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• be an active learner
• be an active community member
• take responsibility for your experience
• take care of your well-being
• act with integrity

Be an active learner

In order to succeed at Seneca, you need to be an active learner. This means you need to invest in your education. You are expected to attend classes. This one seems pretty obvious, right? But it can be really easy (especially if the freedom is new to you) to just skip one class, which can snowball into more issues because it can lead to feeling overwhelmed trying to catch up on the content and work that was missed. You are expected to:

• Ask questions. If you don’t understand something during a class or from assigned work, you need to ask your professor. They want their students to be successful and they don’t know what you don’t know, so you need to ask. Put up your hand, send emails, attend office hours.
• Complete readings/pre-work and assessments. In order to earn grades and receive feedback, you need to submit assessments. They allow professors to check your comprehension and provide you with feedback, so you can continue to learn and improve.
• Submit assessments on time as much as possible. There are usually grade deductions associated with late submissions and some professors will not accept late work at all. Know the policy at the beginning of the term, so you understand the consequence of submitting work late or missing an assessment entirely.
• Be in communication with your classes. This will likely look like checking your email daily, logging into the learning management system and checking the other communication channels your campus uses. Make sure you know where to look and how frequently you are expected to check in with your class.

Be an active community member

Once you begin attending Seneca, you have become part of the community. Whether you are attending online, in person, or a combination, you belong to the community. While no one is going to force you to get involved, you have a social responsibility to engage with the community to some degree. You are expected to interact with your peers. You may be asked to turn to a peer during class to discuss a concept, to work on a group assignment, or you may want to join a study group. While you don’t need to change who you are (you may be less inclined to engage with people if you are shy or introverted), you will inevitably be involved in social/academic interactions. There are other ways you can engage in the Seneca community that both benefit your academics and your social life. Most campuses have peer groups, pub nights, sports games, residence activities, clubs and many other opportunities for you to get involved. Your level of involvement for social interaction is up to you, but being involved socially will also help you to feel like you are an active member of the community and provide you with a support system.

Take responsibility for your experience

Your experience is what you make of it. If you choose to go to class, do the bare minimum to pass and go home, then you are likely not going to feel very connected to the campus, program, professors, or peers. The same goes for your academic experience. You are expected to seek support when you need it, review feedback from your graded assessments (don’t just throw those graded assignments away!), and ultimately make improvements to your work. Think back to your “why” and stay accountable to yourself.

Take care of your well-being

If you are coming from a previous experience where you are used to teachers or parents reminding you to do things and taking care of you, there is going to be a transition to taking care of yourself. Even if you have been responsible for yourself for a while, the first year at Seneca brings on new challenges. You are expected to advocate for yourself and take care of yourself physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually and socially. It’s up to you to take time when you need it and seek out the support you need.

Act with integrity

You are expected to act with integrity in all aspects of your experience at Seneca. This includes treating people well, being an ally and standing up for those that could use some support. You want to ensure you are holding yourself to your own values and beliefs. But it also applies to your academics. You are expected to complete your own work, cite sources you use and ensure you are adhering to Seneca’s Academic Integrity Policy.