Developmental Studies

COL 102 – INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE

 Fall Semester

Instructor:                 

Office:                                   

Telephone:                

Departmental Assistant: Sandra Smith 822 - 3539

Department Chair: Tom Davis 822 - 3239

Program Coordinator: Dr. Lyne Bunch @ 738-7781 bunchl@midlandstech.edu

E-mail:                       

Campus Mailbox:     

Class Schedule:                     

Office Hours:            

Personal Website:     

Course Attendance: The quality of your learning experience in this class is determined in large part by your active participation in the learning process.  Therefore, it is important that you make an effort to attend every class.  There is no such thing as an excused absence.  Students may miss no more than twice the number of class meetings a week.  If students meet the class one time a week, they are allowed two absences.  Attendance and participation do factor into the final grade.

Students should not be late to class.  Students who come in late interfere with the class presentation and disturb other students in the class.  Likewise, students should not leave in the middle of class or before class is dismissed.  If you arrive after the roll is called, you will be marked tardy.  Three tardies equal one absence.  If you are tardy, it is your responsibility to inform the instructor at the end of the class that you are present.  Beepers, cell phones, etc. should be turned off in class.  If a student behaves disruptively in class, the instructor may dismiss the student from the class and count the student absent for that day.  The student whose behavior disrupted class must make an appointment with the instructor outside of class and meet with the instructor to resolve the problem before the student can return to class.

Students who are absent must make up activities, tests, or lectures at the instructor’s convenience.  Only one make-up activity is allowed.  In addition, penalty points may be deducted from the final score.  Students absent from a class are responsible for the work of the missed class and should contact someone to get the notes and assignments that were given during the class.

Withdrawal:  Should the maximum allowable absences be exceeded prior to midterm, a "W" will be submitted to the registrar to be recorded on the student's transcript.  Should the maximum allowable absences be exceeded after midterm, a "W" will be submitted to the registrar if the student was passing the course at the time of withdrawal OR a "WF" will be submitted if the student was failing the course at the time of withdrawal.

Course Requirements:          Email Tasks: In order to develop the habit of regularly checking email, homework assignments will be sent to the students’ MTC Campus Cruiser email accounts.  These assignments should be completed and returned to the instructor in the form of email attachments unless otherwise instructed.

One-on-One Advisement Meeting:

Each student is responsible for scheduling and attending a one-on-one meeting with the instructor.  The advisement meeting must occur between the dates of March 17 and March 28.  Students should contact the instructor ahead of time to ensure that appointment times are available. 

KeyTrain Lessons: Each student will be assigned a minimum number of lessons to complete based on their performance on the KeyTrain Pre-Tests.  These lessons must be completed before the administration of the WorkKeys assessment at the end of the semester. 

WorkKeys Assessment: The WorkKeys Assessment will be administered at the end of the semester and will count as the final exam for this course.

Career Paper: Instructions for this assignment will be given as a part of a class lesson.

Group Presentation: Instructions for this assignment are attached.

Course Grading: The course requirements will be graded as follows:

            Percentage

Attendance/Participation                                5

Classwork Assignments                                10

Homework/Email Tasks                                10

Advisement Meeting                                     3

Group Presentation                                      15

Career Paper                                               12

KeyTrain Lessons (Completed and Passed)  25

Completion of WorkKeys                            20

Total                                                    100 percent

Course Topic Outline/Course Calendar with Assignments:

PLEASE NOTE: Should change become necessary, the instructor reserves the right to adjust the requirements, pace, or scheduling of this course.  Any change will be announced in class before it becomes effective.

                                                 COL 102  INTRODUCTION TO COLLEGE

CATALOG COURSE DESCRIPTION: course may include selected topics such as career planning, study skills, stress management, tutoring, group guidance, and other subjects to facilitate student success.

