On Course Study Skills Plus Second Edition by Skip Downing
Adapted from pages 13-16
“Culture of Higher Education and Culture Shock”
In some ways, enrolling in college is like moving to a foreign country. That’s because the culture of higher education
is different from other cultures you have known, even that of high school. Like an immigrant to any new land, you’ll
be successful in college to the degree that you learn and adapt to its unique culture.
Geert Hofstede, a Danish psychologist and anthropologist, has studied cultures all over the world. According to
Hofstede, culture is “the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the members of one human group
from another.”
In other words, what makes people different isn’t just the physical characteristics you can see. In fact, much more
significant is their unique cultural programming: the sum of customs and beliefs they’ve learned from family, friends,
schools, religions, and other groups to which they belong. Every culture on Earth is programmed to operate by its
own unique software. And this is true of higher education as well.
Some aspects of a culture are obvious and visible, (on the surface) whereas others are subtle and invisible. (below
the surface or deep) “Surface” culture can be perceived with our five senses. “Surface” culture includes such
things as food, fashions, language, gestures, games, art, music, and holidays. The elements of “deep” culture are
invisible to tourists and recent immigrants. Deep culture consists of the shared beliefs, attitudes, norms, rules,
opinions, expectations, and taboos of a group of people. For native born people, these deep-culture features are
usually taken for granted until someone disobeys them.
Culture, then, is the collection of surface- and deep-level customs and beliefs that get passed on from generation to
generation. Each culture provides “approved” choices at significant, and even insignificant forks in the road. Culture
tells us, “This choice is normal and that one is strange.” What happens then, when you don’t understand something?
You may experience “culture shock.” Culture shock is the upset and stress we experience when confronted with
behaviors and beliefs that differ significantly from our own. Because we are quite sure that our way is right, a typical
response to culture shock is judgment: I’m right and you’re wrong.
Because college is a unique culture, expect some challenges as you adapt. Most differences in surface culture will
be pretty obvious. For example, like all cultures, higher education has its own language, so you’ll probably hear
words that you don’t know.
Now for a few words about deep culture. It is less obvious. In fact, you may find yourself off course and not even
realize that the cause is a clash of deep culture. That’s why the sooner you learn the culture of higher education in
general, and the culture of your college in particular, the better you’ll be able to make wise choices and stay on
course to academic success.
Downing, Skip. On Course Study Skills Plus Second Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014.
Culture of Higher Education
Circle the college culture you want to practice.
a. Attend classes
h. Participate in class
b. Come prepared for all classes
i.
Interest in subject
c.
j.
Work in study groups
Study in the ALC
d. Make up work when absent
k. Turn off cell phone
e. Know when assignments are due
l.
f.
Control emotions
m. Have a positive mindset/seek solutions
g.
Become familiar with college resources
n. Become active in clubs
Know when to meet with professors
Strategies for Success
Identify from the list below the specific strategies you want to use with a specific college culture.
Strategies for success: Put the letter of the college culture you want to practice this week next to the
strategy/strategies you will use to help you become a successful student.
___1. Plan specific times to do assignments
___2. Study/Review what is being taught
___3. Pay attention/take notes
___4. Ask questions
___5. Focus on learning
___6. Know when to ask for help
___7. Arrive early for every class
___8. Come prepared with questions when
meeting with professors.
___9. Prepare/Meet with a tutor regularly
____10. Use a daily and monthly planner
____11. Go to the ALC, &/or form a study group
____12. Participate in class
____13. Seek solutions
____14. Email another student when absent
____15. Know where resources are on campus
____16. Show Self-respect/ respect of others
____17. Prepare/Meet with study group regularly
____18. Edit notes from each class
____19. ________________________
Success in Practice: Identifying and Practicing College Culture
Goal Setting: Identify the deep culture that is necessary for you to have at this college in order to become
a successful life -long learner. You will practice this culture and the following strategies
for the next 7 days. The purpose of this activity is to practice the strategies of successful
students that may be new to you or that you choose to improve on in one or more classes.
Choose one statement from your chart on college culture you would like to practice.
Choose the strategies you will use with this culture.
The college culture I will practice in my _____________________________________ class is:
Strategies: In order to reach this goal, I plan to use the following strategies daily…
________________________________________________________________________________________
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Keep a record of your progress for one week. Each day evaluate how well you are doing the strategies you have
chosen to practice on a scale of 1-10. Ten being the highest score possible. Write a short journal entry on how you
are doing. Be honest. Evaluate why you were or weren’t able to complete your goal. Be positive. Changing how you
do something takes time. Review your progress at the end of the week. If you see positive changes, you know you
have found an activity that can help you work on your goals. You may evaluate your results and decide to add or
change the strategies you are using. You now have an activity you can use to help you succeed in college. In a
separate journal evaluate what you have learned from this experience and how you will use this activity in the future.
DAY
Scale of
1-10
Journal
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
journal
What did you learn or relearn?
Works Cited
Downing, Skip. On Course Study Skills Plus Second Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage
Learning, 2014.
Downing, Skip. Facilitator’s Manual On Course Seventh Edition and On Course Study
Skills Plus Second Edition. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2014.
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Structures and Strategies
Notes on Workshop
Structures and Strategies
How can I adapt this?