As educators, we’ve had the great privilege of interacting with students during our time as instructors at two- and four-year schools, as advisers and mentors, as student success administrators, and as researchers in the area of student transition and success. It’s because of our fascinating and fulfilling experiences with students that we wrote Connections, giving us the opportunity to put in one place the combined knowledge, experience, and expertise we’ve garnered over many years of working with college students and studying the factors that impact their success. To help increase student satisfaction, retention, and completion, we built the book from the ground up and integrated an exciting new student self-assessment tool called ACES, the Academic and Career Excellence System. Available to be packaged with the text, ACES focuses on noncognitive as well as cognitive factors.

As counseling psychologists, we’ve come to believe — and have seen the research to support — the idea that there’s more to student success than academic achievement alone. That’s why we use a holistic, strengths-based approach in Connections that integrates a balance of motivational skills, study skills, and life skills. Our goal is to help students understand themselves as individuals who appreciate their own strengths, acknowledge where their challenges lie, and work to strengthen current skills and build new ones. Our experience has shown us that one of the best ways to accomplish this is through an emphasis on personal reflection and self-assessment — an emphasis that has its foundation in positive psychology, concepts from which are woven throughout this text. While research has shown us that past academic performance is a good predictor of future academic performance, recent and compelling research also clearly establishes the role of motivational — noncognitive — factors in promoting college and career success.¹ These noncognitive factors include attitudes, behaviors, and skills such as critical thinking, self-efficacy, resilience, and working with others, and they form the scaffolding for achievement. Colleges and universities across the country are increasingly using noncognitive measures to better understand their students so they can provide them with the support they need to succeed.

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Because we believe that noncognitive skills, in concert with cognitive skills, are crucial to student success, we have devoted a significant portion of our life’s work to developing noncognitive assessments and creating strategies that empower students, instructors, and administrators. And that’s why we jumped at the chance to create a student self-assessment platform, ACES, the Academic and Career Excellence System, that can be packaged with Connections.

ACES is a powerful, norm-referenced self-assessment that helps students pinpoint their strengths and challenges. Students can take ACES at the start of this course to better understand their own abilities and attitudes in twelve critical areas, both cognitive and noncognitive, that correspond to specific chapters in the book. They can then use the information in Connections to help them develop and strengthen their skills in each area. Callouts throughout the book also prompt students to reflect on their ACES results.

The idea to pair Connections and ACES comes from our shared experience in counseling and assessment. Rather than a self-assessment that serves as an “add on,” we wanted to develop one that was woven into the fabric of the book, thereby providing two valuable resources that are even more beneficial when used together. Our goal was to ensure that information would lead to action. We achieved this goal by creating a powerful and easy-to-use assessment, along with tools and guidance that students can use to act on their results.

The idea of translating information into action also prompted us to develop another one of the key features of this book: the Personal Success Plan (PSP) goal-setting tool. It has been our experience that the act of responding to questions has zero value in and of itself. What does have value is what you do with or how you act upon that information. And that’s where the PSP comes in. Students learn about themselves through ACES and then can apply that knowledge in each chapter using the PSP to create SMART goals and purposeful, personalized action plans to achieve those goals. Students can track their PSPs throughout the term, helping them document the action steps and goals they’ve achieved, and demonstrate the specific ways they’re building important skills for college, career, and life.

As crucial as self-reflection and self-assessment are to the identity of Connections, there is another driving force behind the text that is just as crucial: making the connection between college and career success meaningful to today’s students. Throughout the book we emphasize specific ways that the attitudes, habits, and skills needed to succeed in college — such as persistence, communication, critical thinking — are the exact same attitudes, habits, and skills needed to succeed in the workplace. Our goal is to help students see how the material they are learning now can be applied directly in any work environment.

