CCBC
Academic Development: Transitioning
to College
Department: Academic Development
Section: WD5 WE0 WE1
CRN:93207 93256 93798
Basic Course Information
A. Fall 2014
B. Instructor: Professor Kauscha Howard (Prof K)
C. Office Phone: 443-840-1521
D. Office Hours/Chat: 9AM-2 PM Monday and Wednesday
E. Prerequisites and/or Co-requisites: None
Instructor Contact:
For any questions regarding the course, you may contact your instructor via phone or by using the
message tool in Blackboard.
Course Description: Transitioning to College is an interactive course designed to familiarize
students with CCBC and foster the development of decision-making skills and learning strategies
that link to success in higher education. Within this environment, students will explore tentative
occupational choices and create an "academic road map" for their CCBC experience. This course
follows the CCBC guidelines of student authentication and may require an onsite campus visit to
your instructor’s office or the use of SKYPE to complete the “My Education Plan” (Ed Plan)
assignment.
Online Course Description and Expectations: All regularly scheduled classroom time, lecture
delivery, course activities and participation is completed at a distance using internet based
resources and Bb 9.1. All CCBC online courses require student authentication. For this course you
will have a choice of how to prove authentication, you may choose to use SKYPE while preparing
your Education Plan with your instructor or you may make an appointment and visit your instructor
in his/her office for completion of your Ed Plan. Student work, graded assignments and
assessments, are completed online. Reliable and consistent access to a computer, World Wide
Web and the Internet are required. Students taking an online course at CCBC are required to
provide their own Internet access. Should your computer access be interrupted for any
reason, note that computers are available for student use in the libraries as well as many
lounges on each campus.
Your CCBC email address is the official method of communication by the college. To add your
CCBC email address to Blackboard, go to the Student Information tab and choose personal
information and follow the directions for completing this task.
Please click the Technical Requirements for CCBC online courses link for additional guidelines and
technical requirements. You will also find information regarding computer Hardware, Operating
Systems and Browser requirements, as well as Browser Configuration, Pop-up Blocker information,
Plug-ins and Anti-virus software.
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Course Goals
A. Course Objectives
By completing this course, you should be able to:
Discuss how you are responsible for your experience in college.
Describe ways you can create a successful and satisfying experience in college.
Use online resources to answer questions regarding CCBC policies and procedures and use
the online college catalog to develop a personalized Education Plan (Ed Plan)
List and describe specific methods to:
improve your ability to recall information;
manage time more efficiently;
read a textbook with improved understanding and retention;
prepare for and take tests;
take effective notes; and
listen, with comprehension, to a lecture.
Describe and utilize a model of communication that facilitates listening to; speaking with;
and resolving conflicts among peers, family members and instructors.
Locate resources that can be used online and in person to assist you in meeting your needs
as a student at The Community College of Baltimore County (Library, Career Center,
Academic Advisement, Student Success Center, Tutoring, and Financial Aid).
Discover your individual learning/work style so you can draw on your particular
strength’s and adapt to and develop skills using other styles in order to:
develop decision-making skills for effective goal setting;
learn tools for creating new ideas, problem solving, and thinking; and
strengthen skills to study, work, and live in a multicultural, diverse and changing world.
Rationale
This course is designed to foster the development of decision-making skills and learning
strategies that link to success in higher education. Within this environment, students will
explore tentative occupational choices and create an "academic road map" for their CCBC
experience.
Evaluation* and Grading:
Assignment
Points
Transitioning to College Quiz
Distance Learning Reflection
Self-Assessments (4)
“Me as a Learner” PowerPoint
Calendar Assignment*
Career Assignment
Discussion Postings/Journal Entries*
SubTotal for Midterm Progress Report*
100
50
4 x 10 points = 40
100
100
100
4 x 10 points = 40
530
Ed Plan*
Midterm
Self-Assessments (3)
Monitor Your Learning
Financial Awareness Quiz
Discussion Postings/Journal Entries*
Specific Study Plan
Capstone Project / Portfolio with reflection
TOTAL
100
50
3 x 10 points = 30
50
10
3 x 10 points = 30
50
150
1000
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*A rubric for all assignments is available in each module. The discussion rubric can be found in the
Course Documents folder. Each written assignment will be scored according to the rubric, which
details specific criteria for evaluation.
