FOCUS on Community College Success

Constance Staley is a professor of communication and acting dean of the Graduate School at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, where she directed the First-Year Seminar Program for nearly 25 years. An award-winning teacher, Dr. Staley designs and teaches online courses (Professional Presentations), hybrid courses (Communication, Training and Consulting) and face-to-face courses (Conflict Management). Her works include a faculty training package, TEACHING COLLEGE SUCCESS, as well as the groundbreaking resource manual 50 WAYS TO LEAVE YOUR LECTERN. She also is the author of FOCUS ON COLLEGE SUCCESS and the co-author of FOCUS ON COLLEGE AND CAREER SUCCESS with Steve Staley. A well-known name in FYE circles, Dr. Staley is a leader in faculty development nationwide. During a three-year leave from the University of Colorado, she joined an East Coast Fortune 500 company to design and deliver its management and supervisory training. In addition, she represented the university as a Fulbright Scholar, teaching in the former Soviet Union. She earned a B.S. in education, an M.A. in linguistics and a Ph.D. in communication.

• Entrance Interview.1. STARTING STRONG, BUILDING RESILIENCE.Earning a Two-Year Degree. Academic Professionalism: What Instructors Will Expect from You. How to Help Yourself Succeed. Toughing It Out: What College Takes.2. BECOMING MINDFUL, SETTING GOALS.The "Three Ms" of College Success: Mindfulness, Mindset, and Motivation. Adjust Your Attitude. What Drives You? Values, Dreams, and Goals. How FOCUS Will Help.3. LEARNING STYLES AND STUDYING.Learning and the Brain. Take Charge and Create the Best Conditions for Learning. Multiple Intelligences: How Are You Smart? How Do You Perceive Information? What Role Does Your Personality Play? Metacognition: Take Charge of How You Study. Apply Your Learning Style to Your Study Style.4. MANAGING YOUR TIME, MONEY, AND STRESS.Time Management Requires Focus. I'll Study in My Free Time (and When Is That?). Schedule Your Way to Success. How Time Flies! The P Word. Read This Section Now! (or Maybe Tomorrow). Beyond Juggling: Realistically Manage Work, School, and Personal Life. Time Is Money! Choose Safe Stress.5. THINKING CRITICALLY AND CREATIVELY.Rethinking Thinking. What Is Critical Thinking? A Four-Part Model of Critical Thinking. Becoming a Better Critical Thinker. Creativity: "Thinking Outside the … Book".6. LEARNING ONLINE.The Basics of Online Learning. Research Skills and Your College Success. Information Literacy and Your College Success. Downloading Your Workload: The Easy Way Out?7. ENGAGING, LISTENING, AND NOTE-TAKING IN CLASS.Listening with Focus. Turn Listening Skills into Note-Taking Skills. Different Strokes for Different Folks: Note-Taking by the System and Subject. Ask and You Shall Receive. Using Lecture Notes.8. READING, WRITING, AND PRESENTING.Build Your Reading Skills. Read Right! Write Right! Writing As a Process. Deliver a Better Presentation: The Seven P's of Speaking.9. MEMORY SKILLS AND TAKING TESTS.The Three R's of Remembering: Record, Retain, Retrieve. Testing 1, 2, 3. Show What You Know. Before the Test: Prepare Carefully. During the Test: Focus and Work Hard. Don't Cheat Yourself! After the Test: Continue to Learn.10. COMMUNICATING IN GROUPS, VALUING DIVERSITY.What Is Emotional Intelligence? Communicating in Groups: Soft Skills Are Hard! Communicating in Important Relationships. Managing Conflict: Life Is Not a Sitcom. Diversity Makes a Difference.11. CHOOSING A COLLEGE MAJOR AND CAREER.What's the Connection? How to Choose a Major and a Career.12. CREATING YOUR FUTURE.Launching a Career: Plan Your Work and Work Your Plan. Continuing Your Education. Put What You've Learned to Good Use: Ten Things Employers Hope You Will Learn in College. What Ifs.Exit Interview.