ACTIVITIES FOR ENGAGING
FIRST-YEAR
COLLEGE STUDENTS
Community College of Rhode Island
Faculty Development Workshop
May 23, 2013
Amy Baldwin
Chair of College Studies
Pulaski Technical College (AR)
amybaldwin@comcast.net
abaldwin@pulaskitech.edu
www.itsinthesyllabus.com
501-658-1445
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HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE EXERCISE
High School
Textbooks and class material are given to you for free in high
school.
High school is free and required.
Any time a substitute teaches the class, there is nothing really
important to learn.
In high school, staying after to talk to a teacher usually meant
you were in trouble or failing a class.
In high school, email is used primarily to send messages to
friends; teachers rarely used email to communicate with
students.
Violating an academic integrity policy by cheating or
plagiarizing may not necessarily cause you to fail a class for the
semester
Learning in high school primarily occurred in the classroom.
The teacher’s responsibility was to make sure most of the
students understood the material before moving to another
lesson. Students who need help mastering material work
primarily with the teacher.
High school students are grouped by age. Many students
participate in activities both in and outside of class with
people who are like they are. There is little age diversity in
classes.
College
In college, you are required to purchase all of your
course materials, including textbooks, lab manuals
and equipment, calculators, and computer
software.
College is voluntary and costs money to attend.
However, college costs more than tuition and
fees; there are also course material costs,
transportation costs; and costs associated with
equipment and services that are necessary for
completing assignments
In college, guest lecturers, films, and alternative
learning activities are always important parts of
the course.
Visiting your professors in college usually means
you are forming strong relationships with them as
mentors and advisors during your college career.
Professors in college may depend heavily on the
use of email to communicate with you and to
send and receive assignments.
In college, violating an academic integrity policy
by cheating or plagiarizing can have graver and
far-reaching consequences including earning you
an F for the entire course, student disciplinary
sanctions, and expulsion from the college.
Learning in college happens primarily outside of
class. Professors are part of a learning support
network that includes tutors, supplemental
instructors, and mentors who may work together
to help you learn. Students who need help
mastering the material often work with tutors or
other college staff.
In college, students are grouped by the number of
credit hours they complete. Students are more
likely to encounter a wider diversity in college,
especially with regards to age and backgrounds.
Students will also be less likely to choose to work
in a group with similar students.
Opportunities
Challenges
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HIGH SCHOOL TO COLLEGE CLOZE EXERCISE
High School
College
Opportunities
Challenges
Textbooks and class material are given to you for free in high school.
High school is free and required.
Any time a substitute teaches the class, there is nothing really
important to learn.
In high school, staying after to talk to a teacher usually meant you
were in trouble or failing a class.
In high school, email is used primarily to send messages to friends;
teachers rarely used email to communicate with students.
Violating an academic integrity policy by cheating or plagiarizing may
not necessarily cause you to fail a class for the semester
Learning in high school primarily occurred in the classroom. The
teacher’s responsibility was to make sure most of the students
understood the material before moving to another lesson. Students
who need help mastering material work primarily with the teacher.
High school students are grouped by age. Many students participate
in activities both in and outside of class with people who are like they
are. There is little age diversity in classes.
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LOST IN TRANSLATION
Directions: Choose three of the following terms and write your definitions of them as you know them. Then, discuss how
you think the definitions may change, or not, in college. Be prepared to share with the rest of the class.
TERM
Syllabus
DEFINITION
DEFINITION IN COLLEGE
Office hours
Study
Final exam
Paper
Retention
Plagiarism
Learning
Make-up Policy
Attendance
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Images of Time
Directions: Review the following images (or create your own) and determine which best represents your image of time. Use the space below the images to record why you view
time in this way.
Draw Your Own
Which best represents your image of time? Why?
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Unwritten Rules and Action Steps*
The following “unwritten” rules and action steps focus on time management in college. In the blank table
below, write down four “unwritten” rules for your course as well as action steps for making the transition into
the new culture.
Unwritten Rules of the College Experience
Action Steps for Making the Transition
Use your calendar and your task lists to prepare for the
Peak times for tests and papers for a 15th
th
th
peak times and commit yourself to completing some
week semester are at the 5 , 8 , and 15
assignments ahead of time
weeks.
There are no short assignments in college,
only short amounts of time to complete
them.
Procrastination can cause you to fail a
course.
