Facilitator’s Guide for Foundations of Learning

The Environment of College and Higher Education

Chapter 1 – Making the Transition to College

Chapter 2 – College and Higher Education

Being a Student in College

Chapter 3 – The Role of a College Student

Chapter 4 – Creating a Life Vision Portfolio

Foundation Processes in College

Chapter 5 – Improving Your Learning Skills

Chapter 6 – Information Literacy and Study Skills

Chapter 7 – Reading Skills

Chapter 8 – Writing Skills

Key Skills Areas to Develop

Chapter 9 – Utilizing Tools and Technology

Chapter 10 – Personal Development

Chapter 11 – Relating and Working with Others

Chapter 12 – Problem Solving Skills

Chapter 13 – Assessment and Evaluations Skills

Chapter One – Making the Transition to College

The main point of Chapter One is for students to acknowledge that they are in the process of making an important transition in their lives and that this course will help them make that transition. The distinction between college and high school (or the workplace with adult learners) is an important one to make. The chapter identifies useful tools and discusses attitudes that will facilitate the transition to college and contribute to academic success. Students must realize the increased responsibilities they have in college and at the same time accept accountability for their actions and behaviors.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Students will:

  1. understand that entering college represents a time of transition and be aware of what that means.
  2. become familiar with a variety of learning tools that they should utilize during college.
  3. identify new responsibilities and challenges they are likely to face while in college.
  4. come to a clear understanding that they alone are ultimately responsible for their success (or lack of it) in college.
  5. be able to identify threats and opportunities associated with college.

Chapter Overview

Main Sections

What is a Transition?

Increased Responsibility

Accepting Accountability and Degree Completion Rates

Possible Threats and Opportunities Resulting from Your Transition to College

Leverage Your Past to Optimize Your Future

Tools for Success

Why Students Go to College

Ten Tips for Students Entering College

Discussion Questions

Tables

1.1Responsibilities and ChallengesFacingCollege Students

1.2ActivitiesCollege Freshman Engaged in During the Past Year

1.3Degree Completion Rates

1.4Threats and Opportunities Resulting from a Transition to College

1.5Student Learning Tools

1.6Reasons Noted as Very Important in Deciding to Go to College

1.7Ten Tips for Students Entering College

Other items

Page 1– List of 10 important issues students should know about college.

Page 7– Poem: The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Chapter One Summary

Sections / Main Points
What is a Transition? /
  • Defines the term transition.
  • To be a successful student, you must be able to make adjustments and transitions in different contexts and situations.
  • Ten issues students should know about college.

Increased Responsibility /
  • Defines what it means to be responsible.
  • Makes the connection between handling responsibilities and personal growth.
  • Includes a note to non-traditional students.

Accepting Accountability and Degree Completion /
  • Retention data shows less than 50% of entering students get a degree.
  • Commitment to oneself is key issue with respect to completing a degree.
  • Ultimate accountability is with each individual student.

Leverage Your Past to Optimize Your Future /
  • Use your past as a foundation to build a strong future. Affirm who you are.
  • Focus on viewing the transition to college in terms of opportunities (rather than as threats).
  • Your future is determined by the choices you make.

Tools for Success /
  • Defines what is meant by the term tools.
  • Identifies those tools that will help students successfully matriculate and graduate.

Why Students Go to College /
  • Most students indicate they come to get a better job and make more money.
  • Ten tips found in Table 1.7 support putting academics first and taking responsibility for your actions.
  • Four Discussion Questions get students to think about key chapter issues.

Key Points to Emphasize from Chapter One

1.College is different from high school and the workplace. Emphasize the items listed at the bottom of page 1. Issues listed on the page include: more freedom, increased responsibilities, more choices, time management is important, more course work, more reading, faster pace, greater diversity, and higher instructor expectations.

2.Successful students will make use of many of the tools listed in Table 1.5. The tools include: learning assessment journals, methodologies, study groups, self assessment papers, peer assessments, life vision plans, peer tutoring, the Internet, software programs, mentors, interactive learning systems, and undergraduate research.

  1. Being at college involves increased responsibilities and challenges. Table 1.1 lists 24 responsibilities and challenges. Specific items in the table pertain to self management, social behavior, learning situations, wellness issues, and affective issues.
  1. You and you alone are ultimately responsible for your performance in college. The degree completion facts in Table 1.3 are not encouraging (less than 50% of entering freshman ever get a bachelor’s degree). However, you are in control of your education and learning and thus control your outcome with respect to graduation.
  1. With every threat or loss during a transition, there is usually some opportunity for gain and benefit. Table 1.4 on page 6 identifies situations with respect to family, friends, personal relationships, accomplishments, and environment that show both sides of a situation.

