Ms. K's College Survival Tips: Copying and Pasting

Sometimes it's the little things that trip students up when they are doing an assignment, like having plenty of knowledge about how to play on computers, but not quite enough knowledge about how to work on computers.

Yes, it's true. I have recently had more than a few students stumped by how to copy and paste information into a Microsoft Word document as part of an assignment. I hope this little video that walks through some common cut and paste scenarios is helpful.


Ms. K's College Survival Tips - Cutting and Pasting

Ms. K's College Survival Tips: Textbooks

I've been meaning to create a video series to help students deal with some of the practicalities of navigating higher education, and here's my first entry.

Ms_K's_College_Survival_Tips_-_Textbooks

Getting to Know Your Professors

A few years back, I was teaching a class where I was required to have office hours once a week. This is not always common for adjunct instructors such as myself, as we often do not have access to even a shared office to use for that, but in this case, the university had a designated shared adjunct office space and I had my assigned time there each week during the semester. It was very, very quiet. Imagine my excitement one day then when a student came in the door. "Hello," I said enthusiastically. "What can I do to help you?" The student replied, "Um, do you know where the nearest ladies' restroom is?" Slightly deflated, I gave her directions, she thanked me, and that was the extent of my face-to-face student interactions during office hours for that entire semester. 

Very few students utilize office hours or other forms of communication with their professors and instructors, and, truly, they are losing out on a valuable part of their college experience by doing so. I state on my syllabi that I am available by email 24/7 and encourage students to contact me that way, because after any given class, I am usually flying out the door to hit the freeway for my next campus.

While it's undeniable that many students and instructors have hectic schedules, there are always ways for students to get that extra clarification and information that will help them do better in their classes. This can also help students build relationships with faculty that can lead to recommendation letters, internships, and even employment.

The simple habit that can make or break your college experience

Maximize Your Community College Experiences by Using Resources

Community colleges are wonderful starting points for many students for a wide variety of reasons. Whether it's because of finances, academics, employment, family, or simply convenience, two-year public schools offer viable options to springboard oneself towards careers and/or transferring to bachelor's degree granting institutions. Many capable students who would have difficulty entering immediately into the university environment thrive at community colleges. Why is it, then, that the university transfer and bachelor's degree completion rates for such students are relatively low?

According to research performed at the Center for Community College Research at Columbia University's Teachers College, there are flaws in how community college students are counseled for selecting classes and are assisted through the transfer process. I know, however, from my experiences at the numerous Southern California community colleges where I've taught, there are MANY resources available to help students through this process and they are VERY visible and vocal on nearly every campus. I believe more needs to be done to encourage students to make the most of their community college educational experiences, and it starts with knowledge. I actively encourage my students to see their academic counselors on a regular basis and try to answer any questions that they might have to the best of my ability. I know many of my colleagues do the same.

Is Community College a Stepping Stone? It Depends

Want to Improve Your Grades and Your Health? Get More Sleep!

College students are traditionally a seriously sleep-deprived population. With juggling hectic class schedules, jobs, extracurricular activities, and social life, getting enough sleep often falls by the wayside. However, the UCLA Healthy Campus Initiative's Sleep Revolution campaign is seeking to change all that. Sleep has a profound impact on global well-being and the time for college students to cultivate better sleep habits is now.

Healthy Campus Initiative goes deep on sleep

Speed Reading? Slow Down Before You Buy Its Claims

Speed reading programs have been around for decades, promising busy students, overwhelmed professionals, and time-crunched bibliophiles shortcuts to reading, understanding, and remembering written information in as little time as possible. However, a scientific review of the claims behind such programs has revealed their weaknesses.

Speed Reading Promises Are Too Good to Be True, Scientists Find

Life Skills That Go Well Beyond College

Here's some great common sense advice from a former Stanford dean about basic skills for life success necessary to young people moving into the world on their own, whether they are attending college or not.

The 8 Skills Everyone Should Have By Age 18

Flashcards: A New Perspective

Flashcards are an old school learning method that sometimes get a bad rap. It's true if they are simply used as a way to memorize terms out of context, their usefulness is limited, especially if they are pre-created flashcards from a textbook publisher or purchased online. However, flashcards can be a handy study tool if created by the student and used for more than just term definitions. Here's an interesting model to consider: the five-sided flashcard.

The Five-Sided Flashcard

Taking Notes By Hand: The Evidence Increases!

