I. General Information
1. Course Title:
College Success Skills
2. Course Prefix & Number:
CCST 1510
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course is designed to promote student and lifelong success. Course content generally includes academic skills, life management skills, and information about school & community. Specific topics include: goal setting, learning styles, college reading strategies, study techniques, time management, test-taking skills, memory techniques, stress reduction, critical thinking applications, communication tips, assertiveness, relationship building, cultural diversity awareness, health and wellness issues, college and community resources, financial planning and the many personal issues that may affect college students.
5. Placement Tests Required:
| Accuplacer (specify test): |
Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level |
Score: |
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
CCST 1510 - College Success Skills
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
CCST 1510 - College Success Skills
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Century College, STSC 1000/New Student Seminar, 3 credits
St. Cloud Technical & Community College, READ 1112/Study Strategies, 3 credits
III. Course Purpose
Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
Other - If this course is not required in a program or is not part of the MN Transfer Curriculum, it may be used for the purpose(s) listed below:
- Liberal Arts Elective
- Non-Transferrable General Education Course
- AA Degree Student Success Course
- Technical Elective
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
Assess and interpret individual learning style. |
| Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills |
Demonstrate an awareness of strategies that can be used to improve and enhance communication with diverse groups of people. |
| Assess alternative solutions to a problem |
Identify and implement strategies to improve reading skills, note taking methods, test preparation and critical thinking skills. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Increase awareness of the skills, behaviors and attitudes that are necessary to become a confident and capable student;
- Assess and inventory current strengths and areas for growth;
- Identify strategies required for a successful transition to college;
- Assess individual learning style, and develop strategies to use it to enhance classroom experience and study/test preparation;
- Experiment with various time management strategies that will lead to greater success as a college student;
- Identify and implement strategies to improve reading skills, note taking methods, test preparation and critical thinking skills;
- Identify the necessary steps for sound academic planning and complete an academic plan;
- Demonstrate an awareness of strategies that can be used to improve and enhance communication with diverse groups of people; and
- Create a “personal toolbox” of effective ideas, techniques and skills to enhance success in college.
I. General Information
1. Course Title:
College Success Skills
2. Course Prefix & Number:
CCST 1510
3. Course Credits and Contact Hours:
Credits: 3
Lecture Hours: 3
Lab Hours: 0
4. Course Description:
This course is designed to promote student and lifelong success. Course content generally includes academic skills, life management skills, and information about school & community. Specific topics include: goal setting, learning styles, college reading strategies, study techniques, time management, test-taking skills, memory techniques, stress reduction, critical thinking applications, communication tips, assertiveness, relationship building, cultural diversity awareness, health and wellness issues, college and community resources, financial planning and the many personal issues that may affect college students.
5. Placement Tests Required:
| Accuplacer (specify test): |
Reading College Level CLC or Reading College Level |
Score: |
|
6. Prerequisite Courses:
CCST 1510 - College Success Skills
There are no prerequisites for this course.
9. Co-requisite Courses:
CCST 1510 - College Success Skills
There are no corequisites for this course.
II. Transfer and Articulation
1. Course Equivalency - similar course from other regional institutions:
Century College, STSC 1000/New Student Seminar, 3 credits
St. Cloud Technical & Community College, READ 1112/Study Strategies, 3 credits
III. Course Purpose
1. Program-Applicable Courses – This course fulfills a requirement for the following program(s):
3. Other - If this course does NOT meet criteria for #1 or #2 above, it may be used for the purpose(s) selected below:
- Liberal Arts Elective
- Non-Transferrable General Education Course
- AA Degree Student Success Course
- Technical Elective
IV. Learning Outcomes
1. College-Wide Outcomes
| College-Wide Outcomes/Competencies |
Students will be able to: |
| Demonstrate written communication skills |
Assess and interpret individual learning style. |
| Demonstrate interpersonal communication skills |
Demonstrate an awareness of strategies that can be used to improve and enhance communication with diverse groups of people. |
2. Course Specific Outcomes - Students will be able to achieve the following measurable goals upon completion of
the course:
- Increase awareness of the skills, behaviors and attitudes that are necessary to become a confident and capable student;
- Assess and inventory current strengths and areas for growth;
- Identify strategies required for a successful transition to college;
- Assess individual learning style, and develop strategies to use it to enhance classroom experience and study/test preparation;
- Experiment with various time management strategies that will lead to greater success as a college student;
- Identify and implement strategies to improve reading skills, note taking methods, test preparation and critical thinking skills;
- Identify the necessary steps for sound academic planning and complete an academic plan;
- Demonstrate an awareness of strategies that can be used to improve and enhance communication with diverse groups of people; and
- Create a “personal toolbox” of effective ideas, techniques and skills to enhance success in college.
