Tracy Conner may be contacted for an emergency about course work if primary instructor (Professor Wicks) can not be contacted. Tracy can also be contacted if extra support from the libary is needed.
Director, Library and Academic Support Services
Kankakee Community College
tconner@kcc.edu
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:
- Critical Thinking
- Responsibility
Faculty Contact Information
Please send an email to amwicks@kcc.edu
I will respond back to you within 48-72 hours. I'm also available to meet with students before and after class.
Course Instructor:
Ashlan Wicks, LCSW
amwicks@kcc.edu
I am here to support you on your educational journey in the classroom and beyond. I generally come to class 10-15 mintues early to address any questions and/or concerns students might want to ask outside of class. I am also available to respond to questions or concerns by email, phone, Zoom, or in person appointment. If you'd like to schedule an appointment for a call or Zoom. The best way to reach me is by email (amwicks@kcc.edu).
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Evaluate their strengths and weaknesses as college students.
- Identify strategies for managing their time, money, and stress.
- Demonstrate effective communication skills appropriate to the situation.
- Apply critical thinking and problem solving skills in a variety of contexts.
- Demonstrate proficiency in a variety of study skills.
- Develop effective and ethical strategies for locating, evaluating, and using information to inform their ideas.
- Articulate what it means to become a learner.
| TOPICS: | EXAMPLES: |
| College Foundations: Suggested Week 1 | Understanding the value of higher education |
| Campus resources | |
| Using Canvas | |
| Growth Mindset and Belonging | Skills, values, and interests inventories |
| Community building | |
| Equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging | |
| Social interactions and relationships | |
| Campus events and involvement | |
| Self-Advocacy | Setting goals and identifying priorities |
| Time management | |
| Communication strategies | |
| Managing stress | |
| Career Exploration | Career Coach |
| Career exploration | |
| Money | |
| Preparing for Success | Critical thinking and problem solving |
| Information literacy | |
| Active reading |
Bhargava, Rohit and Jennifer Brown. Beyond Diversity. Ideapress Publishing. (2021).
None
Total of 18 assignments which is a total of 210 points
Pre-Course Survey 10-points
Letter to Your Future Self – "Your Future, Your Why" 10-points
Student Passport to Online Learning 20-points
Hello, my name is ... 5-points
LASSI - Learning and Study Strategies Inventory 10-points
Quiz: Student Guide to AI 10-points
Quiz: Over course syllabus and/or guest speaker 10-points
Learning about the Library 10-points
Learning about the Library - part. 2 - Rory Parilac 10-points
Campus Event – Connection 10-points (Contact instructor at least 2 weeks prior before this assignment is due if you can not complete this assignment).
Campus Event – Learning 10-points (Contact instructor at least 2 weeks prior before this assignment is due if you can not complete this assignment).
Time Tracking Grid 10-points
Tracking Your Time: A Reflective Essay 25-points
Financial Literacy 10-points
Career Coach Assessment 10-points
Exploring My Career 10-points
Academic Map 10-points
End of Course Survey – 10-points
End of Course - Tips for Future Freshmen 10-points
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
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
Course Policies
● Plagiarism is defined in section 16.2 of the Code of Conduct: "Representing the words or ideas of another as one's own. Plagiarism includes claiming credit for assignments completed by someone else." All instances of intentional plagiarism on any major assignment for this course will lead to the immediate failure of the course with no opportunity for the student to withdraw. The instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Development. If the student has a second instance of plagiarism reported to the Dean of Student Development, the student may be suspended from the institution.
● Academic Integrity: Students are expected to submit honest, original work. Examples of cheating include copying another students work, using another's work without appropriate references, or submitting your own work that has already been used in another class. The college regards cheating as a very serious offense and may result in failure of the class.
● Attendance: Regular attendance is expected in accordance with college policy.
● Late Assignments: All assignments and papers are expected on the due date assigned which is usually on Sunday nights. However, the last assignment is due on the last day of class at 11:59p.m. Should unusual circumstances arise that delay your work, you may turn in your assignment up to one week late with only being to earn up to half credit for that assignment. Late exams are not accepted.
