Building Admissions and Records

College 101 Syllabus

COLLEGE 101 SAMPLE SYLLABUS

WHAT WILL YOU LEARN IN THIS CLASS?

Student Learning Outcome:

Use prior experiences and knowledge to develop, apply, and reflect on new knowledge and skills in navigating academic and nonacademic aspects of college.

Course Objectives:

Identify and apply personal values and skills towards navigating college culture, career exploration, and goal setting.

Identify and use appropriate campus people, groups, and information resources to solve academic and nonacademic challenges.

Apply essential academic skills toward current course work.

Analyze and apply non-academic behaviors that facilitate success as a college student.

WHO IS TEACHING THIS CLASS?

Please look at the College 101 Faculty page for a current list of instructors.

WHAT WILL YOUR GRADE BE BASED ON?

The discussions and assignments are focused on giving you the opportunity to put into practice the skills you are learning in the class. Learning and growth take practice and reflection and I am here to support your efforts. All assignments in this course will be marked as either Complete (all rubric criteria are met), Incomplete (not quite there yet, review my feedback, revise your work, and resubmit your assignment) or Not Submitted.

Discussions – there will be 11 discussions worth 2 points each. Your lowest discussion score will be dropped. (20 points)

Assignments – there will be 11 assignments worth 2 points each. Your lowest assignment score will be dropped. (20 points)

Storytelling Assignment – What is your educational story? In this assignment, which you will be working on throughout the semester, you will tell your story in both written and digital formats. (10 points)

Here's a Sample of a Student Storytelling Assignment Video, created by Stefanie Ann Pacheco (a College 101 student in Fall, 2020).

WHAT DOES THAT ADD UP TO?

A total of 50 points are available in the class. The points needed for each grade are:

A (90-100%) – 45-50 points

B (80-89%) – 40-44 points

C (70-79%) – 35-39 points

D (60-69%) – 30-34 points

F (0-59%) – 0-29 points

You also have the option to take the class Pass/No Pass. Visit Admissions and Records (Links to an external site.) Cranium Cafe window (online services) and request the form for Pass – No Pass.

Check the academic calendar (Links to an external site.) for the deadline to file this form.

WHAT ABOUT LATE ASSIGNMENTS?

You should plan on submitting everything by the due date because it has many benefits for you! It helps you with time management, gives you the full opportunity to interact with the class in discussion forums, and allows time for me to provide feedback that you can use to improve. That being said, life happens and if you really need to turn something in late, you can. There is a one week grace period during which you can submit late assignments with no penalty and no questions asked. Beyond that, just send me a message and we'll work it out. But, speaking of life - time management and avoiding procrastination are important life skills! Check out these resources if you want to work on them: Time Management (Tips for Busy College Students) and not procrastinating (Mind/Shift). These are topics we will be talking about in the class too.

WHAT IF YOU NEED AN ACCOMMODATION?

If you are a student with a disability requiring classroom accommodations and have not yet contacted Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD), do so as soon as possible. SSD is located in the Student Services Annex, room 175. You can also call SSD at (818) 947-2681 or TTD (818) 947-2680 to meet with a SSD counselor. If SSD has already sent the memo confirming accommodations required for this class, please contact me to discuss arrangements.

WHAT ARE THE RULES?

Plagiarism is the use of others’ words and/or ideas without clearly acknowledging their source. This includes when you google something and read about it online. When you incorporate those words and ideas into your own work, you need to give credit where credit is due. Learning how to give credit, by citing your sources, is an important skill to learn for college and there are a lot of great tutorials out there. It’s important to learn how to do this because plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and is a serious issue. Anyone found to be plagiarizing or cheating on assignments or exams (e.g., copying from a website or another student) may (1) receive a zero on the assignment, and (2) may be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for further disciplinary action, following due process. For further information on plagiarism, go to the Writing Center website and refer to the Standards of Student Conduct and Disciplinary Action in the current Schedule of Classes and Catalog.

HOW DO YOU STAY IN -OR GET OUT OF- THE CLASS?

If you need to drop the class, make sure to do so using the Student Information System (and check the calendar for drop deadlines). Showing up is the best predictor of student success! If you don’t log in for a week, I will get concerned and will be in touch. If you miss more than a week and don’t contact me I will think you’re not coming back and may exclude you, so make sure to keep in touch. If you do need to drop this course, check in with me first so we can see if there are any other options. And please speak with a counselor to discuss how dropping may impact your financial aid or your academic status with the college.

WHERE CAN YOU GO TO GET HELP?

  • Log in to Canvas often and be there for the zoom sessions! Attendance is a good predictor of student success.
  • Message me in Canvas, come by student drop in hours or make an appointment to see me. Have questions, comments? Let’s talk!
  • Go to the Writing Center and General Tutoring (both are free to LAVC students).
  • A larger list of campus resources is available online and will be covered in the class.