3/31/2025 7:36:17 AM	COUN 53 Course Outline as of Fall 2025	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  COUN 53	Title:  COLLEGE SUCCESS
Full Title:  Strategies for College Success
Last Reviewed:3/10/2025

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		6 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade or P/NP
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly: 

Catalog Description:

In this course, students will examine strategies to enhance academic success and personal development. Students will learn to strengthen academic study strategies, such as note taking, memorizing, and test taking skills; apply life management techniques to accomplish goals; and gain techniques to manage time, personal finances, and stress for a healthy lifestyle.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL C1000 or EMLS 10 or equivalent

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

In this course, students will examine strategies to enhance academic success and personal development. Students will learn to strengthen academic study strategies, such as note taking, memorizing, and test taking skills; apply life management techniques to accomplish goals; and gain techniques to manage time, personal finances, and stress for a healthy lifestyle.

(Grade or P/NP)
Prerequisites:
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL C1000 or EMLS 10 or equivalent
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
	E	Lifelong Learning and Self Development		Fall 2010
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 2010	Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Certificate Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Formulate academic and personal goals.

2. Define social, psychological and physiological issues, and behaviors that impact academic performance and develop strategies to support academic and personal success.

3. Identify and apply the use of effective study strategies, critical thinking skills, and resources to the learning process.

 

Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1. Construct and analyze personal time management related to school, work, and personal life.

2. Identify academic and personal barriers and develop education and career goals.

3. Examine personal and educational values and how those relate to college majors and careers.

4. Compare and contrast various learning styles and apply them to lifelong learning.

5. Apply learning strategies to enhance academic performance, including: critical thinking, note taking styles, active reading techniques, listening and concentration practices, memory tactics, study and test taking strategies, and library resources.

6. Describe methods to deal with test anxiety.

7. Demonstrate effective communication skills in diverse environments.

8. Assess health and wellness concepts that impact academic and personal success.

9. Analyze personal money management skills.

10. Identify college resources and services to aid in success.

11. Understand instructor and student roles and responsibilities.

Topics and Scope

I. Personal Values, Goals, and Self-Efficacy

    A. Personal identity, values, and cultural diversity

    B. Emotional intelligence

    C. Motivation

    D. Educational goals related to major and career

     E. Life transitions

II. Academic Study Strategies

   A. Memory and concentration

         1. Principles of learning and forgetting

         2. Short- and long-term memory

         3. Recognition and recall techniques

         4. Concentration techniques and self-discipline

         5. Mnemonic devices

         6. Active listening

         7. Lecture note taking techniques

         8. Signal words and summarizing techniques

         9. Class participation techniques

    B. Textbook Study Systems

         1. Survey of textbooks and chapters

         2. SQ3R and other textbook study techniques

         3. Textbook reading techniques: topic sentences, main ideas, summarizing

         4. Textbook note taking techniques: lists, cards, mapping, outlining, summarizing

         5. Textbook marking systems

    C. Subject-specific study techniques

         1. Math

         2. Science

         3. General courses

    D. Test Taking

         1. Test preparation and test taking techniques

         2. Test anxiety

         3. Objective exams

         4. Essay exams

         5. Utilizing study groups     

      E. Utilizing the library      

         1. Research materials and techniques

         2. Online databases for library research

         3. Library orientation

         4. Documentation

         5. Plagiarism and college policies

     F. SRJC's academic and support resources (including but not limited to)

         1. Financial Aid

         2. Tutorial Center

         3. STEM sucess center

         4. Writing Center

         5. Student Health Services

         6. Counseling

         7. Transfer Center

         8. Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS)

         9. Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement Program (MESA)

         10. Learning Communities

         11. Student Life

         12. Disability Resources Department (DRD)

III. Learning Styles

    A. Active and passive learning

    B. Left and right brain learning

    C. Visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile learning

    D. Idea generation, intuition, imagination, puzzles, patterns, curiosity

IV. Critical Analysis and Problem Solving

    A. Analytical, cognitive, and vertical thinking styles

    B. Problem-solving and decision-making strategies

    C. Data, information, bias, facts, opinion

    D. Assumptions, evidence, arguments, judgments, evaluation, and explanation

    E. Logical fallacies

V. Communication Skills

    A. Instructor-Student Interactions

         1. Faculty obligation to student and student responsibilities

         2. Assertive and passive classroom behaviors

         3. Communicating both in the classroom and electronically

         4. Academic Freedom

    B. Building Relationships with Other Students

         1. In-person and online class environments

         2. Study groups

         3. Respecting differences

VI. Life Management

    A. Life and time management

    B. Setting short- and long-term goals and priorities

    C. Decision-making

    D. Learning and motivation theory

    E. Organizational techniques

    F. Effective self-management strategies

    G. Self-esteem and self-awareness

    H. Taking responsibility and overcoming fear

    I. Money management

VII. Health and Wellness

    A. Physiological effects of stress

     B. Managing stress

    C. Relaxation techniques

    D. Impact of diet, sleep, and nutrition on learning

    E. Physiological effects of drug and alcohol usage

Assignments:

1. Weekly readings (40-60 pages)

2. Reaction papers (2-10) on readings, class discussions and/or videos

3. Written reflection on personal procrastination and time management

4. Summarize results of learning style and how to implement techniques into classroom interactions and study strategies

5. Utilize online library resources to conduct a search of databases for research

6. Develop study plan for exams

7. Presentation or video on campus resources

8. Attend a campus event or online workshop and write a one page reflection paper

9. Quiz(zes) (0-10)

10. Exam(s) (0-3)

11. Midterm and/or final

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 45 - 70%
Reflection and reaction papers, summary of learning style and study strategies
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 0 - 0%
None
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 5 - 10%
Study plan, database research
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 10 - 35%
Quiz(zes), exam(s); midterm and/or final
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 10 - 10%
Participation, Presentation or video

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Students please note: do not buy textbooks before checking with the SRJC bookstore. These titles are representative only and may not be the same ones used in your class.

 

Your College Experience: Strategies for Success, 14th ed. Gardner, John, Barefoot, Betsy. Macmillan Learning. 2021.

On Course: Strategies for Creating Success in College Career, and Life, 10th ed. Downing, Skip, Brennan, Jonathan. Cengage Publishing. 2026.

College Success. Baldwin, Amy. https://openstax.org/details/books/college-success. Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0.

Instructor prepared materials.

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