● Writing style: All coursework must be typed. Abbreviations such as those used when texting (i.e., "u" instead of "you") is NOT appropriate and work containing such abbreviations will not be graded. Instead, it would be returned to you for corrections and you will immediately lose one letter grade for that assignment. Once you have made corrections, you may turn in the assignment for grading. You will lose an additional letter grade for each week the assignment is late.
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.
Withdrawals: When it is necessary to withdraw from a course or from the college, a student may do so on or before the withdrawal date stated on the syllabus without receiving a punitive final grade. Change of Schedule forms (used to add or drop a course) are available in Student Services and the student should obtain the required signatures prior to submitting the Change of Schedule form to an adviser in Student Services. Students may submit Change of Schedule forms through the mail, but they must be postmarked no later than the withdrawal date. No withdrawals are allowed by phone. To determine the last date to withdraw with a grade of “W” in this course, log into KCConnect and click on “my registration statement” under Academic Profile.
Code of Conduct: Students need to adhere to the Code of Conduct located in the college catalog.
Non-Attendance/Non-Participation: KCC complies with state law and federal financial aid policy. If you receive an attendance grade of F or are institutionally withdrawn from a course, it will affect your eligibility for financial aid. (1) You must attend at least one class, or participate at least once for an online course (logging in without participation is not attending), by the 10th day of 16 week courses or within the first 10% of shorter term classes. Non-attendance will result in an attendance grade of F. (2) If you have excessive absences and no reasonable chance of passing the course at midterm (or after), your instructor may give you a WX grade and have you institutionally withdrawn from the course.
Title IX: Students sometimes choose to share private information with their professors. We appreciate your trust! Nonetheless, students need to be aware that KCC faculty and certain staff are required to report any incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence that we may hear about. Specifically, we will contact KCC’s Title IX Coordinator, the Dean of Student Development and Services. Please don’t feel like you can’t reach out but be aware of our requirement to report. If you want to speak with someone who is not required to report, please know that you are very welcome to call the county’s confidential sexual assault hotline (no referral is necessary and your anonymity is guaranteed unless you choose to share your name): 815-932-3322 (Kankakee) or 815-432-0420 (Iroquois).
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
CLASS ACHIEVEMENT DEPENDS UPON:
1. Regular attendance is essential to learning the material in this class and getting a good grade. You must stay for the durration of the class time period. If you are not here, you cannot pass. (Students will have to sign an attandence sheet. (students may earn up to 5 extra credit points if they are present for each day that class is in session). Only exception is if student has a written doctors note to excuse their absence.
2. If you are tardy, your grade may go down.
3. Class starts promptly on time
4. There is no such thing as an excused absence. Leaving a message with the secretary that you will not be in class does not constitute an excused absence. I will consider extraordinary circumstances such as serious illness and we will try to make satisfactory arrangements.
5. Missed quizzes will be made up before the next class meeting.
6. Be prepared by bring a pencil, notebook, text, notes, and handouts to every class.
7. Eat a meal before beginning a class session. You cannot concentrate on your work when you are hungry.
8. No smoking or vaping in the classroom or inside of the building.
9. Cell phones must not be utilized in the classroom setting, and ringer sent to off.
10. No headphones and/or ear buds in class.
11. Smart watches - equipment is viewed as a cell phone.
12. Students are to be respectful of each other opinions.
13. Students are to be respectful of themselves and others.
14. Students are expected to turn in class assisgnments on time.
15. Students are expected to provide honest work.
16. Students are expected to ask questions if they need assistance and/or clarity.
Week:1 Guest speaker August 19 - Rory Parilac, Librarian |
| Due Sunday 8/23/26 at 11:59pm |
Week:2 Guest speaker August 24 - Academic Support/Tutoring, Tishauna Thigpen and Noah LaFond |
| Due 8/30/26 at 11:59pm |
Week:3 Guest Speak TBD |
| Due 9/6/26 at 11:59pm |
Week:4 Guest Speak TBD |
| 9/13/26 at 11:59pm |
Week: 5 Guest speaker September 16 - Career Services, Cydney Boyd |
| 9/20/26 at 11:50 pm |
Week: 6 Guest Speak TBD |
| 9/27/26 at 11:59pm |
Week: 7 Guest Speak TBD |
| 10/04/26 at 11:59pm |
| Week: 8 |
| 10/07/26 at 11:59pm |
Total of 18 assignments Total of 210 points
College Policies, Resources and Supports
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.
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.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.