Academic Support @ NEC provides various resources to help students succeed academically, including learning coaches, peer coaches, tutoring, workshops, and online materials. Services include one-on-one and small group appointments, online tutoring through Smarthinking, curricular support both in-person and online, and workshops on topics like time management, goal setting, and using learning contracts. The document introduces three learning coaches and their contact information, and explains that peer coaches provide guidance to improve academic performance.

1. Starting the Term Off Right

2. Writing Critical Thinking Academic Research Stress Management Time Management Reading Efficiency Navigating ESC Resources Developing a Study Plan Learning Styles Goal Setting Rationale Essay The Pieces of Academic Success

4. Small group assistance (online & onsite)

6. Workshops (online & onsite) – www.esc.edu/learningsupport

7. YouTube – www.youtube.com/NECAcademicSupport

8. Enhancing the Academic Eye a self-paced or credit-bearing study - http://AcademicEye.pbworks.com

9. Phasing out Dec 2010-- ANGEL Community Group - NEC Academic Support http://www.esc.edu/ole

11. Meet the Learning Coaches What is a learning coach? A learning coach is someone who provides academic support to students in one-on-one or small group settings in all areas of the writing process and related study skills strategies including time management, organization, reading efficiency, developing a study plan, goal setting, critical thinking, library research skills, note-taking, and learning styles. Sarah Spence-Staultersis located in Latham working with Schenectady & Latham/Albany students Her hours are: Mondays – 3pm- 7:30pm Wednesdays –3:00pm-7:30pm Fridays - 9am- 4pm Contact Sarah to make an appointment : (518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or Sarah.Spence-Staulters@esc.edu ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Kate Stockton is located in Latham working with Johnstown & Latham/Albany students Her hours are: Mondays - 4:00pm-7:30pm Wednesday - 4:00pm-7:30pm Thursdays - 4:00pm-8:00pm Contact Kate to make an appointment : (518) 783-6203 ext 5992 or Kate.Stockton@esc.edu ____________________________________________________________________ Mary Sanders-Shartleis located in Saratoga working with Saratoga & Queensbury students Her hours are: Mondays – 12pm-2pm Wednesdays – 3pm-6pm Thursdays 4pm-6pm Contact Mary to make an appointment : (518) 587-2100 ext 2827 or Mary.Sanders-Shartle@esc.edu

12. Academic Support @ NEC Peers Engagingas Energizing Resources Helping You Connect the Pieces for Academic Success Apeer coach is a current undergraduate or graduate student trained to guide and encourage other students in improving their academic performance and development as a life-long learner, focusing on general study skills, specific content-areas, navigating college resources, and developing within their Areas of Study. They work in both face-to-face and virtual environments. Peer coaches are trained under College Reading & Learning Association (CRLA) international standards for peer tutors and are either volunteers, work-study, or practicum students. Center-based & 0nline Academic Collaborative Helpers Enhancing Success

15. Apply your learning to your own experiences. Make connections between what you are learning and what you already know.

16. Ask questions when needed and do not let problems go unresolved! Be a self-directed and self-motivated learner.

17. Maximize your learning. Understand requirements, assignments, and methods of evaluation by reviewing your learning contract(s).

19. Several strategies can assist you in being more efficient and effective with your reading, writing, and critical thinking.

20. Understand the purpose of your studies/courses will also help you better complete your reading & writing assignments.

21. What are you supposed to learn about and what outcome is expected?

22. Activate your schema.

25. 60 minutes in an hour,

26. 24 hours in a day,

27. 168 hours in a week,

28. 720 hours in a month,

29. And 8,760 in a year. Time cannot be saved and it does not gain interest. There are no rollover minutes! How are you spending your time???

32. Getting Organized

34. Write or Record it all. Make sure you schedule time for school assignments and your family and your self.

35. Make it a HABIT

37. Have a folder in the binder for all of your work form your teacher

38. Keep a clean workspace

39. Have an external drive or a folder on your desk top and in your e-mail for school work to find e-mails and papers easier. Can you think of some other ways that might help keep you organized?

40. "If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?“ Albert Einstein

41. Using Learning Contracts to Help You Organize Your Time A few minutes now will save you many in the future!

42. Review LearningContract = Key Concepts = Critical Thinking Skills = Benefit to You

43. Review Learning Contract = Key Concepts = Critical Thinking Skills = Expectations & Requirements

44. Review Learning Contract = Due Date = Key Materials = Requirements

45. ECONOMICS ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR Planning for Your 1st Set of Assignments

47. Planning for Your 1st Set of Assignments ECONOMICS

49. Accessing the ESC Websites workshop

51. My ESC Website Some useful things to know how to find on myesc. Smarthinking link An access to the ANGEL site and your online classes Your Degree Plan Financial Aid The Library Registration and more.