Vocabulary

Transition – an act, process, or instance of changing from one state, form, activity, or place to another.

Tools – devices, implements, instruments, or utensils that serve as resources to accomplish tasks. (Only with the proper tools can you turn these issues and challenges into opportunities and make the transitions necessary to be successful in college and in life.)

Being responsible – to think and act rationally, and to be accountable for one’s behavior, including readily assuming obligations and duties. (As a college student, you are now in a position where you must face new responsibilities.)

Matriculation – enrolling in college and starting toward a college degree.

Review Questions

Level 1

  1. What is a transition?

Answer: A transition is an act, process, or instance of changing from one state, form, activity, or place to another.

  1. What are five examples of how college is different from high school?
    Answer:(see list at the bottom of page 1)
  2. What are five learning tools students can use to help them be successful in college?
    Answer: (see Table 1.5 on page 8)
  3. What are five examples of new challenges and responsibilities students face when they enter college? Answer: (see Table 1.1 on page 2)
  4. According to the survey of more than 250,000 freshman noted in Chapter One, what are top three reasons cited by students for deciding to go to college?
    Answer: 1. Get a better job. 2. Make more money. 3. Gain an education.
  1. According to the Ten Tips for StudentsEnteringCollege, what should be your first and foremost focus as a student? (a) part-time job (b) athletics (c) academics (d) getting along with your roommates Answer: (c) academics
  1. According to the table of Degree Completion Rates, what percentage of all students received a degree within fours? (a) 30% (b) 40% (c) 50% (d) 60%
    Answer: 40%

1

Level 2

1.How is college different from your previous experience?

Look to see if students identify items from page 1 or responsibilities from Table 1.1 on page 2.

2.Why is it important to make use of tools such as those listed in Table 1.5? Use examples in your answer.

Sample answer: Just as a carpenter or plumber’s tools allow them to perform in a more effective and efficient manner, the same is true for students performing in college with respect to various student learning tools. The following tools all enhance learning in their own way: a life vision provides direction for learning; journals help to document progress in learning; study groups and peer tutoring allow for sharing, teaching, and exchange of ideas among peers, software tools enhance productivity and the Internet provides access information for learning; mentors provide guidance and assist with personal growth in learning skills.

3.Which five responsibilities and challenges from Table 1.1 do you feel are most relevant to you? Why?

Answers to this question will provide helpful information for mentoring the growth and development of students in the course.

4.How can the transition to college be viewed as both a threat and an opportunity with respect to a situation with family, friends or a personal relationship? Use an example in your answer.

Sample answer: The same situation viewed by two difference people can be interpreted as a threat by one and an opportunity by the other. It is all a matter of attitude and how you look at things (i.e., is the glass half empty or half full?).

5.Which tips from Table 1.7 will be most easy and most difficult for you to implement?

Again, answers to this question will be helpful for mentoring students.

Level 3

1.Do you agree or disagree with the statement that “you and you alone are accountable for whether or not you graduate with a degree?” Explain the reasons for your answer.

Answers to this question will provide you with insights into how much students believe in taking
accountability for their own actions and performance.

2.What are three important transitions you will experience as a college student? Discuss how you plan to deal (or are currently dealing) with each transition.

3.What is your interpretation of the following statement? “The first year at college is a real problem and a real opportunity.”

4.What is the significance of responsibility and accountability during your transition to college life? How are they connected?

Chapter One Activities

Activity 1.1 – Building Learning Communities

This activity helps students get to know their classmates and start the process of building teams. Students also have the opportunity to share educational goals with each other.

Activity 1.2 – Analyzing a Course Syllabus

This activity gets students to critically exam and read a course syllabus. Students don’t understand this resource and typically under-utilize it. The performance criteria for this activity require students to formulate inquiry questions (which will be addressed in a consulting session) about the course and develop a plan of action for meeting their goals for the course.

Activity 1.3 – The Terminology of College

This activity helps students gain familiarity with the terminology of college and higher education. By building a glossary and using new terms, students become less intimidated by their new environment and are better able to make the transition to college. The plan for the activity requires students to generate possible quiz or exam questions which can be compiled into a class terminology exam.