CREDIT HOURS:      2

DEPARTMENTAL WEBSITE:  www.midlandstech.edu/dvs

TEXTBOOK(S):  Campus ToolKit, Corvus LLC - Publishers

EQUIPMENT:   A three-ring notebook or folder with pockets

                        A calendar or planning book showing all months of the semester

GRADING SCALE:              

A         94-100

B          85-93

C          75-84

D         70-74

F          69 and below 

COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:

1.                  Articulate the various aspects of good study skills

2.                  Demonstrate an understanding of what constitutes an “emotionally healthy mind”

3.                  Demonstrate good interpersonal skills

4.                  Build career skills and set appropriate career goals

5.                  Demonstrate leadership skills

6.                  Define the term “personal excellence” and describe how they are working toward that goal

7.                  Use the Internet for academic purposes

8.                  List the college support services available to them

COURSE OUTCOMES AND COMPETENCIES: 

Intended Course Outcome:  Students will begin the process of building career skills and setting appropriate career goals.

Course Competency:  (1) Students will develop a personal career profile using the KeyTrain pre-test and remediation system for Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Math; and (2) students will take the WorkKeys assessment to demonstrate competence in Reading for Information, Locating Information, and Applied Math.

Performance Measurement Instrument and Success criteria:   (1)  Students will complete the online KeyTrain remediation required based on their personal profile. (2) Students will take the WorkKeys assessment, and 70 percent of those will achieve at least 1 level higher than their KeyTrain pre-test level.

                                                                                              College Policies

Students are expected to read the student handbook and abide by its policies. Copies of the hand book may be obtained at various locations on campus and is located on the web: http://www.midlandstech.edu/planner/

Academic Dishonesty: The Student Code addresses what constitutes academic dishonesty. All forms of dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating on tests, plagiarism, collusion and falsification, will call for discipline.

                CHEATING ON TESTS includes:

§         Copying from another student’s paper.

§         Using materials during a test not authorized by the person giving the test.

§         Collaborating with any other person during a test without permission.

§         Knowingly obtaining, using, buying, selling, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of any un-administered test.

§         Bribing any other person to obtain information about tests.

§         Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself.

                PLAGIARISM is the appropriation of any other person’s work and unacknowledged

                incorporation of that work in one’s own work offered for credit.

Campus Emergency Protocol: Students and employees are asked to report safety concerns or suspicious activities to Campus Security at 7199 (on campus) or 738-7199 (cell phone or off campus). In the event of an emergency, student and employee protocol is to immediately call Campus Security or local 911.  If an emergency occurs, the college will use a variety of methods to communicate additional information and instructions including the MTC Information Centers, campus loud speakers, MTC Alerts! (http://www.midlandstech.edu/Phone_Alert.htm ),voice mail, email, college Intranet, and the MTC website homepage.

Inclement Weather Policy: In the event weather conditions or other emergencies cause the closing or a delayed start of Midlands Technical College, announcements will be made over local radio and TV stations, on the MTC Web site, and on the college’s information line (803.738.8234).  Notices will be sent to student Campus Cruiser Mail when applicable.  Separate announcements may be made for day and evening classes as weather conditions change during the day.

If the college closing or reopening means that there is at least 30 minutes of a class remaining, plan to attend that class. For example, if the college opens at 10:00 a.m. in TTH, classes that normally meet at 8:00 a.m. will not meet. If the college closed at 8:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. classes would meet for their regular time, but 7:35 p.m. classes would not meet since there are fewer than 30 minutes remaining in class.

Student E-Mail Accounts: All MTC students are assigned a college e-mail account upon admission to the college.  This account is called “Campus Cruiser Mail.”  Campus Cruiser Mail is the primary mode by which the college communicates with students.  Students are responsible for checking their college e-mail on a regular basis for important information and announcements about registration, financial aid, cancelled classes, emergency announcements and other notices.  Students can use their college e-mail accounts to communicate with faculty, staff, fellow students, and others, in support of their educational pursuits.  In addition to e-mail, students will also have access to maintaining personal calendars and “tasks lists” through their Campus Cruiser e-mail account.

Student Evaluation of Instruction: Students have the opportunity to evaluate this course. The confidential evaluation process is conducted through MTC On-Line using the individual student’s username and password. Announcements will be made during the term concerning how and when to complete the online evaluation. Students are encouraged to participate in this process.

Students Requiring Special Accommodations: If special accommodations are needed for a student with a disability, the student should go to Counseling Services on Beltline or Airport Campus for assistance. Documentation regarding a specific disability is required in order for special arrangements to be made. Confidentiality of information received will be maintained.