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Creating this book has been a five-year journey for us, with lots of hard work and many sleepless nights, and has proven to be the culmination of so many of our professional and personal passions. In the process, we’ve been gratified by very positive feedback and reviews from instructors at two- and four-year institutions across the United States. We hope that Connections and ACES prove as meaningful and effective for you and your students as they have been for us and for our reviewers. We hope that you, too, find this program a powerful mix of engaging content, practical strategies, effective activities, thought-provoking research, and useful self-assessment data that will help students build the skills they need to succeed in college, in their careers, and in life.

Using ACES (the Academic and Career
Excellence System) with Connections

ACES gives students, instructors, and administrators the data they need to succeed. Available to be packaged with Connections, the ACES online self-assessment helps students develop a thoughtful, strengths-based understanding of themselves. ACES measures student strengths in twelve critical areas, both cognitive and noncognitive. Norm-referenced reports indicate whether students are at a high, moderate, or low skill level in these areas, as compared to students in other schools across the country.

ACES has been designed with ease-of-use in mind. It takes students about 20 minutes to complete and offers intriguing questions in a clean, appealing interface, helping ensure high student satisfaction and participation rates.

ACES works in concert with Connections. Students answer questions about twelve areas, or scales, that match the chapter topics in Connections. They reflect on their results throughout the book, and use what they’ve learned to strengthen their strengths and use challenges as opportunities for growth.

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Students respond to 80+ empirically supported, statistically valid statements. Questions have been thoroughly tested in a national pilot study and are organized to obtain the clearest possible picture of students’ attitudes and skills. Reverse scoring on select questions helps ensure that students are honest with their responses.

Targeted, thorough feedback helps each student take his or her own next steps. Students get feedback on their responses in each of the twelve skill areas. Each area is correlated as higher, moderate, or lower compared with the national sample. Feedback offers students an assessment of their current skills, encouragement to improve, and concrete suggestions for activities and resources to help them achieve their goals.

Individualized and class-level reports give students and instructors the information they need to understand student strengths and weaknesses, and to formulate realistic plans for improvement. Data can be organized in several ways and output for use in standard quantitative programs like Excel and Qualtrix.

ACES is available in the LaunchPad for Connections. To give your students access to ACES, assign the text with LaunchPad for Connections — which includes ACES. LaunchPad brings together all the media content for the textbook, curated and organized for easy assignability and assessment, and presented in a powerful, yet easy-to-use interface.

Key Features in Connections

The holistic, strengths-based approach provides a balanced integration of motivational, study, and life skills. The text is built on a foundation in positive psychology and a strengths-based approach, covers all topics typically taught in the course, and seamlessly integrates motivational skills, study skills, and life skills — all backed by research.

Prominent coverage of critical thinking and goal setting helps students develop key skills necessary for success. Chapter 2, Thinking Critically and Setting Goals, presents these essential skills up front, and self-assessments and activities throughout the text encourage students to think critically about their work and themselves. Included at the end of Chapters 2–14, the Personal Success Plan (PSP) goal-setting tool provides students with a structured platform for SMART goal setting and action planning. It encourages students to think metacognitively about the skills they develop as they set and achieve goals, and to consider how those skills might be useful in a future career. Instructors can assign as many or as few PSPs as desired based on the structure and needs of the class.

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A strong emphasis on college and career connections points students in the right direction. Each chapter illustrates how topics apply to the world of work; Chapter 13 on academic and career planning helps students begin creating their own personal roadmaps to success; “College Success = Career Success” activities at the end of each chapter emphasize the college/career connection; and an in-depth appendix focuses on conducting a job search.

Content and features in each chapter illustrate the connection between students’ academic and life plans. Students often wonder how the material they learn in this class connects to what they’re doing in their other classes — and their careers. Connections addresses this question head on:

Chapter Activities reinforce key themes, prompt self-reflection, and strengthen skills. Each chapter concludes with four activities that instructors can assign as homework or use to prompt class discussion and student engagement.

Key Chapter-by-Chapter Content

Chapter 1, Building a Foundation for Success, introduces the text’s unique themes using a clear and approachable narrative style. It makes a strong case for the benefits of a college education to students in our society and lays the foundation for the book’s balanced emphasis on motivational, academic, and life skills. Topics include the benefits of personal reflection, the power of positivity, the importance of recognizing one’s own strengths and weaknesses, and the strong connection between skills needed to succeed in college and in one’s career.

