Choices for College Success, 2nd Edition

An enhanced theme of well-being, health, and balance.

 

For the student:  An underlying theme of personal well-being and health is found throughout the book.  The six dimensions of life (social, occupational, spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional) are introduced in chapter 1 and reintroduced throughout the book. (Chapter 11) focuses on how to care for the physical dimension (diet, exercise, physical conditioning)--and how that impacts the other areas of our lives.  Asks students to examine their life dimensions and commit to strategies to improve their level of balance and well-being.

For the teacher: This theme and the chapter on respect for self (Chapter 11) provide the opportunity to focus on success in life as well as academics.  One or more of the six dimensions can be brought into just about any discussion.

 

Two reasons rank high as to why students do not persist in their studies: time problems and money problems. The coverage of organization is now earlier (Chapter 2).  New to this edition is an entire chapter on managing finances (Chapter 12).

 

For the student: Priority management is emphasized from the beginning of the text.  The book provides practical strategies for responsible choices with time and money.  The new chapter on financial literacy provides practical information on budgets, checking, savings, and loans. Students need to budget their money immediately--not at the end of the book and the end of the semester.  For that reason, basic budgeting appears in Chapter 2; more in-depth financial literacy comes in chapter 12.

For the teacher: Chapter 1, also introduces the concept of priority management. The teacher can use this as an anchor for all succeeding chapters.  Making wise choices is all about identifying and managing priorities.  Time cannot be managed — but it can be prioritized.

 

Portfolio Collection in every chapter.  By the end of each chapter, students will have developed, collected, and internalized study and life strategies.  In this way, they will be able to answer the question, “What am I doing to get what I want?”  These features are found within every chapter to support this portfolio building:

 

For the student:  Two types of reflective activity in each chapter.  In addition to the pre-assessment and post-assessment activities, each chapter has two types of CHOICE activities:

·    Personal Wellness Activities. Teaches students the value of creating effective balance between school, work, and family.  These activities help students see the connection between school and the six dimensions of a healthy life.  These reflective activities help students relate chapter concepts to the various dimensions of their lives (e.g., social, emotional, physical, and intellectual).

·    Priority Activities. These give the students the opportunity to relate chapter concepts to academic and life situations. Allows immediate application of major chapter concepts.  These reflective activities allow students to hone their priority management skills as they relate to chapter topics.

 

For the teacher:  These activities can be assigned as homework, used for group work in class, or form the basis of a larger portfolio of collected material for the student.  Gathered over the course of the term, these activities can provide a valuable "take-away" product (a portfolio) from the class.

 

A revised chapter on civility and group dynamics (Chapter 10) weaves diversity, communication, and conflict resolution into the discussion. 

 

For the student: Collaboration is integral in the classroom, study groups, campus committees, and workplace groups.  This chapter provides practical strategies for understanding interpersonal dynamics.

For the teacher: Civility may not be dead--but is it dying?  Some may say it is on a respirator.  This chapter engages students in dialogue about basic habits of civility--and how those habits can build productive relationships with professors, classmates, employers, family, and friends. 

 

The topic of financial literacy has its own complete chapter (Chapter 12). 

 

For the student: Students will examine basic habits of budgeting, spending, checking, savings, and loans.

For the teacher: This chapter provides a bare-bones overview of the four concepts a financially literate person must understand: personal budgets, checking accounts, savings accounts, and loans. The connection of consumption habits vs. wealth building habits is also covered.  

 

Testing strategies have been divided into two chapters: one on test preparation (Chapter 5)and one on test performance  and memory (Chapter 7). These are complimentary skills but different enough to warrant separate chapters.

 

For the student: This format allows students to understand that testing is not a one-time event. That is, testing is more than what goes on in the classroom on test day.  It begins with very specific strategies long before the professor distributes the exams. Preparation and performance are complementary skills but different enough to warrant their own chapters.

For the teacher:  The test preparation chapter appears at the beginning of Part II: Choices for Academic Success, thus highlighting the interconnection of the coming chapters (on study skills).  Test performance strategies occur later in Part II emphasizing how to incorporate the study skill strategies learned.

 

A revised chapter on information literacy (Chapter 9) now addresses the responsibilities of the information age (academic integrity, social media, and texting issues)

 

For the student:  Students need to understand that with digital access comes "digital footprints", "digital footprints",  and responsibility.  The activities in this chapter do that.  In addition to accessing information, this chapter provides information on how to maximize time on social networking sites while not jeopardizing academic and personal priorities and privacy.

For the teacher:  Responsibilities go beyond understanding academic integrity and the opportunities associated with social networking--but also include the potential pitfalls with social media.  Excellent opportunity to engage students in a dialogue about civility in the classroom (e.g., texting while the professor and classmates are talking.)

