Utilizing an innovative edutainment framework, the Halls of Ivy College Prep Program is a revolutionary new program that promotes social and emotional learning (SEL) for college while improving literacy. Read on to find out how to include the Halls of Ivy curriculum in your class, after-school program, summer camp, book club, or home. Available in Paperback and E-Book formats!
HALLS OF IVY COLLEGE PREP PROGRAM
What is the Halls of Ivy College Prep Program?
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program includes a set of three books that has participants 1) read a fun college mystery novel from beginning to end depicting many typical college experiences. While reading, they 2) complete activities using a companion workbook to reflect on social and emotional themes in the novel. An Educator Guide 3) provides step-by-step instructions for educators, including reading schedules and learning outcomes. The program is based on a proven edutainment curriculum based on a peer-reviewed study, which you can read here, or you can read this blog series about learning through edutainment. It focuses on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL). Students who complete the program are better prepared for the social and emotional demands of college life.
The structure of the program overcomes two major limitations of traditional college prep programs:
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Traditional college prep programs focus primarily on academic college preparation, such as math and writing, but rarely focus on social and emotional skills for navigating the college environment.
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Traditional college prep programs often include lectures, presentations, and homework activities seen as "unappealing" by students.
While students in academic college prep programs may enter college with a decent academic background, they may experience social and emotional challenges when trying to make friends, resolve conflicts, or ask for help. This is especially problematic for students who are the first in their families to go to college. Without proper social and emotional preparation, students may struggle to properly socialize into the college environment and drop out despite having good grades. The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program creates a fun and engaging way to develop social and emotional skills for college life.
The Halls of Ivy Program is designed and taught by College Readiness expert Dr. Roland Nuñez, Executive Director of Early College Programs.
Learning Outcomes
Participants who complete this program will be able to:
- Describe traditional college experiences such as attending orientation, building college relationships, making friends, and joining college organizations.
- Explain the role of student affairs professionals and RAs at a college or university.
- Judge the story of the novel for its practical relevance to real colleges and universities.
- Demonstrate how they would deal with similar college problems experienced by the characters.
- Analyze specific character traits from the perspective of the character and the perspective of others.
- Differentiate between different student approaches to surviving college.
- Analyze and identify symptoms and behaviors of students in a crisis.
- Critically judge the decisions and actions of a character in a novel.
- Create a college orientation program from scratch using the knowledge gained from the novel.
Additional learning outcomes are provided in the Educator Guide. Keep reading to learn how the curriculum in this program can spearhead or supplement existing college prep initiatives in your class, home, or organization.
Program Reviews
Transforming Education through Edutainment
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program uses an edutainment curriculum to anticipatorily socialize prospective college students into the college environment.
This Tedx Talk talks about the concept of edutainment, its history inside and outside the classroom, and modern approaches to edutainment to make learning more fun and accessible to all types of students.
To learn more about edutainment, you can read about a study on the effects of college media on students, and a study on using edutainment in the classroom.
What topics does the Halls of Ivy College Prep Program Cover?
The Halls of Ivy college mystery series includes four fictional novels, with each novel covering one year of the students' 4-year college education. The college prep program focuses on the topics and learning outcomes of the first novel. This book was specifically designed to include a number of common college topics that can be discussed in a class or book club. Below are just a sample of the college topics covered in the novel.
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Student engagement
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New student orientation
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Homesickness
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Exposure to different faiths
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Going to counseling
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Fraternities and sororities
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Class registration
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Mental Health
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Student affairs professionals
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Resident Advisors (RAs)
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College parties
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Relationships and breakups
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Academic integrity
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Homecoming
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Making new friends
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Nontraditional students
The College Prep Study Guides
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program Study Guide is a companion workbook to the Halls of Ivy college mystery novel. Using the guide, readers will have the opportunity to dig deep into the characters, setting, story, and themes of the novel for a better understanding of higher education.
These feature-rich workbook includes the following content:
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An overview of the Halls of Ivy novel, including the plot, setting, characters, themes, and narration styles
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A chapter-by-chapter theme analysis with accompanying discussion questions for reflection
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A set of post-reading reflection activities organized by cognitive complexity (least to most complex)
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A college topic glossary, where each topic covered in the book is listed in alphabetical order along with the chapter where the topic is discussed
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program Educator Guide is an educator's best friend.
In addition to all the content contained in the Study Guide, the Educator Guide adds additional background information and instructions for a teacher, instructor, parent, or group facilitator that wants to prepare students for college in a fun and engaging way.
