-, stress, and financial management. Managing
time: scheduling, time logs,
timesavers and wasters, prioritizing; “spending” time. Rules
of thumb for student time required per college course (e.g., 2 hours of
reading and homework per 1 hour of class time). Typical
distribution of exams, assignments, and other requirements in a 15-week
semester. Close
reading, p. 15. Analogies. Quiz
(open book, explanation of the number 1,440 in time management). Small-group
critical thinking prioritizing exercise. |
5-day
Time Log exercise, p. 19. Read
the critical thinking exercise, p. 16 and write a paragraph or more
explaining the analogy. Read
pp. 17-19. Continue
work on 5-day time logs. Read
pp. 28-29 and 31. Come to class with
a prioritized “to do” list for today. In
writing, explain your three biggest
time wasters and your plans for dealing with them. Be prepared to report
orally. In
writing, explain the analogy between spending time and spending money in the
critical thinking exercise, p. 16. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 35. In
writing, summarize Philip’s problems and provide recommendations to solve his
problems with reasons. Be prepared to
present your recommendations orally in class |
|
20-21 |
Stress
management: the psychology, biology,
and sociology of stress; stress analysis, stress alleviation, internal and
external distractions, study habits analysis, etc. American
concept of self-help therapies. Concept
of commandments: archaic pronouns
“thou/thy”; Ten Commandments; and ten commandments for managing stress. Coping
strategies for alleviating stress symptoms.
Review
for exam, week 16. |
Read
pp. 225. Pick one of the commandments and explain why it is a good one for
you. Read
pp. 226-229. Guided
essay assignment--draft of an essay that moves from the general concept of
coping with stress to the specific (one method of coping with stress) due
this week and finished essay due the following week. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 233. In
writing, summarize John’s problems and provide recommendations to solve his
problems with reasons. Be prepared to
present your recommendations orally in class. Bi-monthly
exam, week 16. |
|
22-23 |
Financial
management: ·
budgeting, ·
bank accounts and services, ·
credit, credit history, obtaining credit cards, ·
financing college, ·
insurance, etc. Estimating
college costs: fees, tuition, books,
supplies, travel, etc. Video
viewing: Master Your Future: A
Program on Financial Responsibility . Completion
and discussion of 8 worksheets from video activity support material: budgeting, personal budget, banking
(writing and keeping track of checks), banking (balancing your checking
account), credit card statements, cruising for credit, the credit report,
credit reality check. |
Read
"Tuition and Related Costs," in
the CUNY Guide. Describe
in writing the estimated costs of attending a CUNY undergraduate college for
one academic year as an international student. Obtain
a credit card promotional offer (from something mailed to you or someone you
know or from a bank). Explain all the
costs associated with having that credit card, including annual fees (if
any), interest on unpaid balances, fees, etc. Explain
in writing how you about how you would go about getting the best credit card
you can in your current circumstances. Write
an analysis explaining why Bill is a good or bad credit risk, based on the
data in the video Worksheet 7. Write
an explanation of why Jenny needs a credit reality check, based on the data
in Worksheet 8. |
|
24 |
Test-taking
strategies: preparing for tests and
assignments; direction words;
strategies for subjective vs. objective tests, for multiple choice tests, for
fill-in and matching tests; budgeting time on tests Predicting
test Understanding
negative and double negative statements and questions. Distinguishing
absolute and general qualifiers. Test-taking
strategies for true/false, for objective multiple choice, and for essay
exams. Applying
direction words (understanding what the question asks) Critical
thinking about direction words.
Defining the level of critical thinking required for each of the 15
questions on p. 205. Small
group work--developing topic sentence for presented situations. Small
group work—scoring and critiquing sample student essays. |
Rate
your test-taking strategies using the inventory on pp. 179-180. Then write a paragraph of self-assessment
using the guideline on p. 180. Read
pp. 179-201 and complete all exercises. Read
pp. 201-204 and p. 213-214 and complete all exercises. Following
the directions, write a clear topic sentence for each test question
demonstrating that you understand the test question and how you will develop
answers for the question on pp. 206-207.
“What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 219. In
writing, summarize the students’ problems and provide recommendations to
solve their problems with reasons. Be prepared to present your
recommendations orally in class. |
|
25-26 |
Literacy
and information literacy: overview of
different information resources (books, databases, periodicals, on-line
information, standard quick reference sources, biographical resources, etc.) Circulating
collections, in-house collections, and reference materials. Basic
reference books: encyclopedias,
almanacs, yearbooks, manuals, quotations, dictionaries, etc. Using
library resources online: class
computer room online work using the Spanish-American Institute’s automated
catalog to search by keyword/subject, by title, by other, by other
descriptors. Saving, browsing, and
other typical electronic search features. Complete
on-line Tutorial #1: Spanish-American
Institute Library Catalog: Basic
Searching. Complete worksheet
with questions provided by your teacher.
