Human Development 20: Life Skills for Higher Education (4 units)
Winter 2012 Course Syllabus/Green Sheet
Instructor:
Robert Alexander
Preferred Method of Contact
(email):
alexanderrobert@deanza.edu
(subject line: HUMA 20)
Voicemail:
(408) 864-8616
Office Location:
Student & Community Services Building
Please check in at the counseling center front desk
Office Hours:
By Appointment Only
Course Meeting:
Monday - Thursday / 12:30pm-1:30pm
September 24 – December 14, 2012
Room: Seminar 2
Advisory:
EWRT 211 & READ 211 or ESL 272 & 273
Welcome to HUMA 20! You are about to begin one of the most important and
beneficial courses of your college career. This class is designed to help you succeed
at De Anza College. Many skills that you will learn in this class will not only help you
as a college student, but also in your personal and professional life. The purpose of
this syllabus or green sheet is to provide you with an overview as well as
requirements of the class. It is a contract between the instructor and the student.
This syllabus contains vital information, which you should use as reference
throughout the quarter.
Important Information
This class is a community, which is built on mutual respect and appreciation for
learning. Disruptive behavior is unacceptable and will result in a student having to
leave class or being dropped if the behavior continues. Please turn off your cell
phone before you enter class! Maintaining good communication with the instructor
is important in HUMA 20. Contact me via email, telephone, or in person. Please talk
to me as soon as you have any questions, concerns, or personal issues that may
affect your class performance. If you are a student with a disability and would like
to discuss special accommodations, please talk to me as soon as possible.
Student Learning Outcomes (SLO)
Synthesize and construct a plan with identified strategies to increase success in
college and life. Plan includes: time management, learning style, and major/career
selection.
Course Description
Addresses a multitude of life skills and strategies for success, with emphasis on
attaining professional, personal and academic goals in a diverse society. Topics
covered include creative and realistic goal setting, academic and life management,
cultural learning styles, college and community resources, library and Internet use,
time management, and techniques to reduce math and science anxiety. Evaluation
and application of academic study methods to achieve subject matter mastery.
Development of critical thinking skills, and application of reading, writing, note
taking and test taking methods to improve personal strategies. Exploration of
personal lifestyle and health factors, including the causes and management of stress,
as it relates to academic success. Assessment of academic and career goals, selection
of majors, and development of education plans. Topics from developmental
psychology, learning theory and personality theory will be presented as a
foundation for the course.
Course Objectives
Identify personal lifestyle, life balance, and assess health factors including habits of
diet, sleep, exercise, alcohol/drug use and levels of personal stress as affected by
culture, race, gender, disability, and sexual orientation and how these factors relate
to academic success
Examine personal learning styles, career aspirations/life goals, and time
management and decision making strategies within one’s own cultural framework
Develop memory, note-taking strategies and test-taking techniques to improve
study habits and learning of subject matter
Apply critical thinking, reading, and writing processes to gain comprehensive
understanding of academic subjects
Apply learning techniques to reduce math and science anxiety in various settings
Discuss issues of intercultural communication within an academic and professional
environment
Examine educational/career options and campus resources; develop individual
educational plan
Required Text
Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. L. (2011). Keys to Effective Learning: Study Skills &
Habits for Success (6th ed.) ISBN: 9780137007509
Transfer Information/General Education Requirements
HUMA 20 is transferrable to both the CSU & UC campuses, as well as many private
universities/colleges. This course fulfills AREA E of the CSU General Education
Breadth Requirements. HUMA 20 is also part of the A.A. major requirements for
Liberal Arts – Social & Behavior Sciences emphasis.
Important Winter Quarter 2012 Campus Dates (www.deanza.edu/calendar)
Last Day to Add Course with Add Code:
Saturday, October 6
Last Day to Drop Course with no record of grade:
Sunday, October 7
Last Day to Drop Course with a “W”:
Friday, November 16
Campus Holidays:
Monday, November 12
November 22-23
Course Final (Date & Time):
December 12
12:30-1:20
Academic Honor Code
Academic dishonesty, cheating, and plagiarism in writing research papers or taking
exams is unacceptable in this class. This includes representing another’s work, or
part of their work (published or unpublished) as if it were ones own. Students
committing these violations will be reported to the Dean of Student Development
and will automatically receive zero points for the designated assignment or test, and
possibly the class.
Graded Assignments, Projects, and Exams
All assignments must be submitted on the due date specified in this syllabus.
Assignments that are emailed and/or late will receive partial credit. If you miss
class on the day when assignments are due, make sure to have someone deliver
your work for you. No makeup exams given unless due to personal or family
emergencies. If you qualify for an exception, you must notify me via phone or email
on the day that you miss class or before the next class meeting following a test.
No Exceptions!
-- Attendance, Class Participation, & Homework
(10 points per week/Total 110 points)
It is mandatory that you attend every class session. Only (3) three absences will be
allowed. I suggest you hold them for use in case of illness, emergency, car trouble,
etc. Once you have exceeded your 3 absences before the “W” deadline, the
instructor reserves the right to drop you from the class. Contact me if you have to
miss class so that I am familiar with your circumstances.
If it is impossible for you to attend a class session, you will still be responsible to get
the information that was covered and complete the homework assigned before the
next class session. I strongly encourage you to exchange telephone numbers with
your classmates, so those persons can fill you in on the assignments and material
covered on the day you missed.