The Educator Guide includes the following features:
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A detailed explanation of the methodology used in the program with references
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Suggested program schedule and reading timeline
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Specific student learning outcomes for every question found in the Study Guide
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Optional assessment service
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Answers to content quiz
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Plus everything found in the Study Guide!
For a limited time only, get a FREE digital copy of the Educator Guide (pdf) to let you see the program for yourself.
Request your FREE guide!
College Prep Program Costs
College Prep Program Bundle
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program is flexible in that it can be implemented in many ways to best utilize your time and budget. There are two main options: with facilitation and without facilitation. Facilitated programs include an instructor that handles everything, from the initial orientation, to the reading schedule, to the reflection activities, to the final assessment and reporting. Non-facilitated options allow you, the educator, to take the role of instructor. Using the Halls of Ivy Educator Guide, you will be provided step-by-step instructions to implement the program from start to finish. Read below to read the benefits of each option.
Facilitated Programs
By selecting the facilitated program option, program creator Dr. Roland Nuñez will take care of the full program from start to finish. This includes an initial consultation with the educator, an orientation meeting with participants to provide program outline and initial pre-test assessment (if selected), chapter-by-chapter review (medium and long courses only), reflection activities after novel is finished, and post-test assessment and reporting (if selected). There are three types of courses available, depending on your time and your needs.
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Short Term Course- 2 sessions total; a one-hour orientation session with participants to discuss program and assign the readings, and a follow-up two-hour session after the participants read the novel to complete workbook activities and discuss college engagement. Great introductory course when time is limited. Synchronous and asynchronous modules available.
Cost- $75 per student (10 student minimum); includes 1 novel and 1 study guide per student -
Mid-Length Course- 5 one-hour sessions total; First session is program introduction and orientation, second session covers chapters 1-9, third session covers chapters 10-21, fourth session covers chapters 22-31, fifth session covers chapter 32 to the epilogue and workbook activities. Provides a deeper dive into the novel and its themes. Synchronous and asynchronous modules available.
Cost- $119 per student (10 student minimum); includes 1 novel and 1 study guide per student -
Full Term Course- 13 one-hour sessions total; First session includes program introduction and orientation, sessions 2-12 include in-depth chapter-by-chapter review with workbook activities, and last session includes reflection activities and discussion. This option provides the most thorough and immersive college learning experience. Synchronous and asynchronous modules available.
Cost- $199 per student (10 student minimum); includes 1 novel and 1 study guide per student
The length of the course can be modified based on your existing schedule. The short term course can be completed in as little as one week or as long as a month, depending on allocated time to finish novel. The mid-length and full term courses can have scheduled sessions or modules every day, every few days, every week, a full semester, or a custom schedule that best works for you. Discounts available for groups of 30 or more.
Prices listed include virtual sessions through teleconferencing software (for synchronous sessions) or LMS software (for asynchronous modules). Please contact me if you would like in-person facilitation to discuss additional travel costs and scheduling availability.
Non-Facilitated Programs
The non-facilitated option is a cost-effective way to complete the Halls of Ivy College Prep Program. This option allows you, the educator, to lead the course using the Halls of Ivy Educator Guide. The guide provides in-depth, step-by-step instructions to implement the course, including the learning methodology, suggested reading timelines, listed learning outcomes, answers to content questions, and additional educator tips. This option comes in two forms: with educator orientation and without educator orientation.
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With Educator Orientation- This option includes a one-hour educator orientation with program creator Dr. Roland Nuñez to discuss the program, review the Educator Guide, and answer any questions you may have so that you feel prepared and ready to lead the program for your participants. Shop the store.
Cost- $9.99 per study guide; $10.95 per novel; $11.99 for Educator Guide; $50 one-time orientation fee -
Without Educator Orientation (Books Only)- This option simply includes purchasing the Halls of Ivy Educator Bundle or the bulk quantity Classroom Bundle. Both bundles include the helpful Educator Guide that walks you through every step of leading the college prep course on your own. Shop the store.
Cost- $9.99 per study guide; $10.95 per novel; $11.99 for Educator Guide; discount if bought as bundle
Optional Assessment Service Add-on
The Halls of Ivy College Prep Program includes an optional assessment service add-on that can be used to quantitatively measure and evaluate the learning that took place through the program. There are a few assessment tools available, including multiple regression and Q methodology, and will vary based on your specific needs, your budget, and the number of participants in your program. All assessment methods will include a pretest given to the students at the beginning of the program, and a posttest given to them at the end of the program. Using the collected data, we will perform the data analysis and provide you with a user-friendly report that you can review and share with others as appropriate.
If you are interested in discussing assessment options that would meet the needs for your program, please contact me for a free consultation. I will work with your budget to find the best fit.