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Instructor’s Manual with Test Bank
Prepared by
Meg Foster
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
Australia • Brazil • Japan • Korea • Mexico • Singapore • Spain • United Kingdom • United States
Focus on Community
College Success
THIRD EDITION
Constance Staley
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
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FOCUS on Community College Success iii
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introducing…
FOCUSPoints………………………………………………………………….............. vii
Introduction by Constance Staley ..................................................................................xv
What is this course about? ......................................................................................... xvi
Why is the course important? ................................................................................... xvii
How is a first-year seminar different from other academic courses? ...................... xviii
Am I qualified to teach the course? .............................................................................xx
How should I communicate with my students? ...........................................................xx
What do I need to know if I’m teaching this course for the first time? .................... xxii
How can I rejuvenate the course if I’ve been teaching it for years?........................ xxiii
How does this course relate to my discipline?...........................................................xxv
How will the course be different if I teach non-traditional
versus traditional students? ...................................................................................... xxvi
How can I get involved with my students if I’m a part-time instructor?................ xxvii
How should I evaluate students?............................................................................. xxvii
What are the desired learning outcomes of a college success course? .................. xxviii
Using FOCUS’s Additional Special Features by Constance Staley......................... xxix
FOCUS Challenge Case Studies.............................................................................. xxix
Entrance and Exit Interviews ................................................................................... xxxi
FOCUS TV .............................................................................................................. xxxi
MP3 Format iAudio Chapter Summaries ............................................................... xxxii
Challenge Yourself Online Quizzes........................................................................ xxxii
Team Career Exercises .......................................................................................... xxxiii
When Moms and Dads Go to School (book for non-traditional
students’ children).................................................................................................. xxxiii
FOCUS on Kids Chapter-by-Chapter
Worksheets……………………………………………................................................ xxxiv
Orientation Materials ............................................................................................. xxxiv
Common Reading Accompaniment or Chapter 1 of Focus as Stand-Alone
Summer Reading .....................................................................................................xxxv
Designing a Syllabus with FOCUS by Constance Staley........................................ xxxvi
What Should a Syllabus Include? .......................................................................... xxxvi
Credit Hour Variations and FOCUS..................................................................... xxxvii
Sample Syllabus..................................................................................................... xxxix
CHAPTER RESOURCES by John Cowles
Chapter 1: Getting the Right Start...................................................................................2
1. Why is this chapter important? ................................................................................2
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? ...........................................................2
3. How should I launch this chapter?...........................................................................3
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?......................................................7
5. What important features does this chapter include? ................................................8
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?......................................................................9
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7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................13
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................15
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................17
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...18
Chapter 2: Building Dreams, Setting Goals ..................................................................19
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................19
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................20
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................20
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................22
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................23
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................24
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................27
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................29
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................32
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...33
Chapter 3: Learning Styles and Studying .....................................................................34
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................34
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................35
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................35
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................37
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................38
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................40
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................43
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................45
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................47
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...48
Chapter 4: Managing Your Time, Energy, and Money ...............................................49
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................49
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................49
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................50
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................51
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................52
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................54
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................60
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................62
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................64
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...65
Chapter 5: Thinking Critically and Creatively.............................................................66
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................66
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................67
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................67
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................69
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................70
FOCUS on Community College Success v
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6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................71
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................73
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................75
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................76
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...76
Chapter 6: Learning Online............................................................................................78
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................79
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................79
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................79
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................80
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................81
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................82
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?................................86
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?..................88
9. What homework might I assign? ...........................................................................89
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? ...93
Chapter 7: Engaging, Listening, and Note-Taking in Class ........................................94
1. Why is this chapter important? ..............................................................................94
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .........................................................95
3. How should I launch this chapter?.........................................................................95
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?....................................................97
5. What important features does this chapter include? ..............................................98
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?....................................................................99
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................102
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................103
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................105
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time?.......105
Chapter 8: Reading, Writing, and Presenting.............................................................107
1. Why is this chapter important? ............................................................................107
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .......................................................108
3. How should I launch this chapter?.......................................................................108
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?..................................................109
5. What important features does this chapter include? ............................................110
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?..................................................................111
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................115
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................116
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................118
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? .119
Chapter 9: Developing Memory, Taking Tests ...........................................................120
1. Why is this chapter important? ............................................................................120
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .......................................................121
3. How should I launch this chapter?.......................................................................121
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?..................................................123
vi Instructor’s Manual
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5. What important features does this chapter include? ............................................123
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?..................................................................125
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................128
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................130
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................132
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? .133
Chapter 10: Building Relationships, Valuing Diversity .............................................134
1. Why is this chapter important? ............................................................................134
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .......................................................134
3. How should I launch this chapter?.......................................................................135
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?..................................................136
5. What important features does this chapter include? ............................................137
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?..................................................................138
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................142
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................143
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................144
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? .144
Chapter 11: Choosing a College Major and Career...................................................145
1. Why is this chapter important? ............................................................................145
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .......................................................146
3. How should I launch this chapter?.......................................................................147
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?..................................................147
5. What important features does this chapter include? ............................................148
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?..................................................................149
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................151
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................152
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................153
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? .154
Chapter 12: Creating Your Future ..............................................................................155
1. Why is this chapter important? ............................................................................155
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives? .......................................................155
3. How should I launch this chapter?.......................................................................156
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?..................................................157
5. What important features does this chapter include? ............................................157
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?..................................................................158
7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?..............................160
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?................163
9. What homework might I assign? .........................................................................165
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate next time? .165
FOCUS on Community College Success vii
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
TEST BANK by Mary P. Foster
Chapter 1: Getting the Right Start ...................................................................................167
Chapter 1 Answer Key.....................................................................................................170
Chapter 2: Building Dreams, Setting Goals.....................................................................171
Chapter 2 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 175
Chapter 3: Learning Styles and Studying ....................................................................... 176
Chapter 3 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 179
Chapter 4: Managing Your Time, Energy, and Money .................................................. 180
Chapter 4 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 183
Chapter 5: Thinking Critically and Creatively................................................................ 184
Chapter 5 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 187
Chapter 6: Learning Online ............................................................................................ 188
Chapter 6 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 191
Chapter 7: Engaging, Listening and Note-Taking in Class ............................................ 192
Chapter 7 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 195
Chapter 8: Reading, Writing and Presenting .................................................................. 196
Chapter 8 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 199
Chapter 9: Developing Memory, Taking Tests............................................................... 200
Chapter 9 Answer Key.................................................................................................... 203
Chapter 10: Building Relationships, Valuing Diversity ................................................. 204
Chapter 10 Answer Key.................................................................................................. 207
Chapter 11: Choosing a College Major and a Career .................................................... 208
Chapter 11 Answer Key.................................................................................................. 211
Chapter 12: Creating Your Future .................................................................................. 212
Chapter 12 Answer Key.................................................................................................. 215
viii Instructor’s Manual
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Introducing…
Teaching with F CUSPoints
FOCUS on Community College Success comes with an array of ancillary materials for
the classroom, which can be accessed via the Power Lecture CD.
The most innovative of these tools is “FOCUSPoints: An interactive Teaching Tool” that
allows you to select from varied, multimedia options in class—all located in one spot.
You decide where to focus during class, point, and click. Each chapter of FOCUS has an
accompanying PowerPoint slideshow that will help you and your students navigate the
chapter in class. Using this interactive tool with links inserted, you can do activities in
the text, show FOCUS TV episodes, listen to chapter iAudio summaries, add YouTubes
or other Internet content, or your own materials—easily and conveniently—all with this
one, flexible tool. This set of instructions will help you use and customize this tool.
(Instructions are provided for PowerPoint 2003.)
FOCUSPoints [FP] will allow you as an instructor to:
1. Encourage students to read ahead and bring their textbooks to class for hands-on use.
Students are more likely to read if they know the material will be used in class.
2. Choose what to focus on by pointing and clicking in class. Review the chapter’s FP
slides in advance, so that you know what you might want to select. Jot down a list of
“must do” activities and bring it with you to class. However, FP also allows you make
on-the-spot decisions as you teach, based on time constraints and students’ interest. If
you have time, delve into an activity. If not, skip it. Choosing which points to focus on
will be your option.
3. Work through exercises as a class and generate opportunities for rich, applied,
personalized instruction and discussion. You may even wish to allow your students to
vote on one activity, beyond those you’ve already selected, to complete in class.
4. Provide online materials that match the text itself in content and appearance. Each
chapter of FOCUS begins with a page of solid color, and this color palette has been used
to create the slides (but you may change them if you wish).
5. Tailor in-class materials to particular groups or sections of the course.
6. Vary how you teach the course from term to term to keep yourself engaged as an instructor.
7. For your benefit as an instructor (and for the benefit of your students), the slides
follow the text closely. Maximum information has been provided on the slides. If you
are new to the text, you may find this to be a helpful feature. However, as you become
more familiar with the material, you may wish to omit some bullets or sub-bullets. Or if
you wish, you may animate the bullets, so that they disappear after discussion or change
to a lighter color. This will put the main visual emphasis on the current point you’re
discussing in class and simplify the slide.
FOCUS on Community College Success ix
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
(Important Note: FP will only work automatically if you actually “point and click.” You
must click on a button—or wherever you see the hand cursor icon. If you proceed
through the slideshow by simply hitting the space bar or using the down arrow key, you
will not be able to jump back and forth between slides automatically. Each chapter’s FP
has built-in hyperlinks to make navigation easy.)
FP Buttons on the Opening Menu Slide:
• Lecture. If you click this top button, you will be guided through chapter lecture
material. However, note that FPs are designed not only as lecture prompts, but also
as discussion prompts. A slide may consist of a single image you can use to get your
students engaged in a discussion about a main topic in the chapter.
• Chapter Exercise. If you click on this button, you will be taken to a menu slide that
lists all the activities in the chapter. From there you can select an activity you’d like
to do in class. Or decide which activity or activities you’d like to cover, and then
allow your students to select another one they’re interested in. Page numbers are
always provided so that your students may turn to the activity in the book and work
together in pairs or small groups, or the entire class can jump in.
• FOCUS TV: If you click on this button, you will be taken to menu slide that leads
you to a humorous, yet content-driven, short television-like episode that coordinates
with the individual chapter. (Note: Most, but not all, chapters have a TV episode
available). The FOCUS TV slide will allow you to decide whether to show the
episode first, preview the episode’s discussion questions first, etc. (Note: TV shows
last from five to ten minutes. Larger files may take some time to load.)
• iAudio Chapter Summary: If you click on this button, you will be taken to a short
podcast to preview or review the chapter’s highlights.
• Other: This link is provided so that you can insert your own material, play a YouTube
or news clip, connect to a slideshow you have created yourself, etc. If you use the
activity called “Group Ad” in chapter 6 in which students work in small groups to
create a TV ad for each chapter using PowerPoint, you may use your “Other” button
to link to these files. (Ask students to submit their ad before class and hyperlink it to
the FOCUSPoints slideshow for the chapter.) See Point 3 below for further
information.
Please read the seven points below for further clarification.
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Point 1
Point 2
Point 3
Click directly on one of the five
colored buttons to start class.
Each color represents a
particular option. This
introductory menu slide will
always show the chapter’s case
study character and chapter title.
The palette of colors used in the
book are also used in the
slideshows to tie what’s on
screen to what appears in the
text. (Note: Chapters without a
TV show do not include a
FOCUS TV button.)
Once you go to a chapter
exercise, its page number(s) is
always provided so that students
may turn to the appropriate page
in their textbooks and
participate.
If an activity is long, only the
first portion may show on the
slide. When you have finished
with the activity, click anywhere
on the activity slide (wherever
you see the hand cursor) to
return to the slide you were
viewing previously.
If you decide to use the black
“Other” button provided to link to a
YouTube, for example, right click
on the “Other” button, choose
“hyperlink to URL,” and then type
in the URL address. (Linking will
only work, however, if you are on
your campus Internet system or in a
wireless environment with the
Internet available.) You may also
left click on the “Other” button
itself and rename it. “Other” will
allow you to link to many different
types of files. Or you may choose to
ignore this button and use only the
material provided in the slideshow.
FOCUS on Community College Success xi
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Point 4
Point 5
Point 6
FOCUS TV
Episode 1
Focus TV
Discussion ?s
Back tto Menu
Back tto Acttiiviittiies
If your students are highly
kinesthetic learners, you may
wish to use exercises and
activities in class only. If so,
begin the slideshow
approximately halfway
through with this gray slide
(in every chapter’s FP).
Choose the activities you’d
like to focus on with your
students and click on the
appropriate buttons. Or let
your students help you decide.
Generally, buttons to click on
always appear in the bottom
right corner of slides.
Click on the button if you
have time and want to do the
activity in class, or click
elsewhere to continue the
slideshow.
Note that the slides
intentionally look like the text
to coordinate the two and help
students learn.
When you click on “FOCUS
TV” on the opening menu slide,
you will be taken to a slide like
this one that allows you several
options: 1) click to play the
episode, 2) click to go to
discussion questions about the
episode, 3) click to go back to
the opening menu slide, or 4)
click to go to the gray “Exercises
and Activities” slide described in
Point 4. After you have played
the TV episode, simply close the
viewing box, and you will be
back on this FP slide.
xii Instructor’s Manual
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Point 7
You may access FP slides via the Power Lecture CD that comes with FOCUS.