Advanced
searching using Boolean operators AND/OR/NOT. Narrowing searches. Complete on-line Tutorial #2: Spanish-American Institute Library
Catalog: Advanced Searching. Complete worksheet with questions
provided by your teacher. Exploring
library homepages. Locating
and doing the same for the New York Public Library, Brooklyn PL, or Queens
PL. . Locating
and doing the same for a college library.
Locating
reference and other print material in the Spanish-American Institute library
based on on-line search information. Locating
information about the NYPL, Brooklyn PL, or Queens public library
system. Obtaining a public library
card. Review
for test, week 24 |
Read
pp. 253-265, doing all exercises. Read
pp. 266-269, doing all exercises. E-mail
a catalog listing for a search about dogs to yourself, print out, and bring
to class. Compare
and contrast on-line searching using the school’s on-line automated library
catalog, a public library’s automated catalog, and a college’s automated
catalog . Do a basic search for their
holding on dogs. How are they
similar? Different? Do you feel confident you could do a basic
search in any on-line catalog anywhere in the world? Why or why not? Find
an on-line automated catalog in your home country or another country. Write down the web address and name of the
library you accessed. Search the
on-line catalog for books on a topic that interests you. Write a report on the search techniques
you used and their similarities or difference to those you used in American
on-line library catalog. Write
a brief description of what is available at the branch library closest to
your home. Be prepared to present
orally in class. Present
proof to your teacher that you have obtained a NYPL card and one from your
city of residence (if you live outside of NYC). Bi-monthly
exam, week 24. |
|
27-28 |
Information
literacy: using on-line electronic
periodical databases. Finding
full-text and other periodical information on line—searching by author, by
title, or by subject (keyword), saving, browsing, and other typical
electronic search features. Using
the Spanish-American Institute Library’s on-line databases. On-line Tutorial #3: Searching Periodical Databases.. Basic and advanced search
features. Narrowing
the search. Complete worksheet with
questions provided by your teacher. Using
other libraries’ on-line databases. Finding,
downloading, and e-mailing to yourself a full-text article. Understanding
bibliographical information. |
Chapter
11 readings and exercises, as assigned. Repeat
the assignments for weeks 35-38, substituting searches in periodical
databases for book titles. “What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 271. In
writing, summarize Nathan’s problems
and provide recommendations to solve his
problems with reasons. Be
prepared to present your recommendations orally in class |
|
29-30 |
Thinking
critically—thinking about thinking, learning taxonomies, facts vs. opinions. Learning
hierarchies. Discussion of Bloom’s
taxonomy. Small
group work: create a taxonomy or
hierarchical classification system for nutritious food. Discuss the organizing principle
used. Thinking
critically about information. Surveying
chapter two, anticipating the chapter's information and unfamiliar concepts
that will require more attention. Reviewing
decisions and consequences and choosing among options. |
Read
pp. 37-42 doing all exercises.. Read
pp. 43-44 and complete the exercise. Assume
you might have a quiz tomorrow on this information—describe how you might
prepare for it. In
an essay, explain the concept of taxonomy and how it applies to learning
levels. Find a description of
another learning taxonomy on the
Internet or in a print source.
Compare to Bloom’s taxonomy.
Are they similar? Why or why
not? “What’s
Your Advice?” case study, p. 47. In
writing, summarize Nenia’s problems and provide recommendations to solve
her problems with reasons. Be prepared to present your recommendations
orally in class. |
|
31-32 |
Information
literacy: applying critical thinking
to Internet and other searches Developing
good research skills using the Internet.
Complete on-line Tutorial #4:
Spanish-American Institute Library Catalog: Developing Good Research Skills Using the
Internet. Complete worksheet with
questions provided by your teacher. Comparing
search engines. Complete worksheet
with questions provided by your teacher.
Internet
search techniques compared to those for electronic catalog and periodical
database searches. Narrowing
a search using different search engines.
Assessing
information validity; distinguishing between reliable and unreliable
information. Research
a famous person on-line. Review
for exam, week 32 |
Read
pp. 263-266 and do all exercises. Imagine
that you need to write a paper on a famous person. Locate three on-line references for the imaginary paper—a book,
a periodical article, and an Internet site.
In writing, list each of the three sources as completely as possible
with their bibliographical information.
Write a sentence or more about each source. Describe why you believe it is a valid source. Locate
information about a college that interests you from the Internet. Find the information asked for by your
instructor. Then write a description
of how you found the information.
Write
an essay in which you: §
describe your goals for going to college; §
explain why you picked the college you would like to attend,; §
describe what you would like to study and explain why; §
describe the education you will need to prepare for the career you
have chosen; §
describe what you learned about the college you selected and courses
you will take from reliable sources; §
indicate how you know/knew when you got unreliable information; and §
explain how you could use automated resources including a
catalog, a periodical database, and the Internet to find out more about the
college and the program you wish to study.
§
prepare a brief oral presentation to the class based on your essay. Bi-monthly
exam, week 32. |
rev.10/06, 2/07