Academic Honesty- Each student is responsible to submit his or her own work, complete all work
without unauthorized assistance, provide proper credit when quoting or paraphrasing, follow
instructions and ask for clarification when instructions are not clear. Students who do not accept
responsibility for the integrity of their own work will experience sanctions that may include a written
reprimand, failure of the assignment or course and possible dismissal from the school or
program. Click here to read CCBC’s Code of Conduct to ensure you understand the
following terms: cheating, facilitation, fabrication and plagiarism.
Midterm Grade Progress- At the mid-point of the semester you are given a progress report based
on the assignments you have completed to that point.
Transitioning to College Quiz- This assessment will help you become familiar with the syllabus, the
online student handbook, college resources and student support services.
Distance Learning Reflection-In this assignment you will consider the results of the Smarter
Measure tool self-assessment to determine if the online learning environment is appropriate for your
learning style or life style.
Self-Assessments- They are designed to help you discover more about yourself -- what you like,
what you don't like, and how you tend to react to certain situations.
Discussion Questions- Online discussion (participation) is an essential activity based on the
underlying principle that students learn from one another. You are required to participate in the
weekly discussions by posting your response to the question and responding to at least one of your
classmates’ postings.
Journal Entries: An opportunity for personal reflection and growth on a specific topic.
Learning Styles Inventory-This assignment will assist you in understanding your learning style.
Calendar Assignment-In this assignment you will create a schedule which illustrates how you plan
and manage your time.
“Me as a Learner” Power Point Presentation-You will develop a PowerPoint presentation describing
you as a learner-past, present and future using a minimum of five (5) slides. Please note: directions
for creating a PPT can be found in module 1C.
My Education Plan (Ed Plan) - Is a personalized plan in order to complete this course. An Ed Plan
is a plan you produce with the Instructor/faculty advisor to “map” out the courses needed for the next two semesters to progress toward a degree at CCBC or to prepare for transfer to a 4-year
institution.
Career Assignment-This assignment will assist you in identifying the required education necessary
for your selected career choice.
Midterm- Access to Midterm Exam begins on Monday, October 13th , and is due on Sunday,
October 19th at 11:59 PM EST.
Capstone Project-The portfolio is a representative compilation of your work in this course. It is
meant to reflect your learning throughout the seven week period, your struggles and your
successes.
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Grade Scale
Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Points
900-1000
800-899
700-799
600-699
Below 600 points
Grading Policy
Points will be deducted for written assignments and discussion postings that are submitted past the
due dates. It is the responsibility of the student to prepare assigned materials on time and to
discuss problems meeting deadlines with me. However, if you should encounter an unanticipated
and uncontrollable life event that may prevent you from completing an assignment by the scheduled
due date, contact me within 24 hours to request an extension.
Examples of unexpected and uncontrollable life events are a health crisis/emergency for you or an
immediate family member in which you are the primary caregiver, extended and extraordinarily
severe weather events that disrupt communications, Bb outages, or being called to military duty.
Poor time management, other work commitments, vacations, not reading or following the syllabus
or failure to obtain the appropriate books are not events that warrant special consideration. You are
responsible for being informed about any scheduling changes or announcements about
assignments.
If you are experiencing technical difficulties, and unable to submit
assignments, contact the Help Desk and get a ticket number to validate the
problem in order to submit work late.
Discussion questions and written assignments have rubrics. A rubric is a tool that I will use to score
your assignment/discussion, and it includes a grading scale and criteria. When I grade your
assignment, I will check to see how well you have met all the criteria on the rubric for that
assignment and then assign the grade accordingly. Therefore, it is critical to review the criteria for a
particular assignment before completing it and then after you have finished the assignment to see
how well you have met the criteria identified. By giving you a rubric, you can judge how well you
have completed an assignment before submitting it for grading.
Attendance
Although you will not be attending class at a specific time and day of the week as you would in a
traditional classroom, you are expected to actively participate in classroom activities and
discussions. You are also expected to read assigned textbook chapters and to contribute to class
discussions through Bb. Academic advising sessions are required for this course; your instructor
will work with you to arrange flexible options.