Important Note: One of PowerPoint’s idiosyncrasies is that it will only play files you’ve
linked to if they are saved in the same folder. If you move a chapter’s FP to your faculty
storage account or a flash drive, for example, to add or rearrange files, then you must also
move other linked files (from outside the slideshow) there as well. (If you link to a
student group’s “TV Ad,” an activity in chapter 6, the music file must be located in the
came folder as their PowerPoint.) The best way to do this may be to copy all the
FOCUSPoints on the CD in their entirety into a folder on your computer or onto a flash
drive you bring with you to class, and put any other files you’ve linked out to there as
well.
“Other” Button Suggestions
Compiled by Jessica Smith, Student, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
You may wish to begin class from time to time by using your FP “Other” button to link
to a YouTube video or other item you find on the Internet that relates to chapter
material—or to a presentation of your own. Right click the “Other” button on the menu
slide of the chapter’s “FOCUSPoints,” and type in the URL. Here are some suggestions
for all of the chapters in FOCUS:
You may create new slides to
insert your own material (or delete
some slides from a slideshow). All
slides are titled to make this
process work automatically.
PowerPoint recognizes titles, not
slide numbers. In the example
here, an instructor has added two
new slides (#5 and #6). When the
instructor gets to slide 7, the first
slide with a hyperlink, the button
will still work (even though the
slide numbers have now changed)
because PP will go searching for
the title of the linked slide. (Note:
You may not always be able to see
the titles. Sometimes, to give the
slideshow variety and add interest,
the slides are formatted somewhat
differently and titles are hidden
behind other objects.)
FOCUS on Community College Success xiii
© 2014 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license
distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.
CHAPTER 1: GETTING THE RIGHT START
1. Elements of Greatness: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5kn4OBRxro
Tie this YouTube to Jason Gaulden’s poem, “Passion in Action,” on p. xxv.
2. Increasing Your Confidence:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__Gs02ZmUmE&feature=related
CHAPTER 2: BUILDING DREAMS, SETTING GOALS
No longer relevant with name change to Sylvia.2. “Yes We Can – Barack Obama Music
Video”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY&feature=related.
CHAPTER 3: LEARNING STYLES AND STUDYING
1. MBTI: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1sqE8lb0o
2. MI Interactivity Test:
http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/mi/w1_interactive1.html
CHAPTER 4: MANAGING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY
1. Time Management for Non-Traditional First Year Students
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHZxlW9xftk&feature=related
2. Tales of Mere Existence “Procrastination”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4P785j15Tzk
3. Barry Schwartz on the Paradox of Choice, the “Cultivate Your Curiosity” in this
chapter 4, p. 86). (This is a long video from a TED conference; you may want to play a
selected portion.)
http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/barry_schwartz_on_the_paradox_of_choice.html
CHAPTER 5: THINKING CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY
1. “Monty Python Argument Clinic”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teMlv3ripSM
This sketch is referenced in the chapter on p. 105.
CHAPTER 6 LEARNING ONLINE
1. “Stalking Sarah” Australian
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_Ws7K_Nudg&feature=related
2. “Facebook Cyberstalking” UK News
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMAPeYwcvaQ
3. Facebook and Internet Addiction on CBS News “Are You Hooked on Facebook?”
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4205062n%3fsource=search_video
4. “Cyber Bullying - NJN News”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9rppzQiHaA&feature=related
5. “Miss Teen USA 2007 – South Carolina Answers A Question”:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj3iNxZ8Dww.
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CHAPTER 7: ENGAGING, LISTENING, AND NOTE-TAKING IN CLASS
1. Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo
Show this lecture in class, after dividing your students into the four groups representing
the four different note-taking strategies described in this chapter. After the lecture, have
them literally “compare notes.”
2. Tony Buzan on Mindmapping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlabrWv25qQ&feature=related
CHAPTER 8: READING, WRITING AND PRESENTING
1. Reading Decline in Kids:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=3519104n%3fsource=search_video
2. “Studying at Oxford University”: (a model of excellence)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxAU88LxLis&feature=PlayList&p=A9438BDC681
A1AFC&index=0&playnext=1
CHAPTER 9: DEVELOPING MEMORY, TAKING TESTS
1. “Rain Man – Casino Scene”: Rainman’s astounding memory is put to use in Las
Vegas: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW1qHA5Hqwc&feature=related
1. Test Anxiety: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2DgB3X2Afg
2. Test Stress Reduction: The Navy SEALS Way:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0S9YsqERT34
CHAPTER 10: BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS, VALUING DIVERSITY
1. A fun musical example of how diversity enriches our lives (click on each animal and a
new “voice” enters to combine with the others)
http://svt.se/hogafflahage/hogafflaHage_site/Kor/hestekor.swf
CHAPTER 11: CHOOSING A COLLEGE MAJOR AND CAREER
1. Daniel Pink: Choosing a Major
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2qc2DcdUL4&feature=related
2. “How To Find A Job After College”
http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-find-a-job-after-college-2
CHAPTER 12: CREATING YOUR FUTURE
1. “Keith Ferrazzi: What is Networking?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cTU2FkVyoUw&feature=PlayList&p=EF1846ADBB
4CE20C&playnext=1&index=51
2. “Keith Ferrazzi: How Do I Start Networking?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVwYWt_BfF8&feature=PlayList&p=EF1846ADBB
4CE20C&index=52&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL
3. “Protect Your Dreams”: A scene from The Pursuit of Happiness.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEGSiX0JA-s&feature=related
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INTRODUCTION
by Constance Staley
“Teaching is the greatest act of optimism.” ~Colleen Wilcox
So you’re going to teach a first-year seminar? Great! What an opportunity to get to know
your students in a small class format, refine your teaching skills, and enhance your own
learning! Many instructors say teaching a first-year seminar has changed the way they
teach all their classes and that, perhaps for the first time, they truly understand a
fundamental truth of best practice: high expectations and high support. Perhaps you’re
new to the course, or you may be a seasoned instructor using FOCUS on Community
College Success for the first time. You may be working with “traditional” first-year
students or non-traditional adult students. Regardless, teaching this multi-disciplinary
skills course can reinforce something you already know: that teaching is about
relationship-building. Unlike large lecture classes, in a first-year seminar you have the
luxury of doing just that. Some say that building relationships with students today is more
essential than ever. Countless books and articles have been written about today’s college
students. What does the literature say about them?
“Millennials [born between roughly 1980 and 1994] have grown up
with more choices and more selectivity in the products and services
they use, which is why they do not have, for example, a generational
music…. They rarely read newspapers—or, for that matter, books.
They are impatient and goal oriented. They hate busywork, learn by
doing, and are used to instant feedback. They want it now. They think
it's cool to be smart. They have friends from different ethnic
backgrounds. They want flexibility—in the classroom and in their
lives. ‘To get this generation involved, you have to figure out a way to
engage them and make their learning faster at the end of the day. Is it
possible to do that? I think the answer is yes, but the jury is out.’”1
While this description may or may not fit your experience, many of us with decades of
teaching experience know that things have changed. It’s become more challenging, many
instructors believe, to “compete” with television, the Internet, movies, music, and all the
distractions available in our culture (hence the title of this textbook, FOCUS). Engaging
students requires increased effort and creativity, and students want more from us, like
ready access and quick results. That’s why I believe teaching is more challenging than
ever; however, along with the challenges comes greater potential for fulfillment. That’s
why I wrote FOCUS on Community College Success: to help you in your search to
“figure out a way to engage them and make their learning faster at the end of the day.”
FOCUS is rich with options for you and filled a variety of built-in features for your
students, whether they are millennial students or otherwise. Just as students learn
1 (2007, January 5). How the new generation of well-wired multitaskers is changing campus culture. Chronicle of
Higher Education. Available at http://chronicle.com/weekly/v53/i18/18b01001.htm
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differently, instructors teach differently. We each have our own styles and methods, but
we also eagerly pursue ways to do it better. A first-year seminar course is “all about
them” (meant in the best sense of the phrase) and how much they can learn and apply, not
only in your course, but in all their classes and their careers beyond college.
One of my graduate students asked me recently, “Why do you care so much about
teaching? Why have you devoted your career to becoming the best teacher you can be?” I
thought about it for a moment and replied, “My motives are selfish. I care so much about
teaching because that is how I learn.” She nodded in recognition and smiled.
As I thought about writing the introduction for John Cowles’s Instructor’s Resource
Manual for FOCUS on Community College Success, one of my favorite stories of all time
came to mind:
The huge printing presses of a major Chicago newspaper began
malfunctioning on the Saturday before Christmas, putting all the revenue
for advertising that was to appear in the Sunday paper in jeopardy. None
of the technicians could track down the problem. Finally, a frantic call was
made to the retired printer who had worked with these presses for over
forty years. “We’ll pay anything; just come in and fix them,” he was told.
When he arrived, he walked around for a few minutes, surveying the
presses; then he approached one of the control panels and opened it. He
removed a dime from his pocket, turned a screw ¼ of a turn, and said,
“The presses will now work correctly.” After being profusely thanked, he
was told to submit a bill for his work.
The bill arrived a few days later, for $10,000.00! Not wanting to pay
such a huge amount for so little work, the printer was told to please
itemize his charges, with the hope that he would reduce the amount once
he had to identify his services. The revised bill arrived: $1.00 for turning
the screw; $9,999.00 for knowing which screw to turn.
~Anonymous
Teaching is the greatest act of optimism, as the Colleen Wilcox quotation asserts at the
beginning of this introduction, not because today’s students are so challenging to teach,
but because we believe in the power of students to learn. We know that we can help them
discover “which screw to turn” as learners. Underneath it all, we have confidence in our
students, who will build a future for us, our children, and our society. We have faith in
the power of higher education to transform lives. And finally, we believe in ourselves as
we learn to become better teachers from them.
What is this course about?
“The great end of education is to discipline rather than to furnish the mind; to train it to the
use of its own powers rather than to fill it with the accumulation of others.” ~Tryon Edwards
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A first-year seminar course is about many things: helping students understand themselves
and teaching them how to successfully navigate the first year of college. They will learn
about how they learn and what motivates them. They will identify campus resources and
understand that using these opportunities effectively will help them to succeed. They will
comprehend the benefits of managing time and money, and the consequences of not
doing so. They will develop specific academic skills such as thinking critically and
creatively, reading, writing, and speaking, as well as enhance specific study skills such as
memory techniques, note-taking, studying, and taking tests effectively. They will learn
about choosing majors and careers, and ways to develop life-long skills in managing
relationships, valuing diversity, and working toward wellness.
Bloom asserted many years ago that teachers have three types of goals: affective,
behavioral, and cognitive. As opposed to upper-level discipline-based courses, for
example, which emphasize the cognitive domain primarily, in first-year seminars,
affective, behavioral, and cognitive goals are more equally weighted. Instructors work to
cultivate attitudes and beliefs in first-year students, to foster behaviors that will lead to
academic success, and to help them learn about learning from a variety of vantage points
and in a variety of ways. Many faculty are most comfortable working in the cognitive
domain because, after all, we are subject matter experts: psychologists, mathematicians,
or historians, for example. An upper division philosophy course will operate heavily in
the cognitive domain. However, research dictates that we must operate in all three
domains, despite the specific course content being taught, and in a first-year seminar,
instructors must be comfortable with all three types of teaching and learning goals.
Ultimately, first-year seminars are about metacognition: “Metacognition is about having
an ‘awareness of [your] own cognitive machinery and how the machinery works.’ It’s
about knowing the limits of your own learning and memory capabilities, knowing how
much you can accomplish within a certain amount of time, and knowing what learning
strategies work for you.”2
Interestingly, you may have students who will assert that “they know all this stuff”
because it is “common sense.” However, in the words of French philosopher Voltaire,
“Common sense is not so common.” Show them that while they may recognize that the
book’s suggestions about college success make sense, they could not generate or recall
them on their own because they really don’t “know this stuff.” And of course, knowing
the information and applying it are two different things altogether.
Why is the course important?
“The task of the excellent teacher is to stimulate ‘apparently ordinary’ people to unusual
effort. The tough problem is not in identifying winners: it is in making winners out of
ordinary people.” ~K. Patricia Cross
2 [Staley, C. (2009). FOCUS on College Success. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth; Melchenbaum, D., Burland, S., Gruson,
L., & Cameron, R. (1985). Metacognitive assessment. In S. Yussen (Ed.), The growth of reflection in children.
Orlando, FL: Academic Press.]
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Some academicians undervalue skills courses of any kind. Theory always trumps skills in
their minds. And as a multidisciplinary skills course, a first-year seminar is even more
suspect. However, the first year of college is the foundational year. If students are
successful in the first year, their chances of graduating are greatly enhanced. Often,
students’ grades in their first-year seminar courses are predictive of their overall firstterm
success. As Pascarella and Terenzini assert, “In short, the weight of evidence
indicates that FYS [first-year seminar] participation has statistically significant and
substantial, positive effects on a student’s successful transition to college….And on a
considerable array of other college experiences known to be related directly and
indirectly to bachelor’s degree completion.”3
First-year seminar instructors (and motivated students) understand the value of
connecting with other students and an instructor who is invested in their success, of
honing academic skills, and of applying what they learn across all their courses. Firstyear
seminar courses are about making “winners” out of all students who will internalize
and apply what they learn.
