Thank you for teaching what some consider to be the most important course at Westchester Community College! After all, you have taken on the responsibility of helping students effectively transition to WCC by learning about what they need to succeed. In teaching this course, you help them navigate the campuses, learn about resources, accept personal responsibility, form a community, explore diversity, access technology, problem-solve through difficulties, and so much more.
To help you accomplish these monumental tasks, we present the newest edition of our Open Educational Resource (OER) text for First-Year Seminar. This text is organized into thirteen chapters with each section begins with an activity designed to activate schema and increase engagement; the sections also include videos and activities throughout. The last section of the OER is dedicated to WCC’s policies, procedures, and resources.
Many of these activities can be done in groups in class while others are assessments students complete individually. Each chapter also ends with a “Chapter Activities” section that includes a few key takeaways, resources, case studies, and additional activities. A few of these sections contain major projects that have been shown to be extremely helpful to students’ development.
Active learning and immediately applying course content are stressed throughout because the more ways students access information the more likely they are to understand its relevance, internalize the concepts, and take concrete actions that will lead to their success. With such a variety of activities available, the text lends itself well to differentiating instruction, giving students choice, engaging in collaborative activities, and doing things differently every single class.
Below are the learning objectives for each of the fourteen chapters along with some information that might help you plan instruction. Additional materials for students can be found in Blackboard, and supplemental content for faculty can be accessed within the First-Year Seminar faculty organization space in Blackboard as well. Professional development events and experienced faculty can also serve as resources for teaching WCC’s First-Year Seminar. By facilitating students’ development of key skills and mindsets, you provide a necessary foundation that will serve our students well in their classes, at their jobs, and throughout their lives.
Thank you again for helping students start smart at WCC!
chapter 1: Starting smart
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Explain effective ways to approach the first week of the semester including key information in important documents such as the course information sheet and syllabus.
- Identify effective mental and physical strategies to prepare for an individual class session
- Explain why regular class attendance and active class participation is important
- List effective strategies in case you have to miss a class
- Identify the stages of the learning process
- Define learning styles including preferred style and how to apply it.
- Define multimodal learning
- Describe typical ratios of in-class to out-of-class work per credit hour
- Identify options and evaluate effective communication strategies with instructors
- Discuss the benefits of utilizing instructor office hours
- Identify resources to help the transition to college
- Identify social conflicts and resolution strategies
- Describe the variety of organized groups available on campus
- Identify resources for learning more about campus organizations
- Describe the benefits of participating in student life
- Explore WCC’s technology
Chapter 2: MOTIVATION, Goal setting, & GRIT
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Define motivation
- Differentiate between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation
- Define locus of control and describe how it relates to motivation
- Differentiate between fixed and growth mindsets and identify the mindset most effective for college.
- Understand the role of grit in relation to perseverance and success.
- Develop positive self-talk
- Use personality tests and/or skills inventories to evaluate career paths that match their values and interests
- Explain how grades play a role in shaping success
- Develop a personal definition of success, in college and other areas of life
- Explain the relationship between short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals and the effectiveness of setting all three types of goals
- Identify and create SMART educational goals
- Identify support and apply motivational strategies to help achieve goals
- Brainstorm factors that might hinder goal achievement and possible ways to address these issues
chapter 3: ACADEMIC & CAREER PATHWAYS
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Identify their motivations for attending college
- Differentiate between “job” and “career”
- Explain the five-step process for choosing a career, which includes aligning personal interests and skills with appropriate fields
- Identify sources for learning more about specific careers
- Explain the difference between and value of hard skills and soft skills and identify skills necessary for their career path
- Describe networking and identify how to begin networking at college, work, and home
- Describe goals for each stage of credit accumulation
- Identify their School, Curriculum Chair, program, and major
- Explain key strategies for identifying a major
- Identify their Holland Code and the programs of study that align with their code
- Use the career exploration materials have been customized to match the pathways for each School at WCC.
CHAPTER 4: Managing time & RESPONSIBILITIES
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Evaluate how they currently use their time
- Explore time management styles
- Explore time management strategies to make time for college success activities (studying, going to class, extracurricular activities, etc.)
- Identify procrastination behaviors and strategies to avoid them
- Analyze the impact of their surroundings while they study
- Define multitasking
- Assess the degree to which personal technology may help or hinder study efforts
Once students have identified their goals, they can turn their attention towards the time and space management necessary to achieve them.
- This chapter provides a variety of activities to help students manage their time, avoid procrastination, and physically and mentally create effective study spaces.
- A substantial time management project can be found in the chapter activities section at the end, and many students find this project to be the most important activity of the entire semester.
