Performance Objective: Create a motivational plan for a course which you may teach.

. The plan should specify all of the things you will do intentionally to try to motivate students, when you will do these things, and how you will evaluate your success. The blended Academic Strategies class that I will teach at Tulsa Community College next semester will serve as a foundation for those students that are transitioning from the K-12 system to the community college, or for those that are just simply coming back to school to further their education. Given the nature of the course, 50% lecture and 50% online (self-paced), I will use the self-paced portion of the class to schedule weekly meetings with my students. I will schedule these meetings as a means of ensuring that the students stay on track while achieving a stable academic progress in terms of completion rate and overall G.P.A. During these counseling sessions, I will address at least one of the following topics:

Personal and social strategies to succeed in college, i.e., diversity Identification and application of college and academic terminology; Short-term and long-term goals, balancing personal skills, interests, personality, and values;

Time management; Location of college resources and support systems; Study techniques and behavior patterns to successfully complete homework, reading assignments, exams, and special projects.

Note-taking techniques across the disciplines; Test-taking strategies for objective tests, essay exams, and oral examinations; Techniques for improving memory and concentration; Critical and creative thinking skills to identify and solve academic and social problems (includes math and science strategies, information literacy techniques, collaborative learning, diversity issues, and conflict resolution).

Although the concepts taught in this class seem trivial, or common sense as some may posit, evidence suggest that there is a large percentage of students that do not know how to

navigate the college system nor how to access the opportunities that a higher education can provide. At the beginning of the semester, students enrolled in the class will complete the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory (LASSI). This diagnostic test will assess students anxiety and worry about school performance, attitude and interest, concentration and academic tasks, information processing, motivation and self-discipline, self-testing, information selection, use of support techniques and materials, time management, and test strategies and preparation. The scores reported by the LASSI will allow me, as the classroom facilitator, to create meaningful learning opportunities and performance objectives for my students in a 16-week semester. Depending on the scores reported on the LASSI assessment, I will determine if a student needs guidance in the goal setting process, time management or study techniques. I will also decide how much time to spend on each of these learning objectives during the semester. As the semester progresses, I will ensure that I assist students in improving their communication skills. During my interactions with the students, I will emphasize that in order to maintain healthy personal and professional relationships throughout a college career, these skills need to be developed. Apart from the mandatory meetings with me, at least two weekly tutoring sessions will be scheduled for each student enrolled in the class. The sessions will last between 30-45 minutes depending on the material being covered, homework assignments, and areas of weaknesses indicated in the LASSI. Sessions will be facilitated by a writing, reading or math tutor depending on the need. This objective is a strategy to assist students in:

Showing more interest towards quantitative and qualitative subjects. Having a higher chance of earning a passing grade of a C or better in all English and Math-related subjects (including remedial classes).

Applying writing process skills to written work.

Part of the curriculum of the class involves assisting students in defining a career direction. It appears that this is a difficult task for community college students to achieve. In collaboration with the Career Services department at Tulsa Community College, students will

meet at least twice a month with a Career Counselor to explore different career majors and prepare for job-seeking tasks such as, but not limited to, resume preparation, interviewing skills, and completion of employment applications. If students are not actively seeking employment, this activity will allow them to gain practice using the different steps that have to be taken when applying for a job. Each session will last approximately 30-35 minutes. Students will be required to complete the Golden Personality Type Profiler and the Academic Competence Evaluation Scale (ACES) during the first meeting with the career counselor. The success of this task will be determined at the end of the semester when students declare a major. The performance objective that has been developed provides an overview of the principles of motivation through challenges as it:

Represents an avenue for students to engage in successful learning. Provides students with specific objectives geared towards the development of academic and social skills. Employs measuring tools that include succinct language adapted to the students educational levels and related to their affective, goal, and comprehension strategies. Scaffolds students as they develop their critical thinking skills required for a successful and challenging college experience. Sequences material from easy to difficult (or from simple to complex), so that initial success can be attained (Bull and Kimball, p. 23, 1999). The model starts with the study of goal setting and time management, communication, critical thinking, and ends with the preparation of students for job-seeking tasks.

Provides students with an opportunity to reflect on what has been accomplished in a 16-week semester by allowing them to take the LASSI and comparing the new scores with the ones reported at the beginning of the semester.

Establishes the ground for students to become self-regulated individuals while being allowed to transfer skills into different academic, personal, and professional areas.

Reference: K. S. Bull and S. L. Kimball (1999). Quality University Instruction Online: A Basic Teaching Effectiveness Training ProgramAn Instructional Hypertext. Stillwater, OK: Oklahoma State University.