strengthsquest innovation creativity

Spring

2009

CONTACT INFORMATIONInstructor: Ryan McRaeOffice: University Village Business Office Email: [email protected] Phone: 750-3711 Office Hours: By Appointment

WELCOME TO GEL 101

You are about to start the adventure of a lifetime! This class is designed to help you chart the course and handle the challenging currents of receiving a college education here at Cal State San Marcos! We will cover how to utilize the library and the career centers—vital ar-eas here at CSUSM—to help you achieve your academic goals.

This class will help you assess your: time management, study skills, learning styles, team-work skills, test-taking strategies and personal wellness. The library faculty will introduce you to college level research skills and the technology available on our campus to access, evaluate and communicate information and ideas. Career advisors will help you clarify your long term career goals and you will learn the elements of effective résumé writing and how to research careers. This course will also expose you to opportunities and resources for be-coming an active member of our campus community outside the classroom.

This class is designed to equip students with the basic skills, concepts, and knowledge nec-essary to become a lifelong learner. Examination of current theory and research regarding the information age, health and wellness, career development, and psychological assess-ment. practical application of the theory and research. Includes information literacy and technology skills, group and teamwork, and learning styles. It is my goal that at the end of this class, hopefully sooner, you realize how much there is to learn and that you are excited about it. This is the adventure of a lifetime.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMESUpon completion of GEL 101 you will be able to:

Academic Success Skills• Design and implement an effective time management plan that meets your personal

schedule and the demands of your coursework.• Assess your personal learning style, study skills and test taking strategies and de-

velop a plan to improve in these areas.

GEL 101: General Education, Lifelong Learning& Information Literacy:The Student, The University, The Community

GEL 101: The Student, The University, The Community 1

mailto:[email protected]


Spring 2008

Information Literacy & College Level Research• Formulate a research topic and write a relevant thesis• Use electronic databases to locate and retrieve information related to a thesis• Critique scholarly vs. popular press literature• Write a college level research report (in APA or MLA style) and reproduce a related

oral presentation

Academic & Career Planning• Research different academic majors (or confirm your choice of major) • Develop a personal academic plan that includes university requirements, general

education courses and courses for a major• Research various career options• Understand the career development process and explore key factors (skills, inter-

ests, values, personality and abilities) affecting career/major choice• Write a detailed and effective professional resume• Identify and make contact with an academic advisor, a career advisor and a faculty

advisor

Wellness• Assess personal wellness along a number of dimensions including physical, psycho-

logical, social and fiscal• Acquire and analyze information on wellness from Student Health Services and

other campus resources

Institutional Awareness and Resource Utilization• List the campus resources available to students • Identify common student needs and the appropriate campus resources to address

those needs• Identify the variety of ways students can become active participants in the campus

community outside the classroom

Moral & Ethical Decision Making• Locate and analyze the Cal State San Marcos policies on Academic Honesty, Drug-

Free Campus & Smoking, Nondiscrimination, Sexual Assault, and Student Disci-pline

• Clarify your own values while understanding the values and ethical practices of our university community

GEL 101


Spring 2008

Expectations of the Classroom Environment

• Students will be on time for class; punctuality is expected. • Cell phones will be turned off during class; if a student’s phone rings during class,

that student will lose 5 points per ring since it disrupts the class. You are not per-mitted to use a cell phone while in class regardless if you are working independ-ently. I have a short fuse about cell phones. There is a time and place for cell phones. My classroom is neither.

• Students will respect one another during discussions.• Students will uphold the Code of Conduct for CSUSM. Course Requirements for

GEL 101.• All assignments that are not to be completed in class must be typed, using Micro-

soft Word or Pages.• Assignments that do not have a name on them will be introduced to Mr. Shredder.

They will be utterly consumed. Utterly. • Any plagiarized assignment is grounds for an immediate failure of the class and a

not-so-fun referral to the Dean .• Extra credit is given sparsely. It is offered, not given. No extra credit can be applied

to the library or career module. Zero. • Class behavior (foul language, lack of respect, etc.) can cause a loss of points in the

class.

Point Scale for Determining Final Grade: 90% A 80% B 70% C 60% D 59%-0% F

Description of each graded item:

Class Discussions & Reflection PapersThe class discussions will occur in class on a variety of topics such as:, ethics, study skills, first year experiences. Reflection papers will be assigned and handle topics such as: the textbook, films we’ve seen ethics, study skills and personal reflection. This is not an exhaus-tive list of topics, merely examples.