Research evidence continues to steadily pile up in favor of handwriting over using keyboards in promoting memory. Read some of the latest studies at the links below.

Handwriting Has a Psychological Advantage Over Keyboards

Attention Students - Put Your Laptops Away

The Best Way To Boost Your Memory Is Already In Your Hand

Hopefully, this line of research will eventually turn the tide back toward teaching cursive handwriting consistently in the K-12 schools here in the United States. While we certainly don't need to return to the days of endless kill-and-drill penmanship practice in elementary school (been there, done that!), helping students develop a decently legible and efficient level of handwriting will only serve to benefit them in multiple ways as they continue their education and on into their working and daily lives as adults.

What Tests Can't Ever Measure

Students, no matter what their age, are far more than just their grades and test scores. In today's competitive society, it is too easy for all the stakeholders in education -- faculty, administration, staff, and students -- to lose sight of that. This teacher took the time to express it in a loving, compassionate, and powerful way.

In One Letter, A Teacher Sums Up What Test Scores Can't

Think Psych You Tube Channel

I've created a Think Psych You Tube channel where I will be posting a combination of selected pre-existing videos as well as original videos that I will develop primarily for my students' use. I am just getting started with this project (as well as reviving this blog and my Think Psych blog), so be sure to check back frequently for new developments.

Don't forget there are also Facebook pages for College Success Insider and Think Psych  so please check those out and give them likes if you're so inclined.  :-)

Is Online Learning Right For You?

Online learning is an exciting option for taking classes, but students often have some misconceptions about what taking online classes is like. While it is easy to be enthusiastic about the prospect of not having to physically show up in class, there definitely are some trade-offs for that point. The student's own responsibility for driving the learning process is much more heavy in online learning, and that's not something that every student can accomplish successfully.

I just came across a great straight-to-the-point list to help students determine whether online classes are the right choice for them and wanted to share it. Here it is:

Is Online Learning Right For You?

Online learning is not for everyone. Successful online learners generally fit most or all of these characteristics--see if you fit the mold:

• Motivated and disciplined self-starter

Since you are essentially working on your own time and setting your own study schedule, it's essential that you are responsible and able to work independently.

• Comfortable expressing thoughts in writing

Online classes rely almost entirely on written communication, so you should be well-versed in using email, online discussion boards, and word processing software to produce essays and other written assignments.

• Have access to a computer and know how to perform basic computer functions

Virtual learning requires a computer with a reliable internet connection, in order to ensure timely delivery of information. As for personal skills, you should have experience navigating the internet, saving/uploading/downloading files and using word processing software.

• Strong time management skills

With soft deadlines, it's easy to procrastinate and get behind. It's important to keep a checklist and set reminders for yourself to ensure you stay on task throughout the class, and not leave everything for the last minute.

From https://www.extension.ucr.edu/resources/resource/Take_a_Seat_in_Our_Virtual_Classroom

(4-07-2016)

Communicating Effectively With Professors: Email

The professors who teach your college or university classes are almost guaranteed to be very busy people who often wish they could clone themselves to get everything they need to get done accomplished. That's why it is sometimes best to communicate with your professors via email. They are more likely to have the time to give you a well-thought out answer to your question while sitting in front of their computer in their offices or at home than when they are flying out the door to get to their next class or meeting. Keep in mind that it's quite common for higher education classes to be taught by adjunct faculty who often have teaching obligations at multiple colleges and universities and often have to be at multiple campuses on the same day, so giving them a little more breathing room to answer your questions or address your concerns via email is an appreciated courtesy you can extend to them.

Here's a few common sense tips I give to my students to make communicating with your professors by email more effective.

• Please make sure that each email includes your name, the class name, and the days and time your class meets. We often teach multiple sections of the same class at the same time. For instance, if I received an email from a student who only told me "I'm in your general psychology class," that could be someone from any of four different classes at three different campuses. 
• It's a good idea to use your campus email account for contacting faculty because it's pretty common for accounts from Yahoo, Gmail, etc. to be automatically sorted into the spam folder by campus computing systems.
• The more specific you are about who you are and what help you need from us, the better we can help you.
• Please do, however, check the syllabus, assignment instructions, or any other resources before emailing us. You will often find that your answer is already available to you. 

Here's also another set of tips about sending effective emails to professors written by a college student.

8 Tips on Writing a Professional Email

I hope you find this information helpful. Happy communicating!