Career & Life Planning

• This is a fully online course and will be conducted through our course modules in Canvas. (We will not have any in-person and/or Zoom meetings).

• You will learn in a community of your peers. Please keep in mind this is not a self-paced course and you will be interacting with your peers throughout each of our weekly modules.

• COC Official Check in. By Tuesday of Week 1, you will need to complete the first introductory discussion post to be considered "present" in the class. To complete this task, you will log into your Canvas account either through your MyCanyons student dashboard or the Canvas icon at the top of the College of the Canyons homepage. Once logged into our Canvas classroom, you'll follow the instructions to complete the "Orientation to Class" module which will then unlock the Week 1 module to complete the first discussion post.

• This class is organized into one-week modules that open each Sunday morning at 12am (PST - pacific standard time) for the upcoming week.

• Each module contains readings and videos, interactive discussion boards, assignments, and sometimes a quiz to check for understanding.

I recognize that over the last several years and prior to COVID, it has become increasingly stressful to be a student. With challenges in balancing work, family, and school obligations, coupled with difficult societal stressors, your lives may feel heavier than normal. These stressors affect your ability to process information and managing your learning -- the way you feel informs your ability to learn. Give yourself grace as you try your best. I am committed to being flexible throughout this course to support you towards your academic success. I will support and guide you through this course to help you grow into a stronger learner.

My hope and intent for the class is to present materials and activities that are respectful of diversity: gender identity, sexuality, disability, age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, race, nationality, religion, and culture for reviewing various career information. And, my hope each students’ diversity and experiences will help bring a rich perspective of stories, resources, and collective community.

I believe everyone is capable of learning and the differences each person brings into a course, enriching the learning cohort. Each person learns at a unique rhythm, and the online environment provides a luxury of thinking, processing, and reflecting. I design my courses to encompass inclusion and celebrate the diversity of our learning community and to encourage each student to connect the course content into their lives.

What is this class all about?

Counseling 110 introduces self-assessment tools to identify college majors and careers by clarifying interests, skills, abilities, values and personality type. Students will examine the decision- making process, self-management, life roles, and goal setting. Also included will be a review of labor market trends, career research, interviewing skills, resume and cover letter writing, and job search strategies. 

Goals for the Class

To assist students as they examine their major and career options. Student goals will be to have a better understanding of what they want to major in and what their future career plans are. The course objectives include:

• Understanding the career planning and decision-making process

• Finding a career path and/or major consistent with individual skills, values, interests, and personality style

• Recognizing the skills needed to succeed in a particular occupational field

• Gaining resume writing and interviewing skills

• Having a better understanding of oneself

Student Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students who have regularly attended and completed all assignments will be able to:

• assess and evaluate personal characteristics including their skills, values, interests, abilities and personality traits as they apply to academic, career and personal decisions throughout one's lifespan.

To assist in your continuous success in the course, you will need to have access to internet and either a desktop or laptop regularly each week. It will be a struggle to get through the course using a phone or tablet and to help reduce this frustration, College of the Canyons has several areas to access technology and internet at both Valencia and Canyon Country Campuses:

• The Library

• The Learning Center (TLC)

• ASG Computer Labs

You will also need to ensure you have access to Microsoft Word or Google Docs, ability to access PDF files and view videos. We will interact with various technology platforms such as Padlet, Flipgrid, PebblePad (ePortfolio), and Jamboards along with career assessment tools. I will provide direct links to these platforms and indicate which assessments will require creating a free profile to access assignments.

We will be using Open Educational Resources (OER) materials for this course, which is a free online textbook. A digital copy will be listed in Canvas along with a hard copy on reserve at the Valencia and Canyon Country Libraries. If you wish to purchase the Counseling 110 OER text, you will be able to do so in the bookstore for about $8.

Due Dates for Week One

Tuesday, Aug 20 at 11:30pm (PST - Pacific Standard Time)

• Complete Discussion #1 Prompt to introduce yourself to the class. There will be question prompts to start with and feel free to include additional information. You'll also respond to two classmates' posts to start connecting with your peers

Sunday, Aug 25 at 11:30pm (PST - Pacific Standard Time)

• Complete remaining learning tasks for the week. Be sure that you click through each page under the Orientation and Week 1 modules so you'll have access to the Week 2 material.

Drop Refund:                                                            By Aug. 23, 2024

Add Deadline:                                                           By Aug. 29, 2024

Dropping a course WITHOUT receiving a “W”:   By Aug. 29, 2024

Dropping a course WITH receiving a “W”:         Between Aug. 30 thru Sept. 30, 2024

Drop/Withdrawal Policy:

If a student has not been active in the course for more than one week, I will reach out to provide additional assistance. Students can withdraw from courses through their MyCanyons student portal, and clicking on the lime green “My Registration” box. Help with dropping from a course can be found through the Admissions & Records Office @ www.canyons.edu/admissions.

Grading Scale based on Canvas percentage calculations:

• 100 – 90 = A

• 89.9 – 80 = B

• 79.9 – 70 = C

• 69.9 – 60 = D

• 59.9 – below = F