PACE 111—the course that all students wish they had had. Why? Well, you’ve probably heard the saying, it’s a lot easier to get
somewhere if you know where you’re going? And especially if you have a map? Well, that’s exactly what we’re going to do in PACE 111.
We’re first going to find out where it is you want to go. What is your vision for the future? And then we're going to plot out a way to get you
there . In other words, Pace 111 is your how-to-succeed at UMUC course. In it, we're going to explore your academic strengths, those that you
have right now, perhaps those that are a little bit rusty, and perhaps those that you need to develop. In short, Pace 111 puts you on pace to
be successful at this university. So, who is the guy making all of these pronouncements? Hi, my name is David Taylor, and I'm going to be
your coach-facilitator for the next eight weeks in this course. So, let me tell you a little bit about myself. I live in Savannah, Georgia, with my wife
and son. My son is a college freshman at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. But he is an online student. So, I'm going to have an
everyday reminder of exactly what it is you’re going through as an online student. I got my doctorate degree in composition and rhetoric at
the University of Mississippi. Before that I study at Arkansas State University and the University of Tennessee, where I got my master's and my
bachelor's. I served in the Navy during the Vietnam era, and my father is retired Navy so I bet I shared that with a lot of you as well, that
military service. I have been at UMGC for 15 years and I have loved every year of it. Why? Because UMGC students are the best. I cannot
believe what you guys do. You work full time, you have a family and all those obligations, and then you choose to go to school. That takes
courage, drive, determination, strength, and that makes you very special. I want to tell you right now that not everybody in the world can do what
you’re doing. And I mean that sincerely. As a matter of fact, one of the happiest days of my life is going to be sitting in that audience and
hearing your name called as you walk across that stage. That is going to be a great day, for you especially and your family and everyone
who will have supported me throughout this journey. Okay, let's talk a little bit about this course and what is in it. The first thing we're
going to do is to map out your personal goals. Then we're going to take stock of your academic skills because these are skills that are going to
help make you successful at a university. And some, as we said earlier, you’re going to need to develop, but overall you're going to find out
exactly what it is that a successful student does in terms of their academic skills. We're also going to build your personal success plan.
We're going to make sure that you know where you're going and how to get there. We're going to explore your career options. You may come
to the university with a kind of sense of what it is that you want to major in. But there, I bet, are a lot of majors and career opportunities here that
you’re going to be made aware of for the first time. And who knows? One of those may end up being the career path that you pursue. That
happens a lot by the way. Students come in with one major in mind and then discover something new, something that really puts the
fire in their belly. Finally, we're going to end the course with making sure that you are aware of and know how to use all of the support elements
of your support group, which includes of course your family, your friends, your classmates, your teachers. But also we want to make sure that
you know all of the great UMUC resources that are available to you 24/7. You're going to be amazed by the number and the utility of them.
Let me leave you with this last word. Communicate. One of the most important things that you can do in this course is to maintain
constant communication with me. Here is my telephone number and my text number. Yes, that is mine, and I want you to use it and abuse
it. I am available to you 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. seven days a week. If I don't pick up right away, know that I will get back to you within 24 hours. And
the same goes for the email address that you now see. Expect a response immediately but certainly within 24 hours will be the longest. And
why is this communication so important? Because you’re going at something new. And anytime you’re put in a new environment with a
new set of tasks, especially in an online environment, you're going to have a lot of questions. Things are going to be confusing as
you journey along that learning curve. Well, I want to be there to answer those questions for you immediately. I don't want you to ever spend
or waste any time trying to answer questions yourself when I could answer them for you quickly and easily with a simple text, a simple
phone call or a simple email. So, please, please, promise me that you will always stay within contact with me whenever you have any
questions. Is that a deal? Okay, then you guys take care and I can't wait to see you in class.