Effective: Fall Term, 2001
 

Course Number:  INTRAUNIV 900-104

Course Title: New Student Seminar

15 Character Abbreviation: newstudentsem
25 Character Abbreviation: newstudentseminar
 

Sponsor: Larry Schuetz		E-mail Address: schuetzl@mail.uww.edu
Department: General Education		College: Letters & Sciences
Co-sponsor: Linda Long		E-mail Address: longl@mail.uww.edu
Department: New Student Programs		College: Student Affairs

 

Other Programs Affected:

Check if course is to meet any of the following requirements:

__ None __ Writing __ Computer __ Diversity _X_ General Ed: Area GI
 

Credit/Contact Hours: (per semester)
 

Total lab hours:	_______		Total lecture hours:	___16_____
Number of credits:	_____1___		Total contact hours:	___16____

Check if course is repeatable: __x__ No ___ Yes If "Yes", answer the following questions:
 

No of times in major	________		No of credits in major	________
No of times in degree	________		No of credits in degree	________

Enter the appropriate titles if the course is required in any of the following:

Major Title(s):
Minor Title(s):
Emphasis Title(s):

Course justification: In 1991 the National Research Center for the Freshman Year Experience published a research-based rationale for a first-year seminar. Among their findings: The freshman year is a critical period during which students are most likely to withdraw from higher education (the national average is about 25%). There is evidence that institutional characteristics have as much or more impact on college withdrawal than do student characteristics., and that intrusive institutional support should be delivered early to combat the high rate of freshman attrition. The benefits of freshman orientation are enhanced when the program is extended into a full-semester course for first-year students. (Cuseo, Joeeph B. The Freshman Seminar: A Research-Based Rationale for Its Value, Delivery, and Content. The National Resource Center for the Freshman Year Experience, 1991).

Relationship to program assessment objectives: Retention of students from the first year to the second year is a major concern. Assessment will include research on the grade point averages and retention of students who did and did not enroll in the course, as well as credits completed, awareness and use of services, and connections students have made to the campus at the end of the first semester and first year. Both focus groups and pre-tests and post-tests will be used to assess the outcomes. In addition, UW-Whitewater may have the opportunity to participate in a pilot benchmarking initiative sponsored by the Policy Center for the First Year Experience.

Budgetary impact: Faculty and instructional academic staff would be given the choice of a $500 stipend for teaching one section or could "bank" one credit. Those who bank a total of 3 credits would be given release time for one semester.

Course description: This course is designed to help facilitate a positive adjustment to the first year of college through the development of both written and oral communication skills, critical thinking skills, and group presentation skills. Students will: explore the purposes of higher education and its potential outcomes; develop skills of social interaction, self-awareness, and personal development through team projects and class presentations, attendance at university events, and programs promoting an appreciation of diversity; review the university’s resources, policies, and procedures; investigate personal interests and strengths while setting academic and personal goals; and learn effective skills to help them cope with the world around them.

Course requisites: Open to Freshman Only

If dual listed, list graduate level requirements for the following: N/A

Course objectives and tentative course syllabus:
 
 

1. Students will demonstrate critical thinking and communication skills through challenging reading and writing assignments and class presentations. (General Education Goals 1 & 5)

2. Students will articulate the purposes of higher education and its potential outcomes. (General Education Goals 1 & 5)

3. Students will participate in two activities that will help them refine their academic and career goals. Students will establish sound relationships with an academic advisor to help guide these decisions. (General Education Goals 1 & 2)

4. Students will explore their own personal value system and long-range personal goals through journal entries and class activities. They will continue to develop an awareness of their own identity and culture and an awareness of cultural differences. (General Education Goal 2)

5. Students will demonstrate effective skills (study skills, time management, personal financial responsibility, stress management) to cope with the transition to the university environment and subsequently the world around them. (General Education Goals 2 & 9)

6. Students will acquire information about such health issues as alcohol and other drugs, sexuality, and general wellness issues to help them make responsible choices. (General Education Goal 9)

7. Students will continue to develop an appreciation for the fine and performing arts through participation in and/or attendance at events. (General Education Goal 7)

8. Students will become familiar with the vast array of student support services available to them that will enhance their ability to succeed. (General Education Goals 1 & 5)

9. Students will gain an understanding of their rights and responsibilities as students and good citizens. (General Education Goal 2)

Course Requirements:

• Class attendance and participation
• Journal articles and in-class reaction papers
• Reports on a campus organization and one campus arts event
• Team project

• Introduction to course - getting acquainted; goals for course; pre-test
• Reading assignment for Session 2 - Ch. 1 "Strategies for Success"
• Writing assignment - personal goals for attending UW-W; personal journal entry

• Why Am I Here? - discussion of the goals of higher education and the general education program; personal goal-setting; the student-teacher connection
• First journal article due
• Reading assignment for Session 3 - Ch. 2 "Plan Ahead" (a chapter on time management skills)
• Writing assignment - Critically look at your academic and personal schedule. Plot a "budget" for the first month. Write a brief journal article on the most challenging aspects of your personal time management.

• Managing Your Time and Your Life - Applying critical and analytical thinking to two major concerns for first-year students.
• In-class assignment: Three-minute paper predicting personal challenges and successes by the end of fall term (to be returned at end of term).
• Students are to have an organization of interest identified by this date.
• Reading assignment for Session 4 - Ch. 3 "Active Learning: the Student-Teacher Connection"; Ch. 4: "Learning Styles: Discovering How You Learn Best"
• Writing assignment - Exercise 4.2 - Assessing Your Learning Style and Exercise 4.3 - Assessing Your Courses & Instructors.

