Decisions For Success: A curriculum for the First Year Experience

Decisions For Success (DFS) teaches problem solving and critical thinking skills through a five point process. The process leads individuals through progressive levels of thinking, from the concrete to the abstract, that culminates in making a logical decision. The framework for thinking parallels the four levels of Webb’s Depth of Knowledge model (recall, skill/concept, strategic thinking, extended thinking). 

DFS requires critical thinking to organize thoughts, examine and challenge assumptions, and develop complex reasoning. Through this analysis, individuals discover what they’re in control of, the options they have, and their goals for situations. Activities within each point introduce the concepts, and give opportunities to practice applying them. This ensures that students experience the process in a meaningful way with use that goes beyond the classroom. 

The personal situations that arise concerning money, work, family, health and other non-academics are often the underlying circumstances that make it difficult for students to persist. Teaching DFS will increase the students’ internal resources for addressing these challenging situations.