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Chapter 2, Thinking Critically and Setting Goals, presents these essential topics earlier than in most competing texts, and prompts students to focus on them as they read the chapters that follow. The chapter examines what it means to be a critical thinker and covers higher-level thinking skills, critical thinking processes, and Bloom’s taxonomy. The chapter then shows how critical thinking connects to goal setting, gives step-by-step goal-setting guidance, and introduces the powerful Personal Success Plan (PSP) goal-setting tool, which students can use throughout the term to map out their goals and build a plan for achieving them.

Chapter 3, Motivation, Decision Making, and Personal Responsibility, offers a strong emphasis on noncognitive skills, ensuring that students learn key motivational topics early in the term. And Connections, unlike a number of competing texts, devotes a full chapter to these crucial concepts. Students learn concrete ways to stay driven and focused; make effective decisions; adopt active learning and metacognitive principles to take responsibility for their success; and develop a growth mindset. In this chapter, as in all chapters, the discussion concludes by examining how the major topics apply in the working world.

In Chapter 4, Learning Preferences, students assess their own approaches to learning — via self-analysis, and an introduction to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and the VARK model — and use what they read to become stronger learners, work more effectively with others, and excel in a wide variety of environments. While some books offer lists of strategies but no context within which to view them, here students see the principles of active learning and metacognition applied firsthand.

Chapter 5, Organization and Time Management, explores ways that students can take control of their environment and manage their lives effectively. This chapter helps students take ownership of their time, and use this valuable resource in a way that fits their priorities and helps them meet their very personal goals. It also includes a unique section on strategies for getting (and staying) organized and examines ways to beat procrastination and deal with distractions.

Chapter 6, Reading for College Success introduces a three-step process for getting the most out of college reading — preparing to read, reading with focus, and reviewing what’s been read. Unlike many competing texts, which fail to make the connections among different academic skills clear to students, this chapter illustrates the relationship between reading and other key study skills. And because students are hungry for suggestions they can use to excel in math, science, and online classes, this content is also included.

Chapter 7, Taking Effective Notes, introduces note taking not as a mechanical activity, but as a method of working with — and mastering — information. In addition to presenting a clear, four-step strategy for participating in class and recording information effectively, the chapter spotlights methods and strategies students can use to take notes in a variety of settings. And to emphasize that note taking is a lifelong skill, the chapter focuses on the importance of taking notes in the workplace.

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Chapter 8, Memory and Studying, spotlights strategies students can use to study effectively and remember what they’ve learned. Based on current research, the chapter discusses memory basics, including the processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval. Students are introduced to a wide variety of study strategies they can use to stay focused and productive, and retain the information they’ve learned.

Chapter 9, Performing Well on Exams, provides students with the information they need to know to take tests of all kinds — and to do so successfully. In addition to specific test-taking strategies, other key topics include managing test anxiety and taking tests with integrity. And unlike other texts, the chapter illustrates how good test-taking skills — a seemingly academic topic — come in handy in the working world.

Chapter 10, Information Literacy and Communication, connects these key academic skills to broader approaches to critical thinking and explores three essential components of information literacy — locating information, evaluating its quality, and communicating that information through writing and speaking. The chapter also discusses how to navigate the writing process, avoid plagiarism, and give strong class presentations.

Chapter 11, Connecting with Others, focuses on key skills that students need to build and sustain relationships, with special emphasis on active listening and effective speaking. The chapter explores how to strengthen emotional intelligence and manage conflict, and examines how connecting with others can enhance existing relationships, help students build new ones, and strengthen their relationships with people from different backgrounds.

Chapter 12, Personal and Financial Health, offers a unique combination of content and draws important connections between the discrete but closely related topics of stress, personal health, and financial health. Through a self-management lens, the chapter introduces a variety of strategies that students can use to promote physical well-being and mental health, maintain sexual health, and take control of their finances — all of which can help them manage stress and live happier, more fulfilled lives.

