PENN 101: The Journey of Learning

Fall 2016 T- Th 2-3:30pm

GPS: Shawna Morse
Email: shawnam@gse.upenn.edu
Before you go, you should know:

Course Goals: PENN 100 isaonecreditcoursedesignedtosupportstudentsintheirtransitioninto

collegeandintroducethemtothevibrantacademic,professional,andsocialenvironmenttheywill
encounterduringthroughouttheircollegeexperience.

Student Skills Destination

Understanding of Place

Knowledge of resources

Connections

How are you going to get there?

Grading: Grading will be determined through student and instructor collaboration

during the first week sessions. All graded forms of participation must be at least
10% of a students grade and no more than 35%. From there, students can decide
collectively how they would like their grade to be evaluated.
o
Student Engagement _______
o
Social Media Posts _______
o
Personal Tour to Success ________
o
Tour Guide Group Assignment ________
o
Final Reflection Assignment ________
Students with different abilities: If you for any reason do not believe that you
can meet the requirements of this course due to a disability or other
circumstances, please see me individually so that we may consider creative
options to meet your interests. I will be available during office hours and would
also be happy to arrange another meeting to meet your scheduling needs.
Assignments
o

Engagement

Engagement includes attending class during the scheduled time,

contributing to class discussion, exploring campus alongside
classmates during scheduled class time, completing in class
assignments, and actively making connections with resources
introduced in class.

DUE DATE: Week 15

Social Media Presence

What better way to document your first year at Penn for yourself,
family members, and friends than to use social media? Students will be

expected to post at least 10 Instagram pictures about their first year

experiences relevant to the course. Students can only post once a day
and their pictures must be clearly showing them engaging in a school
activity, using a school resource, or joining the college community in
another way. Students may not post multiple pictures pertaining to the
same event. These pictures or posts must be appropriate and be
identified through the use of #PENN101 and by tagging the PENN 101
Instagram account. The class posts will later be combined to create a
scrapbook of the journey that all students have taken in their first
semester of college.

What is considered inappropriate for these posts?

o
Students should not post pictures of themselves drinking or
engaging in other illegal behaviors.
o
Pictures should be show students wearing appropriate
attire and should have well thought out posts
accompanying them to explain what activity they are
engaging in, the resource they are using, etc.
o
Be Creative!! Involve your friends. Have fun with it!

DUE DATE: Week 15

Personal Tour to Success

Although you are all walking in the same direction, you are not taking
the same path. Throughout the semester, students will work to create
a map of campus and the surrounding community that shows relevant
locations for them. This will help students as they continue throughout
their college experience. Each map must show at least:

4 school resources

4 school buildings

1 residence hall

1 dining hall

2 school monuments
o
Can be the LOVE Sign, Benjamin Franklin statue, etc.

5 additional important locations

o
Can be restaurants, sports arenas, museums, stores, etc.

The map must include an easy to read guide on the map and an
attached description that explains the relevance of each location for
the student. The description does not need to be a paper. Students are
encouraged to be creative and submit videos, pod casts, etc.

DUE DATE: Week 9

Tour Guide Assignment

In groups of 3 participants, students will prepare a guided tour for the

rest of the class. Tour groups will be expected to introduce their fellow
classmates to resources that have been mentioned in class that they
have personal experience with as well as additional resources that may
be valuable to other students. Each member of the group must
participate in the guided tour. However, participation does not need to
look the same for each member. In groups, students should decide
where their strengths lie and use that to create the best tour of
campus. Each tour will last 20- 25 minutes and must introduce at least
5 locations.

DUE DATE: Week 13 and 14

Final Reflection Assignment

At the end of the semester, students will prepare a reflection of their

first semester of college. This reflection should accurately depict their
unique experience as a freshman at PENN. It does not have to be a
reflection paper. For example, students may create a collage of
photographs and ticket stubs from their first semester, journal weekly
and reflect on these journal entries, create a video, make a music
video, etc. The project should be a representation of you and your
unique contributions to the PENN student body.

And Away We Go
Week 1: Oh the Places You Will Go!

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
This route includes icebreaker activity and syllabus review
Begin with get to know you activity
Syllabus review
Course and grading options explanation
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
This route includes course decision-making session and critical question session
Begin with brainstorming activity on what the Your Own Path class
sessions should address
Class decision making session about grading
Discussion of critical questions:
o What brought you to PENN?
o What do you most want to accomplish while here?
o What do you want to learn about your new school and campus to
meet your goals?
Week 2: How do we travel together?
Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
This path includes exploration of the self and of the biases we hold
Begin with multiple selves exercise
Discuss which identities are most salient to students and why
Take Harvard Implicit Bias test individually
Small group discussion as to how these biases may manifest in their
college career
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
This route will include guest lectures about how to participate and interact
on a diverse campus
LGBT Center Representative, Office of the Chaplain representative,
Womens Center representative, and Center for Race and Equity
representative will participate in a panel
Class discussion as to how we can interact with others different from
us and how we can become diversity leaders on campus