Activity Facilitation Plans

Activity 1.2 – Analyzing a Course Syllabus

This activity helps students to better understand and use an important course resource, the syllabus. For many students, they read the syllabus quickly the first day of class and then make little or no use it thereafter. This activity requires students to look through and answer questions the course syllabus and what it contains. Then students must use the information in the syllabus to put together a plan of action that will help them accomplish their goals for the course.

Objectives for the Activity

The objectives for this activity are for students to:

  • understand the purpose and contents of a well-written course syllabus.
  • better understand what to expect from the course and clear up any questions they may have.
  • put together a plan of action that will help them achieve their goals for course.

Key Aspects of the Activity to Review

The critical piece of information for this activity is a well-written syllabus for the course.

At the very least, the syllabus should contain specific information with respect to the following aspects of the course: objectives and expected outcomes, prerequisites (background knowledge, required skills, qualities, or attitudes), the main topics to be covered, the resources that will be used, and how the grade for the course will be determined. Other syllabus considerations include your philosophy of education and the resulting manner in which the course will be taught, and criteria and measures to accompany each course objective.

Notice that the first performance criterion requires students to produce a set of inquiry questions. Be ready to facilitate a consulting session you conduct which addresses the questions students raise about the course.

The second performance criterion requires students to put together a plan of action. You may wish to have some examples for each of the measures ready to help students with their own plans; examples of clear attainable goals, tasks and hourly efforts, and sample priorities for success. Students should work on their plans after answering the Critical Thinking Questions and the class consulting session.

Possible additional resources:

You may wish to provide syllabi from other courses or ask students to bring syllabi from other courses they are currently taking. This would allow for some comparison and contrast.

Teaching Techniques

While this activity could be given as an individual activity for homework, the resulting dialog with team members when answering the Critical Thinking Questions can be especially beneficial for students. The plans of action, however, could be done individually. In general, the majority of the activity works well in teams of three or four.

Pre-assessment

To help students get prepared for this activity, they should carefully read the syllabus for the course and write down any questions about the course that remain unanswered after reading.

Set-up

Share with students the general nature and purpose for a course syllabus; that it involves an understood agreement between instructor and student about what is expected, the processes utilized in the course, and how students will be evaluated. This is also an opportunity for you to share your perspective or feelings about the course. You may wish to share your educational philosophy and the resulting learning environment for the course. Be careful not to “cover” too much of the syllabus at this time; you want students to process this on their own.

Allow 5-10 minutes at the beginning of class for your set-up (in the form of a lecture, sharing, interactive lecture or another means of your choice).

Activity time

After this initial set-up period, students should work in teams of three or four using the roles of captain, recorder, reflector, and spokesperson (teams of three, recorder is also the spokesperson).

Allow approximately 20 minutes for the teams to work through the Critical Thinking Questions.

Facilitating during the Activity

  • Listen to the discussions and observe the recorder’s response to the Critical Thinking Questions.
  • Challenge responses when you feel the quality of responses is not high.
  • Slow down teams who are racing through the questions.
  • Encourage team captains to get input from all team members.
  • Speed up teams that are getting bogged down with a question; you want to try and make sure that all teams get to questions 5 & 6.

Closure

Allow 10-15 minutes for the Consulting Session to collect and address student inquiry questions.

Students should next work on completing a plan of action for the course (performance criterion #2). Note: for 50-minute class periods, this can be given as a homework assignment.

Assessment

Self-assess the team’s performance during the activity. The reflector’s report is the key source of information (can be done collectively by the team). The reflector’s report should make note of team performance with respect to the skills of interpreting and questioning.

You may wish to provide a SII assessment of team performance with respect to answering and discussing the key Critical Thinking Questions.

Evaluation

The “plan of action for the course” is an item that can be added to a student’s portfolio which will be evaluated at the end of the course.

Critical Thinking Questions

1.What are the main sections of the syllabus?
While each faculty member’s syllabus will be different, the following are some possible sections to a syllabus: Instructor contact information, required text and resources, evaluation system, course description, course objectives and measures, class schedule, policies and expectations, and an assessment system.

2.What are all the resources that you will use in this course?
These should be easily identified from the syllabus.

3.What are the prerequisites?
These should be easily identified from the syllabus.

4.Of the main topics, which ones are of most interest to you?
Review students’ responses to this question to get an indication of their interests.

5.How will your grade be determined?
This should be clearly identified from the syllabus.