Please note: All papers must be in Times New Roman and 12 pt. Font. If spacing, margins, or just general sloppy work, I will hand the paper back. Name, date and class belong in the

GEL 101


Spring 2008

upper right hand corner, single spaced. Tile is centered, and the body of the paper is double spaced. I will just shredIn-class exercises, quizzes & homework from the Feldman text1

The in-class exercises and quizzes will happen in class and will not be made up for any rea-son. These will deal with the reading due that day and any reading previously due. Home-work will be from assigned reading and reflection.

Research ProjectThe information for the research project will be forthcoming.

Library and Career ModuleThis will be outlined in the appropriate syllabus. If you fail either of these sessions, you may fail this class.

Communication with the InstructorPlease do not hesitate to contact me if you need help. My email is [email protected] and my phone is 760-750-3711. You can also set up an appointment to see me in my office. My general course policy does not allow for make up exams or acceptance of late work. How-ever, if you have a serious illness or other issue, it is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible.

Although I live in University Village, please refrain from coming to my home. Please respect my privacy—I am available through office hours.

Attendance PolicyYou have two excused absences when it comes to my class. After that, you will lose 5% of your total grade for every absence. If you are absent, it is your entire responsibility to make up the work, to contact me, come by and find out what you missed; I will not chase you down. Any absence over two days will require a doctor’s note. Please be aware—if you miss 7 or more classes, you will fail the class (regardless of your grade); there will be no extra credit, life vest or anything like that.

Communication with the InstructorPlease do not hesitate to contact me if you need help. My email is [email protected] and my phone is 760-750-3711. You can also set up an appointment to see me in my office. My general course policy does not allow for make up exams or acceptance of late work. How-

GEL 101


1 Pop quizzes are fair game on whatever reading is due. See schedule below. They can’t be made up.





Spring 2008

ever, if you have a serious illness or other issue, it is your responsibility to contact me as soon as possible.

Academic Honesty Policy StatementStudents will be expected to adhere to standards of academic honesty and integrity, as out-lined in the Student Academic Policy. All written work and oral presentation assignments must be original work. All ideas/material that are borrowed from other sources must have appropriate references to the original sources. Any quoted material should give credit to the source and be punctuated with quotation marks.

Students are responsible for honest completion of their work including examinations. There will be no tolerance for infractions. If you believe there has been an infraction by someone in the class, please bring it to the instructor’s attention. The instructor reserves the right to discipline any student for academic dishonesty, in accordance with the general rules and regulations of the university. Disciplinary action may include the lowering of grades and/or the assignment of a failing grade for an example, assignment or the class as a whole. If you cheat blatantly, I will fail you blatantly.

Incidents of Academic Dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Students. Sanctions at the University level may include suspension or expulsion from the University. I have no dis-cretion if I find cheating has occurred; you will be referred to the Dean of Students.

ADA Statement

Students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations must be approved for services by providing appropriate and recent documentation to the Office of Disabled Stu-dent Services (DSS). This office is located in Craven Hall 5205, and can be contacted by phone at (760) 750-4905, or TTY (760) 750-4909. Students authorized by DSS to receive rea-sonable accommodations should meet with me during my office hours in order to ensure confidentiality.

Texts Needed to be Purchased

The Student, The University, The Community

Texts We Will Read But Are Free

Urban, Hal, (2003 or newer). Life’s Greatest Lessons: 20 Things that Matter.Newport, Cal (2007). How to Become a Straight A Student.Pausch, Randy (2008). The Last Lecture.

GEL 101


Spring 2008

The Values of CSUSM and Their Impact on You, the CSUSM StudentGEL 101: Lifelong Learning

Ryan McRae, M.Div.

This semester we will discuss the power of choices and decisions we make based on our values. These values will be key to your success not only academically, but also life in gen-eral. CSUSM lists these as its values:

VALUES

California State University San Marcos is an academic community dedicated to the values of:

Intellectual Engagement: learning, teaching, discovery, and application of knowledge

Community: shared commitments to service, teamwork, and partnership

Integrity: respect, honesty, trust, fairness, academic freedom, and responsibility

Innovation: creativity, openness to change, flexibility, responsiveness, and future focus

Inclusiveness: individual and cultural diversity, and multiple perspectives

Your research project is a 10 minute presentation and a 12 page paper concerning the val-ues of CSUSM, why they are important components to the health of the University, how the failure of these values impacts our society and how you reflect on these values in your life.