Week 3: Navigating you Academic Environment

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
This route will include personal exploration of past study and learning
habits and will introduce different learning styles.
Small group discussion concerning how students studied and
learned in high school
Instructor will introduce different learning styles
Students will individually construct a learning layout to act as a
guide based on their learning style
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
This route will introduce common learning mistakes that students may
encounter in college
Instructor will introduce and explain academic dishonesty,
plagiarism, and cheating
Students will do a group activity where they act as student conduct
board and determine student guilt and punishment in scenarios of
assumed academic dishonesty
Week 4: Your Road Side Crew: Academic Resources

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
This route will introduce the Weingarten Learning Center and the Tutoring
Center
Representatives from both resource centers will introduce their
departments for 30 minutes
15 minute question and answer period
Students will then go on a tour of campus led by the instructor to
locate both centers for their personal use
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
This route will include an introduction to the benefits of academic
advisement
Instructor will lead a discussion outlining the services offered through
academic advisement
Instructor will lead students in locating their academic advisor and
Week 5: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in Week 1. Instructor will devise a
lesson plan to address these interests.
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in the Week 1. Instructor will devise
a lesson plan to address these interests.

Week 6: Happiness on the road to success

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will be introduced to positive psychology and the importance of
happiness in career.
Students will read articles addressing the benefits of job vs. vocation
Students will address ways to make themselves more happy in their
own academic and career aspirations
Instructor will do a brief introduction to positive psychology
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will contemplate their skills and interests and address majors that
may play into those interests
Students will anonymously write their interests, skills, etc. on a index
card
Instructor will read the index card aloud and the group will help identify
majors that may help him or her to highlight their interests
Instructor will then lead students in a demonstration on how to find
Week 7: Maintaining your vehicle

Route 1
1 hr 30 min
This route will address wellness and how to maintain ones mental, emotional,
and physical health while in college
Instructor will explain Penn Face and ask students for any examples
they may have experienced of this phenomenon
Instructor will begin a class discussion about the stigma of mental
health
In small groups students will come up with creative solutions as to how
to reduce stress in their lives and eradicate the stigma with struggle
Instructor will introduce CAPS and the services they provide
Route 2
NO CLASS! HAPPY FALL BREAK
Week 8: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?
Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in Week 1. Instructor will devise a
lesson plan to address these interests.
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in the Week 1. Instructor will devise
a lesson plan to address these interests.

Week 9: WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO?

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in Week 1. Instructor will devise a
lesson plan to address these interests.
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will identify a topic of interest in the Week 1. Instructor will devise a
lesson plan to address these interests.
Week 10: Pull over
Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will learn about emergency situations they may encounter on
campus
Instructor will pose questions to students about what type of
emergencies they predict encountering on campus
Students will reflect on how they have responded to emergencies in
the past
Instructor will introduce Bystander Intervention to students
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will receive more information about safety precautions on campus
Campus police officer will present for 30 minutes about safety on

Week 11: How to reach your final destination

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will be introduced to career services and the considerations they
should be making at this point in their college career
Career Services representative will speak about the services they provide
Instructor will introduce some considerations freshmen should make
about their careers
Students will identify internships, clubs, etc. that they would like to
pursue as part of their professional development
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will spend time doing resume review and LinkedIn profile preparation.
Students will have the opportunity to write a resume for their
experiences to date
Students will then engage in peer review of each others resume
Students will participate in a picture challenge
o Students will be split into their presentation groups and have 15
minutes to go on campus and take the most professional picture
for a LinkedIn
o Students will upload pictures to Instagram using the hash tag
#PennProfessional
o The last 10 minutes of class will be spent reviewing the photos and
voting for the most professional
o Winning group will have the opportunity to choose which day they
Week 12: Tour Guide Presentations
Route 1:
This route
Five
Route 2:
This route
Five

1 hr 30 min
will showcase students learning through their group presentations
groups will perform their tour guide presentation
1 hr 30 min
will showcase students learning through their group presentations
groups will perform their tour guide presentations

Week 13: No Classes (Happy Thanksgiving)

Students do not have to attend class for this week! Enjoy the break! Rest,
Relax, and Rejuvenate.

Week 14: Pit stops

Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will address obstacles they may face in their college career and
contemplate how they would overcome them
Students will have the opportunity to brainstorm obstacles they
may encounter during their time at Penn
In groups students will devise a skit on how to approach obstacles
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will be introduced to Student Conduct review and consider how
they would judge other actions by previous students
Student Conduct representative will come to introduce the process
should students find themselves in a bad situation
Students will then act as a student conduct panel and judge how to
address typical student conduct issues
Week 15: Arrived.
Route 1:
1 hr 30 min
Students will reflect on what they have learned and ask any final questions
they have about moving forward in their college career
Instructor will facilitate informal review of the past semester
Students will have the opportunity to ask any final questions
Students will have the chance to provide input on how to change the
course for the better
Route 2:
1 hr 30 min
Students will celebrate their completion of the course!
Instructor will bring students to a local restaurant to celebrate their
success
Students will be given their yearbook of instagrams to
commemorate their semester