the instructor’s playbook · 06.03.2018  · references cuseo, j. 2010. “the empirical case for...

The Instructor’s Playbook:Elevate Your Game in First-Year Experience Courses

Ali Ressing, Northeastern University

Janine Bradley, University of Massachusetts Boston

Introduce yourself to your neighbor

How do you interact with first year

experience courses?

How did you get your start with

teaching?

High Impact Practices

First year seminars and experiences

Common intellectual experiences

Learning communities

Writing intensive courses

Collaborative assignments

Undergraduate research

Global learning

ePortfolios

Service based learning

Internships

Capstone projects

Student engagement

Improved academic performance

during the first year of college

“Another way in which participation in the first-year seminar

may promote students’ persistence to degree completion is by

improving their academic performance during the first term in

college. Research indicates that there is a relationship between

higher first-term GPA and student retention (Fox, 1986;

Pascarella & Chapman, 1983), higher rate of college completion

(DesJardins, et al., 2002; Nora & Cabrera, 1996) as well as

shorter time to graduation (Goldman & Gillis, 1989; Young,

1982). The first-year seminar has been found to improve

students’ academic performance during the first year of college.

Thus, by impacting the short-term outcome of first-year

academic performance, the first-year seminar may in turn

contribute to the longer-term outcome of persistence to

graduation.”

-Joe Cuseo

UMass Boston College of Science and Mathematics

● 12,000+ undergrads, 100% commuter

● Learning community model based on major

● Self-selected

● Two types of courses: faculty-led vs. advisor-led

Northeastern

Where did it happen?

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How about when??

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Best Practices of Intentional

First Year Programs

● Research Based

● Student Centered

● Mission Driven

● Intrusive

● Proactive

● Diversified

● Holistic

● Sequential

● Integrative

● Scaleable

● Sustainable

● Assessment-Driven

Best Practices

Expectations

● Set them early

● Student engagement

● Revisit as needed

Relevance

● Timing!

● Connect to student

experience

● Student input

Feedback

● Student experience

matters

● Make it matter

Peers

● Modeling

● Office hours

● Presentations

Best Practices

Best Practices

Best Practices

Best Practices

Best Practices

Expectations

● Set them early

● Student engagement

● Revisit as needed

Relevance

● Timing!

● Connect to student

experience

● Student input

Feedback

● Student experience

matters

● Make it matter

Peers

● Modeling

● Office hours

● Presentations

Discuss

What is one obstacle or challenge

you are currently facing in your

classroom?

Questions?

Thank you for coming!

Janine: janine.bradley@umb.edu

Ali: A.ressing@northeastern.edu

References

Cuseo, J. 2010. “The empirical case for the first-year seminar: promoting positive student outcomes and campus-wide

benefits.” The first-year seminar: research-based recommendations for course design, delivery, and assessment.

Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt.

Kuh, G. D. 2008. High-impact educational practices: What they are, who has access to them, and why they matter.

Washington, DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities.

Upcraft, L. M., J. N. Gardner, and B. O. Barefoot, eds. 2005. Challenging and supporting the first-year student: A

handbook for improving the first year of college. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Images

Slide 1: http://www.talentism.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/bigstock-Business-strategy-

businessman-67467796.jpg

Slide 2: https://media2.giphy.com/media/3rgXBA2pMZn1PSuYtW/200w.webp

Slide 4: https://cache-blog.credit.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/how-to-spend-graduation-

money.jpg

Slide 5: http://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2017/08/09/umass-boston-harvard-square/

Slide 13: http://www.michelfalcon.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/obstacle.gif

Slide 16: : https://www.pinterest.com/pin/582160689302834914/