How is a first-year seminar different from other academic courses?
How is the course organized?
“In teaching it is the method and not the content that is the message...the drawing out,
not the pumping in.” ~Ashley Montagu
First-year seminar courses come in all shapes and sizes. According to the 2006 national
survey conducted by the National Resource Center on the First-Year Experience and
Students in Transition:
Models
• 60 percent of reporting institutions offer extended orientation seminars
• 28 percent offer academic seminars with generally uniform content across
sections
• 26 percent offer academic seminars on various topics
• 15 percent offer pre-professional or discipline-linked seminars
22 percent offer basic study skills seminars
• 20 percent offer a hybrid
4 percent offer some “other” type of first-year seminar
(Note: Percentages are rounded off; some schools offer more than one type of seminar.)
Course Objectives (regardless of the model)
1. Develop academic skills
2. Provide an orientation to campus resources and services
3. Self-exploration/personal development
3 [Pascarella, E. T., & Terenzini, P. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research.
San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, p. 403.]
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Course Topics
1. Study skills
2. Critical thinking
3. Campus resources
4. Academic Planning/Advising
5. Time management
[For further information, see http://www.sc.edu/fye/research/surveyfindings/surveys/survey06.html]
You’ll notice that FOCUS covers thirteen different, multifaceted topics that are known to
contribute to student success, including those identified as the most common components
of first-year seminars nationally. Each chapter is grounded in research (documented in
endnotes so that citations are not intrusive), and the learning system and features, which
are part of the book’s infrastructure, are carried throughout the text. Students may not
even realize the extent to which they are being motivated, challenged, and supported as
they develop as learners.
There is no one right way to teach a first-year seminar although themes contributing to
success may be found across institutions and programs. What then makes a first-year
seminar successful? According to Randy Swing, Senior Fellow for the Policy Center on
the First Year of College, the answer to that question is engaging pedagogy: “If your
seminar intends to produce learning outcomes in critical thinking, writing, reading, and
oral presentation skills; connections with faculty; or time management skills, then a
critical first step is to ensure that seminars are delivered with a high level of engaging
pedagogy”… a variety of teaching methods; meaningful discussion and homework;
challenging assignments; productive use of class time; and encouragement for students to
speak in class and work together.”4
First-year seminars must include many different ways to get students engaged in course
material. Because so many students are multimodal and kinesthetic learners today, we
must be creative in designing ways to engage them. Engagement is a primary underlying
goal of the FOCUS experience—“drawing out, not pumping in”—as is building a
community of learners who understand the value of this unique course to their current
and future success.
Instead of simply discussing the chapter each week, change the format from time to time:
set up a debate; actually do the alcohol poisoning case study in Chapter 5; divide the class
into smaller groups, and let each class group teach part of a chapter; or “VARK” a
chapter and let groups teach portions based on their common learning style preferences;
employ a community-based service-learning project; bring in a panel of professionals
representing different careers; follow some of John’s activity suggestions, or try one of
the new activities I’ve developed for inclusion later in this manual. As I’ve often said, a
4 [Swing, R. (2002). http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:q8hFMHQ-
354J:www.csuchico.edu/vpaa/FYEpdf/First_Year_Initiative_Benchmark_Study.pdf+Randy+Swing+%22engaging+ped
agogies%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us; http://209.85.173.104/search?q=cache:q8hFMHQ-
354J:www.csuchico.edu/vpaa/FYEpdf/First_Year_Initiative_Benchmark_Study.pdf+%22firstyear+
seminar%22+%22engaging+pedagogies%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=2&gl=us ]
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steak dinner may taste good, but would you want the same meal every evening for a
month? Vary how you spend your class time, so that students are curious about what to
expect and come to class ready to be engaged. If you’re using FOCUSPoints in class,
you will be able to navigate each chapter easily and do hands-on activities (with page
numbers) right in class.
Am I qualified to teach the course?
“Effective teaching may be the hardest job there is.” ~William Glasser
Institutions have different rules about qualifications, but if you have been invited to teach
a college success course, you are undoubtedly qualified. Someone has recognized your
teaching expertise and your ability to build relationships with learners. No one has an
advanced degree in College Success, but as a faculty member, student affairs
professional, or adjunct instructor, you yourself have been academically successful. If
you are a faculty member, remember that regardless of whether you teach chemistry,
sociology, or geography, for example, most college professors have not received
instruction on the practice of teaching even though they are well versed in their
disciplines. If you are a counselor or advisor, you bring a helpful skill set to this course,
and if are teaching as an adjunct, you have real-world experience to bring to the
classroom.
Teaching, as the quotation above notes, is difficult. Good teaching is at times downright
exhausting. But noting the outcomes, accepting the gratitude of thankful students, and
observing their future success is more than worth the effort. Attend the first-year seminar
faculty training sessions provided by your institution. Use your first-year seminar
colleagues for support, exchange reflections about the FOCUS features and activities that
have worked well, and share new ideas. Work together as a group to develop a mission
statement, rubrics, and a set of desired, intentional learning outcomes. And as you’re
advised later in John Cowles’s chapter-by-chapter guide, make notes to yourself about
what you’ve learned in teaching each topic, and record what you may want to do
differently next time. Record these observations while you’re teaching the course, so that
when you teach it again, you won’t have forgotten.
How should I communicate with my students?
“The most important knowledge teachers need to do good work is a knowledge of how
students are experiencing learning and perceiving their teacher’s actions.” ~Steven
Brookfield
The quality and quantity of communication with your students are essential to your
students’ success and your satisfaction with your teaching experience. Consider these
suggestions:
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• Set guidelines. Will you accept text messages? Will you give students your home or
cell phone numbers? Will you communicate via Facebook, MySpace, or neither?
Will you hold virtual office hours? Will you require students to communicate via
your institution’s e-mail system, as opposed to all the other options available (yahoo,
gmail, etc.) Will you expect a certain level of grammatical correctness, even in
informal messages? Will you require a tone of mutual support and “professionalism”?
Will you encourage your students to check their e-mail accounts daily (at a
minimum)? Think beforehand about the best ways to develop relationships with your
students, and let them know how you’d like to communicate with them.
• Praise, when it’s warranted. You’ve experienced it: you open an e-mail message
from a student that says, “I really enjoyed class today. I’d never thought about many
of the things we discussed. Thanks for being such a great teacher.” Do the same for
your students, either face-to-face or electronically. It only takes a few seconds to
write a student a message like this: “Wow! The presentation you gave in class today
was brilliant. I could tell how much time you invested in researching the topic and
creating your PowerPoint slides. Thanks for all your hard work!” Positive
reinforcement goes a long way.
• Respond right away. If at all possible, take quick action when it comes to your
students’ success. Recently I received an e-mail from a student that read, “Professor
Staley, I’ve been traumatized by something that happened recently in my home town.
I can’t continue. Today I’m going to drop all my classes, forfeit my scholarship, and
leave school.” When I got that e-mail, I placed a few phone calls and wrote back,
“Dear ________, This is a very important decision. Let’s talk about it before you do
anything. My Assistant Director and the Dean will meet you in your financial aid
advisor’s office in an hour.” The group rallied around her, and today she’s in school
and doing well. That one moment in time was critical. Of course, it’s not always
possible to respond quickly. Had I been busy in meetings or otherwise away from my
computer, this student’s future might have been very different. But sometimes timing
is critical in getting students over a hump.
• Be persistent. If a student is missing in your small class, give him a call on your cell
phone, and pass the phone around so that all his classmates also invite him to class.
Look up his schedule and wait for him outside another class to ask him what’s up. I
once staged an “intervention” when I heard that one of my students didn’t have his
assigned presentation done, so he was playing hacky sack with his friends outside the
building instead of coming to class. The entire group went outside and “captured”
him and brought him to class. When he turned around and saw 16 people approaching
him, he said, “But I don’t have my assignment done” to which the group replied,
“Come to class, anyway!” He was deeply touched by this gesture of support, came to
class, and never missed again. You may not go to such extraordinary measures with
more mature students, but in this case, our wayward first-year student learned his
lesson. Experiences like this one have contributed to my philosophy in this course:
Remember that first-year students are “under construction,” so go the extra mile.
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• Pay attention. If you begin to notice that one week a student is hyperactive and the
following week, this same student seems deeply depressed, take note. If this up and
down behavior becomes a pattern, see if you can find out why. Behavior like this
could be a sign of problems at home, drug use, or a mood disorder. Intervention may
be required. If need be, ask the student if she’d like you to walk her over to the
Counseling Center. You may feel that you are being intrusive or that it’s
inappropriate for teachers to “go there.” However, my personal philosophy after
many years of teaching is that we must pay attention to what gets in the way of
learning, and if students need help, it’s our job to help them get it. You may not be a
trained counselor, and it’s not appropriate to solve students’ problems for them. But
as an administrator I met recently likes to say, “There’s a difference between caring
and carrying.” Of course, not all students will accept your help, but you will know
that you have tried.
• Provide meaningful, specific, frequent, and timely feedback. One of students’
biggest pet peeves is instructors who take forever to return assignments, appear not to
have read students’ papers, or provide minimal feedback: “B” with no explanation or
rationale, for example. It’s a two-way street, they believe, and if they’re expected to
invest in their coursework and turn in assignments promptly, they expect the same
from us. Instead of simply marking a paper with a “B,” provide rubrics in advance for
why assignments deserve particular grades and provide specific critiques: “This paper
does a good job of addressing the major goal of the assignment, which is to choose a
position on a controversial topic and support your position. But the assignment asks
for specific types of evidence from a minimum of three books, four journal articles,
and five web sites…, etc.” Students need regular, detailed feedback from you in order
to know how to improve their work and grow academically.
What do I need to know if I’m teaching this course for the first time?
“Teaching can be compared to selling commodities. No one can sell unless someone
buys… [Yet] there are teachers who think they have done a good day’s teaching
irrespective of what pupils have learned.” ~John Dewey
It is my personal belief that college success happens when three sets of goals intersect:
academic goals, (students’) personal goals, and (class and campus) community goals. In
my mind, it looks like this:
FOCUS on Community College Success xxiii
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(Note the activity on page 226 related to this point.) This belief is at the core of first-year
seminars, and in my view, instructors must adopt it and base their teaching and
interaction with students on it.
As you prepare to teach a first-year seminar for the first time, read, study, and learn as
much as you can about effective teaching and about today’s learners. Check out the
online resources listed in the Additional Resources at the back of this manual, for
example, The Boyer Commissions’ “Reinventing Undergraduate Education,” or the
American Association of Colleges and University’s report, “Greater Expectations,” or
their publication, Liberal Education, or the Jossey-Bass magazine/journal called About
Campus. When you begin to look, you’ll see that illuminating resources are everywhere.
Use this manual and the online CourseMate. Get to know your colleagues, and your
students, individually and collectively. Watch out for non-cognitive variables that get in
the way of learning. And above all, make sure learning is taking place. Do “One-Minute”
papers (or index cards) at the end of class to find out what students valued most and
what’s still confusing. If you’re insecure, ask for volunteers from your class to act as the
course “Board of Directors.” Meet with these representatives, get feedback from them
about how things are going, or if your institution uses peer mentors, solicit that input
from him or her. Consult the Teaching and Learning Center on your campus. It’s possible
that experts there can come to class to observe your teaching, invite you to faculty
workshops on best practices in teaching, or provide you with materials to read. Generally
speaking, help is only a phone call, an e-mail, or a jaunt across campus away.
How can I rejuvenate the course if I’ve been teaching it for years?
“One new feature or fresh take can change everything.” ~Neil Young
After teaching any course for a number of years, many instructors find themselves
searching for new ways to do things, whether the course they want to update is a
Personal
Goals
Community
Goals
Academic
Goals
COLLEGE
SUCCESS
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discipline-based course such as math or literature or a first-year seminar course. Among
other goals we have in this quest is our own need to keep ourselves fresh, engaged, and
up-to-date. Refresh your memory about things you already know, like Chickering and
Gamson’s now 20-year-old “Seven Principles of Best Practice.” Good practice:
1. encourages student-faculty contact.
2. encourages cooperation among students.
3. encourages active learning.
4. gives prompt feedback.
5. emphasizes time on task (as opposed to multitasking, perhaps?).
6. communicates high expectations.
7. respects diverse talents and ways of knowing.5
Because of the comprehensive coverage of topics, the built-in activities, and its integrated
learning system, FOCUS will most definitely play a role in reinvigorating your course. It
may help you see topics you’ve taught before differently. As writer Thomas Higginson
notes, “Originality is simply a pair of fresh eyes.” One of the intentional strategies used
in the FOCUS learning experience is helping students not only discover what to do, but
how to do it, why doing it is important—and then actually doing it! With new resources at
your fingertips, you will undoubtedly find yourself considering new approaches to
teaching your first-year seminar. The preface of your Annotated Instructor’s Edition of
FOCUS outlines each new feature, point by point, and the role each one plays in firstyear
seminar big challenges: retention, motivation, varied learning styles, time
management, andengagement.
