“College Experience 101,” First Year Course Proposal - University of ...

“College Experience 101,”
First Year Course Proposal
Proposal: In order to increase retention of first year students at UMC, a First
Year Seminar Course should be added as a required part of the curriculum. The
course would be 1 (or 2) credit(s) and count toward the degree.
Support: Research suggests that ‘first year experience’ courses are a proven
method of retaining students. According to a meta study by Goodman,
Pascarella & Petersen (2006) “…first year seminar participants are more likely to
graduate within four years than non-participants” Pascarella & Terenzini found
that “…the chance of participants returning for a second year of college was 13%
greater than for non-participants.”
Why a First Year Seminar Course: UMC’s graduation rates must improve
drastically during the next several years. The Board of Regents has set our new
graduation rates as 40% for the fourth year, 50% for the fifth year, and 60% for
the 6 th year. They are very aggressive expectations, for our institution and we
know what we are currently doing isn’t enough to keep students at UMC.
Currently, UMC retains only 61% of their first year students. The national
average from first to second year is 80.5%. Integrated Postsecondary Education
Data System (IPEDS) data show that in comparison to surrounding schools’ sixyear
graduation data, UMC ranks seventeenth out of twenty schools in our
region. Research shows that having a First Year Seminar course is one of the
top things a university can do to help improve retention rates.
According to the National Resource Center for The Freshman Year Experience
and Students in Transition approximately 70% of American colleges and
universities offer a freshman or first-year seminar. A majority of these seminars
are designed to provide students essential strategies and information to enhance
the likelihood of their retention and academic and social success.
Research also shows that students who are able to form a bond with at least one
faculty or staff member are more likely to persist at their institution. Having a first
year seminar course would help foster those relationships. A First Year Seminar
Course would also help identify campus services, expectations and perceptions
of our students, teach campus civility, challenge our students to be diverse
learners and teach cross-cultural competence, and most importantly, how to be
responsible learners.
According to the DEEP Study (Documenting Effective Educational Practices)
published in the book “Student Success in College” all 20 school selected for this
study have a first year seminar course. “To be selected for the study, institutions
received higher-than-predicted scores on the five clusters of effective educational
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practice used by the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) “(Kuh,
Kinzie, Schuh, and Whitt, 2005). The five clusters are: level of academic
challenge, active and collaborative learning, student interaction with faculty
members, enriching educational experiences, and supportive campus
environment.
Background: Currently, UMC has four courses required of all students for
graduation: Composition I, Composition II, Public Speaking, and Computer
Applications 1010. The first three courses are designed to coincide with the
three Core Components of UMC: Communication, Critical Thinking, and Working
with Others. CA 1010 is tied to UMC’s original technology initiative, but the
majority of students now entering UMC graduated after 2000 and most are wellversed
in computer usage. In response, CA 1010, originally a quarter-long class,
has been reduced to five weeks in length.
Option I: Transform the CA 1010 course as part of an orientation class
that would focus on the transition to college life, expectations, and success.
Advantages:
• CA 1010 is already one of the four required courses, expanding it would
eliminate the necessity of adding a fifth required course
• Rapid implementation
• Can incorporate the current requirements of CA 1010
• Already built into schedule
Disadvantages:
• In order to keep class size down to effective minimums (20 max) 15-20
sections would need to be added (true of all options). However, if
significant retention gains result, this could be well worth the extra time
and cost.
Option II: Create an entirely new course (a fifth required course) which will
accomplish the same result.
Advantages:
• Less disruption in current system
• Course can be designed from scratch
Disadvantages:
• Fifth required course in an already over-burdened schedule
• Teaching load
Option III: Redesign Gen Ed. 1000 or 1001 from a developmental course
required of students who meet certain requirements, to a FYS course required of
all incoming FY students (a fifth required course).
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Advantages:
• Much of the material is being used now
• Can draw on the experience of Jim Schaar to design
Disadvantages:
• Would add additional, 5 th required course to program of study
Teaching Options:
Option I: Faculty or staff will volunteer to teach a section of first year seminar for
$1,000/ semester
Option II: Faculty/staff will be selected and asked to teach a section for
$1,000/semester
Financial Implications:
300 new freshmen with 20 students per section means there would be 15
sections of the course. Tuition rates of $205 per credit x 20 = $4,100 per class.
The University of Minnesota, Crookston currently has credit hours that are
equivalent to 1,052 students. Based on the 2003 graduation data taken from
IPEDS, National Center for Educational statistics, we currently graduate only
35.3% of our students in six years. This means that almost 65% of our students
are not completing in six years, which correlates to 684 students that do not
graduate.
Based on our 2006-07 tuition rates $7,200 (15 credits) per year, plus a student
service fee of $368 and technology fee of $1000, this equates to a loss of
$5,860,512 from tuition and fees revenue alone.
$7200 + $1000 + $368 = $8568/year
$8568 x 684 lost students = $5,860,512 lost revenue (does not include room
and board)
The cost to recruit each new student at UMC for the fall of 2005 was calculated
at $519 per student. The total cost of replacing the 684 non-returning students is
an additional expenditure of $354,996.
$5,860,512 lost revenue plus $519 recruiting replacement cost = $6,215,508
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CLASS STRUCTURE OPTIONS:
There are many options available on class structure. Below are options
that other campuses have utilized and can be discussed further.
Placement Options:
Option I: Random placement
Option II: Selected placement (for example, according to major, etc).
Option III: Random placement with possible cohort related major, admission
status, first generation, non-traditional, etc.
Extremely Important
• Required of all new freshmen
• 1 or 2 credits
• Common or prescribed curriculum, with flexibility for customization
• Can be major specific (or department specific)
• Transfer student optional
• Specific criteria needed for instructors teaching the class
• 20 students per section max.
Other options available for consideration:
• Peer Leaders in class
o Ambassadors, SOS leaders, or hand selected students
• Cohort with learning community for undeclared students
• Cohort with Living and Learning Community
• Honors section
• Mandatory attendance system
• Mandatory meeting with advisors
• Journal entries
• Common reading/reflection papers (college writing level)
Possible Class Topics: (each class needs to be structured with common
requirements so each student has a similar experience.)
• Responsible computer use in a classroom.
• Academic integrity
• What are the dimensions of a University of Minnesota Education?
• What is the mission and the unique dimension of the Crookston campus?
• An academic analysis of addictions; alcohol, sex, gambling, eating, dieting
(Jim Rothensberger material)
• Wellness in American society and applications for a college student
• Tips on effective reading and vocabulary building
• Tips on effective listening
• The obligations of a student in a college setting
• Embracing diversity in a global society
• So what do you want to be? Finding your passion. Interest inventory.
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• What are employers looking for in new hires?
• Earning a living and living a life – the balance between technical and
liberal education.
• Money management – either take charge or be victimized.
• Study skills
• Note Taking
• Reading load
• Writing level
• Tutoring available
• Advising Support
• Mandatory campus involvement in the course
o Concert and lecture
o Athletic events
o AAC workshops
o WOW Events
o Weekend Events
o Visit to academic advisor
o Club meeting or club activity
o Career and counseling services
o ATOD
o Computer skills
o Library skills
• Computer operations basics and the use of technology at UMC (the
essence of CA 1010) **Depending on which option is selected.
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