1Communication
5Adaptability & Leadership
6Professionalism
10Information LiteracyThe assignment, with support, and a form you can fill in and save.
Every journey starts somewhere. This first Mile Marker is about getting clear on where you are right now: why you're here, what you're hoping for, what you already bring to the trail, and where you stand with AI.
Your responses don't need to be perfect. They need to be honest and specific. You'll come back to this reflection later in the course when you build your capstone project.
AI use: AI-supported
You may use AI as a thinking partner to explore your ideas. Work with what it gives you, then write your responses in your own voice.
See the AI Course Policy in the syllabus. Want a place to start? Try the optional AI thinking partner prompt.
Submit your responses in the Mile Marker #1 assignment in Blackboard. Check Blackboard for the due date.
Want help keeping it organized? The fill-in form at the bottom of this page saves your answers as a PDF named "Mile Marker #1" that you can upload to the assignment.
Prefer paper? A printable handout for this Mile Marker is with the assignment in Blackboard. Fill it in by hand, then upload a photo or scan.
Jump to the fill-in formWhat motivated you to take this step? Was it career goals, personal growth, a fresh start, family, stability, or something else? What made OCTC the right place?
Names at least one specific reason you chose college, and one reason you chose OCTC.
Consider grades, habits, balance, confidence, exploring careers, or something entirely personal to you.
Defines success in your own words, and connects it to something you actually want this semester.
Think about what you already bring to the table: work ethic, persistence, curiosity, communication skills, resilience, or something else. How will it support you this semester?
Names one strength and explains how it will help you this semester, ideally with an example of when it has helped you before.
Lesson 1.2: The 10 Essential Skills can give you words for a strength.
Be specific. "Do better" isn't a goal. "Pass my math class" or "meet with my Success Coach twice" is a goal.
States one specific, realistic goal, names at least two concrete steps you'll take, and says what success will look like when you reach it.
A goal is specific when someone else could tell whether you reached it. A step is concrete when you could put it on your calendar.
Name at least two places you already use or run into AI. They can be obvious, like a chatbot, or hidden, like autocorrect or your recommended videos. Then tell us where you stand today. Maybe you're excited, unsure, skeptical, or you'd rather not use it at all. All of those are fair answers. If you can, name one way AI could support your learning without doing the learning for you.
Names at least two specific examples of AI in your daily life and describes honestly how you feel about using it for school. There's no right position here, only a clear one.
If you'd like help thinking through your answers before you write, try this prompt in any AI tool:
"Ask me a series of questions to help me reflect on why I chose college, what success means to me right now, what strengths I bring as a new student, and how I feel about using AI for school."
Use what's useful. Your final response must be in your own words.
The 3 Qs in Lesson 1.4 apply here too.
Mile Markers are scored on reflection, engagement, and effort, not perfection. Strong responses are thoughtful, specific, and written in your own voice, using complete sentences and a college-appropriate tone.
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 4Strong Progress | Your response is thoughtful, specific, and clearly connected to the purpose of the Mile Marker. You show strong reflection, effort, and engagement with the topic. |
| 3On Track | Your response addresses the main parts of the task and shows reflection and engagement. Some ideas could be explained in more detail or connected more clearly. |
| 2Developing | Your response is partially complete or too general. More detail, reflection, or clearer connections are needed. |
| 1Needs Revision | Your response is very limited, incomplete, or unclear and does not fully address the task. |
| 0No Evidence | No submission was provided, or the response does not meaningfully engage with the task. |
Type your responses below, then select Save as PDF. Upload the PDF to the Mile Marker #1 assignment in Blackboard.
Your typing is saved in this browser as you go, so you can come back later on the same device. It isn't sent anywhere until you upload it.
