First Year Experiences Revisited

I originally wrote about this topic in November of 2022 and thought that I would add to this discussion as we near the end of a year and perhaps ponder about the beginning of the next. The introduction of the FYE is often attributed to events that occurred in the early 1970s (Gore & Metz, 2017). In the article, College Seminars for First Year Students (2000), the authors summarize key factors in FYE. The first is the attention to Pedagogy and Staffing.

Most first-year seminars are taught in small classes of eighteen to twenty-five students. Content is dynamic in that it evolves to meet the changing needs of the students and the institution. Instruction in FYE requires instructors who are interested in intense student content, and who both understand and embrace the unique goals, content, and processes inherent in FYE. Students are expected to actively engage in discussion, share in the teaching as well as learning and in some cases participate in the creation of the syllabus. Instructors must therefore give up some of the traditional power associated with teaching. Active-learning techniques are frequently employed, including experiential learning, collaborative projects, discussions, role play, cooperative learning, and oral presentation. A common goal among many seminar programs is the development of a community of learners. Faculty employ formal and informal feedback techniques, the incorporation of formative assessment measures, and including opportunities for significant reflection through student writing.

Secondly, Instructor Development is extremely important. Outcomes of effective instructor development include faculty development, professional and personal development, the development of community, improvements in teaching and learning, quality and consistency across seminar sections. FYE provides fertile ground for the development of innovative teaching strategies. Teaching FYE encourages a rethinking of both teaching and the entire higher education enterprise. Many faculty who participate in an FYE faculty-development workshop and then teach a seminar bring new teaching techniques to their discipline-based courses. Furthermore, attending a faculty-development workshop and teaching a seminar can boost faculty morale, help faculty better meet the academic and non-academic needs of students, and improve teaching in many other courses.”

Another way to organize FYEs are Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs), which are living and learning communities, organized around a theme. Data show a higher retention rate and higher first semester grade point average. High Impact Practice (2012) are a common attribute of FYE, learning communities and undergraduate research. HIPs emphasize the development of skills like critical thinking, reliability, qualitative reasoning, work ethic and time management.

References

Driscol, D. (2014). Clashing values: A longitudinal, exploratory study of student beliefs about general education, vocationalism, and transfer of learning. Teaching & Learning Inquiry, 2(1), 21–37.

Fuller, I. (2014). Redesigning the first-year orientation course: How a discipline-specific approach can deepen student engagement. AAC&U Liberal Education, 100(3).

General Education in the 21st Century: A Report of the UC Commission on General Education. Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education. (2007) CSHE.7.07.

Gore, P., & Metz, A.J. (2017). First year experience programs, promoting successful student transition. In: Shin J., Teixeira P. (eds) Encyclopedia of International Higher Education Systems and Institutions. Springer, Dordrecht.