First Year Seminar

The First-Year Seminar (FYS) at UWL is a course that is required of all first-year (entering) students, and transfer students with 15 credits or less. The course provides an opportunity for students to explore a topic of shared interest to an instructor and the students in the class, and to provide information and resources that will assist students in their transition to college/UWL. Instructors design First-Year Seminars to engage with students in discussing meaningful questions that demonstrate the relevance and consequence of college level research. With no prerequisites or assumptions of prior knowledge on the subject, First-Year Seminars provide a unique occasion for students to explore a topic or ignite a passion that can inspire future academic work. First-Year Seminars also fulfill several of the purposes of General Education by developing collaborative learning skills, critical thinking and learning skills, and opportunities for meaningful writing.

First-Year Seminars will encourage students to consider the value and purpose of General Education, as well as their college education as a whole. Students will encounter an interesting research question on the backdrop of exploring academic and career opportunities, and considering metacognitive questions related to their college experience, including: what does it mean to learn? what is college trying to teach? and what factors will lead to increased success?

By combining academic content with resources and skills that help students adjust to college, first-year seminars provide students with a unique educational experiences shown to be associated with persistence and retention.  The purpose of a required First-Year Seminar is to ensure that all students experience a high-impact practice in their first year at UWL as part of their general education. Research continues to show that first-year seminars are particularly effective and efficient at delivering high-impact practices to students early in their college careers. Orientation aspects of first-year seminars are proven to improve student retention rates. Academic aspects of first-year seminars have consistently been linked to higher student academic performance across all their classes (GPA).[i] In the longer term, first-year seminars contribute to faster times to graduation and higher graduation rates. Because of these results, 90% of universities in the United States offer a first-year seminar, and over 50% require it of all their students.[ii]

By combining academic content with resources and skills that help students adjust to college, first-year seminars provide students with a unique educational experience that is not usually available in other general education courses. One reason for this is that first-year seminars are exceptionally effective at developing students’ sense of belonging (both academic and social) because they provide opportunities to discover the relevance of learning, just-in-time resources to support student success, and a context for developing a relationship with instructors with a shared area of interest.

[i] Jamelske, Eric, “Measuring the impact of a university first-year experience program on student GPA and retention,” Higher Education, 2009, issue 57, pp. 373-391.

[ii] Permzadian, Vahe, and Marcus Credé, “Do First-Year Seminars Improve College Grades and Retention? A Quantitative Review of Their Overall Effectiveness and an Examination of Moderators of Effectiveness,” Review of Educational Research, March 2016, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 277–316.

The 3-credit First-Year Seminar course counts towards the 42 credits required for General Education and fulfills the First-Year Seminar requirement.

Kate Lavelle, FYS 100 Course Coordinator - fys@uwlax.edu

Departments will nominate instructors to be "certified" to teach FYS courses. There is no limit to the number of instructors a department can nominate. Once certified, instructors will be able to rotate in and out of instruction at the discretion of the Department. It will be up to Departments to determine when and how often each instructor can teach given the number of FYS slots the department has committed to offering.

Instructor certification is a self-paced online course developed to prepare instructors to teach FYS 100 as it has been designed at UWL. The course focuses on the primary goals of FYS 100 of building relationships with and between students, providing just-in-time information and answers, facilitating problem-based learning, and offering opportunities for students to discover the relevance of learning.

In addition to these objectives, the instructor certification course also prepares instructors to:

• Choose an interesting topic using the “enduring questions” model
• Use backward design to plan their course
• Teach for success in college, including study strategies and practices that promote belonging
• Utilize interactive learning techniques
• Discuss the value of liberal education with students
• Assess and grade a common journal assignment

Departments will determine how many sections they can offer, and this number will be confirmed as offerings are coordinated to meet the required number to reach every student. In order to meet demand, we will need to offer 75-90 sections of FYS each year divided between Fall and Spring semesters.

Each first-year seminar is organized around a topic chosen by the instructor. The topic should be something the instructor is passionate about and relates to the instructor’s academic interests. Topics should also include an “enduring question,” which means that it offers potential for engaging students, relates to a "big idea" that has value beyond the classroom, involves "doing" the subject, and invites exploration of misunderstandings or common misconceptions.

The First-Year Seminar meets for two hours each week (either in two 55-minute sessions or one 1 hour 50-minute session). This time is used for instruction centered on the topic of the course, and on the learning outcomes of the course:

1. Examine enduring questions and how they may be studied
2. Participate effectively in class discussions and collaborative projects
3. Employ strategies that contribute to success in college
4. Explain the purposes and value of a liberal arts education

There is also an online component of the course that is shared across all sections of the First-Year Seminar. Accounting for 1-hour of contact time each week, and assignments totaling one-third of the course grade, this online portion of the course is referred to as the “Common Experience.” The Common Experience is a fully developed curriculum designed to complement the content of the seminar by building skills and knowledge that contribute to success in college. This component of the course is required in all sections to ensure that all students are experiencing the same lessons, and to build consistency across all sections of the course. Currently, the Common Experience includes the following modules (delivered throughout the semester on a schedule that is shared between all sections of the First Year Seminar):

1. Connections, involvement, and resources
2. Belonging in college
3. Skills for learning
4. Understanding General Education
5. Academic planning
6. Financial literacy
7. Final reflection

The Common Experience (online component) of the First-Year Seminar contains learning content, activities, and a graded journal entry for each module. First-Year Seminar instructors are responsible for grading the journal assignments (submitted online in Canvas). A complete set of instructions for the journal assignments are provided for students, and training and instructions are provided to instructors for grading. The journal assignments are the primary way the First-Year Seminar will be assessed.

Beginning in 2020 the textbook rules that apply to all courses will apply to the First-Year Seminar. Given the learning goals of the First-Year Seminar, instructors are encouraged to use course materials that are accessible to all students. Instructors are also encouraged to utilize publicly available and open-source material as much as possible. Introductory textbooks should be avoided.

Students provide preferences for FYS 100 course topics, and registration is based on availability and scheduling fit. Not all students will be registered for their preferred course, but can switch sections with instructor permission and based on availability of seats in other sections.

No. Designed to be a truly “general” education course, the First-Year Seminar is delivered separately from any declared major, program, or College. The First-Year Seminar functions as a way for students to explore a topic joined by students from across the University. The enrichment this provides for students offers an opportunity to broaden their educational experiences beyond the cohorts that form through declared majors and clustered program requirements. If a department, program, or College wants to develop a FYS specific to their students, they are free to do so.