Student Success/Introduction

This lesson introduces the student success / college success course. In this lesson you will learn about the course, the course environment, your own values, and available student support services.

Students welcoming you to college

Personal identity

Types of students

Defining success

Objectives and Skills

Objectives and skills for this lesson include:

• Identify personal values and align them with educational goals
• Identify similarities and differences among different types of students compared to yourself
• Describe characteristics of successful students
• Identify differences in types of classes within your degree plan, such as electives and core requirements
• Explain how to access individual course policies and college-wide policies
• Identify major college resources and how to use them when needed

Readings

1. Lumen: College Success - Introduction to College Success
2. Lumen: College Success - Personal Identity
3. Lumen: College Success - Types of Students
4. Lumen: College Success - College Overview
5. Lumen: College Success - Defining Success
6. Wikipedia: Learning management system

Multimedia

1. YouTube: One of the BEST Motivational Videos I've ever seen!
2. YouTube: Seminar discussion: problems of the transition from school to university
3. YouTube: Non-Traditional Students at W&M
4. YouTube: Why YOU Should Study Abroad
5. YouTube: Choosing Your Electives
6. YouTube: How Do YOU Define Success?

Activities

1. Practice using your college's Learning Management System.
   • Introduce yourself to your classmates and your instructor.
   • Locate help links and review available support options.
   • Navigate through lesson content.
   • Participate in discussions.
   • Submit assignments.
   • Edit blogs, journals, or wikis.
   • Take quizzes and exams.
   • View your grades.
2. Review the college catalog.
   • Access your college's academic catalog and review the student handbook. Pay particular attention to available student resources.
   • Review college programs and requirements. If you already have a college major in mind, review the requirements for your major. Are the courses you are currently registered for listed as requirements or electives for this major?
3. Review the course syllabus.
   • The syllabus is your contract for the course. Review the syllabus carefully.
   • Complete all introductory activities listed in the syllabus.
4. Identify your personal values and share your story.
   • Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Personal Identity.
   • Review The InSite: Values Clarification Questionnaires.
   • Complete both values questionnaires.
   • Consider your results. Which results confirmed what you already knew? Which results surprised you?
   • Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Why Are You In College?.
   • Share with classmates why you are in college this semester.
5. Identify available student services.
   • If you haven't already, contact your college's Center for New Students and find out what resources are available for new students.
   • Locate technical support contact information (Help Desk, Student Service Desk, etc.). Contact technical support for any issues connecting with or using the LMS.
   • Review Lumen: College Success - Assignment: Campus Resources Scavenger Hunt.
   • Identify and document additional campus resources. These may be either in-person or online resources. Note the name, purpose, and location or link for each resource.
6. Complete a campus scavenger hunt.
   • Review GooseChase: College and University Campus Orientation Scavenger Hunt Ideas.
   • If you are an on-campus student, take a walk around campus and see how many of the listed locations and items you can find. Take pictures to document your hunt.
   • If you are an online student, visit the college website and see how many of the listed resources you can find. Keep track of page links to document your hunt.
7. Blog / Journal / Wiki
   • Create a blog, journal, or wiki page summarizing your experience this week. Include a list of resources and links or contact information for each resource.

Lesson Summary

Introduction

This course helps you prepare to succeed in college, including:

• Shaping your new college identity
• Managing your time wisely
• Interacting with others
• Studying effectively
• Thinking and learning deeply
• Maintaining your health
• Managing your finances
• Moving into a fulfilling and viable career

Personal Identity

• Your personal values are your core beliefs and guiding principles.
• Your personal values and interests can and do change as you get older.
• Research has shown that students who get involved in career-planning activities stay in college longer, graduate on time, improve their academic performance, tend to be more goal focused and motivated, and have a more satisfying and fulfilling college experience.
• College life differs from high school in many ways based around personal choice and personal responsibility.

Types of Students

Colleges have a diverse student body with different backgrounds and needs. Categories include:

• Traditional Students
• Nontraditional Students
• International Students and/or Nonnative Speakers of English
• First-Generation College Students
• Students with Disabilities
• Working Students
• Commuter Students

Successful students share common characteristics, including:

• Priorities
• Time management
• Planning
• Active learning
• Self understanding
• Self care

College Overview

Course formats include:

• Lecture
• Laboratory
• Seminar
• Studio
• Workshop
• Independent Study
• Study Abroad

Course delivery mode formats include:

• Face-to-face / traditional
• Web enhanced
• Hybrid / blended
• Online

Degree requirements include:

• Core coures
• Courses required for your major
• Elective courses

You can expect your college to have policies and code specifications about academic standards, admissions, enrollment, tuition and fees, student classifications, degree types, degree requirements, transfer agreements, advising, course scheduling, majors, minors, credits, syllabi, exams, grade-point averages, academic warnings, scholarships, faculty affairs, research, rights and responsibilities, and honors and distinctions. These are typically outlined in the college catalog.

Course-specific policies are outlined in the syllabus and can affect your grades on individual assignments as well as your final grade.

Major college resources and student services may include:

• Advising
• Tutoring and Writing Centers
• Academic Support Facilities
• Library Reference Desk
• Campus Health Center
• Campus Counseling
• Career Services
• Spiritual Life

Defining Success

College success depends on how fully a student embraces and masters the following seven strategies:

• Learn how to take effective notes in class.
• Review the text and your reading notes prior to class.
• Participate in class discussion and maybe even join a study group.
• Go to office hours and ask your instructor questions.
• Give yourself enough time to research, write, and edit your essays in manageable stages.
• Take advantage of online or on-campus academic support resources.
• Spend sufficient time studying.

Key Terms

asynchronous

In delayed time; typically using online discussion boards that students visit at different times within a certain time frame.

GPA (grade point average)

A calculation using the number of grade points a student earns in a given period of time.

syllabus

A document that communicates information about a specific course and defines expectations and responsibilities.

synchronous

In real time, through some kind of live-interaction or live-interaction tool.

See Also

• Innovative Leadership Institute: Defining Personal Values For College Students – Eric’s Story
• LifeHack: The Ultimate Student Resource List

References

Student Success

Time Management →