You should log into the course on a regular basis; I recommend a minimum of three (3) times per
week. To complete this course successfully, you should spend a minimum of 3-4 hours per
week on the course. Please keep in mind that an online course requires as much or more
time to complete as compared to a traditional classroom course. If you were taking this course
in a traditional format in a 14-week semester, you would attend class approximately two hours per
week and need additional time to read and study the textbook and related information and to do the
written assignments. Please plan now to devote sufficient time to the course.
Course Procedures
A. Materials
ACDV 101-Transitioning to College
Custom Edition for The Community College of Baltimore County
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Pearson Learning Solutions, 2010 ISBN 0558440541
You can only purchase this custom edition at the CCBC book store. A link to the CCBC
Online Bookstore can be found in the Helpful links folder.
Course Policies are found at the My CCBC site under the MySyllabiPolicies Tab.
How to Complete a Learning Module--Be sure to follow the procedures and directions listed in each
module introduction to successfully complete the learning activities in each module.
NOTE: Video’s using “Flash” are captioned but require a screen reader to view the captioning. A script will be provided if a screen reader is not available.
Self-Assessments- Each learning module contains self-assessments. They are designed to help
you discover more about yourself -- what you like, what you don't like, and how you tend to react to
certain situations. Knowing these things may help you determine which major and/or occupation
may be a better fit for you. You are required to complete seven (7) self-assessments.
Listed below you will find the self -assessments you are required to complete.
How People Learn (Module 1C)
Time Management (Module 2)
Motivation (Module 3)
Differences between High School and College (Module 1B)
Note Taking Habits (Module 6A)
Active Reading (Module 6B)
How to Review and Test Preparation (Module 6C)
Self-assessments are due the FRIDAY the week they are assigned.
Methods for Delivering Assignments
Assignments are found in the Learning Modules and are delivered in two ways. By clicking the link
in the learning module or by using SoftChalk. Instructions for using this type of link are found in the
modules where it is used. Do not email assignments to me. Be sure all documents are saved to an
external source (flash drive/CD or on your computer’s hard drive before you submit them as a docx, doc or rtf file. ALL assignments submitted through the assignment tool must be
typed, double spaced with one inch margins and submitted as an attachment using the
Assignment Tool.
Failure to do so may result in a loss of points for assignments not submitted as a typed attachment
in the Assignment Tool. Assignments completed through SoftChalk are submitted automatically to
the instructor for grading.
All Assignments must be submitted on or before 11:59 PM EST the day they are due.
Grading for weekly assignments will be completed within one week of the assignment due date.
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Feedback Policy
I will provide regular feedback to you throughout the course. If you believe you are not receiving
enough feedback, please feel free to contact me and ask for more. I will respond to both phone and
written messages within 48 hours (provided it is not the weekend or holiday). If you have a personal
or private matter to discuss please do not post it in the “Ask the Instructor” area. Send me a private message. If you leave me a phone message remember to speak clearly and leave your name and
a phone number where I can reach you.
If you have a question you believe the entire class would benefit from, please post the question in
the “Ask the Instructor” area in the discussion board.
Discussion Board
Your postings and responses should be written using standards of proper written English (i.e., the
conventions often used in text messages and Instant Messenger are not acceptable here).
Your regular participation in these discussions and the quality of your responses will determine your
Discussion grades. Posting must be made by Saturday of the week they are due but it is highly
recommend you submit your initial post on or before day 3 and return the discussion board before
day 5 to respond to at least one classmate’s posting.
In order to earn points for class participation, students will be asked to respond to questions posted
by me in the Discussion Board. Late postings (beyond the deadlines given) may not be eligible for
credit. Please note I will log on to the discussion board 4-5 days a week to read, evaluate and
respond to discussions. However, I will not respond to every posting/response.
Netiquette
Netiquette is often defined as a set of appropriate and acceptable behaviors which facilitate
interaction in the virtual world. If you are unfamiliar with acceptable online behavior, please read
the Core Rules of Netiquette, or visit the Helpful links folder.
Class Café
The Class Café is a discussion forum where you can discuss non-related course issues. Please
feel free to create your own thread. Please Note: This is a non-graded forum.
Course Schedule
Please read and print the Course Schedule which can be found in Course Documents. The
Course Schedule indicates which Learning Modules will be covered each week, assignments
associated with each Learning Module and the due dates for all assignments.
Academic Calendar
You find important college due dates on the course calendar in the course menu or click here.
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Weather and Holiday Closing Policy
Weather and Holiday closings will not affect our online class.
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