Private: Student Success [North American version]

Published on: Aug 2016 7.5 hours of Core activities Over 30 hours of Additional activities

Courses featured in this program:

  • Why college? Why now?
    Overview

    Publication August 2016
    Core activities: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes
    Additional activities: 8 Hours   

    This introductory course is designed to give students a brief overview of the purpose of higher education and an opportunity to reflect on their goals in pursuing a degree. The course also identifies strategies to help students adapt to their new learning environment.

    This course will help students answer questions such as:

    • What should I expect higher education to be like?
    • What is my purpose in pursuing a degree? How can I use my time at university to meet this goal?
    • What do I need to know to adapt to student life and to meet the expectations of my instructors?
    • How can I become a part of my college community?
    • How will I contribute to the learning and social environments at my school?

     

    Syllabus
    • Introduction to academic expectations
    • Setting the stage for academic success
    • Adapting to college studies
    • Becoming a part of your campus community

    Author: Dr Matthew Hipps 
    Dalton State College

    Reviewer: Dr Kay Smith
    College of Charleston

  • Student skills
    Overview

    Publication August 2016
    Core activities: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes
    Additional activities: 9 Hours   

    On completing this course, students will:

    • Have a basic understanding of the key skills they will need to succeed at university
    • Know where to go to find out more.

     

    Syllabus
      • Success in studying: The fundamentals
      • Critical reading and thinking
      • Study and organizational skills
      • Communication skills

    Author: Melissa Thomas, J.D
    College of Charleston

    Reviewer: Dr Amy Jasperson
    Rhodes College

  • Academic integrity
    Overview

    Publication August 2016
    Core activities: 1 Hour, 20 Minutes 
    Additional activities: 9 Hours   

    This course will lay out academic integrity in ways that students can truly conceptualize. First, students will hear peers and professors discuss honesty, accountability and fairness. The course will then provide a broad definition of plagiarism and introduce students to the important skills of paraphrasing and citing sources. Finally, students will review broader forms of academic misconduct as well as specific plagiarism traps and learn how to avoid these behaviors.

    By the end of the course, students will be able to:

    • Explain the concept of academic integrity and how they can demonstrate integrity in their work
    • Identify different forms of plagiarism and how to avoid them
    • Understand the utility of referencing systems and how to cite sources appropriately
    • Identify the differences between group work and collusion
    • Recognize other forms of academic misconduct and understand how to avoid them.

     

    Syllabus
    • Exploring academic integrity
    • Plagiarism
    • Referencing
    • Navigating other pitfalls

    Author: Melissa Thomas, J.D
    College of Charleston

    Reviewer: Dr George Landow
    Brown University, emeritus

  • Overcoming the challenges of student life
    Overview

    Publication August 2016
    Core activities: 1 Hour, 40 Minutes 
    Additional activities: 7 Hours   

    Many things compete for students’ time, energy, and money. Negotiating a healthy life balance while juggling the pressures of academic and non-academic demands is not easy, but with an honest self-assessment, proper planning and management of resources, and knowing when and how to access support, students can succeed and thrive. The purpose of this course is to help students learn who they are within the context of their campus community, gain exposure to common challenges first-year students face, learn strategies to overcome them, and work toward creating a plan to help them balance the competing demands of their financial, personal, and academic lives.

    Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

    • Describe how they fit into their campus community
    • Explain common financial, personal, and academic difficulties
    • Identify their own financial, personal, and academic challenges and develop a plan to overcome them
    • List the campus resources that can assist them and describe how they can do so.

     

    Syllabus
    • Managing competing commitments
    • Financial literacy and decision-making
    • Adjusting to college culture
    • Stress and related mental health issues
    • Socializing responsibly

    Author: Christopher Wyckoff
    Auburn University

    Reviewer: Dr Khristina Gonzalez
    Princeton University

  • Leveraging college resources
    Overview

    Publication August 2016
    Core activities: 1 Hour, 10 Minutes 
    Additional activities: 5 Hours   

    This course points to the resources that are available to students to help them get the most out of their time at college. It covers student support services, ways to get involved in extracurricular groups, and ways that students can leverage resources starting in their first year to plan their future careers.

    The course will:

    • Give an overview of different forms of student support services (including customizable links to specific programs)
    • Explore different forms of extracurricular involvement and the benefits they offer
    • Include timelines that students can use to plan out internship applications and other steps toward their future careers.

     

    Syllabus
    • Which resources?
    • Student engagement and involvement
    • Career development

    Author: Dr Dan Friedman
    University of South Carolina

    Reviewer: Dr Kathryn Jarvis
    Auburn University, emeritus