V. Topical Outline
Listed below are major areas of content typically covered in this course.
1. Lecture Sessions
- Transitions to college
- Discover & intention journal entry system
- Making the transition to higher education
- Classroom civility
- Succeeding in higher education
- College resources
- Extracurricular activities
- Link to the world of work
- Ways to change a habit
- Power process: discover what you want
- Discovering yourself
- First step is truth is a key to mastery
- Discovery wheel
- Computer resources
- Learning styles
- Developing your multiple intelligences
- The master student
- The value of higher education
- Motivation
- Attitudes, affirmation, and visualizations
- Power process: ideas are tools
- Time
- You’ve got the time
- The time monitor
- Setting and achieving goals
- ABC to-do list
- Strategies for planning
- Procrastination
- Ways to get the most out of NOW
- Cultural differences with time
- Using a long-term planner
- Power process: be here now
- Memory
- Take your memory out of the closet
- The memory jungle
- Memory techniques
- Using Q-cards to reinforce memory
- Set a trap for memory
- Keep your brain fit for life
- Remembering names
- Mnemonic devices
- Power process: love your problems
- Reading
- Muscle reading
- Highlighting a textbook
- When reading is tough
- Reading faster
- Using a dictionary
- Research and your library
- Ebooks
- Critical thinking exercise
- Power process: notice your pictures and let them go
- Notes
- The note taking process
- Observe, record, review
- What to do when you miss a class
- Meeting with your instructor
- When your instructor talks fast
- Taking notes while reading
- Online classes and taking notes
- Power process: I create it all
- Tests
- Disarm tests
- What to do before a test
- How to cram
- Ways to predicate test questions
- Cooperative learning
- What to do during a test
- Answering essay questions
- F is for feedback not failure
- What to do after a test
- Perils of cheating
- Let go of test anxiety
- Math and science tests
- Power process: detach
- Thinking
- Critical thinking—a survival skill
- Becoming a critical thinker
- Attitudes of a critical thinker
- Finding the “aha”
- Ways to create ideas
- Common mistakes in logic
- Uncovering assumptions
- Ways to solve problems
- Choosing your major
- Asking questions—learning through inquiry
- Thinking critically about information on the internet
- Power process: embrace the new
- Communicating
- Communicating creates our world
- Communicating—keeping the channels open
- Choosing to listen
- Choosing to speak
- Ways to say “I”
- Developing emotional intelligence
- Managing conflict
- Ways to say “no”
- Ways to effective complaints
- Criticism can be constructive
- Collaborating for success
- Staying smart in cyberspace
- Text messaging etiquette
- Three phases of effective writing
- Academic integrity: avoid plagiarism
- Mastering public speaking
- Group presentations
- Power process: employ your word
- Diversity
- Waking up to diversity
- Diversity is real and valuable
- Building relationships across cultures
- Overcoming stereotypes with critical thinking
- Students with disabilities: know your rights
- Dealing with sexism and sexual harassment
- Strategies for nonsexist communication
- Leadership in a diverse world
- Power process: choose your conversations and your community
- Money
- Paths to financial freedom
- Budgeting
- Make more money
- Spend less money
- Managing money through tough times
- Take charge of your credit
- Common credit terms
- Money for the future
- Paying for college
- Education is worth it
- Your learning styles and money
- We live like royalty
- Power process: risk being a fool
- Health
- Wake up to health
- Choose your fuel
- Prevent and treat eating disorders
- Choose mental health
- Choose to rest
- Choose to stay safe
- Observe thyself
- Choose sexual health
- Develop self-efficacy
- Emotional pain is not a sickness
- Suicide is no solution
- Alcohol, tobacco, and drugs
- From dependence to recovery
- Succeed in quitting smoking
- Advertising can be dangerous to your health
- Power process: surrender
- What’s Next
- Create your career now
- Recognize your skills
- Sample career plans jumpstart your education with transferable skills
- Resumes and interviews
- Creating and using portfolios
- Surviving your first day on a new job
- Choosing schools …again
- Contributing: the art of selfishness
- Service learning
- Define your values, align your actions
- Revisiting your discovery wheel
- Power process: persist