Course Descriptions: IDS

IDS101 First-Year Experience 1 hour

First Year Experience seeks to integrate students into academics and campus life. Students will build skills critical to college success and engage in self-reflection and assessment in order to practice these skills in and outside of the classroom. Topics emphasized include time management, stress management, information literacy and encountering different perspectives. Required of all new students with fewer than 24 college credits earned since high school. An Orientation general education course.

IDS103 College Learning Strategies 1 hour

A series of workshops designed to build skills necessary for academic success. Topics emphasized include time management, test taking, study techniques, memory strengthening exercises, textbook reading and more. Includes a required study lab component to practice and apply college level application of these academic practices. Placement in this course is based upon college entrance scores and academic record.

IDS110 Foundations of Leadership 2 hours

Structured around the four competencies of the Kansas Leadership Center: diagnose situation, manage self, energize others and integrate skillfully. Presenters will speak on a variety of leadership topics including exploring tough interpretations; engaging unusual voices; knowing your strengths, vulnerabilities and triggers; servant leadership; communication team leadership and cultural and diversity issues. Along with these presentations, small group discussion is a key component of this course.

IDS120 Transcultural Service Term 1 or 2 hours

Begins with on-campus course work focusing on location-specific history, cultural practices, language introduction and team-building activities. The remainder of the course is spent in a specific cultural location participating in discipline-related service, usually in conjunction with an established organization.

IDS121 Transcultural Term - Japan 4 hours

An immersive overseas travel experience including study of Japanese language, culture and history. The language and culture components focus on situational phrases, skills and behaviors essential for communication, as well as culturally unique methods of nonverbal communication. The history component explores modern eras of Japanese history from the Meiji Period to present day, with special focus on the events surrounding the atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima. Required studies include eight weeks of coursework in the spring semester followed by three weeks in Japan.

IDS131/231 Introduction to STEM Projects I/II 1+1 hour

A course for students exploring careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The course will explore skills needed by those working in STEM careers. Students will focus on scientific inquiry skills such as reviewing the literature, forming research questions, designing experiments, analyzing data and writing scientific papers.

IDS165 Career Development 1 hour

Designed for students who are in the “deciding” phase regarding their majors and career choices. Interactive and discussion oriented, the course includes components of self discovery, occupational research and current trends, informational interviews and reflection. Exploring individual strengths, skills, values and spirituality will guide students to the next phase of the career decision-making journey.

IDS210-211 Adaptive Challenges in Leadership I/II 1+1 hour

The fall semester Adaptive Challenges in Leadership I flows seamlessly into the spring semester Adaptive Challenges in Leadership II. These courses empower students to develop their own abilities and attitudes about leadership as they embrace their own adaptive challenges. Coaches and peers encourage students to make progress on challenges about which they deeply care. These challenges may be related to personal or relational issues, their mods, their athletic teams or clubs or campus-wide issues.