Beyond the natural innovations that come with using a new text, you may reinvigorate
your course by deliberately deciding to infuse it with a specific innovation, either in your
own section of the course or across the entire program. Here are three examples to
consider.
• Service-Learning: FOCUS discusses service-learning in several different places
(including a featured box in Chapter 12 of FOCUS). If your students could benefit
from real-world writing experiences, for example, pair each one with a senior citizen in
the community to co-author the elder’s “memoirs.” If you have a preponderance of
students with text anxiety, have them teach Chapter 9 on test-taking to middle school
children through a newly launched community-based program. Allow students to select
a FOCUS chapter and design a service-learning experience of their own within
parameters you set. Somehow linking the requirement to the text or particular features
of your campus or community will communicate the value and relevance of servicelearning,
so that students see the integral role it plays (as opposed to seeming like
busywork). Or consider using a term-long activity such as “Reflecting on Service: 5
C’s Journals” in 50 Ways to Leave Your Lectern (p. 92) to connect the classroom and
the community-based service-learning project through journals. Many schools have
5 [Chickering, A. W., & Gamson, Z. F. (1987). Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education. The
Wingspread Journal, 9(2). See also AAHE Bulletin, March, 1987.]
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added service-learning to their programs with excellent results. While you must think
through grading this type of activity and deciding how much of the course it should be
worth, service-learning is as excellent way to encourage students to bond with one
another, particularly if they work in groups, and come to value the application of what
they are learning in your class.
• Peer Mentors: If your program does not yet employ the assistance of peer mentors,
this is another possible innovation with potentially broad-based positive results.
Former first-year seminar students with strong academic and leadership skills can be
nominated by their first-year seminar faculty, apply competitively for, and be selected
to work with each section of the course. These students should be trained, ideally
through a class on teaching and learning in which the specifics of your program and
the issues that relate to your current first-year students can be discussed. Often firstyear
students connect with these role models, and they can serve in a liaison capacity,
becoming a valuable aid to retention.
• Faculty Development: Although this theme has run through many of the suggestions
in this introduction, faculty training cannot be overemphasized. First-year seminar
instructors typically come from a variety of academic and professional backgrounds.
Training helps them move beyond the “borders” of their disciplines and focus on
students. Over time faculty can become increasingly specialized in the intricacies of
their research. However, coming together with faculty and staff from across the
campus to focus specifically on teaching and learning can change the way they teach
all their courses. Strong faculty training programs are almost always behind strong
first-year seminar programs, and most institutions, I’m convinced, could benefit in
many ways by doing more.
How does this course relate to my discipline?
“Systems thinking is a discipline for seeing wholes. It is a framework for seeing
interrelationships rather than things, for seeing patterns of change
rather than static ‘snapshots.’” ~Peter Senge
If you teach courses in another discipline, and you’re teaching a first-year seminar for the
first time, you may be wondering how the two intersect. Although they may seem miles
apart to you, there may actually be more commonalities than you think. And of course,
the best practices of teaching apply to both. As you’ll read in FOCUS, knowledge is
interconnected, and a variety of disciplines are included in the textbook. If you are a math
teacher, you will resonate with the section in Chapter 10 on test-taking and math anxiety.
If you teach psychology, you’ll notice that Chapter 2 of FOCUS includes the work of
Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck. If you are a student affairs professional, you will see
elements of student development theories underlying everything in the book.
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No matter which other discipline you teach, underneath or alongside the content is
“advice” you give your students about how to master course material. Use your
knowledge of this “hidden curriculum” and draw upon it in your first-year seminar
course. Further, while a first-year seminar course is unique, don’t be reluctant to touch on
your disciplinary expertise. Students will be curious about other aspects of your job, the
interrelationships between its various components, and why you wanted to teach a firstyear
seminar in addition to everything else you do.
Throughout FOCUS, the “static snapshot” of each chapter is woven together into an
integrated “system” for better learning. And you will be interested, as Peter Senge notes
in his quotation above, in the “patterns of change” in your students.
How will the course be different if I teach non-traditional versus
traditional students?
“The learner should be actively involved in the learning process.” ~Malcolm Knowles
Malcolm Knowles coined the term “andragogy,” meaning the study of adult learning, as
an equivalent to pedagogy. According to Knowles, these five issues are critical:
1. The need to know—adult learners need to know why they need to
learn something before they will learn it.
2. Learner self-concept—adults are self-directed learners.
3. Role of learners' experience—adult learners have a variety of life
experiences in which to ground their learning.
4. Readiness to learn—adults are motivated learners because they
recognize the value of learning in dealing effectively with life
situations.
5. Orientation to learning—adults prefer to see the practical value of
applying learning to their everyday lives.6
You will note that FOCUS is designed to reach learners of all ages. Several of the
FOCUS Challenge Cases involve adult learners, learners of different ethnicities, and
learners with varied backgrounds. My goal was for every student reader to see him or
herself reflected somewhere in the book.
Perhaps the greatest difference in using FOCUS to teach adult learners will be where you
place emphases in the course, which examples you use, and how you design basic
assignments and activities, using problem-based learning. For example, if you allow
students to choose topics for their papers, traditional students may choose to research
binge drinking or Greek issues on campus. Nontraditional learners may choose to
research a current problem or challenge for which they’re seeking a solution: buying a
first home or finding day-care options in your town. Adult learners may be more
6 [Knowles’ Andragogy. Available at http://www.learningandteaching.info/learning/knowlesa.htm]
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motivated and focused, as faculty sometimes note, but they must still deal with myriad
complexities in their busy lives. They may also have less confidence in their academic or
technology skills. Regardless, they will want to share their backgrounds with class
members and take practical applications that relate to their own lives from your course.
How can I get involved with my students if I’m a part-time instructor?
“Communication works for those who work at it.” ~John Powell
If you are teaching a first-year seminar as an adjunct professor, particularly if you don’t
have an office on campus, you will need to capitalize on class time and rely on
technology to connect with your students. But you can also be creative: hold your office
hours in the school’s cafeteria or library. Meet your class as a group for pizza, or if
you’re comfortable, invite them to your home to pick apples from the tree in your yard
and bake a pie, for example. Just as you stay in touch with “long-distance” friends and
relatives you care about, vow to do the same with your students. It’s entirely possible to
bond in ways other than those involving face-to-face contact.
How should I evaluate students? Isn’t the point of a college success
course to help students succeed?
“Success on any major scale requires you to accept responsibility...in the final analysis,
the one quality that all successful people have...is the ability to take on responsibility.”
~Michael Korda
This is an important question, one with which first-year seminar instructors often
struggle. How should I grade a student who doesn’t come to class or turn in assignments,
despite my attempts to contact him or her? How much leeway should I give students in
turning assignments in late? How do I balance challenge and support? These are common
questions, and the assumptions behind these questions are the reason that some non firstyear
seminar faculty assume that first-year seminars are simply “hand-holding” classes in
which all students receive “A’s,” regardless of their performance, when instead, first-year
seminars are well-thought through, structured learning experiences in which expectations
for college success are made clear and overt.
The answer to your own personal questions about balance will likely come with
experience teaching the course. But what are we teaching students about their futures
when we excuse them from responsibilities or when we give them amnesty from
assignments that are documented in the syllabus from the beginning of the term?
Emergencies notwithstanding, what lessons will they learn? Are their bosses likely to say,
“That’s OK, Wilson, I understand you’ve been busy. Why don’t you take another week
on the Jones project even though we were supposed to close the deal tomorrow?”
Probably not.
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It is clear that first-year seminar instructors walk a tightrope. My advice to instructors is
to “clamp down supportively.” As one expert in the field notes, “If we have minimal
expectations for what beginning students can and will do, we set in motion a selffulfilling
prophecy.” If we dumb down first-year seminar courses, students will “live
down” to our expectations. I believe it’s important, instead, to “challenge up.”
Again, this is where your colleagues should work together to achieve consistency across
sections of the course and resolve sticky issues. Engage in discussions. Develop standards
across sections. Generate rubrics for grading: what is an A paper, a B paper, and so forth?
Hold “norming” sessions in which all first-year seminar faculty grade the same set of
papers and discuss their rationales. You may find that a chemistry professor, a sociology
professor, and a history professor grade the same papers very differently, which will
generate further discussion about practices and priorities.
Finally, a word that is often associated with evaluation is assessment; however, the words
are not synonymous. Assessment is a concept that has generated countless books and
articles with multiples theories and practices behind it. As a first-year seminar instructor,
your focus is to evaluate your students’ work with the ultimate goal of helping them
succeed.
Whatever the model used, what are the desired learning outcomes of a
college success course?
“The classroom is a microcosm of the world; it is the chance we have to practice
whatever ideals we cherish. The kind of classroom situation one creates is the acid test of
what it is one really stands for.” ~Jane Tompkins
As you have read here, some first-year seminar courses are extended orientation courses,
some are discipline-based, some are interdisciplinary, some are gateway to general
education courses. Regardless of which model is used, the goals are often similar, and it’s
best if you and your colleagues articulate these exact goals together. It has been my great
fortune (and ultimate learning experience) to work with faculty at many, many
institutions over the years, to have many questions put to me, and to learn a great deal
from many other first-year seminar instructors. Whatever the specific goals are for your
institution, the goals for FOCUS as a multifaceted learning experience for your students
have been identified here, throughout the Annotated Instructor’s Edition’s preface, and in
all the support materials available to you. My final suggestion in this Introduction to John
Cowles’s Instructor’s Resource Manual is that you remember this last quotation by Jane
Tompkins above, mount it in your office, and observe the way you live it every day.
FOCUS on Community College Success xxix
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USING FOCUS’S ADDITIONAL SPECIAL FEATURES
By Constance Staley
FOCUS on Community College Success has many unique features available via the text
book, as well as the text’s online CourseMate and the Power Lecture CD, to enrich the
learning environment in your classroom. These features not only “VARK” the FOCUS
experience to engage all types of learners, but they provide you as an instructor with
options. You will undoubtedly prefer some features over others, based on your teaching
style and the particular characteristics of your students. After you teach with FOCUS
once, you will very likely find your favorite features to use. But the following year, you
may have a very different group of first-year students and will need to select different
features that will appeal to them. While many of these features are described elsewhere,
such as the preface of the Annotated Instructor’s Edition, they are listed here for your
consideration, too.
FOCUS Challenge Case Studies
• Why should I use this feature? The FOCUS Challenge Cases are, according to one
reviewer, “the most realistic case studies I have come across.” Students often
respond: “How does this book know so much about me?” or “This story sounds just
like my friend…” Why do they evoke such responses? Each FOCUS Challenge Case
is based on an actual student or a composite of students I have worked with directly
over the years. The stories are based on these students’ experiences. After many years
of teaching, instructors learn how to “get into first-year student’s heads.” And if we
can’t figure out a particular student, we ask, “What’s going on?” Most first-year
students struggle with something, even if they are gifted academically. Occasionally,
a student may ask why the case studies are negative or primarily about problems.
Research shows that negative role models help people learn. When things are going
swimmingly, there is less cause for self-examination and discussion. Using real
students in the book, in CourseMate, and as guests on the mock television shows
(described below) provides a highly kinesthetic, real-life learning experience for your
students. These thirteen students (my own previous students at UCCS and one of my
daughters and grandtwins!) are the FOCUS cast, and readers will see them in photos
throughout the book. Readers should feel as if they know these people; and in my
experience, readers often call them by name as they refer to parts of the book as if
they were friends or acquaintances. If your students are experiencing similar
problems as those described in the FOCUS Challenge Cases, they will learn that they
are not alone. And the safety of discussing someone else’s issues always helps
students learn more about themselves.
• How can I use this feature? Case studies are excellent discussion generators.
Generally, students are interested in other students. Ask your students to come to
class ready to discuss Sylvia or Derek or Anthony by jotting down answers to the
“What Do YOU Think?” questions immediately after the case, or put students in pairs
or groups to discuss these questions. Consider using the Direct It! option by assigning
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a case study director and one or more actors. At the end of each chapter, students are
asked to revisit the case, based on what they have learned by working through the
chapter, by responding to a section called “NOW What Do You Think”. Their
opinions may have changed, based on new information they have learned. Something
that seemed like a simple fix may be seen more realistically now, and students will
have an opportunity to apply what they have just learned by summarizing their own
“ending” to the case and then by asking themselves which information from the
chapter they will apply to themselves and how, which provides reinforcement.
The 4 C’s
• Why Should I Use This Feature
At the conclusion of each chapter of FOCUS, your students will find featured
the 4-C’s (Control, Curiosity, Career Outlook, and Challenge). These are four
aspects of intrinsic motivation. The “Control” sections allow students to
apply control to a tough class or on the job. Each “Curiosity” section provides
a short article on something related to college success. The “Career Outlook”
articles connect learning in college to career exploration and preparation. The
“Challenge Reality Checks” provide a chance to reflect on the learning in the
chapter and make connections back to the FOCUS case study. These built-in
features are intended to increase students’ intrinsic motivation. The 4-C’s
provide a platform from which to make connections between the chapters in
FOCUS and create opportunities to enhance learning.