chapter 5: Learning & studying effectively
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Define deep learning
- Identity and debunk myths about learning
- Identify differences between passing a test and gaining knowledge (cramming versus learning)
- List study techniques that help long-term retention of knowledge
- Compare different note-taking strategies and assess which is most effective for them to use in various contexts (lecture, reading, online video)
- Identify effective reading strategies for academic texts: previewing, reading, summarizing, reviewing
- Utilize active reading strategies
- Convert notes to study guides
- Describe strategies for deciding which course content to learn and retain
- Differentiate between short-term and long-term memory, and describe the role of each in effective studying
- Identify memory-strengthening strategies
chapter 6: test-taking, presentations, and writing
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Identify common types of tests given in a college class and describe what an instructor might expect to see from their work
- Identify strategies for answering typical kinds of test questions (multiple choice, true/false, short answer, essay, and others)
- Identify test-taking strategies to improve their performance
- Define test anxiety
- Identify sources of test anxiety and techniques for preventing and controlling it
- Explain how they can evaluate test results to continuously improve studying and future test-taking
- Describe the purpose of writing assignments and what an instructor might expect to see from their writing
- Identify common types of writing tasks in a college class
- Understand and utilize writing-process steps for the development of academic writing
- Differentiate between revision and proofreading, and explain the value of each
- Identify strategies for ethical use of sources in writing
- Identify common types of presentation tasks in a college class, including individual and group projects
- Describe the purpose of presentation assignments and what an instructor might expect to see from their delivery
- Explain how to avoid common pitfalls of visual aids in presentations
- Identify techniques to reduce anxiety prior to and during presentation delivery
chapter 7: educational planning, ACADEMIC advising, & registration
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Explain the process of and tools for advisement and registration
- Understand the roles of the Academic Counselor and student in the academic advising process
- Use Degree Works to keep track of their degree requirements and to monitor their progress towards completion
- Move from the general idea of careers to WCC specific programs and majors, students work through activities so they are prepared to meet with their Academic Counselor or self-register.
chapter 8: transfer
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Understand the importance of early planning to transfer
- Explain the steps involved in the transfer process
- Be familiar with the resources and events offered by the Office of Transfer Services to support students through the transfer process
- Identify the four-year institutions with which WCC has articulation agreements
chapter 9: hEALTH & wELLNESS
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Describe healthy eating habits
- Recognize the temptations not to eat well in a college setting
- Identify techniques for making healthy food choices
- Identify the importance of quality sleep
- Examine their current sleep habits
- Identify ways to ensure good sleep habits and high-quality sleep, especially during periods of stress
- Identify sources of stress, particularly for college students
- Describe the symptoms and effects of chronic stress
- List healthy ways of managing stress that fit their current lifestyle
- Identify the benefits of regular exercise, for both body and brain
- Plan a regular exercise program that works for them
- Describe the effects of smoking cigarettes on the body
- Describe the effects of alcohol use and abuse on the body
- Describe the effects of prescription and illegal drug use and abuse on the body
- Explain what substance use and abuse is and identify the warning signs that help may be needed
- Identify resources for further information and guidance about substance abuse
- Identify the difference between occasional negative emotions and more serious mental health issues, such as anxiety disorder or depression
- Explore practices for ensuring mental health and emotional balance in their lives
- Identify resources for further information and guidance about mental health issues
chapter 10: communication
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Define communication
- Describe and practice active listening
- Identify communication strategies for effective communication
- Understand the connection between communication and working with others
- Define civil discourse and explain how to participate in it.
chapter 11: EQUITY & Inclusion
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Define diversity
- Differentiate between surface diversity and deep diversity, and explain what relationships exist between the two
- Explore the positive effects of diversity in an educational setting
- Identify different categories of students who might share the same classroom as well as the similarities and differences among different types of students compared to themselves
- Differentiate between diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Describe WCC’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and some resources that support that commitment
- Define civility and identify civil acts positively impacting WCC’s educational environment
- Define cultural competence and how it can be developed
chapter 12: thinking & aNALYSIS
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Describe the domains of learning
- Identify different skills in Bloom’s taxonomy and how to use them in college
- Define critical thinking
- Describe the role that logic plays in critical thinking
- Describe how critical thinking skills can be used to problem-solve
- Identify strategies for developing themselves as critical thinkers
- Identify technology tools that enhance student learning
- Explain how technology skills relate to critical/creative thinking skills
- Examine online learning in the context of reading and researching online
- Assess readiness to use technology
- Define creative thinking
- Identify the value of creative thinking in education
- Describe strategies to increase creative thinking
- Describe the role of creative thinking skills in problem-solving
chapter 13: personal & financial responsibility
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Understand the importance of financial planning and setting financial goals
- Determine the costs of attending college
- Identify financial resources available, including grants, scholarships, work study, and subsidized and unsubsidized loans
- Identify strategies for applying for financial aid and scholarships
- Set financial goals and priorities for themselves
- Define budget strategies
- Explore the pros and cons of budgeting
- Create a personal budget
CHAPTER 14: VALUES 7 PERSONAL INTEGRITY
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to:
- Articulate their personal identity and values
- Align their values with educational goals
- Understand how personal values change as we age
- Define personal integrity
- Understand the values and mission of Westchester Community College
cOLLEGE pOLICIES & PROCEDURES
By the end of this chapter, students will be able to
- Know how to find college policies and understand their importance
- Define SAP
- Know what resources the College makes available to students and how to access them
- Define academic honesty and common forms of academic dishonesty
- Identify common scenarios that can lead to academic dishonesty and possible consequences
- Identify strategies for avoiding plagiarism
- Define sexual harassment, Title IX, and affirmative consent
- Identify strategies and resources to utilize if they or someone they know discloses an experience of sexual harassment or sexual misconduct
- Identify bystander interventions
- Define safety consciousness
- Describe strategies for staying safe on campus and elsewhere
- Identify resources for learning about safety in college
COLLEGE POLICIES INFORMATION:
- It is always nice to be prepared ahead of time, so this chapter provides information that students may need during their time at WCC. Often students will interact with college policies without realizing it. Sometime students are unaware that college policies exist or that there are important rules, established processes, and hard deadlines.
- By examining and discussing college policies, students have an opportunity to learn in a supportive, low stress environment. Instead of being under duress and trying to find out their options, FYS provides an opportunity to think proactively and look to the what if? and how might I handle that?
- The goal is to spread awareness about the policies and procedures at WCC so students can avoid pitfalls and know where to look if they every find themselves in a situation they need to utilize college policy. The more you know . . .
