Class Discussion!
Academic Advisor and Lecturer Michael Randle sees firsthand the difficulties new students face. While freshman and transfer orientations help students get started, the following years can be confusing to navigate. Enter Randle’s no-excuses attitude and Science 2.
Although the three-unit course started in the College of Science, Science 2 doesn’t involve beakers or microscopes. Instead, students meet weekly with peer advisors to go over assignments for their courses and get any general advice they need. For the once-a-week lecture that Randle leads in Morris Dailey Auditorium, students are required to work on tasks like setting attainable short- and long-term goals.
Students hone fact-finding and problem-solving skills as they embark on a campus scavenger hunt, filling a binder with information on campus resources. From academic counseling, peer tutoring and healthcare options to change-of-major forms and a detailed course planner, students finish the class with map of their path to graduation.
Varija Yelagalawadi, ’15 Journalism, took Science 2 in fall 2011—and is still using the resources and information she found in the course scavenger hunt.
