Transylvania University New International Student Orientation
Transylvania University New International Student Orientation
What are some strategies for academic success that you learned in high school?
How do you organize your time as a student?
Have you ever asked a teacher for help with your studies? How and why did you do it?
Step Two: Study this vocabulary list. Use the Merriam-Webster Learners Dictionary to help you
define the terms below. In your responses/blog posts, practice using five (5) of these terms:
syllabus/syllabi
requirement
policy/policies
assessment
assignment
goal/goals
objective/objectives (noun)
attendance
collaborate
performance
disregard (noun)
webpage
annotating
dashboard (Wordpress)
office hours
participation
integrity (academic)
plagiarism
deadline/due date
illness
inclement
submission
procedure/procedures
collaborative
assess
Google Drive
blog
Wordpress
post (verb)
service/services (noun)
resource/resources
disability
support (noun)
calendar
schedule
brainstorming
lecture (verb and noun)
multilingual
abbreviation
Google Doc
previewing
Moodle
access (verb)
College instructors and professors in the United States value collaboration and individual
student work in course grade assessment.
Students here are expected to prepare thoroughly for each class meeting and to interact
with professors during class discussions.
Professors expect students to ask questions, make arguments, and listen respectfully to
others opinions during class meetings.
Services and resources for students with disabilities are available, and students must
ask for them, if needed.
Professors want and expect office-hour visits from students to discuss class material.
Academic support services are available for all students who speak English as a second,
third, etc., language.
Specific grading and assessment policies in each class focus on student performance.
Professors and the entire institution expect students to pay close attention to plagiarism
and academic integrity.
Step Four: Visit the websites below and learn about study skills and time management as a
college student:
Step Five: Read the following tips for reading a college-level syllabus. Keep in mind that in
order to organize your time wisely you must always consult your professors syllabuses:
Keep each course syllabus with you. Your copy of each syllabus needs to be in your
backpack and in a folderand always available. Electronic copies are ok, but if your
instructor changes something on the course calendar, you need to be able to make the
change on the paper-based syllabus. So, its a good idea to always have a paper copy
ready.
Read the syllabus carefullywithin the first week of class. If you dont read the
syllabus, you wont know the policies, deadlines, assignments, professors office hours
and office location, and the goals of the course. In other words, you wont know the most
important information about the class and so you wont know how to plan your strategies
for success in the course.
Ask for help. If you dont understand something on the syllabus, you must ask your
professor immediately. How else can you get clarification? Do not depend upon a
classmate for answers to your questions about the syllabus. Ask your professor directly.
Step Six: Browse through the Transy professors syllabuses at the links below. Then, move to
step seven to answer the questions:
What strategies will you use as a student to organize your time, complete homework,
and find help from professors?
How will course syllabuses help you as a student? Which sections of the syllabus do you
think will be most helpful to you, and why do you think so?
How do you imagine you will interact and talk with your professors?