Program Objectives

The central objectives for the summer EEO program are as follows:

1. to help students succeed in their content areas by filling in gaps in content knowledge:

2. to help students acquire and/or strengthen their ability to navigate/master academic life

To accomplish the first goal, "filling in gaps in knowledge", students will need to hone their ability to navigate academic life by understanding the Discourse (values, behaviors, expectations, language) of the institution, in general, and major of study, in particular.

1. building knowledge of the way academia works

- understanding plagiarism rules
- knowing the roles/ locations/ and ways to communicate with the
different institutional offices (financial aid/accounts, registrar,
advisors, deans, health/counseling services, student affairs)
- awareness of resources available (library, computers labs, study
groups, tutoring services, clubs) and how to use them for their benefit
- knowing the purpose of syllabi and how to read them
- knowing expectations of faculty as well as their own expectations

2. building personal practices to help improve as students.

- effective time management (maintaining schedules, prioritizing assignments)
- organizational skills (creating folders on computers, to do lists, priority lists,)
-communication skills (ways of working successfully within small groups, how to contribute to class discussions, how and when to communicate with professors)
-overcoming "lack of resources" (knowing when and how to use resources)
-note-taking (how to engage with texts beyond comprehension, outlines, marking texts, questioning texts, inferential thinking)
-forming alliances with classmates (how to form study groups, e-mail lists, etc.)
-how to use manipulate language/use voice to accomplish different purposes or to engage with different audiences
-how to find resources to support
-ways to assess and meet own needs (best way to take notes in class (creating visuals, recording lectures), how to use the text effectively, schedule classes, finding best environment and times to study/read, best method (alone/with others, etc.)
-receiving/processing constructive feedback
-knowing and utilizing the basic "elements" of writing (theses, introductions, conclusions, citation, paragraph structure,etc.)
-knowing/developing and utlizing strategies for generating ideas (pre-writing) and developing ideas for writing assignments, improving organization and focus (drafting)
- learning/developing and utlitizing strategies for revision and editing/proofreading
-how to choose an academic major "mentor" and a faculty "mentor"
- using technology for academic purposes