University Study Skills A: Level Five
Winter Quarter 2000
Class Meetings: MWF 9:20-10:30 a.m.
Instructor: Michael Buckhoff
Texts
Robertson, Heather. Bridge to College Success: Intensive Academic
Preparation for Advanced Students. Boston: Heinle and Heinle
Publishers, 1991.
Goals
The goal of this class is to develop studying and listening skills that will
help you achieve success in the university. We will use material taken from
American university classes.
To improve your skills of listening and taking notes, we will listen to
authentic lectures. To improve your speaking and listening skills, you will
participate in class and group discussions. I want everyone to have a chance to
talk on a regular basis in my class. I will try my best to provide a stimulating
environment that will enable you to share your opinions in class discussions. In
addition, I will bring authentic video and audio news recordings for you to
listen to.
Difficulty of Material
You may find that the material presented in the lectures and the readings are
different from what you are accustomed. You may feel that the readings and the
lectures are quite difficult. This is because they are authentic examples of the
kind of language you will encounter in college. Here is your chance to work on
college level work in a nonthreatening environment where you can learn speaking,
writing, problem solving, critical thinking, listening, and study skills to help
you succeed as an undergraduate or graduate student. Have patience as you do the
assignments and remember that you do not have to have 100% reading and listening
comprehension in order to be successful.
Requirements
Come to every class on time and be ready to participate. Do the expected work
and participate in all class discussions. Your grade will be based on your
quizzes, participation, attendance, and completion of assignments.
Exit Criteria Objectives
At the completion of this course, you should be
able to do the following:
1. Sharpen your note-taking, predicting, and test-taking skills.
2. Have a deeper understanding of academic life and culture in the USA.
3. Successfully complete authentic college assignments.
4. Think independently and critically.
5. Learn how to take in-class essay exams with all their imposed time
contraints.
Grading
The number letter grading scale is set as follows:
A 95-100
A- 90-94
B+ 87-89
B 84-86
B- 80-83
C+ 76-79
C 70-75
NC 69& below
Scoring Grade
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
Attendance and Participation 5%
Reading Comprehension
Questions, Chapters 1-5 10%
Quizzes 50%
Oral Summaries 35%
Total 100%
Oral Summaries
You will have an opportunity to give four oral summaries about a specific
study skill. This is a 5 minute oral assignment that requires you to think about
your learning. You will be assigned a specific number of pages to read. Then you
will summarize and respond to the reading by preparing a five minute oral
summary about how you might be able to use the study skill/reading strategies in
American university classes. If you are taking an open university class, you may
discuss how the study skill will be useful to you in that class. The oral
summaries will give you an opportunity to share with your classmates your
language and study skill progress. The oral summaries will be graded according
to the following simple set of criteria. Grades will not be affected by the
nature of your response; you should feel completely free to say anything you
wish, as long as you say something related to the readings/study skills in each
assigned chapter. In addition, you must speak for the entire five minutes. Do
not speak any longer than that.
Grade of A: The oral summary shows attentive summaries of the reading
assignment and shows real, thoughtful responses/discussions. The oral summary
includes specific experiences with how reading/ study skill strategies can be
used or are being used in American university classes. The oral summary is
approximately five minutes long.
Grade of B: The oral summary shows skimpy readings and summaries, along
with some responses/discussions. The oral summary includes some personal
application of the reading/study skill strategies but it isn’t specific as
to how they can be used or are being used in American university classes.
Grade of C: The oral summary is mostly summary with little if any response
to the readings. Has little if any personal application of how the
reading/study skill strategies can be used or are being used in American
university classes. The oral summary is unplanned, unrehearsed, and
disorganized.
Gradeof NC: Shows no evidence of the readings. The oral summary is so
disorganized that it is difficult if not impossible to understand how
reading/study skill strategies can be used or are being used in American
university classes.
In addition to the above grade criteria, I will compete an oral skills
evaluation form. This form will give you constructive feedback on your speaking
and pronunciation abilities of English.
Oral Skills Evaluation Form
Student___________
Date_____________Points earned out of 44_______________
Name of Oral Presentation____________
Each listener should analyze and evaluate the following aspects of the
presentation. The scoring scale is as follows: 4=Excellent, 3=Good, 2=Fair,
1=Poor, 0=Very poor
Delivery
Volume-Did the student speak loud enough? 0 1 2 3 4
Gestures-Did the student use his/her hands? 0 1 2 3 4
Eye Contact-Did student often make eye contact with audience?
