Overview

This course walks learners through the behavioral concepts presented in Professor Roma’s book, “Student Success: Foundations of Self-Management”, (SUNY Press, 2023). It is organized around an individual behavioral responsibility framework called the 5C Elements of Self-Management. Whether you are a student or an experienced working adult, the 5C Elements of Self-Management are the same: • Communication, which conveys appropriateness, • Choice, which conveys judgment, • Caring, which conveys concern for others, • Commitment, which conveys duty, and • Coping, which conveys fortitude. We all convey these elements of self-management to one extent or another. This course introduces you to these elements and the thirty-eight sub-variables that underpin the framework, explains why they are important to you, and describes how to identify and assess them in yourself and others.

Syllabus

Introduction to Student Success: Foundations of Self-Management

In this module, we explain the important role behavior plays in personal and collective success and establish personal policies about how you will conduct yourself so that you can anticipate and avoid needless pain and personal anguish associated with walking through life blindly. "My hope is that this course will help you more effectively deal with your daily challenges so that you can become the person that you hope to be, and in doing so make the world a better place for future generations," Gian Paolo Roma.

Overview

In this module, we explain the reason-based behavior cycle and the distinction between reason-based choices and impulsive choices. We also define behavioral competency and introduce the 5C Elements of Self-Management—communication, choice, commitment, coping, and caring—that can be self-cultivated, self-assessed, and self-managed. Additionally, we introduce the Continuous Behavioral Improvement Process that relies on the individual to identify areas of behavioral self-improvement.

Communication

Nonverbal communication makes up 93% of what we communicate. In this module, we discuss this significant form of communication and others, including verbal and written communication. We also share strategies to assist you to communicate effectively.

Choice

We discuss how values and ethics play key roles in decision-making in this module. We define The Values Model which incorporates what is important to you, your purpose and character, and your well-being, and include the importance of aligning choices with your values, as they define your character. We explore the relationship between choices and consequences and the Rule-Breaking Behavior Model that contributes to your decisions.

Commitment

In this module, we focus on the three variables of commitment, including dependability, hard work and quality and demonstrate a positive correlation between dependability, success, and team effectiveness.

Coping

Three important behavioral qualities that enable us to communicate self-control (self-awareness, self-restraint, and self-improvement) are discussed in this module. We also review variables pertaining to coping in an academic setting and a change readiness model to identify and analyze how resistant an organization is to change.

Caring

In this module, we examine how good relations with others are influenced by civility, helpfulness, and conscientiousness. We also explore positive outcomes as a result of working cooperatively and with a sincere hope that others will experience peace, health, and well-being.