54. You can have help with writing your papers, you can submit your writing and they will send it back to you with feed back for you to look at.

55. You can submit a question and they will get back to you with an answer

56. There is academic resources.

57. The best part is that it is all free to ESC students. How to Use Smart Thinking? First you have to create an account.

58. How to create an account Step 1: Go to www.esc.edu/smarthinking Step 2 : log in with your esc log in information Step 3:Click on the learning center that you are assoceated with (ex. Northeast center) Step 4: Fill out the information form. Step 5: Take advantage of this wonderful free service.

60. What you need to Know about the ANGEL Site http://www7.esc.edu/jgaul/cdlpromo.html talks a little more about angel. Where to find the tutorial How to make and respond to post and reply in the discussion forum. Where and how to use the calendar How to access your Modules Where to find the resource

61. Learning styles Learning Styles Kinesthetic M U L T I - M O D A L Aural/Auditory Read/Write Visual

63. One style is not better than another, and all of approaches to learning can be improved.

66. Easily remember information presented in pictures or diagrams.

67. Have strong visualization skills. They can look up and “see” the information invisibly written or drawn.

68. Make “movies in their minds” of information they are reading. Their movies are often vivid and detailed.

69. Have very strong visual-spatial understanding of things such as sizes, textures, angles and three-dimensional depths.

71. Have strong language skills, which include a well-developed vocabulary and an appreciation for words.

72. Have strong oral communication skills. They can carry interesting conversations and can articulate their ideas clearly.

73. Have a “fine tuned ear” auditory may lead to learning a foreign language more easily.

75. Often have well coordinated and have a strong sense of timing and body movement.

76. Learn with movement = often do well as performers: athletes, actors, or dancers.

77. Often wiggle, tap feet or move their legs when seated.

79. Remember information displayed as words.

80. Emphasize text-based input and output - reading and writing in all its forms.

82. READING EFFICIENCY: GETTING THE MOST OUT OF WHAT YOU READ

83. Reading

84. friends/family)

85. Think about how to best take notes

86. Thinking Effectively & Critically What does it mean to be a critical thinker?

88. A productive and positive activity

89. Includes identifying and challenging assumptions

90. Exploring and imagining alternatives

91. A process, not an outcome

92. It is not passive.

93. Manifestations depend on context

94. Triggered by positive as well as negative events

95. Involves alternating phases of analysis and action

96. Combines reflective analysis and informed action

97. Is emotive as well as rational

98. COMPONENTS of Critical Thinking

99. Identifying and challenging assumptions

100. Challenging the importance of context

101. Imagining and exploring alternatives

103. EXAMPLES of Ways to Read and Discuss TextFrom: www.criticalreading.com/ways_to_read.htm Consider the following nursery rhyme... Mary had a little lamb, Its fleece was white as snow, and everywhere that Mary went The lamb was sure to go. What A Text Saystalks about the topic of the original text, Mary and the lamb. Mary had a lamb that followed her everywhere. What A Text Doestalks about the story. The nursery rhyme describes a pet that followed its mistress everywhere. What a Text Meanstalks about meaning within the story, here the idea of innocent devotion. An image of innocent devotion is conveyed by the story of a lamb's close connection to its mistress. The devotion is emphasized by repetition that emphasizes the constancy of the lamb's actions ("everywhere"…"sure to go.") The notion of innocence is conveyed by the image of a young lamb, "white as snow." By making it seem that this connection between pet and mistress is natural and good, the nursery rhyme asserts innocent devotion as a positive relationship.

104. Characteristics of Strong Critical Thinkers(from Vincent Ruggiero, Beyond Feelings, A Guide to Critical Thinking): Critical Thinkers..."Are honest with themselves, acknowledging what they don't know, recognizing their limitations, and being watchful of their own errors." Critical Thinkers..."Regard problems and controversial issues as exciting challenges." Critical Thinkers..."Strive for understanding, keep curiosity alive, remain patient with complexity and ready to invest time to overcome confusion." Critical Thinkers..."Set aside personal preferences and base judgments on evidence, deferring judgment whenever evidence is insufficient. They revise judgments when new evidence reveals error.“ Critical Thinkers..."Are interested in other people's ideas, so are willing to read and listen attentively, even when they tend to disagree with the other person." Critical Thinkers..."Recognize that extreme views (whether conservative or liberal) are seldom correct, so they avoid them, practice fair-mindedness, and seek a balanced view." Critical Thinkers..."Practice restraint, controlling their feelings rather than being controlled by them, and thinking before acting."