Just being in college—attending class,
going to the library or tutoring, or visiting
your professor—takes a substantial
amount of time.
Unwritten Rules of the College Experience
Learn how to predict the length of time it will take to
complete assignments.
Break all assignments down into parts or steps and
schedule the completion of those steps well before
the due date. Ask for assistance if you need help with
any part.
Plan your schedule each week so that you have time
to take care of the “business of college” in addition to
going to class, studying, and completing assignments.
Action Steps for Making the Transition
*from A. Baldwin & B. Tietje. The College Experience Concise Edition (Pearson, 2013).
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Attitudinal Academic Integrity Survey
(adapted from Robert Harris’ attitudinal survey for students, which can be found in The Plagiarism Handbook,
p. 141)
Directions: The purpose of this attitudinal survey is to help you gauge your attitude towards the issue of
academic dishonesty. Please be honest when answering these questions. Do not place your name on this
survey.
1. My teachers have discussed plagiarism and how to avoid it when writing.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
2. I am confident that I know what plagiarism is and how to avoid it when writing.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
3. I think that students who plagiarize should be penalized.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
4. Cutting and pasting information from the Internet without showing where the information came from
is a form of plagiarism.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
5. Asking someone else to help me write a paper can be considered cheating.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
6. Making up sources for a research paper is not a form of cheating.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
7. Buying a paper from the Internet or borrowing someone else’s paper and turning it in as my own is not
plagiarism.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
8. The majority of the students at my institution do not plagiarize or cheat on assignments and exams.
 Strongly Agree
 Agree
 Neutral
 Disagree
 Strongly Disagree
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INTEGRITY SCENARIOS for CRITICAL THINKING
Integrity Scenario #1
Yulanda has had trouble writing since she started in college. Fortunately, her mother has a degree and is a
good writer—she knows what Yulanda must do to write well in college. Despite her struggles, Yulanda has
managed to make a B in Composition Fundamentals.
Now, she is in Composition I, and the expectations are higher. She has struggled to make a C in part because
of comma splices and run-on sentences, yet she thinks she deserves a higher grade. Frustrated, she has asked
her mother to correct her grammatical errors. When she gets her paper back from her mother, she notices
that she has reworded her thesis and has rewritten half of her conclusion. Yulanda thinks the paper is much
better and should earn her at least a B. She turns it in.
Do you think Yulanda is doing the right thing? Why or why not? Do her actions violate any written or
unwritten rules about academic integrity?
Integrity Scenario #2
Marlea is taking an accounting class, which requires that students complete a group project. Marlea HATES
group projects because they usually mean that she ends up with doing all the work. The assignment for the
group is to create a business plan for a fictional business and include examples of cost accounting in the plan.
All members of the group will receive the same grade for the work and all members must present the project.
The group has met once and besides coming up with their fictional business—a dog-walking service—they
have not done anything else. She has less than two weeks to get her group in gear, but after emailing them or
calling them, she is beginning to realize that they will not be able or are not willing to do their share of the
work. Thus, Marlea has decided to complete the project on her own and share brief the rest of the group on
“what part they did” so that it will look like a true group effort.
Do you think Marlea is doing the right thing? Why or why not? Do her actions violate any written or unwritten
rules about academic integrity?
Integrity Scenario #3
Reggie is taking a world literature class online. He has been disappointed that the class has not been as
interactive as he thought it would be and the workload has been tremendous—100 pages of literature
(ancient literature!!) a week. He has taken one test so far, but besides his grade of a C-, he has received little
feedback on his progress.
Reggie is particularly concerned that his grade in the class may not be high enough for him to keep his
scholarship. He must maintain a 3.25 each semester, and if he makes a C in this class, he may lose his
scholarship and not be able to return next semester. All he has left is a final exam and a literary analysis paper.
Reggie decides that he cannot afford a low grade on his paper—and the professor doesn’t seem to read his
work anyway—so he buys a paper on Gilgamesh from www.123essays.com and turns it in.
Do you think Reggie is doing the right thing? Why or why not? Do his actions violate any written or unwritten
rules about academic integrity?
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Be a Classroom Google Jockey
Directions: Designate one or more students who have hand-held devices or laptops that can access the
Internet as the day’s “Google Jockey.” Ask that person or persons to use either a particular search
engine or a meta-search engine or one of their own choosing to find information that complements the
day’s topic/lecture/activity or that provides a counterargument or additional angle. You may also assign
specific websites for the student to explore. Determine specific times during class to call on the
student(s) to provide the information found. Students must report their findings and include a verbal
citation of the source so that students know from where the information comes.
