Academic Catalog

CNSL 56: LIFELONG LEARNING STRATEGIES

Foothill College Course Outline of Record

Foothill College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Summer 2024
Units: 3
Hours: 3 lecture per week (36 total per quarter)
Advisory: Not open to students with credit in CRLP 55.
Degree & Credit Status: Degree-Applicable Credit Course
Foothill GE: Area VII: Lifelong Learning
Transferable: CSU
Grade Type: Letter Grade (Request for Pass/No Pass)
Repeatability: Not Repeatable

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Demonstrate understanding of academic standards and expectations and how to apply them for overall college success.
  • Identify the tutorial programs and evaluate which service is more applicable to meet their academic needs

Description

Interactive, applied course to teach learning strategies and skills necessary to successfully reach educational, career, and personal objectives. Topics include time management, memory techniques, study reading, note taking, test preparation, other learning strategies, and the techniques to apply them in college and throughout life.

Course Objectives

The student will be able to:

  1. Identify and clarify personal, academic, and career goals.
  2. Analyze and describe areas of academic strength and weakness.
  3. Prepare and use an individual time management and learning skills program.
  4. Apply memory and test-taking techniques.
  5. Explain the role of stress and motivation in achieving academic and career success.
  6. Analyze and apply assessment tools for academic and career success.
  7. Evaluate and apply healthy choices to achieve academic, career, and personal success.
  8. Apply academic standards for overall college success.
  9. Teach lifelong learning skills to others with consideration to ethical and legal implications.
  10. Analyze cultural and economic identity and how it affects academic expectations.
  11. Use the computer to conduct research and prepare assignments.

Course Content

  1. Identify and clarify personal, academic, and career goals by engaging in class projects and practicing reflective journaling
  2. Analyze and describe areas of academic strength and weakness
    1. Conduct survey and questionnaire to assess academic strengths and weaknesses
    2. Become more effective in dealing with progress and changes with academic learning
      1. Discovery and intention statements
      2. Changing habits
      3. Motivation
  3. Time management plan
    1. Getting the most out of now
    2. Ways to handle procrastination
    3. Master, monthly, weekly, and daily schedules
    4. Task-based and project management schedules
    5. Online time-management tools: Evernote, Remind, Focus Booster, etc.
  4. Memory techniques
    1. Importance of intention
    2. Techniques to improve memory
    3. Active learning
    4. Mnemonic device
  5. Stress management
    1. Awareness of negative stress
    2. Stress management techniques
    3. Impact of stress on psychological, physiological, and emotional well-being
    4. Strategies to combat stress
  6. Academic and career assessment tools
    1. Complete academic and career assessments, to include: Learning Styles, Myers-Briggs, Values Inventory, O*Net Interest Profiler, etc.
    2. Analyze assessment results and consider action steps for further academic and career exploration
  7. Psychological/health wellness
    1. Relationships and diversity
    2. Strategies for making healthy and productive choices
    3. A balanced life
  8. Academic standards
    1. Understand college expectations
    2. College resources, on and off campus
    3. Personal responsibilities and choices
    4. Code of conduct and academic integrity
    5. Effective study skills
      1. Reading techniques
        1. "Speed" reading
        2. Improve vocabulary
      2. Note-taking techniques
        1. Listen critically and actively
        2. Speedwriting/abbreviations
        3. Effective note taking strategies, Cornell System
      3. Test taking techniques
        1. Predicting questions
        2. Essay format
        3. Test anxiety: psychological and physiological factors
        4. Tracking system to study effectively for tests
        5. Practice test questions
      4. Using creativity techniques
        1. Critical thinking and creativity
        2. Writing papers
        3. Preparing/delivering presentations
      5. Money issues
        1. Earning/managing money
        2. Financial resources, including scholarships
        3. Budget plan
        4. Online budgeting resources
      6. Preparing for the future
        1. Academic and career decisions
        2. Begin to implement choices
  9. Able to teach lifelong learning skills
    1. Personal change project to adopt and use techniques learned
    2. Mentor/mentee opportunities
    3. Demonstrate mastery of topics through oral presentations and small group discussions
    4. Plan of action to use course strategies in future academic, personal, and career endeavors
  10. Celebrating diversity
    1. How culture affects learning
    2. Develop cultural competency
    3. Conflict resolution
  11. Computer skills
    1. Use of word processing to complete assignments
    2. Effective presentation software

Lab Content

Not applicable.

Special Facilities and/or Equipment

When taught online, on-going access to computer with email software and hardware; email address.

Method(s) of Evaluation

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

Written assignments, including journal entries
Quizzes
Essay and objective examinations
Class participation and group assignments
Self-change project
Tutorial resource project
Class presentations
Time-management projects
Final exam

Method(s) of Instruction

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

Lecture presentations and classroom discussion using the language of college success skills
Provide guidance to assigned reading materials followed by instructor interpretation and analysis
Facilitation of presentations followed by in-class discussion and evaluation
Organize and coordinate group projects

Representative Text(s) and Other Materials

Baldwin, Amy, Brian Tietje, and Paul G. Stoltz. The Community College Experience, 4th ed.. 2015.

Pauk, Walter, and Ross J.Q. Owens. How to Study in College, 11th ed.. 2014.

Although these texts are older than the suggested "5 years or newer" standard, they remain seminal texts in this area of study.

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

  1. Review of handouts and relevant reading material: Supplemental handouts will be provided for topics, to include time-management, budgets, test-taking, etc.
  2. Research and planning of individual assignments
  3. Reading and study of the textbook: 23-30 pages from The Community College Experience, and 35-40 pages from How to Study in College (per week)

Discipline(s)

Counseling