PHI 238 RIGHTS AND WRONGS
Waggle Sections
Strategies for
Success In This Class
Over the eleven years that I have been teaching at the college level, I have noticed a number of pitfalls that students fall into on the way to achieving their desired grade. The following set of strategies is not a fool proof set, nor is it comprehensive. It does, however, contain a solid set of suggestions and strategies that can maximize your chances for success in this course or, for that matter, any college course you take.
1. Be Prepared: Being prepared does not simply mean skimming each assigned reading. Being prepared means a) Critically reading each and every assignment as if you would be tested over it. b) Assimilating new vocabulary or technical terms and keeping a written list of all of these terms. c) Preparing a short but detailed outline of each reading. d) Working up and preparing answers for the critical reading questions and the discussion questions. I will assume that you will spend at least two hours outside of class for each hour you are in class. Hence, since this is a three hour course, you should set aside six hours per week for preparation, more if needed.
2. Ask Questions: It is always appropriate to ask questions. Asking questions is not a sign of stupidity. Failing to ask questions, if you do not understand, is a sign of stupidity. I do not take offense at someone asking questions. In fact, I expect them. Even with the careful selection of these texts, I do anticipate that there will be things which may need clarification. There is no “fail safe” text book. So, I strongly encourage you to ask questions - even if they seem self-evident from what we have read. This type of feedback is extremely valuable for me to be better prepared so that I can perform my function as professor in this class.
3. Be Organized: You should manage your time and not let time manage you. In order to do this you should: a) Keep a weekly calendar where you plan your study time and plan out what you need to prepare for. I cannot overstress the importance of time management for your success in this class. b) Organize your notes. Exactly how you do this is up to you. I would suggest (and this is a low tech approach) keeping a notebook with multiple sections. One section should be for class notes, another for outlines, another for vocabulary and technical terms, another for critical reading questions, another for discussion questions, and finally, another for miscellaneous matters associated with this course. Date each entry and place the title of the chapter, the name of the essay, and the author at the top of each entry. This will allow you to quickly access this material in preparation for any exam. c) Be flexible. Evaluate your use of time throughout the course so that you are taking maximum advantage of your opportunity here.
4. Consult With Me: Even doing all of the above, I anticipate you may need occasional additional help beyond what I can provide in class. This is the purpose of holding office hours.
Office hours are NOT:
a) Replacement class periods
b) Hang out time
c) Make up test periods
Office hours ARE:
a) Getting personal assistance with an assignment
b) An opportunity for airing out complaints or inquiries about grades.
c) A chance for getting extended discussion on a particular issue.
d) A chance to review your overall performance in this class.
Although I hope to provide you with assistance in all of these areas, please remember without feedback from you, I cannot evaluate whether I am addressing fully your concerns. Please be open with your concerns so that I can assist you to the best of my abilities.
5. Actively Engaging in Discussions: Discussion time is an opportunity for you to engage these topics with your fellow students in free form. They are not times, solely, to engage these topics with me. What I envision is a lively debate of these topics. I do not believe we will all agree, but that we can reasonably discuss each of these issues without being personally offended. I would try out topics I was anticipating to use in an essay, so that I could get feedback on counter examples I hadn’t thought of. Make use of these opportunities. Do not feel embarrassed, but be bold. Even if you do not agree with a position, you can argue it, even for the sake of argument.
6. Use the Time Given for Any Assignment: With take home assignments, I try to give you at least one full week to prepare these. I do this so that you will have plenty of time to do multiple drafts of these essays. One perennial problem is procrastination. If you wait and put off preparing a written essay, you won’t have the time to polish it and say what you really want to say. A rushed essay is reflected in the grade you will receive. Instead, plan your time wisely so that you can do multiple revisions, drafts, and corrections on each assignment. Use your spell-checkers and dictionaries. Use the grammar-checker. These tools are not fool proof, but they will alert you to problems. They, however, are not a replacement for proofreading a paper copy of a draft. Take the time to proofread. Your eye will catch things the computer cannot. Check the spelling of author’s names and book titles. Remember, with your written work, you should use all of the time you are given to write the best essay you can. Be prepared for extensive feedback. Style, format, content, flow of ideas, organization, elaboration all count and are all evaluated in your work. The only way to maximally achieve the highest grade possible on a written assignment is to write, revise, review, revise, reflect, and to revise again.