It is highly recommended that you focus on one of the 5 tenets and its individual aspects.

Instructions on Completing the PaperThe paper, must be 12 complete pages, with one inch margins all around, 12 pt typeface us-ing Times New Roman. A cover page (which does not count towards word count, c’mon) and annotated bibliography with at least seven (7) scholarly sources. This must be in APA style, which you will learn in the library

This paper is due at the beginning of class on: May 5th, 2009

Instructions on Completing the PresentationThe presentation must be between 8-10 minutes about the CSUSM value tenet and may be completed in a group of no more than three. Powerpoint or Keynote should be used to

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Spring 2008

augment the presentation. Creativity is key. Boredom is not key. Your grade will be based on the following criteria:

“A” presentations demonstrate the following:

1. Fully prepared presentation with complete knowledge of material and ability to an-swer impromptu questions;

2. Uses visual aids effectively (focus on audience, not visual aids); 3. Exudes confidence when presenting; 4. Appropriately dressed for the type of presentation; 5. Maintains eye contact with everyone in the audience; 6. Speaking is clearly understood; 7. Maintains an appropriate tone and pace; 8. Smooth transitions from point to point and to the next speaker if applicable 9. Maintains an appropriate relationship with the audience

“B” presentations realize 1 through 9 well, but some areas can be strengthened to make the presentation more effective overall.

“C” presentations realize 1 through 9 adequately—and demonstrates overall compe-tence—but contains a few, relatively minor problems or flaws.

“D” presentations fail to realize some elements of 1 through 9 adequately—and contains several, relatively serious problems or flaws, or many minor ones.

“F” presentations fail to realize several elements of 1 through 9 adequately—and contains many serious problems or flaws, and usually many minor ones, as well.

A print out of the slides must be handed in the day of your presentation. We will discuss this project more in class. It must have 3 academic sources, and application for your fellow students. The following question must be answered: So what should we do about it? For exam-ple, if you are Innovation the audience must know how to incorporate innovation into their collegiate lives and how it benefits them.

This presentation is due: May 5th and 7th]

Research Project


Spring 2008

This is a rough estimate of what is due; I will keep you up to date through the class.

Schedule

Jan 20, 2009

Jan 22, 2009

Jan 27, 2009

Jan 29, 2009

Feb 3, 2009

Feb 5, 2009

Feb 10, 2009

Feb 12, 2009

Feb 17, 2009

Feb 19, 2009

Feb 24, 2009

Feb 26, 2009

Mar 3, 2009

Mar 5, 2009

Mar 10, 2009

Mar 12, 2009

Mar 17, 2009

Mar 19, 2009

Mar 24, 2009

Mar 26, 2009

Mar 31, 2009

Apr 2, 2009

Apr 7, 2009

Apr 9, 2009

Apr 14, 2009

Apr 16, 2009

Apr 21, 2009

Apr 23, 2009

Apr 28, 2009

Apr 30, 2009

May 5, 2009

May 7, 2009

May 12, 2009

May 14, 2009

Week 1 Where did you go wrong?/Intro to college

Syllabus Planning/ Explanation of Major Projects

Week 2 Poster Presentation

Poster Presentation

Week 3 Newport Lecture

Time Management

Week 4 Math, Writing and Language Lab

How to Work on a Team (Assigning groups)

Week 5 Lecture on Hal Urban

Lecture on Hal Urban

Week 6 Born into Brothels

Born into Brothels

Week 7 Strengthsquest

Strengthsquest

Week 8 Setting our priorities in life.

How to Analyze Pretty Much Anything

Week 9 Library Module

Library Module


Library Module


Library Module

Week 12 Public Speaking

Public Speaking

Week 13 Spring Break

Spring Break

Week 14 Career Module

Career Module

Week 15 Career Module

Career Module

Week 16 The Most Important Lecture I’ll ever give.

The Most Important Lecture I’ll ever give.

Week 17 Presentations/Finals.

Presentations/Finals.

strengthsquest innovation creativity

Documents