By Jennifer Phillips, Austin Community College

 The central goal of this project was to not only equip students with the skills and information necessary to succeed in college, but to make them aware of their ownership of these skills and information.

 This project was implemented in two ABE/GED classes:  A low intermediate/intermediate class that meets three nights per week for 2 ½ hours.  A high intermediate/advanced class that meets two mornings per week for 2 ½ hours. The results were extremely different…

 In addition to the core material related to the 5 GED subject tests, students were given reading material and group assignments focusing around the active learning skills presented in Becoming a Master Student.  This was in supplement to the previous semester’s discussion of the B.A.S.I.C. model.

 After studying the chapter on “Reading” in Becoming a Master Student, students were given a quiz in which I asked them to simply draw a picture of what an “active reader” looks like.  Here are a couple of the responses…

 These examples (as well as some not shown) showed me that the students understood:  the necessity of physical involvement in reading.  how to implement good study practices to retain what they read.  This quiz was given in the low intermediate/intermediate class.  The high int./advanced class was assigned a similar journal entry and most of them simply didn’t do it.

 Having spent a significant amount of time in class on the B, A, S, and I of the B.A.S.I.C. model, it was clear to me that the activities involved in this project needed to focus on College information.  There is an overwhelming amount of information out there to help students get started on their chosen path.  Knowing where to start with that information can often be the most challenging task.

 Both classes met in a computer lab for each class meeting during the week of February 28-March 2.  The assignment was to research a career of their choosing and write a paper explaining what is required and what can be expected in that career.  The handout contains the specific instructions for what information to include.

 To avoid the information overload that occurs as a result of “googling” a topic, students were instructed to begin their research at:  This website is maintained by the US Department of Labor and provides information as well as links to outside information regarding all of the questions asked on the instruction handout.

Low Int./Int. ClassHigh Int./Adv. Class  Every student who attended class that week turned in the assignment.  Only 2 students did not attend at all that week.  Lots of questions  Positive journal responses  Extremely low attendance.  Of the few who attended, only 2 completed the assignment.

Students were asked if this research was something they were likely to have done on their own and if they felt this assignment helped them. Here are some of their responses:  “Thanks for the information, you gave me to write the essay. Yes it was very helpful to me because without it I would have been blank and this gave me something to go by the outline of paragraphs 1-6 actually helped alot I did not feel to lost and knew where to go to find information I needed. Now whether or not I did good on the essay is another issue, but I feel great because I finished.”  “I have found lot information about the career. I’m really happy because this information helps me for my goal and future and how much money I will need to spend and how much I will earn.”  “The information on Careeronestop.com, I have been given this information by a couple of friends who got their certificates for Medical Transcriptions. I have been in the ACC site for the HIM info as well. Doing this assignment has made it much more worth all the effort to proceed with school. I will continue to use in the future.”

 None of the essays turned in had a “Works Cited” page.  I did not spend instruction time on this because I did not want to distract them from the goal of seeking college information.  I should have spent just a few minutes defining this and demonstrating how to use the suggested website.  I gave far too much flexibility to the high int./advanced class.  I wanted to conduct the project in the same manner in each class, but I should have adjusted the expectations for them.

 The specific paragraph by paragraph instructions for what to include in the essay proved helpful in the writing process.  Requiring students to begin their research with the US Dept. of Labor website seemed to streamline the process for even the most computer illiterate students.  Requiring them to the assignment to me provided for a learning experience for most students.  Because there was a career fair happening that same week, they were also given a chance to work on their resumes in class.

Toft, Doug, ed. Becoming a Master Student. 12th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, Print. Careers and Career Information - CareerOneStop. United States Department of Labor. Web. 20 Mar