Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Student Survival Guide


GEN105 Final Project 

Final Project:

Student Survival Guide

Resources: Appendix A

Due Date: Day 7 [Individual] forum

Compile a 1,000- to 1,250-word survival guide that will serve as a resource for you throughout your program. Using what you have learned in class, develop personal action plans for dealing with the following topics:

            In order to survive future courses, it is a good idea to develop a personal action plan for dealing with a variety of subjects; using Axia educational resources, upholding academic honesty, setting and achieving goals, managing time wisely, fostering reading comprehension and retention, and applying personality and learning styles.  Each of the following paragraphs will deal with each individual subject. 

Using Axia’s Educational Resources

        Axia’s educational resources can help you in every assignment and class.  The Center for Writing Excellence has a Plagiarism Checker and WritePoint tool.  WritePoint checks spelling and grammar in your paper and gives you suggestions for each perceived error; Plagiarism Checker checks your paper against the web to see if you have indeed created an original assignment.  Both can be used for even small assignments with great results.  The Center for Math Excellence has assessment tests, math tutor aides, and even a section on dealing with math anxiety.  The University Library has a great research tool; you can research information in a variety of ways.  There are also an abundance of tutorials to help you navigate the educational resources.   I would recommend taking all tutorials before navigating the library on your own.  You will probably need to take the tutorials more than once as there is a ton of information in each one. 

Upholding Academic Honesty

        Academic honesty is an important issue that is taken very seriously with every university, big or small.  Upholding your own individual academic honesty is something you will take with you in all walks of life.  There are a few simple steps to ensure no accidental slips.  When doing research, note each website you visit and read and what notes or pictures you took from each place.  This will help when it comes time for your reference section.  You need to give credit to any original idea or quotation or picture you use in your essay.  When reading, take short notations on a separate paper.  Then write your essay from your notes in your own words.  That will help you avoid writing your essay with someone else’s words.  After finishing your paper, run it through the Plagiarism checker in your University Library’s Center for Writing Excellence.  The Plagiarism Checker will check your paper against the entire web and give you the results.  The result will show you how much of your paper is not original and where the original information can be found.  Then you have the opportunity to add a reference or reword your essay in your own words.  It is most important you always turn in your own paper and never buy a paper or have someone else do the work for you.  Even if you are not caught plagiarizing you can cheat yourself.  School is for learning, assignments are designed for you to learn what you need in order for you to succeed in life and in your chosen career.  If you cheat on your assignments you do not learn the lesson needed, and can fail after school with no information on how to deal with the problem at hand. 

Setting and Achieving Goals
       
        It is very important to learn to set goals for yourself.  You need long term goals and then split those long term goals into several short ones, and even shorter ones.  Set deadlines for each of your short term goals and stick to them.  Long term goals can feel less daunting and much easier if you break it up into many short term goals that will be easier to achieve.   Make a list or chart with your goals clearly labeled.  Make an action plan on how you will complete each goal or what it will take to get you there.  Most important, keep your goal deadlines.  Setting and keeping a goal chart is helpful and you will find yourself to your long term goals before you know it.

Managing Time Wisely

        In order to manage your time wisely, you can start by making a chart of how you spend each day.  Really look at where you focus your attention.  Decide which areas you like to devote more or less attention to and where you can take or add the time from.  Next, get organized.  Getting organized can help you be more successful with the time you have.  Prioritizing your goals and setting deadlines can be a good way of getting control over how you spend your time.  Decide how long a certain objective will take to complete.  Where can you delegate time for these tasks?  Sticking to your schedule is a great way of managing your time.  Most important, do not stress out or panic if you find a deadline that you cannot make.  Reassess your priorities; re-delegate time; and most important, stay calm.  Stressed out or panicked brain cannot think properly and can cause more issues that the original problem would have. 

Fostering Reading Comprehension and Retention

        To foster reading comprehension and retention I can employ the SQR3 technique.  Survey the text by reviewing all chapter titles in the table of contents, any boldface headings within each chapter, and reading any material on the back of book or end of text.  Ask questions about what you previewed or list what you think each section covers.  Read the entire manuscript from front to back highlighting or underlining any important elements.  Highlighting can be a useful form of easy review and retention, Using various colors or underlining.  Always avoid over marking your text. Taking notes is also helpful while you read.  Recite all answers to the questions you asked before reading the text.  Review immediately after reading and several times in the next few days in order to gain the most retention.  Following this guide line will help me retain the most of the information as I read. 
         
         
Applying Personality and Learning Styles
       
        By learning your own personality and learning style, you can develop a study style that works for your intelligence and personality style.   Developing a learning study style can help you adapt material into a form that can help you learn more effectively.  It’s a good idea to take an assessment to see where your strengths lie.  Following the study technique ideas for your personality and/or intelligence will help you retain and apply learned information. 

Recall that if you need to submit any written or visual work other than your own, be sure to provide the name of the original author along with the related content and the title of the work. When referring to an electronic source, provide the Web link.

Post your Student Survival Guide as an attachment.

166.6 – 208.3 on each of the six topics
                Following these guidelines is easy and can keep you on track for your entire academic career.  Successful learning and applying of these study techniques can only bolster your academic career and help you achieve your goals and ensure you succeed at life, career, or anything else you may wish to achieve. 

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