What is a First-Year Seminar?

Mary Stuart HunterAssociate Vice President

University 101 Programs and

National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition

shunter@sc.edu

What makes a course a First-Year Seminar?

Deconstructing “First-Year Seminars”

First-Year For new students

First year in college

First year on our campus

Seminar Small class sizeSetting for exchange of

ideas and information Through discussion,

responsibility for teaching and learning is shared

Origins of First-Year SeminarsJohns Hopkins University – 1877

non credit, system of faculty advisers (Gordon, 1989)

Lee College – 1882first reported first-year seminar (Barefoot & Fidler, 1996)

Boston College – 1888first extended orientation seminar (Gahagan, 2002)

Reed College – 1911credit, orientation course (Fitts & Swift, 1928)

1948 survey indicated that 43% of institutions offered a required orientation course (Gordon, 1989)

Increased growth of first-year seminars since 1980

In 2009, 86.5% of survey respondents (n=890) indicated they had a first-year seminar

(National Resource Center’s 2009 Nationqal Survey of First –Year Seminars)

What is a First-Year Seminar?A course designed to “assist students in their academic and social development and in their transition to college. A seminar, by definition, is a small discussion-based course in which students and their instructors exchange ideas and information. In most cases, there is a strong emphasis on creating community in the classroom.” (p. 275-276)Hunter, M. S., & Linder, C. (2005). First-year seminars. In M. L. Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, & B. O. Barefoot (Eds.), Challenging and supporting the first-year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college (pp. 275-291), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

A freshman seminar is a course intended to enhance the academic and/or social integration of first-year students by introducing them to (a) a variety of topics, which vary by seminar type, (b) to essential skills for college success, and (c) to selected processes, the most common of which is the creation of a peer support group. (p. 49)Barefoot, B.O. (1992) Helping first-year college students climb the academic ladder: Report of a national survey of freshman seminar programming in American higher education. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

Types of Seminars• Extended Orientation• Academic - with uniform content across

sections• Academic - on various topics• Basic study skills• Pre-professional or discipline-linked• Hybrid

Extended Orientation Academic - with uniform content

Academic - with various topics

Basic study skills Pre-professional or discipline-

linked

Hybrid

Rationale for First-Year Seminars

Why does a first-year seminar exist on your campus?

Table talk time…. Please do not turn page or look ahead!

Your Rationale May Depend Upon

Institutional mission and visionInstitutional typeStudent needs and characteristicsCulture and politics of the campusType of seminar

Potential Rationales for First-Year Seminars

Enhances student persistence from first to second year

Increases academic performance and eventual degree attainment

Assists with academic and social integration

Encourages and intrusively demands active student involvement in learning

Provides a setting for examining and discussing student-institutional fit

Helps students transition to new learning environment and community

Transmits culture and expectations of institution

What other rationales did you discuss at your table?

A “laboratory” for good practices in undergraduate education

(Chickering & Gamson, 1987)

Student-faculty contact Active learning Prompt feedback Time on task High expectations Respect for diverse learning styles Cooperation among students

Potential Commonalities Across Seminar Types

Small class sizeDiscussion intensivePeer connectionsFaculty/student and student/student

interaction

Engaging pedagogyEarly and frequent feedbackOut of class engagementIntentional development of communityReflection of and support of institutional

mission and goals

Characteristics of “successful” Seminars (broad-based campus support and long life)

• Academic credit• Centered in first-year curriculum• Involve both faculty and student affairs in

design and instruction• Instructor training and development• Compensation or other reward for teaching• Involves upper level students in seminar

delivery• Assessment

(Barefoot & Fidler,1996)

Digging Deeper

Survey Data on Current Status of First-Year Seminars in the United States

ReferencesBarefoot, B.O. (1992) Helping first-year college students climb the academic

ladder: Report of a national survey of freshman seminar programming in American higher education. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA.

Barefoot, B.O. & Fidler, P. P. (1996) The 1994 national survey of freshman seminar programs: Continuing innovations in the collegiate curriculum. Columbia: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Chickering, A.W. and Gamson, Z.F (1987) "Seven principles for good practice in undergraduate education" American Association of Higher Education Bulletin pp.3-7

Fitts, C.T. & Swift, F.H. (1928). The construction of orientation courses for college freshmen. University of California Publications in

Education, (1897-1929), 2(3). Pp. 145-250.

Gahagan, J.S. (1992) A historical and Theoretical framework for the first-year seminar. In National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, The 2000 national survey

of first-year seminar programs: Continuing innovations in the collegiate curriculum (Monograph No. 35) Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina.

Gordon, V.N. (1989) Origins and purposes of the freshman seminar. In M.L.Upcraft, J.N.Gardner, & Associates (Eds.) The freshman year experience: Helping students survive and succeed in college (pp. 183-197). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hunter, M. S., & Linder, C. (2005). First-year seminars. In M. L. Upcraft, J. N. Gardner, & B. O. Barefoot (Eds.), Challenging and supporting the first-

year student: A handbook for improving the first year of college (pp. 275-291), San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Padgett, R.D. & Keup, J.R. (2011) 2009 National Survey of First-year Seminars: Ongoing efforts to support students in transition (Research Reports on College Transitions No. 2) Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Contact InformationMary Stuart Hunter

Assistant Vice ProvostUniversity 101 Programs & The National

Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

University of South Carolinaph 803-777-4761 shunter@sc.edu