College Transition Program

In-Class Instruction

The College Transition Assistance Program 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. The CTAP Program is located in Billings. Listed below are course descriptions.

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

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 use will use College Keyboarding Text to improve keyboarding skills.  This text evaluates your skill level and customizes typing lessons accordingly, allowing you to get personalized instruction that becomes more challenging as your skills improve. This program also includes ergonomic videos and checklists to help ensure safer posture.

Students will enhance their typing skills with the text provided along with the keyboarding software.  Students will become familiar with the home row on the keyboard.  Students will learn which fingers to use on the keyboard.  Students will gradually build their 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.

Introduction to Chemistry Science

This course will present a selected overview of the basic principles and concepts of general college-level chemistry. Topics may include terminology, inorganic and organic chemical aspects of life, the atomic model of matter, energy, chemical bonds and reactions, the states of matter, acids and bases, and chemical calculations. This course will prepare students for enrollment in an introductory college Chemistry class.

Literature / Reading

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.

Spanish

This is a beginning course designed to introduce you to the Spanish language and the Hispanic culture.  This course will prepare you for a college language course.  It is assumed that students have not taken previous language study or experience when entering this class.

Objectives include: Spanish vocabulary acquisition, basic grammatical structures, communicating, writing and reading in a culturally significant context.

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.