College Success (IST 199/399)

2012-2013 ACADEMIC YEAR

Instructors: Greg Flores, M.S.; Aziz Gazipura, Psy.D.; Liane O'Banion, M.S.; Leena Shrestha, M.A.; Shoshana Zeisman, M.A.., Gina Senarighi, S. Tokarski

Teaching Assistants: TBA

WANT TO BE A TEACHING ASSISTANT?  APPLY NOW!  Click here for more information.Protocol for Teaching Assistants.pdf

*NEW* SUMMER TERM 2012 OFFERINGS

For the first time, we will be offering a condensed, four-week College Success course from July 3- August 17.  Join us this summer!

IST 199/399: Monday/Wednesday 11:45am-3:25pm from July 3-August 17,  S.Tokarski~ CRN 82755(for freshmen & sophomores); CRN 82756 (for juniors & seniors).  Class meets in Science, Research & Teaching Center 101.

*NEW* FALL TERM 2012 OFFERINGS

The following 3-credit College Success courses will be taught fall term 2012. These classes are appropriate for freshmen, continuing students and transfer students.

• IST 199/399: Friday 12-2:50pm, Instructor TBA ~ CRN 15137 (for freshmen & sophomores); CRN 15138 (for juniors & seniors).  Class location TBA two weeks prior to fall term.
• IST 199/399: Monday/Wednesday 11:30-12:35pm, S. Tokarski~ CRN 15139 (for freshmen & sophomores); CRN 15140 (for juniors & seniors).   Class location TBA two weeks prior to fall term.
• IST 199/399:  Friday 6pm-9pm & Saturday 9am-4pm (two weekends), October 19 & 20 & November 16 & 17 ,  S. Tokarski ~ CRN 15141 (for freshmen & sophomores); CRN 15142 (for juniors & seniors).  Class location TBA two weeks prior to fall term.

OFFERINGS FOR SPECIAL POPULATIONS OFFERED FALL 2012:

College Success for Student Veteran's (3 credits):

• • Designed for students who are receiving benefits through the GI Bill or who have served in the military.  Time TBA.
    

College Success for Returning Women (4 credits):

• Designed for students who have experienced an interruption in their formal education.  Time TBA.

College Success for LGBTQQIA Students (4 credits):

• Designed for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersexed, asexual & their allies.  Time TBA.

Roads to Success information can be found under the "Roads to Success for Freshmen" link above.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

College Success is a comprehensive course designed to enhance student success and retention and to help you create greater success in college and in life. In this course, you will learn many proven strategies for creating greater academic, professional, and personal success. We will use guided journal writings to explore these strategies, and as a bonus, you will learn to express yourself more effectively in writing. You may never again have an opportunity quite like this one to discover how to create a rich, personally fulfilling life. I urge you to make the most of this extraordinary opportunity! If you do, you will dramatically change the outcome of your life-for the better!

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: In this course you will learn how to...

1. Take charge of your life. You will learn how to take greater personal responsibility, gaining more control over the outcomes and experiences that you create both in college and in life.

2. Increase self-motivation. You will learn to create greater inner motivation by, among other things, discovering your own personally meaningful goals and dreams.

3. Improve personal self-management. You will learn numerous strategies for taking control of your time and energy, allowing you to move more effectively and efficiently toward the accomplishment of your goals and dreams.

4. Develop interdependence. You will learn how to develop mutually supportive relationships with people who will help you achieve your goals and dreams as you assist them to achieve theirs.

5. Increase self-awareness. You will learn how to understand and revise your self-defeating patterns of behavior, thought, and emotion as well as your unconscious limiting beliefs.

6. Maximize your learning. You will learn key research on how the human brain learns. You will apply this knowledge to develop your own learning system, giving you the keys to learning important course content in college as well as becoming a more effective lifelong learner.

7. Develop emotional intelligence. You will learn effective strategies for managing your emotional life, decreasing stress while increasing your inner sense of well-being.

8. Raise your self-esteem. You will learn how to develop self-acceptance, self-confidence, self-respect.

9. Write more effectively. You will learn how to improve your writing skills through the extensive writing practice offered by your guided journal entries.

10. Improve creative and critical thinking skills. You will learn how to enhance the thinking skills essential for analyzing and solving problems in your academic, professional, and personal lives. You will also develop reasoning skills that will help you both construct persuasive arguments and deconstruct illogical arguments intended to persuade you to think or act against your own best interest.

11. Master effective study skills. You will learn how to raise your grades in college by improving essential skills such as reading, taking notes, studying, memorizing, taking tests.

12. Learn how to access your resources at PSU.

TEXTBOOK REQUIREMENT

This summer we created a custom textbook for PSU students in an effort to reduce cost and include additional information.  It is now available in the PSU Bookstore.  

Downing/Ellis (2011), College Success at PSU:  On Course: Creating Success in College and in Life.

WHAT STUDENTS ARE SAYING ABOUT COLLEGE SUCCESS:

Here is what a few of our winter term 2011 students said about the class ...

"You are in luck with this class, every assignment is designed to help you succeed at PSU!" - Jenn, Junior

"This class leads you down the path of self-knowledge." - Bre, Senior

"You are so lucky if you take this class!  I had a good experience.  I learned about how to organize my school work, as well as knowing more about myself." - Nasser, Freshman

"This class not only builds your skills as an individual who can get things done on time, but it also builds your trust and interdependency on others.  You are not Batman; sometimes you just can't do things alone." - Ronald, Freshman

"I would recommend this class to anyone that is willing to put effort in and that can be responsible for their own assignments.  I hope you will enjoy this class as much as I did." - Aubrey, Freshman

"ROCK ON COLLEGE SUCCESS!!" - Tommy, Freshman