Course Syllabus

COUN 24: College Success (CRN# 44604– Units 3)

Fall 2026

Course Syllabus

Class Information

Instructor

Iris Cruz, M.S.

Class Times:

Tuesdays & Thursdays 11:00 am- 12:50 pm

Class Location:

Room: S-211

Email:

icruz@peralta.edu or via Canvas messages

Office Hours: 

 In person on Tuesdays 4:30-5pm and Thursdays 6 pm- 6:30 (office to be determined). Email me or message me via Canvas messages to schedule a meeting.

Course Description: Counseling 24 (3 units)

The college success strategies portion of the FYE learning community is a course designed to assist students succeed in college by learning skills that are necessary to reach their educational objectives. We will review information and techniques related to decision making, time management, learning styles, goal setting, stress, note taking, active learning, test taking strategies and study skills. We will explore campus resources created to support you in reaching your academic goals.

***Class Note*** First Year Experience (FYE IMPACT) program. Students will be required to participate in extracurricular activities such as attend 4-year institution campuses, attend school workshops, etc. Students may be enrolled in COUN 24 (44604), or Engl C1000E (44567).  Please contact the program coordinator. This is an in-person meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:00 am – 12:50 pm. Students may be required to log into their course site multiple times a week to complete the online learning activities as directed. Students should have regular access to the internet and be comfortable using online technologies. All instructions and communications for this class will be sent to Peralta student email accounts. To access your student email, go to portal.peralta.edu and click the picture that says “Students” to login.

Required Text:

This is a Zero Cost Textbook course. All materials are provided by the instructor within the Canvas site. This book will be linked in different formats on a canvas module.

Baldwin, A. (2020). College Success. Houston, Texas: OpenStax. Retrieved from https://openstax.org/books/college-success/pages/1-introduction

Other Required Materials:

Additional reading and media will be assigned and they will be posted via Canvas. A laptop or tablet will be required to turn in assignments via canvas.

Learning Outcomes - By the end of the semester students will be able to:

    • Develop critical thinking skills in order to discuss educational statistical trends.
    • Create own SEP and explain the rational of each section
    • Take notes that facilitate learning and aid in the recall of information
    • Describe strategies to prepare more effectively to take tests, including how actions before, during and after the test influence performance (consistent attendance, homework completion and note taking)
    • Demonstrate understanding of college terminology such as transfer, general education requirements, unit value, etc.
    • Explore majors
    • Do self-exploration and personal empowerment
    • Understand their self-autonomy
    • Identify and use campus resources that contribute to college success
    • Identify their short-term and long-term academic goals
    • Understand graduation and transfer requirements
    • List own graduation and transfer requirements and identify relevant pre-requisite sequences (SEP)
    • Learn time management skills
    • Describe strategies to prepare more effectively to take tests, including how our own actions before, during and after the test influence performance (consistent attendance, homework completion and note taking).

Grading

This course is graded on the following scale:

Course Grading Scale

Percentages

Grade

Quality of Work

90- 100%

A

Exceptional work, clearly out of the ordinary, showing imagination and a willingness to stretch and take risks. Class participation must be outstanding. Written work is college-level and strong.

80- 89%

B

Good, solid work, showing interest and commitment. Must show a willingness to stretch, take risks, and grow. Written work must be good. Class participation must be excellent.

70- 79%

C

The basics. Work completed and on time, with good class participation.

60- 69%

D

Barely acceptable. If you’re at this level you should be talking with me if there’s a problem. If there isn’t, you should be asking yourself why you’re taking this course and if what you’re getting out of it is worth what you’re putting into it.

59-  0%

F

Unacceptable. We’ll both know it if you’re at this level.

 

Grades will be based on the following percentages:

Grades based on Categories

Graded Items

% of Total Grade

Attendance & Participation

20%

Weekly assignments

40%

Quizzes

10%

Final Project

30%

Total  

100%

 

What to expect from me outside the classroom: 

In order to meet all of my professional obligations, I plan my schedule carefully.  While I might wish to be available for your questions 24/7, that is simply not possible. Please be advised that I regularly check my e-mail messages on a daily basis between 9am and 5pm. I request that you email me via canvas with questions. I will respond shortly.

What you can expect when you submit papers or projects for grading: 

I make every effort to return papers and projects as soon as possible.  Occasionally, other professional obligations make this impossible.  I will advise you of this when the work is submitted and let you know when you can anticipate return.  I make comments in the comments section of the online gradebook.  Should these comments be insufficient for you to understand your grade, please email me with your questions. I am also available by appointment to talk further about your grades.

Questions/Comments about course content: 

If there is ever a time you have a question or comment about the items listed in the syllabus I invite you to let me know. Every reasonable effort will be made to assist in a student's success, especially when that need is expressly communicated.

Students with disabilities:

If you have a physical, psychiatric/emotional, medical, or learning disability that may impact your ability to carry out assigned course work, I urge you to contact the staff in the Programs and Services for Students with Disabilities by phone at  (510) 436-2429.  SAS will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accommodations are necessary and appropriate.  All information and documentation is confidential.