• How Should I Use This Feature
As you move through your lecture and class time, refer back to the 4-C’s.
There are many ways you can use these features to enhance your students’
learning. Assign your students to read the Career Outlook features, like the
one in Chapter 2 on Expectations, silently or aloud and then have them discuss
how they relate to it or what their personal take-aways are. Provide an inclass
writing prompt for students who need more time for reflection. The
Curiosity components provide additional opportunities for class discussion. In
Chapter 4, the Curiosity article focuses on making choices. After reading the
information silently or aloud, students could discuss in pairs how they can
connect that learning to the knowledge they gained on goal setting in Chapter
2 or the insights they had into themselves from their work in Chapter 3.
Additionally, in placing the 4-C’s at the conclusion of each chapter, FOCUS
offers the opportunity for students to apply what they have learned, to reflect
on their learning, to review their learning, and to practice critical thinking
skills. Any of the 4-C’s could be assigned as homework for the following
class meeting. The Control, Curiosity and Career Outlook sections also
provide the beginning of journal prompts which students could submit through
a Learning Management System or as a typed document. The Challenge
Reality Checks at the conclusion of each chapter can serve as a weekly
reading quiz. Utilizing the 4-C’s provides students a chance to expand their
knowledge, apply what their learning, and develop as critical thinkers.
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Entrance and Exit Interviews
• Why should I use this feature? Many institutions (perhaps even yours) spend
thousands of dollars each year on commercial instruments to collect data about their
students. Other institutions cannot afford such expenditures, have never found an
instrument that suits their needs, or have never initiated this practice. For these
reasons, FOCUS comes with its own built-in pre- and post-instruments to measure
students’ expectations of college at the outset, and their experience of college at the
end of the course. The instruments appear in the text in the front and back matter for
pencil and paper administration, on the text’s Resource Center web site for online
administration, and via clicker technology with JoinIn on TurningPoint. Some of the
questions are general in nature (How many hours per week do you expect to study for
your classes?) and some are specific to FOCUS content, asking students which
chapter topics they’re most interested in and which they expect to be most difficult to
apply. Not only will you learn about your students and their individual and collective
characteristics, but you will be alerted to students who may need additional support or
intervention. Students will learn about themselves, and your institution may wish to
collect these data broadly about entering students each year. Some experts say that
students decide whether to stay in school during the first few weeks of the term—or
perhaps in the first few days! It’s important to use the Entrance Interview
immediately and meet with your students one-on-one, if possible, to discuss the
results.
• How can I use this feature? Ask your students to fill out the Entrance Interview at
the beginning of the course, either via technology or on paper. Alternatively, send it
out before the course begins, along with summer reading materials or a welcome
letter from your institution. Or if your first-year seminar program uses peer mentors,
ask them to conduct actual one-on-one interviews, using the instrument and write
down interviewees’ responses. Do the same thing with the Exit Interview at the end
of the course. The annotated versions of the Entrance and Exit Interviews in the
Annotated Instructors’ Edition give the rationale for each question and comparison
guidelines for the two instruments so that you can note changes in individual students
over the term.
FOCUS TV Mock Television Shows
• Why should I use this feature? According to Neilsen Media Research, the average
college student watches 3 hours and 41 minutes of television per day. The VARK
Learning Style Questionnaire categorizes television as kinesthetic, the preferred
learning style of many of today’s college students. FOCUS has devised an alternative
way to deliver content by creating short, mock television shows. Some episodes are
based on Bravo’s 13 time Emmy-Award nominated program, “Inside the Actors
Studio.” [See http://www.bravotv.com/inside-the-actors-studio] James Lipton’s (Dean
Emeritus of Actors Studio’s MFA drama program) insightful interviews of actors
from stage to screen are “replicated” with Constance Staley as host and FOCUS cast
members as guests. Episodes appear, along with discussion questions, in “YouTube”
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style on the text’s Resource Center web site for Chapter 2 (Sylvia Sanchez, “Building
Dreams, Setting Goals”), Chapter 9 (Kevin Baxter, “Developing Memory, Taking
Tests”), Chapter 10 (Kia Washington, “Building Relationships, Valuing Diversity”),
and Chapter 11 (Ethan Cole, “Choosing a College Major and a Career”). Scripts were
written by New York comedy writer Matthew McClain, and a short comedy segment
appears as part of each episode amidst content coverage for these chapters. The
episodes were co-produced by Matthew McClain and Constance Staley in the
television studios at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Other episodes,
simply called FOCUS TV, are available on the topics of test- taking, time
management, critical thinking, reading, and procrastination.
• How can I use this feature? The television shows are excellent ways to introduce the
chapters or to review them, since each episode generally covers the “You’re About to
Discover” bullets at the start of that chapter. You may show episodes in class, or ask
students to view them at home and answer the questions on their own to discuss later
in class, or they may email you their responses.
MP3 Format iAudio Chapter Summaries
• Why should I use this feature? Today’s students are wired for sound. Whenever you
see them walking across campus, they’re either on their cell phones or have their
earplugs inserted. Some of their instructors podcast lectures as a way of re-viewing or
pre-viewing (or in this case, listening rather than viewing) course content. Again,
written by Matthew McClain, these approximately four-minute summaries (the length
of a song, roughly) reinforce FOCUS content. Traveling home on the subway or
pumping gas at the station, students can listen to them to get each chapter’s “big
ideas” by downloading these segments from CourseMate.
• How can I use this feature? You may use this feature however you wish: by asking
students to listen to the podcasts during class via FOCUSPoints, immediately after
class, for example, while ideas are fresh, as they prepare for quizzes, or before
reading the chapter so they know what to watch for. The options are limitless. While
aural learners may be most benefited by this feature, all students can use them to
reinforce their learning since they are chapter content summaries.
Challenge Yourself Online Quizzes
• Why should I use this feature? Simply put, preparing for quizzes enhances learning
and helps assure that students are doing assigned reading. However, Challenge
Yourself Quizzes are different from most. Within each chapter quiz, questions are
graduated according to cognitive complexity, generally following Bloom's
Taxonomy.
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• How can I use this feature? You may use this feature as you see fit, depending on
the academic skills of your students. Indicate that the point of Challenge Yourself
Quizzes is just that—to challenge yourself. Eventually, they should move beyond
their comfort zones and try more challenging questions. Quizzes can easily be
incorporated into online or classroom-based courses and the CourseMate allows
students to automatically submit their scores to you or your peer mentor.
Team Career Exercises
• Why should I use this feature? Employers are unanimous about the fact that many
of today’s college students complete their degrees with technical expertise in their
disciplines, but they are less adept at using “soft skills,” like communication,
collaboration, and teamwork. Available on CourseMate, FOCUS Team Career
Exercises are creative applications of chapter material that are to be done in small
groups or pairs, typically outside of class. The side benefit of the actual content
learned about the workplace and careers, of course, is that students will need to work
together to accomplish them. In each chapter, Team Career Exercises are referenced
immediately after the “Create a Career Outlook” box.
• How can I use this feature? Assign these activities as homework and debrief in class
or have students choose, for example, three Team Career Exercises to do with an
ongoing group over the term and keep a learning log about their experiences.
When Moms and Dads Go to School (book for non-traditional students’
children)
• Why should I use this feature? As a working woman who went back to school for
both a master’s degree and Ph.D. with two young children at home, I am particularly
sensitive to the needs of non-traditional students. The challenges of raising a family
while juggling academic courses and a job are overwhelming at times. When Moms
and Dads Go to School is a picture book for children that explains the ups and downs
of life as an adult student and parent. I have tested it with five-year olds, and they
grasped the concepts very well.
• How can I use this feature? Students who are interested may access the book on
CourseMate.
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FOCUS on Kids
• Why should I use this feature? Sometimes primary-school aged children may not
understand why Mom or Dad is so busy with college classes and homework. These
worksheets for children give parents a way to connect with their children and explain
the elements of FOCUS chapter content in children’s terms. Each worksheet pulls
out a main point of the chapter. For example, for chapter 2 (Building Dreams, Setting
Goals), the worksheet is about making a birthday wish. But the worksheet points out
that sometimes wishing is not enough; you must work to help make your wish come
true. These worksheets can be used to generate dialogue, to give children a task to
accomplish while Mom or Dad does homework, or even to help a parent start
teaching college success skills to children at a very young age! They ask children to
fill in basic responses, complete a puzzle, or draw a picture and then talk with Mom
or Dad about it.
• How can I use this feature? Suggest to student parents that these are excellent
worksheets to download from CourseMate and use with their children. The
worksheets have been tested with six-year-olds, and they were found to generate
much interest and lively conversations
Orientation Materials
• Why should I use this feature? Many institutions struggle with organizing
orientation programs for incoming first-year students and their families. How do we
make sure our institution is well represented? How can we make certain students are
engaged? Is too much information being presented, or too little, or the right
information? What should be done about overly assertive parents? One suggestion is
to conduct student and parent orientation sessions by grouping them by particular
topic choices and using color PDFs of FOCUS Challenge Cases to generate
discussion (students and money management, Chapter 4; students and time
management, Chapter 4, etc.).
• How can I use this feature? When families sign up for orientation dates, ask them to
register for particular mini-courses of interest (based on FOCUS chapters). You may
wish to divide student and parent groups so that discussions can be directed more
easily and train faculty and staff to facilitate these discussions.
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Common Reading Accompaniment or Chapter 1 of FOCUS as Stand-
Alone Summer Reading
• Why should I use this feature? Many schools send a book or reader to incoming
first-year students over the summer to serve as an initial common academic exercise.
If a book is selected, the author of the book is sometimes invited to speak at an
opening convocation ceremony. Although there are many ways to conduct a summer
reading program, and even if your institution doesn’t have one, consider sending a
color PDF of the first chapter of FOCUS to each incoming student, along with a
welcome letter or book before school starts. (Contact your Cengage/Wadsworth sales
representative for details.) You may also wish to include a copy of the FOCUS
Entrance Interview to collect data about students’ initial expectations of college. Ask
students to fill in these materials, mark up Chapter 1 with questions and comments,
and bring them as completed assignments to their first class. Many institutions report
that students complete initial reading assignments—their first college homework
ever—with vigor and arrive at school ready to go.
• How can I use this feature? Encourage students to mark up the chapter, fill in the
exercises and activities on the color PDF, and come to class prepared to discuss
Darnell Williams and the chapter’s content. Doing so is an excellent way to launch
the FOCUS experience and assure that students are engaged from day one.
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DESIGNING A SYLLABUS WITH FOCUS
By Constance Staley
“The syllabus—what students eagerly await on the first day; a record of the class; one of
the only artifacts to remain after the students move on. Your syllabus represents both an
end and a beginning—a final product of your course planning and a valuable way to
introduce yourself and the course to your students… Research indicates that outstanding
instruction and a detailed syllabus are directly related.”1
What should a syllabus include?
Here’s a checklist to consider:
Basic Information
__ course title/number/section, days and times taught, location of class
__ semester and year course is being taught
__ your name and office number, office location, e-mail, phone number
__ office hours
__ web site address or group e-mail addresses
Course or Section Description
__ goals/objectives/value of the course
Course or Section Texts/Materials
__ text: title, author, edition
__ where texts can be bought
__ other necessary equipment or materials (e.g., sticky notes or dots)
Course Schedule/Weekly Calendar
__ dates of all assignments and exams
__ dates when readings are due
__ holidays and special events (e.g., field trips, guest speakers)
Course or Section Policies
__ attendance/tardiness
__ class participation (if you choose to assign points)
__ late/missing assignments
__ academic dishonesty
__ explicit grading criteria
__ expectations/grading standards
__ accommodation for missed quizzes, etc.
1 [Sinor and Kaplan, Center for Research on Learning and Teaching. Available at
http://www.crlt.umich.edu/gsis/P2_1.html]
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Other Handouts or Information Relevant to Your First-Year Seminar Course
__ availability of outside help (e.g., tutoring services, language labs, Writing Center)
__ unique class policies
__ a short bio about you
__ a written introduction or worksheet for the icebreaker
__ questions to answer so that you can announce the class profile the following week:
“In this section, we have three athletes, one biology major, four musicians…”
__ color, art, symbols, a version of the syllabus cut up as a puzzle—be creative!
__ Entrance Interview from FOCUS for students to return to you
Credit Hour Variations and FOCUS
If your first-year seminar course is a three-hour course, you can capitalize on many of the
FOCUS features. Because each chapter is rich, decide what has the most value for your
students, and you’ll be able to maximize all FOCUS has to offer and tailor the learning
experience to your particular class. If your course is a one or two-hour course, consider
these options:
• Use a custom edition of the book, eliminating chapters you have not covered traditionally
• Use the entire book, but selectively, in this manner: determine six essential
chapters, and then allow your students to vote as a group on two more chapters to
cover as course material. Giving students a voice can be important. (Or take a
look at the results of question 16 on your students’ Entrance Interviews, which
asks them about their interest in each chapter of the text.) Students who wish to
read more may elect to. (For example, when I have tried this in a one-credit
course, some students have said things like this: “I’d like to read the relationships
chapter on my own, even though the class has not selected it, because I’m having
trouble with a relationship right now. Is that OK?”)
