Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ offers transfer students special course to ease transition

Students who transfer to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ after beginning their college experience on another campus will have the opportunity to take a class in fall 2013 designed for a smoother transition.

February 13, 2013

DALLAS (Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ) – Students who transfer to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ after beginning their college experience on another campus will have the opportunity to take a class in fall 2013 designed for a smoother transition.

Prospective students attending Mustang Stampede, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s annual open house for transfer students Saturday, Feb. 16, will learn about ORACLE, which stands for Optimum Reading, Attention, Comprehension, Learning Efficiency.  Students enrolled in the ORACLE class meet twice a week and earn a one-hour credit that can be applied to any degree program as an elective.

The class is a pilot project made possible by a donation from a family whose daughter transferred to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, and will be available to the first 23 transfer students who sign up for it. 

The ORACLE class at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ is primarily designed to strengthen reading and studying skills, including:

  • An approach to studying that builds on individual learning styles and strengths
  • Time-management skills that will help reach academic goals with time left for everything else
  • Strategies for reading faster with deeper comprehension
  • Techniques for improving concentration and memory
  • A system for taking and using class notes
  • Test preparation procedures and test-taking strategies to help students learn, recall and apply what they’ve learned
  • Methods for organizing desk, notebooks and planners

Transfer students make up a significant portion of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s undergraduate studentpopulation – about 900 of Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ’s approximately 6,500 undergraduate students come to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ after previously attending a community college or another university.

“This ORACLE class is geared specifically for transfer students,” said Nancy Skochdopole, Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ director of Transfer and Transition Services.  “What we like to say about a transfer student is we know they’re not new to college, but they’re new to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ.

“For the students who sign up for the ORACLE class, it could be tremendously significant as they transition to what will probably be a more rigorous curriculum at Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ,” Skochdopolesaid.  “And it will help them find a group and make friends with other students who are transitioning to Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ.”

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February 13, 2013