Questions to Guide the Google Jockey Assignment:
1. 1 What is the historical context of the topic?
2. What images exist on the topic?
3. What video or audio files exist on the topic?
4. Who or what organization is considered an authority on the subject?
5. What other links are available on websites that focus on the topic?
6. What “fun facts” can you find on the topic?
Questions to Ask After Google Break Information Is Presented:
1. What is the source of the information? Did you quote exactly from the source or did you put the
information in your own words?
2. Is the information objective and authoritative? How do you know?
3. Does the information add to your understanding of the topic? Why or why not?
4. How does the information link to other topics or subjects?
5. Does the information bring up additional questions you have about the topic?
6. Where else would you suggest searching for more information?
7. Will you be more likely to investigate the topic more on your own?
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SWEET TWEETS
Assignment: Answer the following question on a note card and pass up your card to the front.
You do not have to put your name on it—we will share by reading the cards aloud at the end of
class.
Variation 1: In 12 words or less, write a summary of the most important points in today’s
assigned readings/discussion.
Variation 2: In 6 words or less (more challenging), write a summary of the most important
points in today’s assigned readings/discussion.
Variation 3: Write a haiku (5 syllables-7 syllables-5 syllables) that captures the essence of
today’s content.
Tech Version: Use Twitter by setting up an account for your class and asking students to follow
the class. Allow them tweet during class (if you are brave) or between classes about questions
or comments they may have about the course content. You can display the twitter account
during class and track comments and questions: www.twitter.com. Additional information
about Six-Word Memoirs (another variation) can be found at
http://www.smithmag.net/sixwords/ and
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=18768430.
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Allows students to engage in social media and classroom discussion.
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Requires Internet connection and projector/computer.
Low Tech, No Tech Version: Use note cards to allow students to write their summaries or
haikus, or ask them to create them and then write them on the board.
•
Allows students to share in class discussion.
•
Allows students to think about, digest, and synthesize material.
•
Allows students to practice critical thinking skills.
•
Requires note-cards and/or a blackboard/dry-erase board.
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Chapter Quiz (Fribbled Breg)
Directions: Circle the answer that best completes the sentence or answers the question.
1. The purpose of the cluss in furmpaling is to remove
a. cluss-prags
c. cloughs
b. tremalis
d. plumots
2. Trassig is true when
a. lusps trasses the vom
b. the viskal flans, if the viskal is donwil or zortil
c. the begul
d. dissles lisk easily
3. The sigia frequently overfesks the trelsum because
a. all sigia are mellious
b. sigias are always vortil
c. the reelsum is usually tarious
d. no trelsa are feskable
4. The fribbled breg will minter best with an
a. derst
c. sortar
b. morst
d. ignu
5. Among the reasons for tristal doss are
a. The sabs foped and the foths tinzed
b. the dredges roted with the orots
c. few racobs were accapted in sluth
d. most of the polats were thonced
6. Which of the following is/are always present when trossels
are being gruven?
a. rint and vost
c. shum and vost
b. vost
d. vost and plone
7. The mintering function of the ignu is most effectively
carried out in connection with
a. razma tol
c. the fribbled breg
b. the grosing stantol d. a frally slush
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The answers and reasons for those answers are as follows:
1. The purpose of the cluss in furmpaling is to
remove
a. cluss-prags
b. tremalis
c. cloughs
d. plumots
1--a. The cluss is mentioned in the question and in
the
answer.
2. Trassig is true when
a. lusps trasses the vom
b. the viskal flans, if the viskal is donwil or zortil
c. the begul
d. dissles lisk easily
2--a. The word trassig in the question and the
verb trasses
in the answer.
3. The sigia frequently overfesks the trelsum
because
a. all sigia are mellious
b. sigias are always vortil
c. the reelsum is usually tarious
d. no trelsa are feskable
4--d. The giveaway here is the article "an" since
"ignu" is
the only answer starting with a vowel.
5. Among the reasons for tristal doss are
a. The sabs foped and the foths tinzed
b. the dredges roted with the orots
c. few racobs were accapted in sluth
d. most of the polats were thonced
5--a. This is a bit more subtle, but we think that
since
the question calls for "reasons" in the plural and
(a) is
the only answer with more than one reason, that
the answer
is (a).
