Connections

Connections is an innovative program, built from the ground up with a growth-mindset approach to college and career success. Written by counseling psychologists Paul Gore, Wade Leuwerke, and A.J. Metz, Connections emphasizes the importance of self-reflection, self-assessment, and self-efficacy. For this edition, the authors applied those concepts towards understanding the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, and social belonging. All students should feel like they belong in their campus community, and this text encourages students to challenge their previously held assumptions, develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for others and their life experiences, and treat others with respect and dignity.

For this edition, the authors significantly revised Chapter 11, formerly “Connecting with Others,” now titled “Social Belonging.” This chapter helps students reflect on and build their communication skills, develop their emotional intelligence, resolve conflict, and embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion. All of these concepts are crucial to living and working in a way that creates inclusive communities, and teaches students to recognize and appreciate individual differences and our complex identities.

Each chapter of Connections includes two first-person narratives, Voices of Experience, modeling the real-world effects of chapter concepts in the lives of college students and graduates. Each chapter features case studies from both a student and an employee or employer, to illustrate how students can use the skills in the chapter both in their first year of college and in their career. These narratives feature a diverse group of real students, employees, and employers who shared their stories and experiences with our authors. Three new Voices of Experience narratives have been added to the Third Edition.

Constructive conversations around diversity and inclusion rely on having clear, working definitions of diversity-related terms. Chapter 11: Connecting with Others includes Table 11.2, “Common Elements of Diversity,” which describes elements of diversity such as race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, mental and physical ability, religion, socioeconomic status, and age. Each description includes additional resources to learn more and better understand these elements. This chapter also covers the complexity of identity, including topics related to intersecting identities, biculturalism and multiculturalism, and self-presentation and conformity. Students are encouraged to promote equity and inclusion, develop multicultural competence, and learn and advocate for ourselves and others.

Equity means promoting equal outcomes in not just college success, but also in career success. The Third Edition includes a new Chapter 13: Career Readiness, which scaffolds the entire process of landing an interview, internship, and job. Students learn how to discover their interests, develop a resume, and pursue career opportunities. Throughout the text, a diverse set of case studies of employees and employers (“Voices of Experience”) positively model career skills that align to NACE (National Association of Colleges and Employers) competencies.

In the development of Connections, Third Edition, we combed through the text to ensure that we were depicting and representing as many different types of students to be as inclusive as possible. For example, the new edition includes a photo in Chapter 4: Organization and Time Management that depicts a father and is part of a strategy to better represent “nontraditional” students. A photo on Chapter 3: Motivation, Decision Making, and Personal Responsibility depicts an athlete in a para-athletic competition, and is part of a strategy to better represent a diversity of abilities. In addition, a new photo in Chapter 11: Social Belonging includes a positive celebration around a pride flag.

Cartoons can be powerful pedagogical tools, using humor that can disarm stress and other negative emotions that can be barriers to success. For the Third Edition, we looked at how we could update our cartoons to even better represent the diversity of our students. To do this, we drew on our established working relationship with cartoonists whose work had been featured in the previous edition of Connections, and some of these artists agreed to revise their original artwork. For example, a cartoon that appears in Chapter 6: Reading for College Success was updated so that one of the subjects now wears an earring, in an effort to better represent identities that don’t conform to traditional binary gender norms. Another illustration, on memory in Chapter 8: Memory and Studying, now includes a diversity of hair styles and more color.

Given the extreme changes students had to undergo during the Covid-19 pandemic, the authors wanted to meet students’ needs and address ways in which students can succeed in online learning as well as in-class learning. To further support students, the new edition includes an Appendix on Online Learning, seen here. This list provides helpful strategies for online learning, and refers students to where they can find more information on these strategies in the textbook.

I hope that our work helps students develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for others; recognize that advantages and barriers exist for certain groups of people; and advocate for those who continue to be marginalized and oppressed. We know that when students feel personally accepted, respected, and included, it impacts their self-worth, scholastic competence, and college adjustment. Thus, promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion is critical in the first year and beyond.