Academic Catalog

ALTW 431: PUBLIC TRANSIT SKILLS

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2023
Units: 0
Hours: 2 lecture per week (24 total per quarter)
Degree & Credit Status: Non-Degree-Applicable Non-Credit Course
Foothill GE: Non-GE
Transferable: None
Grade Type: Non-Credit Course (Receives no Grade)
Repeatability: Unlimited Repeatability

Student Learning Outcomes

  • The student will learn how to handle delays or changes in schedule calmly, and how to find solutions to these changes that may come up
  • Student will be able to utilize Google Maps or other resources to figure out routes and schedules

Description

Introduction and practice of essential travel skills, such as reading bus/train schedules and maps, paying fares, boarding and exiting public transit, and making transfers between the same or different modes of public transportation. Students learn how to make judgments in various travel disruptions, and use appropriate social and communication skills.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Utilize Google Maps or other online resources to figure out routes and schedules
  2. Become familiar with the the process of utilizing different types of public transportation (e.g., how/where to buy a ticket or pass, how much money ticket or pass costs, etc.):
    1. Buses
    2. Trains
    3. Light rail
    4. Subway
  3. Plan routes and estimate the time needed to arrive to destinations on time
  4. Handle delays or changes in schedule
  5. Utilize public transportation confidently and competently

Course Content

  1. Computer or smart phone internet skills
    1. Web browsing
    2. Use of search engines
    3. Familiarity with public transportation websites and posted schedules
    4. Use of search engine map applications
  2. Use of money, credit cards, and/or debit cards
    1. Costs of public transportation
    2. Different forms of passes, apps, and tickets
    3. How and where to pay for a pass
  3. Time management and flexibility
    1. Ability to tell time using a watch or smart phone
    2. Determine how much time may be needed to arrive to destinations on time
    3. Prepare for alterations to schedules
  4. Public transportation navigation
    1. How to get on a bus or train
    2. How to act and react; social etiquette
    3. Public transportation safety

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

1. Accessible classroom or internet access with Zoom-capable computer, monitor, and speakers.
2. For field trips (if applicable), mobility devices and communication aids as needed by individual students.
3. While not necessary, full participation in the class will greatly benefit from ownership and familiarity with a smartphone.

Method(s) of Evaluation

Methods of Evaluation may include but are not limited to the following:

Hands-on practice with public transportation
1. Instructor-led trips with class utilizing public transportation, or
2. Taking trips on own, without instructor
Exhibiting mastery of skills taught by instructor

Method(s) of Instruction

Methods of Instruction may include but are not limited to the following:

Lecture
Practical demonstration
Field trips taken out in the community utilizing different forms of public transportation (may include, but not limited to: buses, trains, light-rail, subway)

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Gallimore, Desirée. The Essential Guide to Safe Travel-Training for Children with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities. 2017.

Although published for children, and older than the suggested "five years or newer" standard, this is a seminal text for public transit training.

Types and/or Examples of Required Reading, Writing, and Outside of Class Assignments

None

Discipline(s)

Developmental Disabilities: Disabled Students Programs and Services, or Specialized Instruction (Disabled Student Programs and Services): Vocational Noncredit, or Specialized Instruction (Disabled Student Programs and Services): Noncredit