When the
Master Student Guide to Academic Success was written, the order of the chapters and the topics covered therein were carefully developed with two objectives in mind. First, if used in its complete and ordered format, the book could fully accommodate a student's transition into the world of higher education and beyond. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the chapters are organized, tabbed for ease of reference, and structured so that each one can be used independently of the others or in small groups of short chapters that completely address a subject area. The structure of the chapters allows each to stand on its own, providing the instructor with the flexibility to reorganize the curriculum to the unique needs of his particular teaching situation. This gives the
Guide the added ability to be used effectively in a variety of situations outside of the traditional First-Year Experience course (see the Overview of Text section earlier for a description of possible course types).
One of the goals of the
Master Student Guide is to be comprehensive in its coverage of the skills needed by students to be successful in their academic pursuits. It accomplishes this goal by grouping twenty-nine chapters into seven sections: Making Successful Transitions (Chapters 1 and 2); Thinking Critically and Creatively (Chapters 3-5); Planning to Succeed (Chapters 6-8); Reading and Note-Taking with a Purpose (Chapters 9-15); Building Memory and Test Skills (Chapters 16-19); Developing and Presenting Ideas (Chapters 20-27); and Succeeding in Math and Science (Chapters 28 and 29). Therefore, the
Master Student Guide can easily be used in its present format and order in a traditional semester-long College Success or First-Year Experience course. In contrast, you do not have to cover everything in the book, and you do not have to maintain the order suggested in the table of contents. For example, you may prefer to introduce the study skills sections much earlier or to skip one or more chapters. Each chapter is clearly tabbed, including a Quick Reference Guide on the tab itself, which makes finding information and the rearrangement of topics easy and convenient. Since every college and class is different, you may want to choose among the topics covered and customize your course to fit your students' needs. One of the Guide's great strengths is that it allows you to do so.
To these ends, the
Guide first addresses and introduces the world of higher education and advanced learning to the student. It sets the context in which the student will be participating and learning, including those nonacademic elements that a student might encounter and that could influence and impact her learning environment and success (Chapters 1 and 2). The purpose is to make the student feel comfortable in his strange new surroundings and to understand that it is normal to come upon obstacles and maybe even feel out of place or overwhelmed at times.
In the next two sections, the
Guide addresses creativity and problem solving (Chapters 3-5), followed by goal setting (Chapters 6-8). Goal setting is first discussed in the broadest terms for the student, that of life purpose and career goals. Such broad life goals are often difficult to identify clearly; therefore, the chapters on creativity and decision-making are included first. Strategies and skills to enhance creativity, develop ideas, and improve decision making and problem solving are included in these chapters. Therefore, students will be fully equipped to undertake the large issues of identifying a life purpose and setting goals that follow in the next section. When life and career goals are clearly identified and clarified, they can give important meaning to a student's studies and course work. It is for this reason that the chapter on goal setting is structured in this way, from the initial identification of the broadest goals down to the establishment of smaller weekly or daily goals.
Once the context of the academic environment is laid out in these first eight chapters, the clear academic skills are each examined in turn. The next twenty-one chapters are grouped into four specific sections that address the following subject areas: reading and note-taking; memory and test-taking skills; developing and presenting ideas (which includes research, draft writing, and revision, among others); and succeeding in math and science. A course syllabus can easily be constructed that follows this order of chapters. Or you could easily customize the order of chapters to your individual course requirements for use in a three-, two-, or even one-credit course.
In addition to its traditional uses, the
Master Student Guide is also intended to be used in many nontraditional formats, such as learning communities, workshops, orientations, and many others. In order to accomplish this, the
Guide is clearly tabbed so that topics can be found quickly and information referenced easily. Chapters are written and topics are developed so they can stand alone. This allows the professor or instructor to adapt the order in which they are taught to the unique needs of his particular teaching situation. This flexibility and organization also allows the instructor to select only those chapters that support individual topics in a variety of possible teaching formats, while allowing the students to use the rest of the
Guide as a reference book when needed in any of their courses.
Several sample syllabi are given. The first (Syllabus A) will follow the chapters as ordered in the
Master Student Guide in a traditional semester-length College Success or First-Experience course. The next syllabus (Syllabus B) provides an example of a course structure wherein the instructor has manipulated the order in which chapters are covered for his own customized purpose. The final syllabus (Syllabus C) will illustrate the
Guide's use in a less traditional format, where certain chapters will be chosen to support specific lessons or purposes and other chapters will not be covered at all in the classroom, but will be left for students to review independently or to be used as academic reference when needed. This sample syllabus will be more like a lesson outline or seminar agenda than a traditional course syllabus.
Please feel free to use the
Master Student Guide in the way that best supports your teaching objectives. One of the
Guide's great strengths is its flexibility. Take advantage of the fact that it can be adapted easily to fit your particular teaching situation.
