FYS 110 – 72 Winter 2009 Instructor: David W. Mills Email: [email protected] Class Meetings: Monday 10:30 AM to 12:26 PM Room 205 Wednesday 10:30 AM to 12:26 PM Room 205 Office Hours: One hour before or after class or any time by appointment. Course Description This first-year experience course equips you for transitions in education and life. You will be actively involved in learning and integrating practical applications to promote success. You will develop a learning portfolio and an educational plan while enhancing critical thinking and study strategies. Your Goals This course is about you learning more about college and how to succeed in your studies. Take a moment to list some goals you might have for our time together. What are your concerns and what would you like to achieve? Organization of Course Life Maps explores four major journeys that we live.  Inner journey. A main journey is one of learning more about yourself, your strengths, and your learning styles.  This journey includes gaining confidence in yourself as you become part of the college community.  Learning journey. This journey includes active learning, effective and efficient study strategies, effective test-taking, and time management.  College Journey. We will explore the journey of college, using resources, and understanding the processes.  Life Journey. All of these journeys are involved in forming the career path you choose. This course will help with your career choice and with developing an education plan toward that goal. Inner journey of learning more about ourselves College journey of navigating your way Life Journey: Career and Education paths Learning journey in coursesRequired and Suggested Textbooks and Supplies 1. Step by Step to College and Career Success Second Edition* 2. A JCC Planner 3. Notebook for taking notes during class 4. A folder to keep all course materials organized What are Associate Degree Outcomes (ADOs)? The Jackson Community College Board of Trustees has determined that all JCC graduates should develop or enhance certain essential skills while enrolled in the college. The Board has said: JCC’s goal is to prepare students to live productive and meaningful lives. Implicit in this goal are efforts to prepare students to: (a) live and work in the 21st century, (b) be employed in situations which will require retraining several times during a productive life, and (c) function in a rapidly changing international society. Associate Degree Outcomes and Course Objectives: In FYS 110 you will: 1. Assess your learning style, assess your career aptitudes and build an educational development plan (EDP) for academic success. (ADO 7: Thinking Critically.) 2. Improve study strategies to enhance your understanding and to succeed in courses. (ADO 7: Thinking Critically.) 3. Develop leadership skills by participating in student life and service learning opportunities. (ADO 9: Working productively with others.) 4. Access and effectively use college resources. (ADO 7: Thinking Critically). Your instructor’s area of responsibility for your learning Accessibility – E-mail me, come to my office during office hours, or set an appointment. I will be glad to discuss your college experience and assist you with this class. Variety – The class will offer a variety of activities; work shopping, discussion, computer work and projects. Your areas of responsibility for learning Timeliness – Turn in your work by the due date. Attendance and Participation – You will get the most from this course by attending every session, participating in the learning activities in class and online, and completing the assignments. The majority of your grade is attendance based. Assignments and Time Management: You must do assigned reading and written work before class begins. If you have any questions about an assignment, please call me, e-mail me, or talk to me before or after class. Please don’t wait until it is time to hand in the assignment to tell me you did not understand it or for some other reason could not complete it.Attendance and Participation: I do expect you to attend each scheduled day of class. We meet a total of nine (9) days, for a little more than two hours each time. If you miss one class, it will have a negative effect on your grade. If you miss two classes, you will see that your grade goes down one full grade, i.e. 4.0 drops to a 3.0. While you are in class, it is expected that you will actively participate in discussions and activities. I ask that you read the assigned chapters BEFORE you come to class so that we can have a more meaningful conversation. You are responsible for completing all assignments, reflections, and projects that were assigned which is considered as part of your participation and attendance grade. If you are unable to attend class, I expect a phone call or an email. Reflections: A valid reflection should be a MINIMUM three paragraphs in length, each paragraph consisting of no less than 3-5 sentences. In this weekly reflection, you should include three things: 1. A brief summary of the assigned readings (1 paragraph per chapter). 2. One to two paragraphs on your past week as a student (e.g. problems with classes, professors, home, demands of college). Reflections must be typed and should be approximately two typed pages. These are worth a total of 20 points each. General Course Policies for FYS 110 ASSIGNMENTS: All work must have your full name, course section, and date at the top of the page. You should carefully check your spelling, punctuation, grammar and organization before handing it in – NO ROUGH DRAFTS! LATE WORK: Late work will not be accepted unless you and I have discussed the situation beforehand. No exceptions! BASIC FORMAT FOR ALL ASSIGNMENTS: Typed, 12-point font, double spaced, 1 inch margins, full name, section number, and few if any errors. Papers should follow either an APA of MLA format. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: The JCC Catalog states, ―Academic honesty . .is the ethical behavior that includes producing one’s own work and not representing others’ work as one’s own, either by plagiarism, or by cheating, or by helping others to do so. . . . Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may penalize the student by assigning a failing grade for the [assignment] or the course itself. Instructors should