vcc.ca
SCIE 0715: Foundations for Success in Math and Science
Effective date
January 2025
Department
CF - Science
School
Arts and Sciences
Description
This course supports the continued development of fundamental practices for academic and personal success in a post-secondary environment. Emphasis is placed on math and science learning skills. Students will be encouraged to apply their learning to concurrent math and science course content as well as to their overall success as students on a path to future training.
Credits
0.0
Year of study
Grade 10 Equivalency
Prerequisites
SCIE 0710 or departmental permission.
Corequisites
None
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Apply effective learning and test-taking strategies to math and science course content
- Reflect on and adjust learning strategies
- Communicate their scientific and mathematical thinking to peers
- Critically evaluate sources of information
- Identify and implement key components of scientific problem solving
- Identify and evaluate resources to support success in math/science classes
- Identify common challenges post-secondary environments pose to student success, transfer, and graduation goals
- Create action plans to address common challenges in post-secondary environments
- Apply and reflect on strategies for self-advocacy
- Reflect on the role of learning communities in post-secondary student success
- Identify self-care needs, priorities and resources
Prior Learning Assessment & Recognition (PLAR)
None
Hours
Lecture, Online, Seminar, Tutorial: 60
Total Hours: 60
Total Hours: 60
Instructional Strategies
To foster community-building, this course meets regularly in a group setting. Instructional strategies may include: group work; group discussions; presentations; guest speakers; workshops; individualized instruction; independent study; using electronic resources for learning and practice; and self-reflection. Students are encouraged to select activities and assignments that support their learning in other classes.
Grading System
Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory
Passing grade
S
Evaluation Plan
|
Type |
Percentage |
Assessment activity |
|
Assignments |
|
Application of learning/testing strategies, including reflection, evaluation, and refinement |
|
Assignments |
|
Application of a scientific problem-solving framework |
|
Assignments |
|
Critical thinking and scientific communication |
|
Assignments |
|
Create plans of action, e.g. for holistic success as a post-secondary student, “disaster response plans” to address possible challenges |
|
Reflect |
|
Reflect on experiences with student services/supports |
|
Reflect |
|
Reflect on skill development and progression toward goals |
|
|
All assessment activities should be completed to achieve a Satisfactory (S) grade |
|
Course topics
- Study skills and test-taking strategies for math and science, e.g. active reading, note-taking and memory techniques, learning strategies, time and workload management, scientific communication
- Information literacy
- Scientific problem-solving, e.g. identifying hypotheses, variables, tests, data, sources of error; prediction and estimation; scientific communication; critical thinking
- Holistic considerations of being a student (physical, socio-emotional, mental, spiritual), including needs, care priorities, and resources
- Multiple ways of knowing, being, and doing
- Self-advocacy in a post-secondary environment; planning for program or college transfer
- Individual and collective resilience
- First Peoples Principles of Learning
Notes:
- Course contents and descriptions, offerings and schedules are subject to change without notice.
- Students are required to follow all College policies including ones that govern their educational experience at VCC. Policies are available on the VCC website at:
https://www.vcc.ca/about/governance--policies/policies/. - To find out if there are existing transfer agreements for this course, visit the BC Transfer Guide at https://www.bctransferguide.ca.