KEY CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER CONTENT
Chapter 1 “Making the Transition to College and Planning Your Academic Journey,” discusses the benefits of the course and the textbook in making a successful transition to college, emphasizes the benefits of a college education, and introduces students to the concepts of academic and career planning. The chapter concludes with college terminology that may be unfamiliar to most students and particularly those who are the first in their families to attend college.
Chapter 2 “Managing Your Time, Energy, and Money,” presents students with strategies to coordinate the use of these valuable resources. The chapter starts with time management techniques and continues to offer suggestions for managing energy and money in conjunction with time. Multiple worksheets are provided in the chapter to help students map their use of these resources.
Chapter 3 “Discovering How You Learn,” includes the VARK Learning Styles Inventory, to help students identify their preferred learning styles, and discusses MBTI and multiple intelligences. The chapter also addresses learning disabilities that many students struggle with in college.
Chapter 4 “Getting the Most Out of Class,” presents students with engagement strategies they can apply through listening, participating, and note-taking before class, in class, and after class.
Chapter 5 “Reading to Learn from College Textbooks,” offers tips and tools for active reading, increasing comprehension, and understanding the differences in math, science, and social science textbooks. The chapter focuses on strategies for improving academic reading and vocabulary development.
Chapter 6 “Studying, Understanding, and Remembering,” provides memory improvement techniques and study skills that promote deep learning. The chapter includes a new tool for students to use to consider changes they are willing to make so that study time is more efficient.
Chapter 7 “Taking Tests Successfully,” is a chapter filled with strategies students can apply as they prepare for tests in various courses. In particular, the emotional aspect of test taking is discussed, and a test anxiety quiz is provided that allows students to evaluate how serious an issue this is for them and create a plan to overcome it. The chapter concludes with a discussion of academic honesty.
Chapter 8 “Information Literacy,” covers topics such as effective use of the library; working with librarians; choosing, narrowing, and researching topics for writing assignments; using keywords; and finding and evaluating both traditional and electronic sources.
Chapter 9 “Writing and Speaking,” guides students in using their research in writing and speaking. The chapter presents the writing process, includes an expanded coverage on plagiarism, and provides tips for successful speaking.
Chapter 10 “Thinking Critically,” features a helpful visual guide to Bloom’s Taxonomy, streamlined coverage of faulty reasoning and logical fallacies, and a scenario on vending machines in schools. Students can use this scenario to practice their critical thinking and argument skills.
Chapter 11 “Managing Your Health, Emotions, and Relationships in a Diverse World,” discusses multiple aspects of college life to help students stay healthy physically and emotionally, and effectively function within their diverse college communities. The chapter offers suggestions for getting involved in campus life, manage relationships, and appreciate diversity.
Chapter 12 “Making the Right Career Choice,” serves as a step-by-step guide to selecting a major and exploring careers and presents strategies for career planning, enhancing marketability; developing the right mindset for creating a strong future; conducting industry and company research; gaining experience while in college; and job searching.