Required for First-Year Students:
PAL 1190 - Learning Process I - 1.5 credits
Fall and Spring Semesters
This course is the first in the two-course sequence required for students admitted to Curry College through the Program for Advancement of Learning. Focused on the transition from high school learning expectations to those of college courses, PAL 1190 offers students a curriculum designed to foster an understanding of themselves as learners through faculty mentorship.
Students are introduced to and explore learning strategies in the following core areas: metacognition, self-regulation, active and engaged learning, critical thinking and reasoning, receptive and expressive language. Students will create an educational plan, outlining: personal and academic long-term goals, semester goals, learning strengths, challenges, and strategies. The faculty mentor and student collaborate on evaluating student progress towards these goals throughout the semester, culminating in a reflective student paper and faculty report, which outlines individualized recommendations for the PAL 1200, the second course in the sequence.
Additional course fee applies.
PAL 1200 - Learning Process II- 1.5 credits
Fall and Spring Semesters
This course extends the learning insights and strategies acquired in PAL 1190, fostering greater independence and strategic learning in metacognition, self-regulation, critical thinking and reasoning, receptive and expressive language, and decision making. Students will refine their PAL 1190 educational plans, integrating lessons from the prior semester and adapting to the current semester's course requirements. PAL faculty and students jointly assess progress toward these objectives throughout the semester, culminating in a reflective student paper and faculty report.
Additional course fee applies.
Elective Courses:
PAL 1180 - Summer PAL - 3 credits
Summer Term
The Summer PAL course is an immersive, on-campus academic experience for incoming first-year and transfer students accepted into the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). This credit-bearing course helps students build a strong foundation for college by developing a deeper understanding of how they learn. Guided by a PAL faculty member and supported by a small peer group, students explore key academic strategies through PAL’s core learning outcomes: metacognition, self-regulation, critical thinking, and active learning. Emphasis is placed on building strengths in reading, writing, note-taking, organization, time management, problem-solving, and collaboration. Students also create a personalized learning profile, participate in mini-courses taught by Curry professors, explore assistive technologies, and connect with the academic resources and community at Curry College. The course concludes with a learning portfolio that highlights each student’s growth and readiness for the college journey ahead.
PAL 1185 - Assistive Technology for Academic Success - 1 credit
Through this exploratory technology lab, students will get hands-on experience in acquiring assistive and adaptive technologies (AT) to critically maneuver that will improve access to college-level reading, writing, and organizational tools. This fully interactive technology lab invites students to use metacognitive tools provided to design their own model for learning how to improve their reading and writing skills through technology and how to become more reliant on their own resources.
PAL 1195 - Connections to Learning - 3 credits
This course provides opportunities for students to learn more about different ways of knowing as they delve deeply into their own personal learning, using current theories as well as previous academic and personal college experiences as the foundation for thoughtful reflections and goal setting. Various learning theories will provide a springboard for class discussions providing forums for sharing experiences and insights within a community of learners. Connections will be made between theory and practice, to further enhance metacognitive awareness. This course is designed to practice and reinforce diverse strategies and methods of learning in order to enhance and improve personal and academic success.
This course is repeatable for credit.
PAL 1210 - Advancement in Learning - 1.5 credits
Fall and Spring Semesters
Designed for students who have completed PAL 1190 and 1200, this course offers ongoing guidance from PAL faculty in refining and implementing strategic learning techniques to excel in advanced coursework. Students enrolled in PAL 1210 participate in individualized or small group sessions with their instructors twice weekly.
Prerequisite: PAL 1200. Additional course fee applies.
PAL 1220 - Learning Transitions - 1 credit
Fall and Spring Semesters
Available to students who have finished PAL 1190 and 1200, this course offers continuous support from PAL faculty in cultivating and employing strategic learning strategies for academic advancement. Students enrolled in PAL 1220 participate in individualized or small group sessions with their instructors once weekly. This course is repeatable.
Prerequisite: PAL 1200 or PAL 1210. Additional course fee applies.