6. Which of the following is/are always present
when trossels
are being gruven?
a. rint and vost
c. shum and vost
b. vost
d. vost and plone
6--b. Vost is mentioned in all possible answers, so
vost
must always be present.
3--c. The key word here is "usually", along with
"frequently" in the question. Anyway, it is often best to
give a
non-absolute answer in case there is an
exception.
7. The mintering function of the ignu is most
effectively
carried out in connection with
4. The fribbled breg will minter best with an
7--c. Since in question 4 (above), the fribbled
breg was
mintering with an ignu, the thing mintering with
the ignu
is, of course, the fribbled breg
a. derst
b. morst
c. sortar
d. ignu
a. razma tol
c. the fribbled breg
b. the grosing stantol d. a frally slush
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YOU AND YOUR RELATIONSHIPS: WHO’S IN YOUR CIRCLE?
Directions: You are in the center of the diagram below. The circles that surround you signify people in your life. Fill in as many circles as you can with each
person’s name. Then, with a pen, pencil, or marker, make a heavy, thick line to each person who supports your decision to enroll in college and complete a
degree. For those supportive people who will be there when you need help, make two thick lines between your circle and theirs. For the people whose support
is not constant or clear, provide a broken line between you and them. This exercise is adapted from Philip DeVol’s Getting Ahead in a Just-Getting’-By-World
(aha!Process).
ME
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Roadblocks and Pathways
Directions: For every roadblock you list below that students can face while earning a degree, list a potential
pathway that can help them overcome the roadblock.
Roadblocks
Pathways
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If, Then, Consequences*
Directions: Think about possible situations that may happen this semester and write down those possible
situations in the “IF” column. Next, write down what you will do in the “THEN” column if the situation occurs.
Finally, write down the consequences in the last column for your actions.
IF
THEN
CONSEQUENCES
*From R. Sherfield & P. Moody Cornerstones for College Success (Pearson, 2013).
STUDENT CASE SCENARIOS
1. Renée is barely passing her literature class. She has not done well on the tests or the writing assignments, so she
has asked someone to help her write her final literary analysis paper. A friend of her mother has offered to help
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her write her paper, and when she meets with Renée, her mother’s friend has offered to write down all of
Renée’s ideas, organize them, and reword her sentences. The result is that Renée’s paper is an A paper,
something that she has not been able to achieve all semester. She is thrilled that she finally has gotten a good
grade.
Use the following scale to rate the decision that has been made (1= Poor Decision, 5=Excellent Decision). Be
prepared to explain your answer.
Poor Decision
1
Excellent Decision
2
3
4
5
2. Paul is having a hard time understanding the research assignment that his government professor handed out to
the class. He had two months to work on the paper, but he hasn’t done anything yet, and now he has only two
weeks. He has decided to make an appointment with his professor before beginning the assignment, but she
cannot see him until the end of the week, which will mean he will lose four days of working on the paper before
he can begin. Nonetheless, he is determined to start off right, and he is afraid if he starts working on it first,
before speaking to her, he will get confused and end up feeling as though he wasted time.
Use the following scale to rate the decision that has been made (1= Poor Decision, 5=Excellent Decision). Be
prepared to explain your answer.
Poor Decision
Excellent Decision
1
2
3
4
5
3. Pietra is afraid of public speaking and she has been postponing taking her speech class until her last semester in
college. When she does enroll, she feels that familiar fear that has kept her from taking the course until now and
she cannot seem to shake it. The professor has lectured about overcoming speaking anxiety and Pietra has read
the material in her textbook, but she doesn’t think that she will be able to pass the class. She has her first speech
tomorrow and she thinks that if she tells her professor she is sick, she can make up the assignment outside of
class where no one can see her mess up. Even if her professor doesn’t let her make it up, she thinks, she can just
work really hard to make sure she still passes the class.
Use the following scale to rate the decision that has been made (1= Poor Decision, 5=Excellent Decision).
Be prepared to explain your answer.
Poor Decision
Excellent Decision
1
2
3
4
5
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Five Ideas for helping students acclimate to college
culture, strengthen relationships and use resources, meet academic
expectations, and make wise decisions.
Record 5 ideas that you can incorporate into your class and be
prepared to share one idea.
1. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
4. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
5. _________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
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