Dr. Angela Vaughan Director, First Year Curriculum and Instruction

Why is the first semester typically so challenging for students?

» Challenge and Support ˃Successful college students need to be able to do college-level work » High Expectations

It is: » A 3-credit Liberal Arts Core (LAC) elective course ˃Helps students fulfill their required 40 LAC credits » An academic course ˃Students are expected to read research articles, write papers, and take exams ˃Coordinated curriculum

It is: » A research-based course ˃Theories such as goals, motivation, information processing and memory ˃Educational Psychology discipline » A practical skills course ˃Time management, personal finance, 4-yr education plan, professional communication, etc.

It is: » A training course ˃Because successful students: +Go to class (attendance policy) +Prepare ahead of time for class (reading quizzes and other assignments) +Turn work in on-time (no late work accepted)

It is: » A transition course ˃Instructors that care about the individual student and his or her success +An immediate point of contact if students need help or guidance ˃Additional reminders about expectations and student responsibilities ˃More explanations and rationales ˃One-on-one check-ins

It is: » A small class with 30 or fewer students ˃Instructors know their students and their names the first week ˃Highly interactive and student-centered – everyone participates

It is not: » Orientation » Remediation » An easy A or blow-off » Guest speaker-a-thon

» An apples to apples comparison ˃Participants were matched with nonparticipants on 5 characteristics: +Gender +First Generation Status +Ethnicity +High School Index (GPA, ACT/SAT) +# of Fall Credit Hours ˃Result +342 participants matched to 342 nonparticipants