Be on time to class! I will take roll at the beginning of each class session. If you
show up to class late (after roll call) or leave early, it will be counted as a tardy and
you will not receive the full daily attendance points.
Students are required to actively listen, participate in discussions, and interactive
career development exercises. Also, students must respect anyone with views that
differ from their own, not interrupt others, or engage in disruptive behavior.
Engaging in disruptive behavior may result in dismissal from the class and possibly
reported to the Dean of Student Development.
-- Exams (3 exams @ 50 points each / Total 150 points)
Exams will cover both textbook readings and lectures. Each exam will be utilizing
the Pink Parscore which is available at the Campus Bookstore.
-- “Changing Habits” Reflections Papers (Total 70 points)
For this assignment, you will identify a personal or academic-related “bad” habit
that you would like to change. Reflection papers will be submitted on a regular
basis to track your progress towards this change. All papers must be typed, double
spaced, 12-point font, and within 300-500 word count allotment (for each paper).
Papers should be clearly written with proper sentence structure and grammatically
correct according to this class’s English advisory, or points will be deducted. Please
utilize the Writing and Reading Center (WRC) in ATC-309 for help with your written
assignments.
Here are the guidelines for each paper:
• Paper 1 (due Thurs. Oct 4): Identify what you want to change. Why is this habit
change important to you? What would be the ultimate goal if you changed your
habit? Name specific, short-term actions related to this habit change. What action
steps do you need to take to change your bad habit? Who are your support systems
to make sure you accomplish this habit change? How would you inform them of
your new goal? How can they help you with this? See page 13 of your textbook for
clarifying questions. (20 points)
• Paper 2 (due Thurs. Oct 11): Reflect on how hard or easy this habit change was.
Identify key things that keep you on target. Identify barriers that may stir you away
from making progress. (10 points)
• Paper 3 (due Thurs. Oct 25): Report any new progress. Reflect on your
progression towards this habit change. Would you need to modify your habit
change? What would this modification entail? Any new key things that keep you on
target or any new barriers that prevent you from moving forward. (10 points)
• Paper 4 (due Thurs. Nov 8): Report any new progress. Reflect on your
progression towards this habit change. Is your new modification working (if
applicable)? Any new key things that keep you on target or any new barriers that
prevent you from moving forward. (10 points)
• Paper 5 (due Weds. Nov 21): Describe if you were able to keep up with your habit
change. If you were not able to, what prevented you from accomplishing this? If
you modified your habit change, how did this help you in your progression? How
did you overcome the barriers (if any)? Please reflect on this whole experience.
(20 points)
-- Utilizing Student Services/Involvement in Campus Activities
(30 points TOTAL)
In order to receive full credit, all items must be turned in together on the due date of
Thursday, November 29th. The packet must include all of the following:
• 2-quarter Education Plan developed by a counselor or advisor
• Verification Form
• Utilize Student Success Center (Tutorial Centers)
• Apply for Financial Aid (FAFSA) or Scholarship
• Participate in a Club Meeting/Activity –or- Volunteer at a Campus Event
• Essay: Explaining why each of these student services and campus life activities are
important to your success as a student at De Anza College.
-- Group Presentation (40 points TOTAL)
The purpose of this assignment is to provide you with an opportunity to actively
participate in your learning, teach others what you have learned, and practice the
art of public speaking in a safe and supportive environment You may already know
that each of us has different learning styles/intelligences (verbal-linguistic, logicalmathematical, bodily-kinesthetic, visual-spatial, interpersonal, intrapersonal,
musical, and naturalistic). Each presentation must engage in at least 5 of the 8
learning styles/intelligences.
As your group begins to meet and discuss the topic assigned, be sure to involve
everyone in the process. Remember we all have different strengths and areas that
need to be developed. This assignment should be fun, yet challenging, but
remember you are all working together for a common cause and that is “Learning
to build student networks or learning communities” with each other.
Groups will be assigned a topic. Each group member will be responsible for
researching the topic within the course textbook, website resources, etc.
Possible Group Presentation Topics
• Motivation
• Identity Theft
• Transferring to a 4-year University
• Job Searching & Resume Building
• Preparing for a Job Interview
• How to deal with a difficult instructor, student rights, filing a grievance
• Conflict Resolution
• Relationships (Family, Friends, Significant Others)
Presentation Guidelines:
Your 10-15 minute group presentation must include the following areas:
• Topic Introduction: What is the topic? Why is it important to College Success?
• What will students learn and/or what are the goals of the presentation?
• Use whiteboard, overheads, videos, poster boards, power points, etc. to
demonstrate the topic
• Must have an interactive in-class activity to engage students in your presentation
Be sure to ask me questions if you are unsure of the presentation or if you need
clarification prior to your presentation
Group Presentation Grading (40 points)
30 points
Group Presentation
• Content (well-prepared, organized, thorough)
• Engagement Level of Class (interactive, utilizing various learning
styles/intelligences)
• Active participation of all group members
• Group knowledge on the topic
10 points
Presentation Outline
- brief outline of your presentation
- your powerpoint/visual aids alone does not satisfy this
requirement
Grading Scale
A
(360-400 points)
B
(320-359 points)
C
(280-319 points)
D
F
(240-279 points)
(239 points and below)