Case Studies: College Success

I found "college etiquette" tips on various university webpages and adapted them from:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2067800_behave-college-class-discussion.html
www.mcb.arizona.edu/undergraduates/CollegeEtiquette.pdf
http://www.blinn.edu/natscience/phillips/test-tips.htm
http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/234etiquette.html
http://www.dailyprincetonian.com/archives/2005/10/06/opinion/13344.shtml
http://www.ppslc.com/college_success.php
http://www.springerlink.com/content/hx62g08l3745q908/
http://www.reslife.okstate.edu/handbook/sub_success.html

Introduce your group
Create a short skit (~1 minute long) related to your topic [each group has a different topic].
Read your scenario.
Discuss some possible hidden, underlying variables
Discuss the challenges of testing the validity of the related assertions.

skit 1, skit 2, skit 3, skit 4,

Attend Class

"A" students miss on the average one-half of one class per semester. "C" students miss on the average 4.5 classes per semester. (Implication: "C" students lost an average of 3-5 points for each class missed, not to mention the material covered in class!).

45 Hour Work Week

Consider College as a Job! I had a buddy who got up every day at 8am and went to library to study, when it was class time he went to class and then back to the library until 4:46 sharp. At that point he put up his books and was on his own time. He was involved in every intramural sport, went to most every party, and got a 4.0 at Texas A&M. His secret is that he considered school a job and he worked at it 8-5.

Sit in the Front Middle

Seating arrangement is important. Studies have shown that the students sitting in the front middle part of the class do better than those who sit toward the back of the class or off to one side.

Marijuana Use

Studies have found that college students who used marijuana regularly had impaired skills related to attention, memory, and learning 24 hours after they had last used the drug.