SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES

SEMESTER: SPRING 2025

COURSE: SUS1010-E: STRATEGIES FOR UNIVERSITY SUCCESS
LECTURER : DR. VINCENT M. MUNYWOKI
TIME/DAYS: Tuesday/Thursday 9:00 -10:20 AM
VENUE: Business School Building B2
CREDIT: 3.0
OFFICE: SHSS, OFFICE NO 15
OFFICE HOURS: Tuesday 8:00AM – 1:00PM & Thursday 8:00AM – 1:00PM
CONTACT: Email: vmunywoki@usiu.ac.ke

COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is based on the concept of an orientation seminar for college/university students. It
communicates the high academic expectations USIU has for students and help them recognize
and take advantage of the various campus resources that enhance their academic lives as they
integrate into university life. It helps students develop, among other things, a clearer
understanding of the USIU culture, mission, and vision of the university -- a prerequisite for
surviving college. It involves critical-thinking-based approaches to self-understanding and
clarifies expectations regarding the appropriate approaches to accomplishing a university degree.
It provides a special space for first-year students to examine their values, beliefs, and attitudes.
Topics include taking charge of self, degree requirements, class matters and good study habits,
relationships, time and money management, healthy living including diet and exercise as well as
drugs and alcohol abuse, resources available to the student, students’ rights and responsibilities;
it also exposes them to career planning, development of analytical, critical, and creative thinking
skills, general research skills and reading and communication skills. Case studies help students
understand their role in society and the meaning of a university education.

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PREREQUISITE: NONE
PROGRAM LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of their training the graduates should be able to:

1. Collect, analyze, and evaluate data/information to formulate conclusions that demonstrate

their ability to think critically, analytically and creatively

2. Demonstrate competency in oral and written communication as well as function

efficiently in a changing, scientific, qualitative and technological environment

3. Demonstrate knowledge, and appreciation of both diversity and commonality of cultures

in a global perspective

4. Show a sense of being part, and of service to the community by demonstrating

commitment to social and environmental issues

5. Demonstrate the interrelationship between intellectual and practical skills

6. Articulate the moral and ethical standards that guide their professional and personal lives.

EXPECTED COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the completion of this course, students should be able to:
1. Forecast, and set goals and objectives for your academic and social life at the
University as well as develop ways and means to achieve them.
2. Identify your learning style and adapt it to a fitting study regime.
3. Distinguish between the various resources available to you and be able to access them
to enhance your learning experience.
4. Explain the importance of time and money management in a student’s life.
5. Explain the importance of good health and wellness to their success.
6. Assess and know their individual strengths and weaknesses for better self-
management.

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

Content will be presented in a mix of lectures and class and group discussions based on readings
from the assigned text(s) and on handouts, and/or videos from the Instructor. Emphasis will be
laid on an interactive approach in which students will be expected to participate actively in
discussion and to demonstrate initiative to learn.

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COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND ASSESSMENT

 Attendance will be taken always; and, as per the University regulations, if you are absent
more than 7 times, you fail the course.

o This means that even if you earned 90% total points that could earn you an A, you
still earn an automatic F!!. So, if you want to avoid earning an automatic F grade,
avoid missing classes beyond seven (7) times.

 Lateness counts as absence: If you arrive in class after your name has been called, you
will be counted as absent.

o I will call attendance starting with any random student; this will make it possible
any student to be called first. So do not assume that because your name is last in
the list that you will be at a disadvantage.

 Remember that even if you have a reason for coming in late, you still count as absent.
This means that you miss a quiz, you earn a zero.

o Only in extenuating circumstances, will you get an opportunity to get a makeup

quiz you missed. The professor’s judgement of “what is extenuating” is final. As
part of learning discipline, it is best you arrive earlier than the class time so that
you are ready to start learning on time.

 Please understand that it is in your best interest to attend all classes; there exists a direct
correlation between class attendance and marks earned by students.

 To do well in this course, you must strive to master the material covered in both the
readings and the lectures.

o You are thus expected to keep up with the reading assignments and also
encouraged to consult the many other sources of information available in the
University Library that are relevant to the subject matter of this course.

 All students are encouraged to participate in lectures as well as discussion sessions; these
are critical for learning.

o Do note that the lectures in this course are prepared to supplement the readings.
You should, therefore, expect lectures to present ideas that are not necessarily
covered in your readings.

 To pass this course, you must complete all assignments (and submit on time), sit for all
tests/quizzes, a mid-semester examination and an end-semester examination.

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 o If you are unable to complete an assignment, you need to make a written request
before the deadline of submission. The lecturer reserves the right to approve or
decline the request depending on the reason given. Refer to student handbook
regarding university allowed reasons.

 The instructor reserves the right to administer impromptu quizzes, as she may deem
necessary.

o These will go towards your grade point (all the more reason not to come to class
late). Students bear sole responsibility for any announcements made during class.

 Electronic devices such as Lap tops and cell phones are not permitted in class except with
the prior permission of the lecturer. All cell phones must be turned off during class.

o Even if you have been allowed to use your devices, it will not be allowed during
tests/quizzes and exams. The instructor has the right to confiscate any device used
without permission and keep it for the semester.

Weekly Topics
Week Topics
WEEK 1 Introduction
• Introduce SUS1010 and the lecturer
• Understanding the course expectations via the course outline and the class
rules.
• Getting to know each other and ourselves.

WEEK 2: Becoming Mindful, Building Resilience

• Why students go to college
• How college works
• How the disciplines connect
• What college takes: mindfulness, mindset, and motivation
• What resilience is and why you need it

WEEK 3: Starting Strong, Setting Goals

• How to start strong
• What academic professionalism means
• How this book will help you learn?
• How positivity helps you succeed
• How hope helps
• How to understand your values, dreams, and goals?
• How to develop goals to help you achieve your dreams?