• Divide the class up into six groups based on FOCUS features, for example:
a) Challenge and Reaction steps
b) Insight and Action steps
c) C Factor: “Cultivate Your Curiosity”
d) C Factor: “Create a Career Outlook”
e) C Factor: “Control Your Learning”
f) “To Your Health” and “How Full Is Your Plate?”
Make these “permanent” groups throughout the course, if you wish, with several
groups reporting each week on these features.
• Divide the class by VARK learning style preference groups, and since the largest
proportion of students, statistically, is likely to be multimodal, group them by their
highest VARK score, even if it is only slightly higher. Get students involved in
“VARKing” the course by presenting material in their group’s learning modality.
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• Omit several chapters, formally, but ask student groups to present highlights of
these chapters in class. For example, if you omit Chapters 3, 7, and 10, divide the
class into three groups, and designate one week on the syllabus for group
presentations on these chapters. You may be amazed by what students come up
with!
• Put selected portions of the course online. FOCUS materials are available for use
with Blackboard or other Cengage courseware options.
• Bypass a few features, based on the characteristics of your group and your own
preferences. For example, if you have used the VARK in the past and consider
yourself well versed in it, have your students do the VARK assessment and cover
all the VARK activities, and as a trade-off, elect not to cover something else. Few
instructors cover every single option exactly as presented in every single textbook
they use. Instead they tailor course materials to their own strengths and interests.
That is always an instructor’s prerogative, and I encourage you to adapt FOCUS
materials to your needs and those of your students. FOCUSPoints will give you
the option of making an on-the-spot decision about whether to click on an activity
and do it in class or not.
A sample syllabus for a 16 week semester follows. For a trimester or quarter-based
course, a course with fewer contact hours, or a course for at-risk, developmental, or
probationary students, for example, omit some assignments or consider the suggestions
above.
FOCUS on Community College Success xxxix
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Sample Syllabus (16 week semester)
Course: College Success 101
1 Getting the Right Start
Assignments:
2 Building Dreams, Setting Goals
Assignments:
3 Learning to Learn
Assignments:
4 Managing Your Time, Energy and Money
Assignments:
5 Thinking Critically and Creatively
Assignments:
6 Learning Online
Assignments:
7 Engaging, Listening, and Note-Taking in Class
Assignments:
8 Reading, Writing, and Presenting
Assignments:
9 Developing Memory, Taking Tests
Assignments:
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10 Building Relationships, Valuing Diversity
Assignments:
11 Choosing a College Major and Career
Assignments:
12 Creating Your Future
Assignments:
Use extra weeks for exams/quizzes, service-learning, student presentations, etc.
(Add items from syllabus checklist.)
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FOCUS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUCCESS
CHAPTER RESOURCES
By Catherine Andersen, John Cowles and Constance Staley
Meg Foster, Contributing Editor J. Sargeant Reynolds Community
College
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CHAPTER 1: GETTING THE RIGHT START
1. Why is this chapter important?
This chapter is geared to getting students started with the necessary foundation for
college (and life) success. It will help demystify college and allow all learners to start on
a level playing field, regardless of their age and life experience. College is a new world
for most of the students in this course—and it comes with its own language! This chapter
facilitates the acquisition of this new language and sets the foundation for success.
According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 43% of the
undergraduate students in public colleges and universities in the United States are
enrolled in community colleges [Source: American Association of Community Colleges
(2010) Fast Facts. Retrieved July 29, 2010, from American Association of Community
Colleges website: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Pages/fastfacts.aspx]. If your
students are similar to the ones surveyed, they have varied and multiple educational
goals. Many students want to transfer to a four-year college or university and yet also
desire to earn an associate’s degree. Others may wish to earn a career-oriented
certificate—taking less time to earn while allowing them to “test the waters” of higher
education. This chapter introduces students to the importance of educational planning. It
includes an introduction to certificates and degrees, the development of a degree plan,
and the importance of academic advising.
The chapter also introduces the concept of developmental education and the value of
remediation to students. In a 2003 study on remedial enrollments, the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) found that 42 percent of community college students
enrolled in at least one remedial course. Other studies have estimated these rates to be
even higher, approaching 63% (Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education, March 22, 2010).
This chapter allows you the opportunity to set the stage for helping students understand
the value of remediation and removing the stigma that can be attached to developmental
coursework.
Finally, this first chapter of FOCUS launches a series of self-assessments and reflection
tools, all aimed at helping students better understand themselves. They will learn that
insight is not enough, but that they have to take action to achieve positive change. For
some students, even the eventual realization that their dream may not be realistic can be a
positive learning outcome in the long run. Without first understanding the “self,” students
cannot move on. Thus, this chapter is critical for establishing the framework for the rest
of the course/text.
2. What are this chapter’s learning objectives?
Who goes to community colleges and the reasons for this choice
What it takes to be a professional student
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What different types of degrees are available
How to make the most of a syllabus
Why developmental courses are important
Why this college success course works
3. How should I launch this chapter?
One effective way to start the semester is to mail a copy of the Entrance Interview and a
color PDF of Chapter 1 from FOCUS on Community College Success with your welcome
letter to students or your institution’s common reading selection over the summer. (Color
PDFs can be ordered from Cengage. See your Cengage sales representative for details.)
Students can mark up the chapter, familiarize themselves with the book’s format, and
arrive at your first class ready to go! And you will get their true initial responses about
what they expect college to be like on the Entrance Interview—before they’ve even
started classes. (The Entrance Interview is also a great tool to generate an initial
discussion during a one-on-one office visit with your individual students.)
Regardless of whether or not you send out chapter one before the term starts, it’s
important to think about what you’ll do on the first day of class. Most instructors are
somewhat nervous—as are students! Perhaps it’s your first time teaching this course, or
you may be a seasoned instructor determined to challenge yourself to do something a
little different this year. Your students may be unusually quiet since they don’t know you
or the other students. Like Darnell Williams in the Chapter 1 FOCUS Challenge Case,
they may not have an identified major and may not be prepared for the rigor of college.
If so, you clearly face a challenge, but there is plenty of evidence that suggests that
student success courses like yours make a positive difference in students’ persistence
toward attaining a degree and in their overall success in college.
FOCUS on Community College Success was designed as a multifaceted, multimodal
learning experience that strives to engage all students through podcasts, mock television
shows, exercises, self-assessments, discussion prompts, reflective tools, and, of course,
the written word.
Here are some pointers about how to get you and your class prepared, comfortable,
engaged, and connected. In this first chapter, as in all chapters, you will focus on helping
students understand the chapter’s content, and more importantly, to apply it, not only in this
course, but in all of their classes. By completing the exercises, reflecting on their responses,
and sharing with others, students will gain insight into themselves. Once insight is gained,
the challenge will be to help students take action. Action can be in the form of a verbal or
written commitment to do something to change their behavior for the good—and then to do
it and report back on the results.
Here are some tips to begin with:
• Do consider sending a “welcome” letter as stated above. This low-tech
approach goes a long way in setting the tone for the rest of the term. The
welcome letter should introduce you as the instructor, remind them of the time,
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location and start date for the class and also inform them about the textbook and
any other required readings. (If you plan to use the text’s online tools such as
quizzes and “FOCUS on Kids” worksheets or “CourseMate,” make sure students
acquire a book that comes with an Access Code to get online. Many Web book
vendors do not provide a version of the text that includes this code.) Additionally,
it is a good idea to stress the importance of being present for the first day of class
and ready to learn. The 2008 release of the Community College Survey of Student
Engagement found that 67% of full-time students stated they spent 10 or fewer
hours preparing for classes in an average week. Furthermore, only 24% of
community college students report that they always come to class prepared.
Help your students understand the importance of preparing for class, even the first
one!
• Don’t allow students to skip the Readiness Check at the beginning of each
chapter. This activity will help students focus on whether they are ready to read
and learn. Students using trial versions of FOCUS reported that Readiness Checks
become a habit, one that they also perform, not just before they begin to read, but
also mentally before class begins. This habit also extends to their other courses,
which is one of the activity’s intentional goals. The chapters end with a Reality
Check that compares students’ expectations at the beginning of the chapter with
the actual experience of reading and responding to the material. The potential
contrast helps students develop a more realistic approach to learning.
• Ask students to complete the FOCUS Sneak Peek Challenge inside the front
cover. Either individually or in small groups, this is a great way to introduce
students to the content in FOCUS and helps them learn the value of previewing
texts. If done with a partner or in small groups, this can be a great first day
activity that will get students talking to each other.
• Before diving into FOCUS, review the Meet the Cast section of the textbook.
This will provide some background for you and your students on the Challenge
Case cast members used in this text. Students will appreciate knowing the cast
and learning where they are from, each cast member’s major, and their toughest
first-year class.
• Make sure students are comfortable with you and with each other by using
Exercise 1.1 “We’d Like to Get to Know You” or some similar activity.
• Make an e-mail distribution list for the class, including your e-mail, so that
students have ways of contacting you and each other. Let students know how and
when they can see or contact you. To help students learn your e-mail address, you
might require them to send you an e-mail describing the most interesting thing
they learned about someone or something in the first class session. You can begin
the next class with a summary of what students sent you. If you are using a course
management system such as Blackboard®, set up a discussion board with the topic
of “Introduce yourself!” and have students post an introduction. Remember to do
one first so students will know what you are looking for. Consider holding your
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normal office hours in places other than your office: the student cafeteria, campus
coffee shop, or library, for example. If you’re willing to interact via social
networking like Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace, or if you are open to accepting
instant messages, text messages, or engage in online chats, let them know that as
well.
• Create a Facebook page for your class. If you elect to send a welcome letter,
include information on the Facebook page before class starts. Students can post
on the class page wall and don’t need to “friend request” you or provide you with
their details unless they want to. This is a great way for students to introduce
themselves and reduces first-day anxiety. This can also serve as a powerful
teaching tool throughout the semester.
• Engage in the activities yourself. If you elect to do Exercise 1.1 “We’d Like to
Get to Know You,” join in. It is important to create a climate for intellectual
curiosity; when students see you participating, they become more motivated to
participate themselves and see you as a student-centered teacher.
• Help students find peer support. For example, in Exercise 1.1 “We’d Like to
Get to Know You,” in addition to having students simply introduce themselves
or a classmate based on information they learn about each other, you can ask them
to find someone who has the exact or similar answer to one of their questions.
This “mate” can become the person they introduce to the class (if they introduce
each other, rather than introducing themselves). A discussion could follow about
commonalities (and differences) among class members. Creating conditions for
social connectivity helps students knowing that they’re “not alone,” which is very
reassuring to new students.
• Have students take one of the self-assessments from the chapter, take the
self-assessment yourself and tell the students your scores. As much as they
want to know about themselves, they also want to know about you. Discuss your
scores as a group, and how all these scores will affect your work together
throughout the course. Making abstract ideas more personal gets students more
involved.
• Consider how you’d like to work with developmental students, firstgeneration
college students and returning adult learners. Developmental
learners face many challenges, both in terms of academics and often, life
situations in general. Your class may contain several students in developmental
courses, or you may have an entire class of developmental learners. The material
in FOCUS on Community College Success can be meaningful for a variety of
learners. Developmental learners can benefit from the FOCUS Challenge Case
about Darnell Williams. One modification for the Reaction section could be to
provide the students with some time to jot down thoughts after you have read the
questions aloud and then have the students join in the discussion. Asking
questions such as “Does it sound like Darnell is ready for college English?” and
“What courses are you in right now that Darnell could benefit from?” can assist in
engaging developmental learners.
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The Developmental Students annotations can be very helpful for bringing
meaning to developmental learners. For example, a discussion of who goes to a
community college (p. 6) can be helpful in illustrating the benefits and diversity
found in a community college setting. Developmental learners may need more inclass
practice with the concepts. For example, prior to discussing the How Full Is
Your Plate? section, it may be helpful to provide students with a seven-day
worksheet to help them see how they spend their weekly allotment of 168 hours.
You can have students refer back to this worksheet and reflection in Chapter 4,
Managing Your Time, Energy and Money.
Peer learning can be a powerful tool in teaching the developmental learner. One
way to incorporate this technique is learning about campus resources.
Developmental students often do not take the initiative to seek out help. Pair
developmental learners with stronger students and send out “Resource Scavenger
Teams” for Exercise 1.3 (p. 19). This is an opportunity to expose developmental
learners to the services they may need. A scavenger hunt for resources can also
take place in an online class or through a learning management system like
Blackboard. Have students use the college’s website to learn about college
resources and policies/rules.
First-generation college students are often overwhelmed about navigating the new
territory of the college environment. The textbook provides several opportunities
for first-generation students to reflect on their own experiences including Box 1.2
(p. 24) and the case study in Chapter 2, Building Dreams, Setting Goals. If your
college has specific resources for first-generation students, be sure to point those
out. During office hours with first-generation students, encourage them to use the
information in Box 1.2 to guide their plan for college success by identifying a true
mentor, etc.
