ORIN 1541 Foundations for Student Success Syllabus 070 Fall 2026

Credit Hours 1.00 Lecture Hours 1 Clinical/Lab Hours 0
Type of Credit
CIP Code
24.0199
Course Meeting Time

Mondays and Wednesdays at 1:00pm-1:50pm

Course Description
This course focuses on a learner's role and responsibility in the learning process. Students will develop active learning strategies and effective study skills to become broadly educated individuals who are creative, critical thinkers able to solve problems and competently communicate. Upon completion, students will understand the purpose of higher education and the value of a college degree in lifelong learning.
General Education Outcomes

General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:

  1. Critical Thinking
  2. Responsibility

Faculty Contact Information

Faculty Name
Abby Whalen, Tishauna Thigpen
Faculty Phone
815-802-8831
Faculty Office Number
D226
Faculty Student Support Hours

I am on campus Monday through Friday from 8:30am-5:00pm. My office is in the Advising area on the 2nd floor. Please feel free to check in with the ladies at the front desk to see if I'm available!

Course Information

Course Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as college students.
  2. Identify strategies for managing their time, money, and stress.
  3. Demonstrate effective communication skills appropriate to the situation.
  4. Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills in a variety of contexts.
  5. Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of study skills.
  6. Develop effective and ethical strategies for locating, evaluating, and using information to inform their ideas.
  7. Articulate what it means to become a learner.
Topical Outline
TOPICS:EXAMPLES:
College Foundations: Suggested Week 1Understanding the value of higher education
 Campus resources
 Using Canvas
Growth Mindset and BelongingSkills, values, and interests inventories
 Community building
 Equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging
 Social interactions and relationships
 Campus events and involvement
Self-AdvocacySetting goals and identifying priorities
 Time management
 Communication strategies
 Managing stress
Career ExplorationCareer Coach
 Career exploration
 Money
Preparing for SuccessCritical thinking and problem solving
 Information literacy
 Active reading
Common Course Materials/Textbooks

Bhargava, Rohit and Jennifer Brown. Beyond Diversity. Ideapress Publishing. (2021).

Textbook/s and Course Materials

Please bring a writing utensil, notebook of some sort, and any personal technology that will help you access the course materials on Canvas.

Methods of Evaluation

A variety of assignments will be given throughout the course, including shorter assignments such as discussion board posts and reflection papers, and longer assignments, such as time management and career exploration essays of 2-3 pages. Points are listed with each assignment and totaled over the course of the semester.

Assignments are split into two categories:

Completion Assignments (worth 40% of your grade) and
Assignments and Projects (worth 60% of your grade).

Completion Assignments

Assignments and Projects

Pre-Course SurveyReflection Assignments
Scavenger HuntDiscussion Boards
Passport to Online LearningCampus Events – Connection and Learning
LASSICareer Exploration
Learning about the LibraryAdditional Projects as assigned
Financial Literacy and Budgeting 
Career Coach Assessment 
Academic Map 
End of Course Survey 

Turning in assignments is essential to receiving a passing grade. Grades will be given on the following scale:

A 90-100%

B 80-89%

C 70-79%

D 60-69%

F 59% and Less

Common Course Assignments

1. Student Passport to Online Learning

2. LASSI Inventory

3. Information Literacy

4. Career Exploration and Academic Mapping

5. Campus Event Participation (2)

6. Financial Literacy

7. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging writing assignment

Academic Division

Liberal Arts & Sciences

Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700

Course Policies
  • Plagiarism: All assignments submitted must be the student’s own work. Plagiarism is defined as representing the words or ideas of another writer as one’s own. Deliberate plagiarism will result in an immediate final grade of F on the assignment. All information taken from a source must be properly cited. Submitting work from Internet sites and databases, including AI such as ChatGPT, as your own original work constitutes both cheating and plagiarism and will result in an immediate final grade of F on the assignment. In addition, work written for other courses or submission of work that has been acquired from other students or written by family members or friends will result in an assignment grade of F in the course unless prior approval has been given. Other instances of academic dishonesty, such as changing fonts and type sizes of letters or punctuation to lengthen papers, will result in an immediate assignment grade of F. Multiple instances may lead to failure of the course.
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI): AI programs can serve as helpful tools in the learning process. However, they cannot be used as a substitute for writing. Acceptable uses of AI for this course include assistance with grammar, spelling, and writing mechanics. However, using AI to generate content for a paper, assignment, or discussion post is considered plagiarism and is not appropriate use. Such use will result in, at minimum, a zero for the assignment without opportunity for resubmission, and may result in failure of the course. Academic dishonesty on a major assignment such as papers, case studies, and exams will result in failure of the course. Any use of AI should be properly referenced in the References.
  • Attendance and Participation: Foundations for Student Success is a course where regular class attendance and active participation are of critical importance to your learning and to the experience of your classmates. Additionally, research has shown that regular attendance (in this class and all your classes) is a strong predictor of your academic success. Therefore, you are expected to be in class and on time (in your seat when class begins) each day your class meets and to actively participate online (logging in at least every other day) and in your face-to-face class meetings with course content, your peers, and your instructor. Attendance is not factored into your grade but rounding up of grades by less than 1% will be determined by attendance and class participation.
  • Late Work: From small to large assignments, everything is due at the indicated date and time in the course calendar or as instructed by the professor. Be prepared and manage your time wisely. Any extensions to must be agreed upon with the instructor before the assignment is due; extensions are never guaranteed, but you may request one so long as you don’t abuse this privilege. Note: Replies to discussion boards are never acceptable late, since the students you’re replying to likely wouldn’t even see your late responses.
  • In-Class Assignments: In-class work may or may not be collected for points. In-class quizzes may be given at any time. These opportunities are only available to those who are present in class at the time and will not be available for make-up work.
  • Missed Classes: In the event that you need to miss a class, you can work with me in advance to find out what you will miss and how we may adjust due dates. If you miss a class without notice, it is your responsibility to check Canvas for assignment information, and connect with a classmate to review what happened in class.
  • Technology: We will be using Canvas regularly. It’s important to understand how to complete common tasks in Canvas. Please reference the Online Passport to Student Learning course or visit Tutoring Services if you need Canvas support.
  • Work Submitted Electronically: To cut down on the overuse of paper and to practice submitting work in Canvas, we will use virtual drop boxes and discussion forums for assignment submission. When submitting work in Canvas, it is a great idea to save the document as a PDF or RTF file (Save As, PDF/RTF). This will ensure that no matter what programs you are using, the receiver (your teacher) will be able to read it.
  • Canvas and KCC E-Mail: Our communication will take place through Canvas, so please check it regularly (at least 4 times per week). Most of your instructors will also communicate using this method. KCC sends important emails to your KCC email, so you should check that regularly too, or at least forward it to an email that you do check.
Expectations for Classroom and Online Behavior

Expectations for Classroom Behavior: To ensure an enjoyable, inclusive, and engaging learning environment, you are expected to openly share your ideas and express your opinions in class; respect the opinions, values, and identities of your classmates, instructors, and guests; and honor the open environment of the class by respecting confidentiality when appropriate. You are expected to do your best work, meet assignment deadlines, engage regularly in class discussion and activities, and treat other members of the class with courtesy and respect. Please be respectful of others by letting others have a chance to speak, giving the speaker your full attention, and responding to questions and discussion thoughtfully and in a mature manner.

My main priority in the classroom is respect and kindness. Please do everything in your power to adhere to those two expectations.

Course Calendar
Week 1 (Aug. 21, 23)Value of Education, Canvas, Introduction to campus, belonging to a community
Week 2 (Aug. 28, 30)Study Strategies Inventory, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging
Week 3 (Sept. 6)Library and Tutoring
Week 4 (Sept. 11, 13)Career Exploration
Week 5 (Sept. 18, 20)Academic Planning, Stress Management
Week 6 (Sept. 25, 27)Time Management, Study Strategies
Week 7 (Oct. 2, 4)Financial Literacy and Budgeting
Week 8 (Oct. 11, 13)Prep for Finals, Exam Prep

**Course Calendar/Schedule is subject to change**

College Policies, Resources and Supports

College Policies

For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide. 

Resources

KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:

  • Clubs and organizations
  • Counseling and referral services
  • Office of disability services
  • Student complaint policy
  • Transfer services
  • Tutoring services, etc.