WEEK 4: Learning Styles and Studying

• How learning changes your brain

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 • How people are intelligent in different ways
• How you learn through your senses
• How your personality type can affect you?
• learning style
• What metacognition is and how it can help you
• How to apply your learning style to your study style?
• How to become an intentional learner and make a master study plan?
(students presentation)
WEEK 5: Managing Your Time, Energy, and Money
• Why time management alone doesn’t work
• How time management differs from energy management
• How to schedule your way to success?
• How the P word can derail you?
• How to realistically balance work, school, and your personal life
• How to manage your money?

WEEK 6: Thinking Critically and Creatively

• How critical thinking and creative thinking are defined
• How a four-part model of critical thinking works?
• How to analyze arguments, assess assumptions, and consider claims
• How to avoid mistakes in reasoning?
• How to become a better critical thinker?
• How to become a more creative thinker?

WEEK 7: Mid-Semester Exams

WEEK 8: Engaging, Listening, and Note-Taking in Class
• How to get engaged in class
• How to listen with focus to different kinds of lecture styles
• How to take good notes
• How to adjust your note-taking system and why?
• How to ask questions in class?
• How to use your notes to achieve the best results?

WEEK 9: Reading, Writing, and Presenting

• How to build reading skills
• How to read right
• How the writing process works?
• What the seven C’s (writing) and seven P’s (presenting) are
• How to make your PowerPoint?

WEEK 10: Developing Memory, Taking Tests Why reading is important

• How your memory works like a cell phone camera?
• How to improve your memory, using five major techniques?
• Why you should change your thinking about tests
• What you should do before, during, and after a test
• What test anxiety is and what to do about it
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 • How to take different kinds of tests differently
• How cheating can hurt your chances of success

WEEK 11: Communicating in Groups, Valuing Diversity

• Whether your emotional intelligence can be improved
• How to improve communication in groups and people you care about or work
with
• Why diversity enriches our lives
• What cultural intelligence is and why it’s important?
• How globalization changes our world

WEEK 12: Working Toward Wellness

• How wellness is defined
• The importance of physical, mental, and spiritual health
• How to assess your own wellness choices?
• How to deal with six aspects of wellness that affect first-year students: stress;
nutrition; exercise; sleep; alcohol and drugs; and sex
• How to create a wellness plan for yourself that will impact your college
success?

WEEK 13: Choosing a College Major and Career

• How to choose a major and a career?
• How to LEAP to success
• How internships, co-ops, and service-learning can give you experience
• How to build a personal brand?
• How to launch your upcoming career?
• How to interview at your best
• How to build your professionalism skills?

WEEK 14 End semester examination

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Assessment Methods
Assessment Percentage
Attendance & Participation 10 %
Group work and presentation 15%
Quizzes 10%
Term Paper 15%
Mid-term Exam 20%
Final Exam 30%
Total 100%

COURSE/ACADEMIC POLICIES AND PROCEDURES

 Read your syllabus thoroughly, some exam or quiz questions will be based on it: A
syllabus is a contract between the instructor and learners. It is your duty to make sure you
understand course requirements, policies, assignments and your responsibilities as a
student. Requirements are not up for re-negotiation at the end of the semester. Ask
questions if you are confused about anything on the syllabus.

 Seek Help: If you have questions or need help, come and see me or e-mail me promptly!
Do not wait until the last week of the semester if you are having trouble. At that point in
time, it is usually too late to do anything meaningful.

 Beware of Cheating: Plagiarism and any other form of cheating will not be tolerated. This
is consistent with the USIU 2009 - 2010 catalog (pp. 48-49) governing acts of
misconduct. If you are unsure about what constitutes cheating, I'll be glad to clarify it for
you. Anyone found to be engaging in plagiarism and other forms of cheating with respect
to assignments, tests and examinations will receive a failing grade for the course.

 Class Etiquette: Please respect other students and the instructor by arriving on time and
staying until the class is over. If circumstances require you to arrive late or leave early,
please inform me beforehand and enter or exit as unobtrusively as possible. Please turn
off and store away all cell phones. Also, do not have conversations with other students
during class. All these are considered disruptive behavior.

 E-mail Communication: You are free to communicate with me over e-mail. Do note
however, that I am not on-call 24/7. I may not check my work e-mail over the weekend
or on holidays. I also do not check my incoming e-mail throughout the day. I will strive
to respond to e-mail within 24 hours of receiving it during the week and, Weekend e-
mails will receive a reply by Tuesday at the latest.

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  The instructor reserves the right to, and will assign additional readings, introduce guest
speakers and videos where possible as the course progresses, to enhance the learning
experience. These will be announced in class as the semester progresses.

COURSE TEXT

Staley, Constanc (2018) FOCUS on College Success, 5th ed. (Boston, Cengage)

SUPPLEMENTARY READINGS

1. Gardner, John N., Jerome A. Jewler and Betsy.O.Barefoot. (2007) Your college
experience: Strategies for success; 7th ed. (Boston:Thomson Wardsworth) or the
latest edition.

2. Lolley John; Your Library: What’s in it for you?(1974) (New York: John Wiley &
Sons, Inc.,)

3. Okoth Okombo; A Student’s Guide to Writing and Study Skills (1990); (Nairobi:
Nairobi University Press)

4. Trimmer, J. & J. McCrimmon; Writing With a Purpose(1988); (Boston: Houghton

Mifflin)

Grading
90 - 100 A
87 - 89 A
84 - 86 B+
80 - 83 B
77 - 79 B
74 - 76 C
70 - 73 C
67 - 69 C
64 - 66 D+
62 - 63 D
60 - 61 D-
00 - 59 F