Introduction
to Higher Education Course is much more than a study skills course.
As a 100 level elective course, Introduction to Higher Education
is especially beneficial to new college students, but it is open
to all students, this includes transfer students and nontraditional
students, as well as returning students.
Key
curriculum components
Introduction
to Higher Education is unique in that it offers the following:
College goal setting - How and why people set goals helps students
to understand the value of setting college level goals which in
turn develop into life time goals.
Effective
time management - Procrastination can only be controlled after
it is understood. Once procrastination is understood it can be
replaced by proven time management techniques.
Stress
and the postsecondary environment - Students are introduced
to the causes of stress, both day-to-day stress and the stressors
of college as well as proven theories of stress reduction.
Library
- Library science is introduced in relation to available information
retrieval and technology.
Campus
resources - Students are introduced to the many services available
on the MSC campus and how these resources can help them succeed
at college.
Writing
for college - Because writing is second only to tests in determining
grades, students are presented with proven theories of writing
for college. In addition writing college level papers are an expectation
of all students.
Critical
and creative thinking for college - Theories of both critical
and creative thinking are presented to students in such manner
as to move them from lower level high school thinking to the necessary
upper level college cognition.
Learning
styles - Learning style theory is employed in order to enhance
student awareness of the different ways in which people learn.
Students are challenged to evaluate their learning style as it
relates to their postsecondary learning situations.
Memory
enhancement for college success - Students are made aware
of the difference between "memorizing" versus "learning".
Students develop approaches to gaining, retaining, and recalling
information.
Taking
advantage of college textbooks - College textbooks provide
the initial understanding of a topic and they supplement classroom
discussion. This course provides students with an understanding
of the numerous ways to approach reading and extracting information
from textbooks.
Recording
classroom information - The classroom provides students with
an opportunity to draw from the professor specific usable information
regarding the topic at-hand. Optimum understanding of the information
is only available if the student is able to record the professor's
information effectively.
Study guide
creation - Successful students understand the theory behind
creating study guides. Students are introduced to these theories
of successful construction of study guides.
Postsecondary
testing - Successful testing ability is pivotal to the success
of college students. Because college tests are complex this course
provides students with an understanding of the purpose of testing
and a review of the approaches to taking postsecondary level tests.
**Eli Goldblatt, the Director of the Temple University
writing program.
US News & World Report, Sobel, Rachel K, v125n8, Aug. 31 1998,
pp 78
Last updated July 2, 2002.