105. Introduction to Library Research Skills Using the Empire State College Online Library to Research & Evaluate Information Sources

107. Find books on your topic.

108. Use online database services to search for periodical articles using online indexes and abstracts.

109. Research your topic on the Internet using search engines and subject directories.

112. Find Keywords That Describe Your Topic and Create a Search

113. Get Definitions and Background Information

114. Find Journal and Newspaper Articles and Books

116. Unblock the Writing Experience Resources to help develop your writing skills and style

117. Writers need to know… How to get inspired & motivated How to get started The mechanics of writing How to get resources

118. Get Inspired! Talk to your instructor and classmates about your topic (start brainstorming if/when instructor discusses the assignment during class) Visit a local library or bookstore and skim through relevant books/magazines Search for ideas and inspiration on general search engines (google, bing, blogs, etc.) Talk to others about your assignment and ask for their ideas and feedback Read! But when you read ANYTHING pay attention to the writing style not just the content Create a writing ritual in a comfortable, quiet place at a productive time

119. Why is it so hard to get started? Pre-existing condition: writing anxiety? The “eternal perfectionist” syndrome Lack of experience, or lack of confidence Not familiar with pre-writing exercises or writing resources Procrastination – under too much time pressure and/or stress to do a good job

120. Responding to the Assignment Know what kind of assignment it is… Reaction Paper Journal Book Review Synthesis Literature Review Argument or Persuasive Research Paper

121. Responding to the Assignment What is the goal of the assignment? Discuss Evaluate/Critique Interpret React Summarize Synthesize Analyze Apply Argue Compare/Contrast Define Describe

122. Writing with Purpose Define the purpose and audience Pre-Writing Brainstorms, outlines, mindmaps Gathering the Information Organizing the Information Writing Proofreading & Editing

123. Knowing the Purpose & Audience Always treat your readers with respect For some assignments you will have to take a stand and convince your audience to agree with your point of view Don’t make assumptions about your audience (what they already know/don’t know, what is right vs. wrong, etc.)

124. Stress Management

125. Family Work School The World In General! External Stressors

126. Internal Stressors Worrying about what you can accomplish Things that are out of our control Fears Things that are unpredictable Time Pressures

129. Writing Resources ESC Writing Center http://www.esc.edu/ESConline/Across_ESC/WritingResourceCenter.nsf/homepageForm?OpenForm Research Tutorials: http://subjectguides.esc.edu/tutorials Free online writing help - www.esc.edu/smarthinking Writers Digest - http:// www.writersdigest.com VisuWords - http:// www.visuwords.com Fuel Your Writing - http://www.fuelyourwriting.com/

130. References & Resources REFERENCES USED IN THIS PRESENTATION VARK Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www.vark-learn.com/english/page.asp?p=questionnaire ADDITIONAL ONLINE MATERIALS (including other self-assessments) Online Learning Styles Inventories with Immediate Feedback Index of Learning Styles Questionnaire http://www.engr.ncsu.edu/learningstyles/ilsweb.html A set of 44 two choice questions, covering the following learning styles: Active and Reflective, Sensing and Intuitive, Visual and Verbal, & Sequential and Global Brain Works’ Downloadable http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/learningskills/learningst/ An interesting exercise (PC users only - 1.1MB) called brain.exe can be downloaded from this site. It will give you some more information about your dominant brain hemisphere. To get out of the program before completing the assessment, use ctrl alt del keys to access Task Manager and stop the program. The esc key does not always work. C.I.T.E. Learning Styles Instrument http://www.wvabe.org/cite.htm

131. References & Resources CONTINUED… ADDITIONAL ONLINE MATERIALS (including other self-assessments) continued… Online Learning Styles Inventories with Immediate Feedback continued A Learning Style Survey for College http://www.metamath.com/multiple/multiple_choice_questions.html A 32 question survey with immediate feedback assessing the following learning styles: Visual/ Verbal, Visual/ Nonverbal, Tactile/ Kinesthetic, & Auditory/ Verbal Information about Learning Styles Learning Styles & Strategies http://www4.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/ILSdir/styles.htm

132. Please give us your feedback at: Thank you for attending tonight's workshop If you would like to view this worship again to refresh your memory or just for fun please visit: www.necacademicsupport@pbworks.com

133. Fall 2010 Workshop Schedule Sept. Start the Term Right 27 Time Management Start the Term Right Oct. Navigating the ESC Websites Critical Thinking Introduction Library Skills ( 10am-11am ) Navigating the ESC Websites Time Management Critical Thinking Reading More Efficiently 25 Leveraging Your learning Style Unblock the Writing Experience Nov. Reading more Efficiently 3 3 Introduction to Library Skills Unblocking the Writing Experience Stress Management Time Management (10am-11am) 22 Resume and Cover Letter Writing Dec. Stress Management Ending the Term Right Ending the Term Right Writing a Rational Essay Stress Management Resume and Cover Letter Writing