Chapter 13, Academic and Career Planning, continues the text’s strong emphasis on the college/career connection. It provides information students need to think critically about their academic and career options — whether they’ve chosen a major or not. Far more than a laundry list of available degrees and careers, the chapter helps students personalize academic and career planning by considering their own interests, values, skills, and goals. Topics include making an academic plan; conducting career research; and managing important milestones in the academic and career development processes.

Chapter 14, Celebrating Your Success and Connecting to Your Future, a chapter unique to Connections, serves as a capstone chapter for the course. Both active and metacognitive, this chapter encourages students to revisit and reassess their ACES results, complete activities designed to solidify what they’ve learned over the term, and identify strategies they can use to sustain their success in the years to come.

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Instructor Resources

for Connections with ACES and LearningCurve

LaunchPad combines an interactive e-book with high-quality multimedia content and ready-made assessment options, including the ACES student self-assessment and LearningCurve adaptive quizzing. Prebuilt units are easy to assign or adapt to your material, such as readings, videos, quizzes, discussion groups, and more. LaunchPad also provides access to a gradebook that provides a clear window on performance for your whole class, for individual students, and for individual assignments.

Instructor’s Annotated Edition

A valuable tool for new and experienced instructors alike, the Instructor’s Annotated Edition includes the full text of the student edition along with abundant marginal annotations that include activity suggestions, writing prompts, topics for discussion, resources for further reading, and notes about using the book’s key features.

Instructor’s Manual

The Instructor’s Manual, available online, is packed full of activities and resources. Content includes sample syllabi; chapter objectives and summaries; class activities, topics for discussion, and writing assignments for each chapter; and a guide to using the ACES self-assessment in class.

Computerized Test Bank

The Computerized Test Bank contains more than 700 multiple-choice, true/false, short-answer, and essay questions designed to assess students’ understanding of key concepts. A midterm and final exam are also included, and all questions are accompanied by an answer key. A digital text file is also available.

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Lecture Slides

Available online for download, lecture slides accompany each chapter of the book and include key concepts and art from the text. Use the slides as provided to structure your lectures, or customize them as desired to fit your course’s needs.

French Fries Are Not Vegetables

This comprehensive instructional DVD (ISBN 978-0-312-65073-5) features multiple resources for class and professional use.

Custom Solutions Program

Macmillan Education’s custom publishing program offers the highest-quality books and media, created in consultation with publishing professionals who are committed to the discipline. Customize Connections to fit your course and goals by integrating your own materials, or including only the parts of the text you intend to use in your course, or both. Contact your Macmillan Education sales representative for more information.

TradeUp

Bring more value and choice to your students’ first-year experience by packaging Connections with one of a thousand titles from Macmillan publishers at a 50 percent discount off the regular price. Contact your local Macmillan Education sales representative for more information.

Student Resources

for Connections with ACES and LearningCurve

LaunchPad is an online course solution that offers our acclaimed content, including an e-book, the ACES self-assessment, LearningCurve adaptive quizzes, videos, and more. For more information, see the Instructor Resources section.

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E-book Options

E-books offer an affordable alternative for students. You can find PDF versions of our books when you shop online at our publishing partners’ sites. Learn more at macmillanhighered.com/ebooks.

Bedford/St. Martin’s Insider’s Guides

These concise and student friendly booklets on topics that are critical to college success are a perfect complement to your textbook and course. One Insider’s Guide can be packaged with any Bedford/St. Martin’s textbook at no additional cost. Additional Insider’s Guides can also be packaged for additional cost. Titles include: Insider’s Guide to Academic Planning; Insider’s Guide to Beating Test Anxiety; Insider’s Guide to Career Services; Insider’s Guide to Getting Involved on Campus; Insider’s Guide to Time Management, 2e; and many more. For more information on ordering one of these guides with the text, go to macmillanhighered.com/collegesuccess.