Returning adult learners often have more than their share of anxiety about college.
Fear of failure, or of not being perfect, and thoughts of guilt around leaving loved
ones at home while taking classes are common issues for returning adult learners.
For some, it is the fear of being surrounded by young adults whom they see as
having nothing in common with them.
There are several instructional strategies that can help reduce these fears and
thoughts. For these students (much like developmental learners) it is important to
learn who goes to a community college (p. 6). A variation of this discussion is to
ask students in class the following types of questions:
How many students attend this college?
What do you think the average age is of students at this college?
How many students at this college work?
What percentage are students of color? Single parents? Working full-time?
Before doing this activity, obtain as many answers for your institution as possible.
Offices like Institutional Research and Admissions and Records often have these
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facts available for your use. After students have made some guesses, provide
them with the actual numbers from your school. Were they surprised?
Another way of decreasing anxiety and building rapport for returning adult
learners is a journal assignment asking students to tell their life story: sharing
facts about their family, children, career—past, present and future can be helpful.
This can be done in conjunction with Reason 2: Going Back to School after a
Break (p. 5). For students with small children at home, FOCUS on Kids
worksheets are available on the online FOCUS on Community College Success
Website or CourseMate. Each worksheet is matched to the chapter’s content and
helps to open up conversations with students’ young children about the
importance of learning. Furthermore, these activities can help teach children the
value of focusing!
4. How should I use the FOCUS Challenge Case?
Each chapter begins with a FOCUS Challenge Case about a real student (or a composite
of several students) that depicts a challenging situation college students often face. The
FOCUS Challenge Case is an integral part of the chapter and an excellent way to begin
discussing the chapter’s content. Typically, students can pinpoint another student’s
mistakes and from there begin to consider and compare their own experiences. Case
studies are a non-threatening way to trigger interest and apply each chapter’s content. In
addition, each case study contains visuals created specifically for the case. The visuals
are designed to increase student curiosity in the case and provide clues about the featured
student. Exercise 1.4 in Chapter 1 includes a helpful guide for students on how they can
best use the case studies and gives them the opportunity to write their own story as a case
study (p 25-26).
In Chapter 1, we meet Darnell Williams, an undecided and underprepared community
college student. Darnell did not find high school academically challenging, but by
playing football he was able to maintain minimal interest and graduate. After sitting out
for a year, Darnell has decided to enroll in his hometown community college. After two
weeks Darnell has lost interest in his classes and realizes he is not in the best academic
shape. As Darnell reflects on his experience he begins to blame his high school teachers
for his academic struggles and comes to the realization that “this college thing is going to
be more challenging that I thought.”
You can use this FOCUS Challenge Case to discuss some of the issues Darnell faces.
Undoubtedly, there may be several students in your class who share some of Darnell’s
issues. Case studies provide safe ways that students can “detach” and discuss, listen to
other student’s views of the issues, and identify with parts of the story.
Use the Darnell Williams story to get students to begin opening up and refer back to
Darnell whenever you can. Ask students which of Darnell’s qualities they see in
themselves. Have them answer the “What Do YOU Think?” questions and pair up to
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discuss their responses, or ask students to work through the questions in small groups.
Encourage students to debate their opinions within the group.
Return to Darnell’s story in the Insight section on page 26. This is part of the Challenge
→ Reaction → Insight → Action steps briefly discussed below and introduced to
students in chapter 2. Begin to brainstorm on how Darnell’s English class could turn out.
List the outcomes on the board and then link the problem-oriented outcomes with campus
resources that could help a student in Darnell’s situation. If students have a difficult time
coming up with possible outcomes for Darnell, assign students to write or role-play the
following possible outcomes:
• Direct It! Assign a “scene director” for the Challenge Case. Assign a student
to role-play Darnell and another student to role-play his advisor and another
student to play Professor Monroe. The Director can stop the scene at any
point and redirect the “actors” as well as get input from the
“critics”—the other students in class!
o Scene 1: Darnell works with Professor Monroe to improve his writing
and uses a writing lab and a tutor for assistance.
o Scene 2: Darnell meets with an advisor and after reviewing his high
school grades and placement test results, decides he will withdraw
from this course and take a developmental English course next
semester.
o Scene 3: Darnell meets with Professor Monroe, and she tells him his
essay was one of the best in the class and he should consider a major
in English or journalism—and write about sports.
5. What important features does this chapter include?
Readiness and Reality Checks
At the beginning of each chapter, students complete a Readiness Check and at the
end, they complete a Reality Check. It is important to help students compare their
expectations with their actual experience. Often students succumb to an “optimistic
bias” and hope that something won’t take as much time and effort as it actually will.
“Reality Testing” is a critical aspect of Emotional Intelligence. A writing assignment
or class discussion can be used to share students’ pre and post chapter results.
Challenge → Reaction → Insight → Action steps
Throughout the book, students will be reminded about the learning system used in
every FOCUS chapter: The Challenge → Reaction → Insight → Action (CRIA)
system. Exposure to this four-step learning system begins in chapter 1, however the
actual introduction to the system is found in chapter 2. Keep reminding students
about this learning “chain reaction.” Students need to understand that learning is
different for each individual because it is based on what students already know about
a subject.
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Discuss the Challenge → Reaction “prompts” at the beginning of each chapter to help
students assess what they already know; if they don’t know much about the topic of
the chapter coming up, that’s understandable. That’s why students are in college! If
they know a great deal about what’s coming, they’re in a good position to learn even
more.
Use Insight → Action prompts at the end of each chapter as you think best: as
discussion generators, as threaded discussion questions for the entire class, or as
written or e-mailed journal assignments. Require students to complete the CRIA steps
in each chapter, based on the reading/writing level skills of your group and your
course objectives. These four steps are repeated throughout the text in every chapter.
Whenever appropriate connect students’ discussion to this model.
How full is your plate?
All students can be life-challenged, running from class to class to job to home and
more. Community college students often have additional hurdles to overcome. How
full is your plate? is designed to help students think about life management and how
to make corrections when needed. Consider having your students try the experiment
in this chapter as they examine their peak energy times and how they coincide (or
clash) with their typical study times. Another excellent way of helping students gain
awareness to time management is to show the FOCUS TV segment on
Procrastination, available on the FOCUS CourseMate or via the FOCUSPoints
slideshow for this chapter.
6. Which in-text exercises should I use?
Four exercises are built into this chapter. Here are descriptions of why the exercises have
been included, how much time each one will probably take, and how you might debrief
them.
EXERCISE 1.1 WE’D LIKE TO GET TO KNOW YOU (P. 6)
Why do this activity?
This activity helps to create a classroom climate where students know each other, feel
comfortable and included, and become willing to get involved.
What are the challenges and what can you expect?
This is a relatively easy activity and students enjoy getting out of their seats and
interacting. Students should fill out the exercise, and then it can become the basis for
classroom introductions.
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How much time will it take?
It should take between 20-25 minutes, and the only materials needed are the students’
textbooks.
How should I debrief?
It’s a good idea to ask students the following question when they are done: Did they learn
anything that surprised them? For example, someone might say that they were surprised
to learn that “X” was working full time. Or that “Y” was a returning student, or that “Z”
was commuting from a distance. If no one volunteers, be sure that you include something
that surprised you. Conclude by talking about why it’s important to build a community of
learners at the start of the term.
EXERCISE 1.2 WHY DO I HAVE TO TAKE THIS CLASS? (P. 11)
Why do this activity?
This activity helps students identify the importance of working with an academic advisor
to create an academic roadmap for their future. One reason given for not persisting in
higher education is the absence of an academic plan. This activity helps students see how
everything fits together and provides a visual reminder of what’s next.
What are the challenges and what can you expect?
It’s important that this first “homework” assignment be turned in, showing students that
you expect them to do assignments and that you will hold them accountable. Students
quickly pick up on the classroom climate, and if they are assigned an activity that does
not have an accountability component; they may conclude that some assignments in the
course can be written off as “busywork.” If your college does not have degree plan
worksheets available, you may need to create or modify one from another institution. See
www3.austincc.edu/catalog/fy2008/deggens01.rtf or http://web.grcc.edu/counseling/2010/AAMACRAOfall2010.
How much time will it take?
This will vary depending on the advising resources at your college and how many
students are in your class. The completion of this assignment can have long-term value
for the student. You may want the student to meet with an advisor to assist in
completion. An alternative would be to have students use the college catalog to assist in
completing the academic plan. Consult with your advising center about lead time
required for students to meet with an advisor or the possibility of inviting an advisor in
class to assist students with this activity.
How should I debrief?
Ask individual students to share their plans when complete. Encourage students (like
Darnell) who are undecided to concentrate on general education courses while also
examining other courses that may serve as introductory courses to majors of which they
have interest. This can be a good place for discussing the importance of prerequisites and
taking developmental courses. Also, remind students that their plans may change if they
change their major (or choose a major) and that it is normal to make adjustments to this
plan.
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EXERCISE 1.3 TOP TEN RESOURCES YOUR CAMPUS OFFERS (P. 19)
Why do this activity?
This activity is designed to help students to get know their campus and the resources
available to them.
What are the challenges and what can I expect?
This activity can be done in several ways and has different challenges depending on the
approach used. One way of doing this activity is to have students bring in college
catalogs or handbooks that list the services available and work in groups or individually.
Another approach is to treat it as a campus scavenger hunt. Send students out in teams to
identify the service, its location and other relevant information. Make sure that the
potential departments students will visit are given a heads-up that students will be coming
in with questions! This assignment can also be assigned to an online class using a
college’s website as their resource for learning about college resources. Students can
work in teams online or individually.
How much time will it take?
This exercise can be done in as little as 20 minutes or extend to one hour depending on
the method used, the size of the class and the size of your campus.
How should I debrief?
Students really benefit from learning about the services on campus. Ask that individuals
or teams report out their findings. It may be helpful to list the resources on the board;
there will be overlap, but that is expected. You might offer a prize to the individual or
group that gets the most unduplicated resources.
EXERCISE 1.4 WRITE YOUR OWN CASE STUDY (P. 25)
Why do this activity?
This activity is designed to help students understand how to make the most of using case
study analysis to learn both in this textbook and in future classes. This assignment helps
to develop critical thinking skills.
What are the challenges and what can I expect?
This activity can be done in several ways and has different challenges depending on how
the assignment is given. Students can write their two page case study based on their own
educational journey in class or as a homework assignment using a learning management
system journaling component, for example. Students may be asked to swap during the
first class to reflect on their classmates’ case studies or bring the assignment back to a
future class for review and reflection. In addition, an instructor can ask students to hold
on to their own personal case studies for review at the end of the semester as a way to
think about the progress made or learning accomplished.
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How much time will it take?
This exercise can be done in as little as 30 minutes or extend to multiple class periods
depending on how the assignment is utilized. The assignment can also span the entire
length of the class if students are asked to reflect back on their case study at the
conclusion of the term.
How should I debrief?
Students could take a moment in class to write about their experiences of creating a case
study from their own experiences. Additionally, students who swap case studies could
share in class the experience of reading someone else’s case study and their own takeaways.
Returning to this assignment at the conclusion of the class provides the instructor
and students an opportunity to reflect as a group on what has been accomplished in the
course.
FOCUS on Community College Success 13
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7. Which additional exercises might enrich students’ learning?
Getting to Know You
Class activity
Materials needed: flip-chart paper, markers, masking tape
Time: 30-50 minutes
Goal: To help students to get to know each other and create a comfortable
classroom environment
Students circulate around the room and write on sheets of posted flip chart paper with the
same headings as in Exercise 1.1. For example, one sheet of paper would have the
heading “I’m happiest when…” and students would add their responses to that paper.
Then you may post individual students beside each list and read the lists to the entire
class after everyone has had a chance to post all their responses.
Meeting One Another
Class Activity
Materials needed: paper, markers
Time: 20-30 minutes
Goal: To encourage students to get to know one another, create a classroom
community, and begin thinking about the goals of this course.
Have students fold their piece of paper into a table tent that will stand on their desk. Give
students five minutes to write their first name on their table tent and draw the end goal
they have as a result of attending college (some students might draw a picture of a nurse
or a diploma for example). After they complete their table tent, pair students up
randomly. In their pairs, students would share their name, their goal after college, and
three things they know they need to be successful in meeting their goal. Have each
student introduce their partner. As they are introducing one another, the instructor can
write on the board themes that arise. For example, students might say they need to get to
class on time or study more, etc. At the end of the activity, instructors can connect these
themes to those learning outcomes for the class.
Finding FOCUS
Class activity
Materials needed: index cards
Time: 10-15 minutes
Goal: To help students discover ways of overcoming common student problems
Hand students cards that state something that might cause a student to lose focus in
school. Cards may include items such as these: your car broke down, your grandmother is
ill, your expenses exceed what you expected, your babysitter’s last day is Friday, and so
forth. Depending on the size and composition of the class, make as many cards as you
need. Ask students to hold up cards that cause students to lose focus, but situations they
can change and refocus. Ask them how the hypothetical student can re-focus. Sometimes
students will say that they couldn’t change a situation, but with foresight and planning,
they actually could. This assignment could be done as a follow up or precursor to having
students complete Exercise 1.4.