Reasonable accommodations are available for students accessibility services (SAS). Please contact the SAS Programs and Services by calling 510- (510) 436-2429 or Visiting R-109A

Free Tutoring!

Do you need help with homework? Friendly tutors are ready to help you, virtually or in person. 

Monday - Thursday 9am - 5pm (In person and zoom)

Friday 10am - 3pm (Zoom only)

In person: L121 – One floor below the library

¡Tutoria Grátis! 

¿Necesita ayuda con la tarea? ¡Tutores amables están listos para ayudarle en persona o virtual! 

Lunes - Jueves: 9:00am - 6:00pm - Virtual o en persona 

Viernes - 10:00am - 4:00pm -- Exclusivamente Virtual

Tutores En Persona: Edificio L, Salón 121, Un Piso Debajo de la Bibilioteca 

免费辅导！

你需要家庭作业帮助吗？我们友善的辅导员们随时为您提供线上或者面对面的帮助. 

周一至周四 9:00am -- 6:00pm 可选择线上或面对面 

周五 10:00am -- 4:00pm 仅限线上 

面对面辅导地点：L栋楼，121室，图书馆底层 

 

Important Policies:

    • Participation:

I will also take attendance on the days we will meet in person. Being absent, tardiness, and leaving early will result in the deduction of participation points which will affect your overall grade. If you must miss a class, please email me ahead of time. Merritt College policy states that if you miss twice the amount we meet in a week(4 times for this class) then I can drop you from the class. We usually become a close group and calling demonstrates your commitment to the course and to your classmates. Please note that any student that is absent will not be allowed to make up in-class assignments. Students may also be dropped if they miss 3 or more class meetings.

    • Enrollment management:

Students are completely responsible for withdrawal procedures from the course. Check the academic calendar for dates!

    • Creating a learning environment:

This course requires a commitment to self- exploration because the better you know yourself the more likely your career and life plans will address your needs and values. You must also make a strong commitment to the process and to your classmates since much of your learning and growth will come from your interactions with each other. You will demonstrate this commitment by attending each class on time, staying for the full class, participating actively, completing assignments on time, taking risks, and talking openly and honestly. Because we often touch on personal issues, and because it is a key element of trust, CONFIDENTIALITY IS A MUST.

    • Become an Active Learner:

You are responsible for your own learning.

    • Plagiarism/Cheating:

Plagiarism and/or cheating of any kind will result at least in an "F" for that assignment (and may, depending on the severity, lead to an "F" for the course and a referral for other disciplinary action). For more information about student responsibilities and consequences, consult the Student Code of Conduct in the current catalog.

    • AI Policy

AI can be a helpful tool for students during their educational journey but students must refrain from using it in their academic coursework. Because this course is built around self- reflection, personal goal-setting, and your own academic planning, the use of AI-generated writing is not permitted on any written assignments unless explicitly stated otherwise. If you need help with any assignment schedule to meet with me or with the tutors in the learning center. 

    • Extra Credit:

Extra credit assignments will be sprinkled throughout the semester. In addition, you will get extra credit for each assignment that is turned in early.

    • Deadlines/Lateness:

Late work is NOT accepted. Please plan ahead to account for computer or internet problems. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get the assignment to me on the day it is due by the start of the class. If an emergency arises, contact me as soon as possible.

    • Nondiscrimination Statement: 

"Each community college district has primary responsibility to ensure that its programs and activities are available to all persons without regard to ethnic group identification, national origin, religion, age, race, sex or gender, color, sexual orientation, ancestry, or physical or mental disability, or to their association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. Therefore, each community college district shall investigate complaints of unlawful discrimination in its programs or activities and seek to resolve those complaints in accordance with the provisions of [sections 59300 et seq.]." (Title 5, California Code of Regulations, section 59320

COURSE RESPONSIBILITIES:

You are responsible for participating in ongoing weekly discussions as well as midterm, complete SEP, Personal Empowerment reflection, and final research and presentation. Attendance & Participation Consistent punctuality and attendance is a requirement. Students are required to be on time for each class, that they return promptly after breaks, and that they stay for the entire length of the class. Any class for which the student is gone for more than 15 minutes of the entire class time will be considered absent for that class. Planned absences, for whatever reason, must be registered with me at the beginning of the course or as soon as the student learns of the absence. I will review on a case-by-case basis if there is a documented and verified medical EMERGENCY or family crisis. Otherwise, you will lose attendance and participation points for class absence. I consider a respectful environment to be critical and view attendance as a factor influencing the experience of all students in the class. If a student must miss a class, the student is responsible for obtaining copies of whatever material was covered in the class. If you are late to class three times your grade will be lowered, for example if you had an A and were absent 3 times you will then receive a B in the course. In order to have a safe learning environment we need to be respectful to one another. You have the discretion to decide what and how much you choose to disclose. Please meet with me outside of class if you have questions or concerns.



After reading this syllabus, your continued enrollment in the class serves as consent to the conditions of this document and our Counseling 24:  Fall 2026 course.