The Bedford/St. Martin’s Planner

Everything that students need to plan and use their time effectively is included, along with advice on preparing schedules and to-do lists, blank schedules, and monthly and weekly calendars for planning. Integrated into the planner are tips and advice on fixing common grammar errors, taking notes, and succeeding on tests; an address book; and an annotated list of useful Web sites. To order the planner standalone, use ISBN 978-0-312-57447-5.

Journal Writing: A Beginning

This writing journal is designed to give students an opportunity to use writing as a way to explore their thoughts and feelings, and includes inspirational quotes throughout the pages, tips for journaling, and suggested journal topics. To order the journal standalone, use ISBN 978-0-312-59027-7.

Acknowledgments

We wish to express our gratitude to all the people who have helped to make this book a reality. Paul would like to thank his parents, who taught him balance between critical reflection and creativity; his mentors Waded Cruzado, Steve D. Brown, Virginia Rinella, and Michael Anch, who have supported his personal and professional development for almost thirty years; and the staff of the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition for embracing his passion for promoting student success. Wade wishes to thank his wonderful partner Lesley and his three great yahoos at home. They put up with a lot over the past few years and he couldn’t have done this without their support. A.J. wishes to thank her parents (Kay and Jerry), brothers (Mike and Dave), and friend Janice for their continuous interest, support, and encouragement through the course of writing this book. Together, we’d like to thank our students — especially Ali Pappas, Natalie Noel, Keith Gunnerson, Alex Kelly, Laken Shirey, Jenna Leishman, Derek Smith, Qin Hu, and Summer Hickam — who helped bounce around ideas and gave thoughtful feedback. We’d also like to thank all of the students and new professionals who shared their stories with us and made the “Voices of Experience” feature possible. The richness and variety of their stories helped bring the book content alive, and we hope that you find their wisdom and advice as helpful as we do.

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At Bedford/St. Martin’s, thanks to Edwin Hill, Vice President, Editorial, for taking a chance on new authors; we wouldn’t have gotten this project off the ground without your support. To Simon Glick, Senior Executive Editor, thank you for providing insight and encouragement along the way. To Christina Lembo, Senior Editor, thank you for steering us through this long and challenging process. The book is a testament to your guidance, patience, and skill at helping us make our vision a reality. Our appreciation also goes out to Deb Baker, Senior Production Editor, for her invaluable attention to detail; Erika Gutierrez, Publisher, and Susan McLaughlin, Development Manager, for their ideas and leadership; Tom Kane and Melissa Graham Meeks, Media Editors, for their work on ACES; Bethany Gordon, Associate Editor, for managing the accompanying ancillaries; and Katherine Bates, Market Development Manager, and Kayti Corfield, Marketing Manager, for their enthusiasm in sharing this new book with instructors across the country.

Finally, we would like to thank the reviewers, survey participants, and focus group attendees who took the time to provide detailed, thoughtful feedback on the book throughout all stages of the development process. Your comments and suggestions were instrumental in creating both Connections and ACES:

Sandra Albers, Leeward Community College; Fred Amador, Phoenix College; Holly Andress-Martin, Culver-Stockton College; Bonnie Bailey, Central New Mexico Community College; Christopher Barker, Miami Dade College; Wesley Beal, Lyon College; Jennifer Beattie, Tri-County Technical College; Ashley Becker, Florida Institute of Technology; Sheila Bedworth, Long Beach City College; Kristine Benard, Bryant & Stratton College, Eastlake Campus; Edie Blakley, Clark College; Dustyn Bork, Lyon College; Jennifer Boyle, Davidson County Community College; Beverly Brucks, Illinois Central College; Alim Chandani, Gallaudet University; Rebecca Coco, Massasoit Community College; Colleen Coughlin, University of Massachusetts; Melanie Deffendall, Delgado Community College; Erika Deiters, Moraine Valley Community College; Susan Delker, The Community College of Baltimore County; Bob DuBois, Waukesha County Technical College; Denise Dufek, Bay de Noc Community College; Kim Dunnavant, Martin Methodist College; Darin Eckton, Utah Valley University; Carly Edwards, Campbell University; Shawna Elsberry, Central Oregon Community College; Annette Fields, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Stephanie M. Foote, Kennesaw State University; Karen Frost, University of Arkansas at Little Rock; Kate Frost, Arizona State University; Susan Gaer, Santa Ana College; Cathy Gann, Missouri Western State University; Linda Gannon, College of Southern Nevada; Margaret Garroway, Howard Community College; Nicole Gilbertson, Mt. Hood Community College; Carlen Gilseth, Minot State University; Tracey Glaessgen, Missouri State University; Joselyn Gonzalez, El Centro College; Tymon Graham, Coker College; Barbara Granger, Holyoke Community College; Laurie Grimes, Lorain County Community College; Betsy Hall, Illinois College; Timothy Hare, Morehead State University; Angie Hatlestad, Ridgewater College; Robin Hayhurst, Western Nebraska Community College; Teresa Hays, DeVry University; Lorraine M. Daniels Howland, NHTI, Concord’s Community College; Cedric Jackson, University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff; Barbara Jaffe, El Camino College; Jody Kamens, Jacksonville University; Kim Keffer, Ohio University Southern; Alice Kimara, Baltimore City Community College; Stacy Kirch, Orange Coast College; Ray Korpi, Clark College; Fatina LaMar-Taylor, Prince George’s Community College; Teresa Landers, Lee College; Christopher Lau, Hutchinson Community College; Kristina Leonard, Daytona State College; Andrew Logemann, Gordon College; Judith Lynch, Kansas State University; Malinda Mansfield, Ivy Tech Community College; Melanie Marine, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh; Lisa Marks, Ozarks Technical Community College; Mickey Marsee, University of New Mexico–Los Alamos; Patrick McConnell, Rio Hondo College; MaryAnn McGuirk, North Lake College; Maureen McMahon, Paul Smith’s College; Ryan Messatzzia, Wor-Wic Community College; Pat Missad, Grand Rapids Community College; Pamela Moss, Midwestern State University; Jodi Murrow, Fort Scott Community College; Tami Mysliwiec, Pennsylvania State University Berks; Nicole Nagy, Madonna University; Chaelle Norman, Cedar Valley College; Scott O’Leary, University of Saint Mary; Ellen Oppenberg, Glendale Community College; Taunya Paul, York Technical College; Elizabeth Price, Ranger College; Cynthia Puckett, Eastern Florida State College; Linda Refsland, William Paterson University; Leigh-Ann Routh, Ivy Tech Community College; Danielle Rowland, University of Washington Bothell and Cascadia College; James Rubin, Paradise Valley Community College; Carolyn Sanders, University of Alabama in Huntsville; Sarah Sell, Wichita State University; Mark Shea, Buena Vista University; Barbara Sherry, Northeastern Illinois University; Sarah Shutt, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College; Cheryl Spector, California State University Northridge; Charlene Stephens, Wesley College; Pamela Stephens, Fairmont State University; Chris Strouthopoulos, San Juan College; Brenda Sudan, Georgia Perimeter College; Susan Sullivan, Louisiana State University Alexandria; Ricardo Teixeira, University of Houston–Victoria; Kim Thomas, Polk State University; Virginia Thompson, Grayson County College; Althea Truesdale, Bennett College; Adanta Ugo, San Jacinto College; Dominick Usher, University of Massachusetts Amherst; Sherri VandenAkker, Springfield College; Jodie Vangrov, Chattahoochee Technical College; Angela Vaughan, University of Northern Colorado; Melanie Wadsworth, Western Nevada College; Jacob Widdekind, Miami Dade College; Cheryl Wieseler, Luther College; Margaret Williamson, Dillard University; Cornelia Wills, Middle Tennessee State University; Leslie Wilson, Chestnut Hill College; and Marguerite Yawin, Tunxis Community College.