Fall 2021 ILC Student Success Conference

Critical Thinking

This workshop introduces students to basic concepts and practices of critical thinking, including some habits of mind. Students learn why and how to think about their own thinking, ask good questions, discern what’s important to their learning and better understand how they learn and the importance of being flexible thinkers.

Units and Sig-figs

This workshop introduces students to the definitions and uses of metric system units and conversion between these units, as well as conversion between metric and English units. Also covered is the concept of significant figures, including the importance of the concept, how to determine the correct number of significant figures from a written measurement, a measurement device, or as the result of arithmetic involving measurements, and how to correctly express the number of significant figures in writing.

Fundamental Programming Concepts

This workshop introduces students new to the art of programming those fundamental concepts that drive the entire discipline. Topics discussed include sequence, selection, repetition and basic object-oriented design. Participants are exposed to these concepts within the context of the Python programming language.

Jump-start Your Writing

This workshop introduces students to several strategies for jump-starting their writing. During the presentation, students learn about the writing process, from how to interpret an assignment sheet all the way up to the rough draft. Brainstorming, organizing and some common writing anxieties are also discussed.

Introduction to Excel

This workshop introduces basic mathematical operations in Excel and helps students lay the groundwork for more complicated math that would be impractical with a calculator. The workshop also covers some of Excel's built-in arithmetic functions that can automate operations on larger lists of numbers and uses Excel to create and edit charts.

Debugging

This workshop introduces a useful tool that assists students with finding errors in their code. During the presentation, students learn how to use the debugger to set break points, step through the code line-by-line and watch variables.

Debugging YouTube link

To request the session files/documents, email [email protected].

Critical Reading Strategies

This workshop introduces students to the behaviors and mindsets involved in the critical reading process. During the presentation, students learn the main components of critical reading, as well as a three-step process for critical reading.

Time Management

This workshop focuses on valuable time management strategies and tips in an engaging and interactive manner. Participants are exposed to two different syllabi (math and English), along with actual Outlook/Teams calendars, in an effort to learn how to schedule and plan time for school assignments, deadlines, work and other life commitments. Areas such as prioritization, goal-setting, overcoming obstacles and planning for the unexpected are discussed.