0 1 2 3 4
Pronunciation-Could you understand what the student was saying? Did
the student’s pronunciation interfere with you understanding his/her oral
presentation?
0 1 2 3 4
Intonation-Did the student use higher pitches as well as stress on
the words that carry information in the presentation? In other words, did the
student vary or change his/her intonation? 0 1 2 3 4
Fluency-Was the student fairly fluent with the presentation? In other
words, did the student stumble and stutter as if to be trying to find the
right word to say or did it seem that the student had practiced the
presentation several times before? Was the student comfortable giving the
presentation? 0 1 2 3 4
Organization
Introduction-Did it have a lively introduction? Was there a thesis
statement of some kind that let you know what the presentation was going to be
about?
0 1 2 3 4
Body-Did the body develop the thesis statement in the introduction?
Was the presentation thorough and clear? Did it develop the thesis statement
enough so that the presentation had full development and detail? In other words,
were there supporting details and background information in the body? Were there
smooth transitions between each supporting detail or was the body choppy and
awkward? 0 1 2 3 4
Conclusion-Did the conclusion relate to the introduction and the body?
Did it
end abruptly, or was it a well thought out and
planned conclusion. Did the student tell you in short was
he/she just said? 0 1 2 3 4
Language
Vocabulary-Did the student have a good command of the English language?
0 1 2 3 4
Grammar-Did the student show competent use of grammar, sentence
structure, transitions, verb-subject agreement, etc. 0 1 2 3 4
What aspect of this presentation was least effective?
What was the greatest strength of this presentation?
If you prepare, you shall not fear!
Late Work
Assignments submitted after the due date will not be accepted
.
In other words, you will receive no points. I will only allow you to make up
missed work if you have a written documented excuse from someone stating the
urgency of the situation (e.g. Doctor’s note, CHP accident report, etc.).
Attendance
Your attendance is required at all class meetings. Only written
documented excuses for an absence may result in your making up an assignment or
graded daily work. Absences endanger your grade simply because you are missing
out in the learning process. Two absences will result in an overall reduction
of one full letter grade and four absences will result in a failing
grade for this class.
University Study Skills: A
Winter Quarter
Course Outline
Week one: Lecture on Higher Education;
Jan. 12 Introduction to study skills; Read pp. 13-17 explanation of course
Reading comprehension questions on p. 9 (Hand in on Jan. 21)
14 Higher Education
Week two: Higher Education continued
17 Martin Luther King Holiday: no class
19 Lecture Review; Chapter 1 continued
21 Quiz on Higher Education Read pp.29-34; Reading
comprehension
questions on p. 25 (Hand in on Feb. 4)
Week three: Lecture on Culture
24 Lecture on "Culture Shock"
26 Lecture Review
28 Class Individual Oral Summaries Making the Most of your Time
Week four: Culture continued
31 Culture continued
Feb. 2 Chapter 2 continued Read pp. 47-57; answer comprehension questions
p. 43;
(Hand in on Feb. 16)
4 Quiz on Culture
Week five: Lecture on Learning and Memory
7 Lecture on Learning and Memory
9 Lecture Review
11 Class individual Oral Summaries Building a Powerful Memory
Week six: Learning and Memory continued
14 Chapter 3 cont. Read 70-78; answer comprehension questions p. 66
(Hand
in March 1)
16 Quiz on Learning and Memory
18 Class individual Oral Summaries Creating Your Study System
Week seven: Lecture on United States History and
Government
21 Lecture on United States History and
Government
23 Lecture Review
25 Chapter 4 continued
Week eight: United States History and
Government
continued
28 Chapter 4 continued
March 1 Quiz on United States History and Read 94-103; answer Government
comprehension questions p. 89
(Hand in March 20)
3 Class individual Oral Summaries Getting Involved on Campus
Week nine: Your Health
6 Lecture on Stress
8 Review lecture
10 Health cont.
Week ten: Health continued
13 Class individual Oral Summaries Alcohol, Other Drugs and You
15 Chapter Five Continued
17 Chapter Five Continued
Week eleven: Final exam
20 Quiz chapter five