 

Review and Renew (R and R) activity at the end of each part (there are three parts in the book).  (After Chapters 4, 9, 13).  Students identify one meaningful activity from each chapter; changes they need to make to the have they want; and what actions they have taken and still need to take to make wishes reality.

 

For the student:  Gives students the luxury of stopping for a moment, taking a breath, and reflecting on the material covered in the part.  This allows students to see where they have been–and where they would like to go with their academic careers and lives.

For the teacher:  "R and R" can be used for an in-class journaling exercise, class discussion, or as part of an exam.

 

Beginning-of-the-chapter “pre-assessment activity.”

 

For the student:  These awareness-building activities allow students to reflect on their experiences and level of expertise with the chapter topic--and identify areas they need to improve. The chapter then examines the concepts introduced in the pre-assessment activity.

For the teacher: This activity can serve as an icebreaker for class discussion and/or a gauge to assess student readiness for the topic.

 

Each chapter opens with “Chapter Objectives.”  There is one objective for each chapter section. 

 

For the student: These objectives provide an overview of the main concepts covered in the chapter.  They repeat at the beginning of the appropriate section to remind students of the relationship of objective to material.  Encourages students to use the chapter skills in a practical and observable manner.

For the teacher: Each objective can be used as an organizer for a full lesson or part of a lesson.  The objectives call for measurable gains.

 

Student spotlights are strategically placed to provide perspectives on challenges and choices first-year students must address.

 

For the student:  The student reads about real issues and real choices by students. 

For the teacher:  The spotlight can be used as a small group discussion starter; the last spotlight the student (reader) will write himself/herself as a culminating activity.

 

AFTERWORD. This chapter is short yet powerful.  It helps students review and evaluate the challenges they have faced and the choices they have made over the last few months. They also consider the changes that they need to make in the future--and what choices will help them through the change process.  The students will write their own student spotlight as a culminating activity.  Finally, a new end-of-chapter list, A 14-Step Guide to a Life of Balanced Priorities, leaves students with summary “take-away points” from each chapter and the Afterword.

 

End-of-Chapter Post-Assessment titled “Learn it, use it, question it,” - asks students what they have learned in the chapter and how they will use what they have learned to move closer to academic success and personal balance.  

 

Although Choices for College Success has seen major revision, it retains its student-friendly tone and reliance upon reflective activities (more than 75 of them) to help students understand what they can do well--and on what they need to improve. 

• The chapters of this book continue to address the major issues of the college experience with an emphasis on personal well-being.

TECHNOLOGY AND PEARSON CHOICES

MyStudentSuccessLab (www.mystudentsuccesslab.com) is an online solution designed to help students ‘Start strong, Finish stronger’ by building skills for ongoing personal and professional development. This Learning Outcome based technology promotes student engagement through:

·          The Learning Path Diagnostic offers for the course, 83 Full Course Pre- and Post-Diagnostic (Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels I-VI) questions, and for each topic, 20 Pre- and Post-Test (Bloom’s Taxonomy Levels I-VI) questions.

·          The Overview provides learning objectives to build vocabulary and repetition.

·          Video interviews on key issues ‘by students, for students’.

·          The Practice exercises improve class preparation and learning. 

·          Graded Activities build critical thinking skills and develop problem-solving abilities (includes Essays and Journaling).

·          Instructors benefit from an Implementation Guide to easily assign and assess progress. 

·          Students have access to relevant FinishStronger247 YouTube videos, the Pearson student Facebook page chock full of tips, MySearchLab use for doing effective research, and more.

 

PearsonChoices - CourseSmart and Custom Publishing.  Having choices for how to deliver course content is important.

·    CourseSmart Textbooks Online is an exciting new choice for students looking to save money. As an alternative to purchasing the print textbook, students can subscribe to the same content online and save up to 50% off the suggested list price of the print text. With a CourseSmart e-textbook, students can search the text, make notes online, print out reading assignments that incorporate lecture notes, and bookmark important passages for later review. For more information, or to subscribe, visit www.coursesmart.com.  

·    Pearson Custom Publishing allows professors to create their own professionally produced customized textbooks and media products to best complement their course. We offer high-quality content, professional design, quick production, and reliable on-time delivery. The result is a valuable textbook that students will use, cover to cover, tailored to meet exactly the needs of the professor, students, and course.  Visit www.pearsoncustom.com.

 

Extensive Instructor Teaching Resources/Supplements Package offers a full array of teaching materials to feel confident and prepared for class, including instructor's manual, test bank, PowerPoint, video library, and more!

 

Training for Faculty

·    In-service Training –For adoptions of 1,000 annual copies or more!  Feel confident going into the first day of class prepared to engage your students with the materials.  Professor Piscitelli excels in these sessions.  He is a teacher's teacher.  He understands the joys and challenges of teaching--and provides practical training that addresses both.  Please contact our Events Coordinator, Brian.Mounts@pearson.com