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Think/Pair/Share
Class activity
Materials needed: none
Time: 10-20 minutes
Goal: To get students discussing, involved, and engaged with the course material
Sometimes it’s difficult to get a discussion going in class. This think/pair/share activity
provides a mechanism for all students to get involved and can be used for any topic.
• Think individually about why the information is important, how it connects to
student success, and why it was included in the text. You may wish to have them
jot down their ideas. (3-5 minutes)
• Pair up with the student next to them and discuss their responses. The pair will
then decide on one or two issues to bring up to the group (3-5 minutes).
• Share with the class their responses, and as a group the class will discuss some
common themes. (5-10 minutes).
“Trading Places” by Staley, C. (2003) originally based on “Trading Places” in
Silberman, M. (1995).
Class activity
Materials needed: pad of sticky notes
Time: 10-20 minutes
Goal: To help students identify a positive quality, characteristic or experience that
that they have that Darnell may or may not have
Ask each student to write a positive characteristic or descriptive word about themselves
on a sticky note and put it on the front of their shirts. Next, students are to walk around
the room “hawking” their characteristics, and trading with others to gain something that
they may not have. At the conclusion of the activity, have students discuss why they
chose particular attributes, or traded them, and whether or not Darnell appears to display
these. Discuss the impact of these attributes on college success.
I am SUCCESS
Class activity
Materials needed: flip-chart paper, markers, and dictionaries
Time: 20-25 minutes
Goal: To assist students in building a positive self image as a college student
Give each student a piece of paper and a marker. Ask them to think about positive words
that either describes them now or how they want to be described in the future. These
words should spell SUCCESS. At the top of the paper ask students to write: I am
SUCCESS. Below that along the left side they should write I am __________ six times.
The seventh line should end in I am SUCCESSFUL. For example a student might write:
I am SUCCESS
I am Strong
I am Unafraid
I am Courageous
I am Connected
I am Enthusiastic
I am Structured
I am SUCCESSFUL
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Ask students to share their statements with the class by starting with I am SUCCESS and
ending with I am SUCCESSFUL. Dictionaries can be helpful, especially with the letter U!
Some positive U words include unabashed, unafraid, unbreakable, unwavering, and
undefeated.
8. What other activities can I incorporate to make the chapter my own?
In many ways, FOCUS on Community College Success teaches itself. It contains built-in
activities, discussion and reflection tools, and a variety of features to motivate and engage
students. Beyond what appears in the student edition, the instructor’s version of the text is
annotated. The annotations in each chapter provide helpful background information for
you and contain a variety of suggestions for five ways to enrich the chapter. Separating
the annotations into five categories helps save you time because you can scan for what
you need as an instructor:
1) Teachable Moments (places to capitalize on a particular learning opportunity)
2) Activity Options (additional exercises to introduce or emphasize content)
3) Sensitive Situations (alerts about in-class discussion topics that may generate
possible controversy, embarrassment, or discomfort among certain students)
4) Emotional Intelligence (EI) Emphasis/Research (research on EI that reinforces
a tie between non-cognitive variables and college success, starting in chapter 2)
5) Developmental Students (provides insight and suggestions to working with
students who may be enrolled in developmental education courses)
6) Teaching with Technology (suggests ways to use youtubes, teachertubes, or
other technical or online resources to enrich learning)
If you are familiar with additional research about teaching and learning, capitalize on what
you know in addition to what appears in this Instructor’s Resource Manual; tailor the class
to complement your personal expertise. For example, research indicates that instructors
have a short window of time to actively engage students in learning. If students are not
engaged early on, it may be impossible to reverse the situation. The more engaged students
are, the more likely they will be to remember and apply what they learn.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 4): This activity helps students to understand the differences
between high school and college and subsequently the modifications that may need to be
made. Have students brainstorm the differences between high school and college. If
some of your students have been out of high school for a number of years or did not
finish high school, simply change the activity to include the differences between work
and college. Ask a volunteer to keep track on the board. Once the list is complete, ask
the class to select five major differences and what adjustments they will need to make in
order to be successful.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 5): Give students an index card and have them list their
gender, ethnicity, background, age, occupation, talents, awards, or anything that might be
unique to them. They should not add their names to the cards. Read the cards out loud.
Ask a student volunteer to record on the board the commonalities in the group. Ask a
second volunteer to record the differences. Are your students surprised by the diversity?
Are they surprised to find they are not alone in the class?
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ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 5): Divide the students into groups. Present them with this
scenario: Your friend Tom is very shy. He comes to classes for two weeks. He feels
that he has been misplaced in three of his four classes. Has done some homework
assignments, but honestly, he does not feel they were done correctly. He things he should
just stop coming to his classes and maybe try again some other time. Ask students to
think about Tom’s problem and decide what advice to give him. Have each group share
responses with the class. Did the responses of the class have anything in common?
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 6): Be sure that you do Exercise 1.1 along with your students.
They want to get to know you. Use this time to help students bond and learn more about
each other.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 7): Depending on the resources available at your college,
schedule a visit to the career center and/or advising center to learn more about careers
and the types of degrees needed for particular careers. If this is not possible, consider
asking an advisor/counselor to present to your class on the programs offered at your
college and the differences between certificates and associate’s degrees.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 10): As an extra-credit assignment, have students who will be
transferring visit their advisor and get a transfer agreement or go online to research which
courses will transfer to their desired transfer school. Student could also call or visit their
desired transfer schools to learn this information.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 12): Have students make an appointment with an advisor. If
advisors are not assigned, stress the advantages of building a relationship with a specific
advisor or instructor. Pass out index cards after students have met with an advisor, and
ask students to list their name, the name of their advisor, and three things they learned.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 14): Divide students into groups. Make up a handout listing
several sample students’ grades. List the course, its credit hours, and grade. Have each
group figure the students’ GPAs. Then have the groups compare answers.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 17): Have students refer to the syllabus for this course and
highlight the following information: title, instructor, e-mail, office phone, office hours,
course description, prerequisites, textbooks, attendance policy, grading policy.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 20): Create index cards with one campus resource on each
card. Divide the class into two groups for an in-class contest. Hold up a card, and the first
group to buzz (they can use cell phones in class!) gets a chance to tell its location and
purpose. The team that wins gets a prize.
ACTIVITY OPTION (p. 21): Pass out an index card to each student. Have students
write down the names of two careers, one on the front and one on the back. Have them go
online and research those careers to find and list the amount of education needed, the
starting salary, and the future job outlook.
FOCUS on Community College Success 17
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9. What homework might I assign?
Getting Involved
After reading about the PCP Syndrome (p. 17) assign students to sample the activities
offered at your college. This can vary from attending a student club meeting to attending
a concert offered on campus. Inform students where they can learn about student
organizations as well as campus events. Ask them to choose one club or event to attend
and write a brief summary of the meeting or event. Have them include not only the event
and date but ask them to write about what they learned, what surprised them, and what
they would do differently if they did the assignment over.
Jumpstart on Time Management
If you have bundled a Semester Planner with this text (see your Cengage sales
representative) or if you have required students to have a planner, assign students to
transfer important class deadlines and assignments from your syllabus to their planner or
a planner of their choosing if one is not available (this could include online calendars,
phone calendars, etc.). This assignment can help students manage their time as well as
their non-college priorities. Ask that students complete the activity on page 12,
“Sharpen Your Focus” before getting started on this assignment.
Getting Connected
A major factor in college retention is whether or not students feel connected to something
or someone on campus. Ask students to select one of their instructors or an academic
adviser and schedule an appointment with him/her. Brainstorm with the class the
information they will need to gather from theirappointment. It could be information such
as where did you go to college, what was difficult for you, did you play sports, etc.
Assign this activity and require students to complete a brief report with the answers, and
ask students to present this report in class.
Journal Entry Options
One: Have students write a one-page journal entry, or send you an e-mail reflecting on
the Readiness Check. You might prompt students by asking them to choose the three
questions they responded to with the lowest numbers and how these questions relate to
success in college. Ask students to explain if they have any control over their ability to
improve their score on these items and to discuss why or why not.
Two: Have students write a one-page journal entry or send you an e-mail describing their
plan for becoming a “professional student.” What transformations will they encounter?
What will be the result at the end of the term? How is this different from being a student
in high school?
Three: Ask students to write a journal entry comparing their original response to the
FOCUS Challenge Case about Darnell Williams, “What Do YOU Think?” with their
final impression after reading the chapter to the “NOW What Do You Think?” section.
Four: Use the Insight → Action prompts as journal or blog assignments.
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Five: Ask students to write a journal entry identifying three challenges, worries or
concerns they have as they start this course and their journey as a college student. For
each challenge, have students identify two resources they can use to help them meet that
challenge and be successful. This assignment could serve as a foundation of a plan for
success which they could refer back to in subsequent chapters.
10. What have I learned in teaching this chapter that I will incorporate
next time?
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FOCUS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE SUCCESS
TEST BANK
Updated by Meg Foster, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College
FOCUS on Community College Success 167
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CHAPTER 1: GETTING THE RIGHT START
1. According to FOCUS, people generally attend community college:
A. because it is easier
B. to improve their skills or gain new skills
C. to be with friends
D. when they don’t know what they want to major in
2. One of your classmates tells you they aren’t sure what career they want to pursue. You
advise them to:
A. Read through the rest of their FOCUS textbook for the answers.
B. Study what you are studying.
C. Talk to their parents.
D. Go to the college’s career center and talk with their instructors and advisers.
3. Students seeking a degree at a community college generally have two choices:
A. one with a career focus and one with a transfer focus
B. one focusing on study skills and one focusing on careers
C. one without a career focus and one with a focus on skills
D. none of these
4. To maintain focus, successful students:
A. Do school work any time of day or night.
B. Complete school work at the last possible moment.
C. Find the right time of day when most energized to complete school work.
D. None of these.
5. Engaged students are most likely to:
A. skip classes when an emergency arises
B. complain to the Dean when there is a problem
C. be tuned in and soak up everything the class has to offer
D. be angry when things don’t go their way
6. The purpose of core classes is to provide students with:
A. an understanding of their chosen profession
B. an understanding of themselves
C. elective courses
D. an opportunity to become a more knowledgeable person
7. To make the best transition to college, first-generation college students should:
A. Find a mentor in fellow student who is not a first-generation college student.
B. Communicate with their family about their college experience.
C. Drop classes or scale back if college is just too much.
D. Not get involved – you don’t want to be overwhelmed.
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8. Which of the following are examples of planning ahead for meeting with an advisor?
A. dropping in to see if your advisor can talk to you
B. waiting until the term is over and it’s time to choose new classes before seeing your
advisor
C. making an appointment and having a prepared list of questions
D. asking other students for advice on classes
9. Before dropping a class, you should first speak with:
A. the instructor
B. the health education office
C. a student in the class
D. the Dean
10. When should you skip a prerequisite?
A. if you feel you have a good understanding of the material
B. never
C. if it will delay graduation
D. if other students have done it
11. Being successful involves:
A. Identifying why you came to college.
B. Setting out to do something that means something to you.
C. Being fully engaged in the pursuit of a goal.
D. All of these.
12. The formula for calculating GPA is:
A. GPA=Final Grade ÷Total Number of Classes
B. GPA=Total Number of Credits ÷Total Number of Classes
C. GPA=Grade Point Value ÷Total Number of Credits
D. none of these
13. In one study cited in this chapter, ____% of community college students required one
or more remedial courses:
A. 90
B. 85
C. 55
D. 35
14. The syllabus can be thought of as:
A. a preview of what to expect
B. a contract between you and your instructor
C. a summary of all the assignments
D. all of these
FOCUS on Community College Success 169
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15. Which of the following are examples of avoiding the PCP Syndrome?
A. bunching your classes together so you can get them out of the way on as few days as
possible
B. going to work right after class
C. going to the grocery store right after class
D. getting involved in Student Government on your campus
16. Demonstrating academic professionalism requires you to:
A. Prioritize college at the top of your to do list and dedicate the time to be successful.
B. Check your email regularly and act respectfully.
C. Familiarize yourself with the college’s rules.
D. All of these
17. Which of the following is not a benefit of going to college?
A. higher earning potential
B. wisdom
C. lifelong learning
D. higher unemployment rates
18. According to the text, success courses like this one help students to:
A. earn more money
B. have more friends
C. stay in school and be successful
D. avoid transferring to a university
19. Risk factors for college success are:
A. predictors not determiners
B. determiners not predictors
C. reality not fiction
D. outcomes not precursors
20. A community college classmate of yours failed his first math exam. Which one of the
following should he do?
A. use the tutoring services available on your campus
B. ask you for advice since you’re good at math
C. figure things out on his own; it will make him stronger
D. drop the course without talking to his adviser or instructor
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Chapter 1
Answer Key
1. B
2. D
3. A
4. C
5. C
6. D
7. B
8. C
9. A
10. B
11. D
12. C
13. B
14. D
15. D
16. D
17. D
18. C
19. A
20. A
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