Student Success – Adults with Mental Health Disabilities
Curriculum guideline
Classes will be both interactive and instructor-driven. Instruction followed by assignments will comprise a large part of the courses. There will be various on-campus activities that will form the structure for out-of-class assignments.
- Post-Secondary Orientation Strategies
- the role and function of the Assessment Centre , Counsellors, Disabled Student Services, Access Aides, Registrar, Library Services, etc.;
- learning college/program procedures, policies.
2. Development of Basic Level Concept
- listening skills;
- initial main idea concepts (grouping and elemental writing);
- learning strategies based on personal learning style;
- attention to detail (literal comprehension);
- organization skills such as precise thinking, restraint of impulsivity, elaboration of thought, and prediction model of learning (as opposed to trial and error).
3. Development of Advanced Level Concepts
- advanced main idea concepts (basic formula model);
- making inferences, drawing conclusions, making judgments, reading between the lines, and hidden meanings;
- note-taking (thesis/topic sentence, introduction and conclusion);
- summarizing;
- differentiating between fact and opinion (newspaper);
- comparison/contrast;
- cause and effect relationship (perceived and actual) and estimation of outcome.
4. Personal Skills Development
- the organization of notes and other materials for college courses;
- development of a timeline;
- development of a time management schedule;
- test-taking strategies;
- dealing with test/exam anxiety (strategies and specific relaxation exercise training);
- communication skills.
- To develop the study skills necessary for entry into post-secondary institutions. Emphasis will be on those academic skills that are pre-requisite for college-level coursework;
- To develop self-management skills that would lead to independent learning;
- To develop learning strategies that are parallel to individual learning styles;
- To ensure that academic skills are developed. Emphasis will be placed on skills that are pre-requisite and relate directly to post-secondary classroom demands;
- To familiarize students with post-secondary expectations and procedures, (instructor expectations, applications, registrations and other procedures); and
- To set realistic educational goals and to develop an individualized educational plan for future use by the student.
Student evaluation will be based on a Mastery Model of Evaluation.
It is expected that students will attend class regularly and will participate in class activities. The balance of evaluations will be based on the results of activities and assignments satisfactorily completed during the extent of the course.