Choices for College Success, 3rd Edition

Personalized Learning with MyStudentSuccessLab

NEW! MyStudentSuccessLab (www.mystudentsuccesslab.com) is a Learning Outcomes based technology that promotes student engagement through:

·        Full Course Pre- and Post-Diagnostic test based on Bloom’s Taxonomy linked to key learning objectives in each topic.

·        Each individual topic in the Learning Path offers a Pre- and Post-Test dedicated to that topic, an Overview of objectives to build vocabulary and repetition, access to Video interviews to learn about key issues ‘by students, for students’, Practice exercises to improve class prep and learning, and Graded Activities to build critical thinking skills and develop problem-solving abilities.

·        Student Resources include Finish Strong 247 YouTube videos, Calculators, and Professionalism/Research & Writing/Student Success tools.

·        Three Student Inventories are also available to increase self-awareness, and include Golden Personality (similar to Meyers Briggs, gives insights on personal style), ACES (Academic Competence Evaluation Scales) (identifies at-risk), and Thinking Styles (shows how they make decisions).

Critical Thinking

·        NEW! Critical thinking model. The RED Model (Recognize assumptions, Evaluate information, and Draw conclusions) provides a framework for students. RED is consistently applied to real-life circumstances to provide students with opportunities to determine how well they understand both strategies and concepts. (Ex. - Topic 2 through 14)

·        REVISED! “Reflecting on your current level of skills” pre-assessment activity. Each topic begins with this quick (8 to 9 items) exercise that allows students to self-assess their level of proficiency. (Ex. – Beginning of every topic)

·        NEW! Learning Styles is its own full topic. Students identify their learning styles—and apply the critical thinking model to their learning styles. VAK helps students learn about their visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles and how these affect their learning. VAK provides: 1. A common terminology; and 2. An instrument to help students make personal connections between theory and practical applications. (Ex. – Topic 6)

·       NEW! Critically Thinking: What Have You Learned? All topics end with a review of learning outcomes and critical thinking application exercise.

Priority Management

·        REVISED! Opening and closing case studies/vignettes set the stage for each main topic and are also integrated into the topic and the end-of-topic activity. Students are actively involved in solving the dilemma presented in the opening situation. Each situation is based on the author’s 31+ years of teaching experiences and represent real dilemmas common to most students. (Ex. - Throughout the book)

·        REVISED! Priority Management: Non-negotiable v. Negotiable. An introduction to the terms of “non-negotiable” and “negotiable” items in life, these terms provide vocabulary for a concrete way to look at what is necessary in a student’s life—and what is not--to help students assess whether they are focusing on valuable activities or jeopardizing goals by wasting time on negotiable ones. (Ex. – Topic 3)

·        NEW! Key terms. These provide a chapter organizer so students can see what important concepts they will cover (in bold face treatment for easy identification). These terms also form the “Glindex” (ie. – Glossary / Index) at the end of the book. (Ex. – Throughout the book and at the end)

·        REVISED! Activities. These give the students the opportunity to relate concepts to academic and life situations and hone priority management skills as they relate to the topics. (Ex. – Throughout the book)

Personal Well-being

·        REVISED! Well-being and balance. The first chapter introduces students to a six-dimensional model they can apply to all areas of their lives. This theme of well-being focuses on success in life as well as academics in one or more of the six dimensions. (Ex. – Throughout the book)

·        REVISED! Activities. These reflective activities teach students the value of creating effective balance between school, work, and family and see the connection between school and the six dimensions of a healthy life. (e.g., social, emotional, physical and intellectual). (Ex. – Throughout the book)

·        REVISED! Financial Literacy. This topic provides a bare-bones overview of the four concepts a financially literate person must understand: personal budgets, checking accounts, savings accounts, and loans. Also includes consumption habits vs. wealth building habits coverage. (Ex. – Topic 13)

·        REVISED! Information Literacy. Social media is an integral part of our lives, and it has been restructured and updated.

o The first half of this topic addresses “traditional information literacy” of finding, evaluating, and using information; the second part has a more in-depth focus on “social media and communication” in the Internet Age.

o The topic of communication has been rewritten to include tips for creating and posting appropriate social media updates, as well as establishing (or not) an online profile. Privacy issues are explained and the concept of a "digital tatoo" is emphasized.

o A quick-reference plagiarism table has been added. Typical student questions are posed about plagiarism. A strategy on how to avoid plagiarim follows. (Ex. – Topic 4)

·        REVISED! Testing strategies are now in one topic instead of divided into two: Test preparation and Test taking (Topic 10) as requested by reviewers for a streamlined approach to testing.

·        NEW! Reading is a stand alone topic in this edition (Topic 9) and includes information on strategic highlighting.

PEARSON CHOICES

· CourseSmart Textbooks Online is an exciting 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. www.coursesmart.com.

· Custom Services allows professors to create their own professionally produced customized textbooks and media products to best complement their course. As the industry leader in custom publishing, we are committed to meeting your instructional needs by offering flexible and creative choices for course materials that will maximize learning and engagement of students. We offer high-quality content, professional design, quick production, and reliable on-time delivery. The result is a valuable resource tailored to meet the needs of the professor, students, and course. www.pearsonlearningsolutions.com