V e t e r a n s  U p w a r d  B o u n d

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In-Class Instruction

Veterans Upward Bound provides non-credit college preparatory instruction to veterans who have similar academic interests and educational needs. Classes are offered during the fall and spring semesters. Assistance with financial aid, college admissions, career planning, degree exploration, and other services are available to help students get ready for college are also available. Visit the site nearest you for additional information. Listed below are course descriptions, not all courses are offered at all sites.

This course is designed to familiarize you with the workings of post-secondary study and make you aware of the resource offerings available for students.  You will develop or improve the practical skills necessary to succeed in a post-secondary setting.  You will explore study and career possibilities in order to make informed choices about your future. Objectives include first letter mnemonics, visual imagery strategy, paraphrasing strategy, test taking, note taking, vocabulary building, error monitoring, library skills, dictionary usage, SQR method, time management, campus and community resources.

 

Algebra (Billings Only)

This course begins with a brief review of Elementary Algebra concepts and shifts to solving linear equations, factoring, operations on rational expressions and radical expressions, quadratic equations and the rectangular coordinate system. Beginning Algebra will familiarize students with mathematical symbols and operations and to consistently reinforce functions and graphing concepts so important in later mathematics courses. The purpose of this course is to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the Microsoft Windows Operating System and Office 2007. Students will learn basic concepts in the following applications: Windows XP, Microsoft Word 2007, Microsoft Excel 2007 and Microsoft PowerPoint 2007. Through hands-on exercises and case projects, students will learn to apply their knowledge and develop their ideas and skills. Students will gradually build their keyboarding skills to an efficient level of speed and accuracy. Students will also increase their knoweledge in formatting various business documents. Learn how to setup simple reports and papers for college english level classes. Objectives are designed to increase each student's writing confidence and ability by preparing students to incorporate the process of writing-including using methods of outlining and listing; correct usage and placement of nouns, adjectives, verbs and adverbial clauses; the skill of producing well-formed simple, compound, complex and compound-complex sentence structures.  Students are taught the skill of using internal and end punctuation; the ability to analyze grammatical structures of sentences and the ability to write narrative and expository text including introductory, transition and concluding paragraphs.

 

Literature/Reading (Billings Only)

The use of 3 novels by the same author spanning thirty years (1950--1980) will be used to stimulate interest in literature and learn the skills necessary to evaluate literary work, recognize the use of symbolic language; to demonstrate familiarity with cultural attitudes and customs; to understand the differences between poetry, short stories and non-fiction; to identify alliteration, myths, rhyme, onomatopoeia; to recognize simile, metaphor, personification and hyperbole; to recognize theme and character development, plot, opinion; and to draw conclusions, make inferences and predict outcomes. Objectives increase the ability to recognize themes of narrative structure (comic, tragic, romantic, satiric); to recognize irony, universal and cultural themes, the use of dictionary as a descriptive reference; use of footnotes, cross-reference and appendices.

 

Mathematics

Objectives include identifying and understanding integers and rational numbers, real numbers, irrational numbers, decimals, fractions, percents and high school algebraic skills. Objectives include college algebraic skills to include systems of equations, square roots, quadratic equations, rational numbers and expressions, graphs, integers, variables, polynomials, differential and integral calculus, limits, continuing, derivatives and their applications, logarithmic and exponential functions.

 

Writing

Objectives provides opportunity and increased writing skills including first, second or third person; writing expressive and informative discourse; writing persuasive and literary discourse; evaluating content, organization, topic development, transition, clarity, word and sentence choice.