• Your Personal Learning Style - Applying What You Have Discovered.
• Reading Assignment for Session 5: Ch. 5: "Critical Thinking and Writing as Core Tools"; Ch. 6: "Classes - Listening, Note Taking, and Participating"; Ch. 7: "Reading - Getting the Most Out of Your Assignments."
• Writing assignment - personal journal entry

• Studying More Effectively
• Suggested reading and/or "mini lecture" from a core course with note-taking exercise and quiz
• Assignment of team research projects
• Reading assignment for Session 6 - Ch. 10 "Courses and Careers: Utilizing Academic Advisers and Other Resources"
• Technology/Writing Assignment: Exercise 10.4 - Critically Thinking About Your Life Goals - identifying your priorities and what influences (people, information, events, etc.) caused you to make those choices.

• "Critically Analyzing Your Career Plans"; using Holland’s Model of Career Fields; resources for career decision making available in UW-W’s Career Services Office
• In-class assignment - "The Personality Mosaic"
• Reading Assignment for Session 7: Ch. 9: "Your Campus Library and Computer Resources"
• Technology/Writing Assignment: Choose one of the resources for career exploration on the web or a computer guidance system available in the Career Services office. Write a one-page summary of what you learned related to your personal life/career goals.

• Developing Your Academic Plan. An in-class review of academic program requirements, the Academic and Career Planning Portfolio, and reading the Academic Advisement Report (in preparation for advising/registration for the next term).
• Reading Assignment for Session 8: Ch. 8: "Academic Honesty" and the Guide for Citizenship.
• Writing Assignment: Personal journal entry.

• Personal Integrity
• In-class team case studies of academic honesty and student behavioral expectations.
• Reading Assignment for Session 9: Ch. 11: "Relationships: Friends, Family, and Campus Involvement."
• Writing Assignment: One-page paper on campus participation (organization, service project, campus committee, etc.) due.

• The Synergy of Academic and Co-Curricular Activities - student leader panel discussion about transition difficulties, campus involvement, and their personal advice for success.
• Reading Assignment for Session 10: Ch. 14: "Alcohol, Other Drugs, and Sexuality: Making Healthy Choices"
• Writing Assignment: Personal journal entry.

• Values and Decisions: Thinking About Personal Choices
• In-class presentation/discussion with counselor from the Student Assistance Program
• Reading Assignment for Session 11: Ch. 13: "Stress Management: Coping with Tension, Campus Safety, and Money Issues."
• Writing Assignment: A choice from Exercises 13.2 (Protection from Stress), 13.3 (Setting Priorities), or 13.4 (Monitoring the Media).

• Setting Priorities and Dealing with Stress
• In-class discussion about common stress-producing situations in college students and possible solutions.
• Reading Assignment for Session 12: Focus on Contemporary Issues - UW-Whitewater
• Writing Assignment: Personal journal entry.

• Campus Safety and Security
• In–class case studies from First Time Around: Case Studies of the Freshman Year Experience.
• Reading Assignment for Session 13: Ch. 12: "Diversity: Celebrating Differences in Culture, Age, Gender, and Abilities"
• Writing Assignment: Exercise 12.1 - "Sharing Your Background" or 12.5 "Combating Discrimination and Prejudice on Campus."

• Diversity Within the Campus Culture - discussion regarding diversity within the study body and faculty/staff; curriculum; social and residential settings (possible inclusion of a volunteer from Individual and Society class to assist with discussion).
• Explore campus to identify at least ten reflections of the diversity at UW-W (e.g., dining options, artwork, names of campus buildings, programs, student organizations).

• Review of reflections of campus diversity
• Presentation of team projects.

• Bringing It All Together: an in-class activity to develop a personal mission statement.
• Writing Assignment: Final journal entry

• Final meeting
• Post-test
• Course evaluation

Bibliography: (Key or essential references only. Normally the bibliography should be no more than one or two pages in length. Indicate current library holdings by placing an asterisk [*].) All materials are available in the New Student Programs Office, Baker 119.

Suggested Resources:
Gardner, John N. and Jeweler, A. Jerome. Your College Experience: Strategies For Success, 4^th Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing. 2001.

Picciotto, Madeleine. Critical Thinking: A Casebook. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2000.

See, Patti and Taylor, Bruce. Higher Learning: Reading and Writing About College. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. 2001.

Welsh, Michael. First Time Around: Case Studies of the Freshman Year Experience. Dubuque: Kendall Hunt Publishing. 1999.

UW-Whitewater Catalog

UW-Whitewater Guide to Citizenship
 

Additional Resources:
Astin, Alexander W. What Matters in College? Four Critical Years Revisited. (1993) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Astin, Alexander W., Sax, Linda J., et al. The American Freshman : National Norms (several years through 2000). Los Angeles: Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA.

Barefoot, Betsy O., et al. Exploring the Evidence: Reporting Outcomes of the First-Year Seminars. (1998) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Browne, M. Neil and Keeley, Stuart. Asking the Right Questions: A Guide to Critical Thinking, 6^th Edition. (2001) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Carnevale, Anthony P. and Fry, Richard A. Crossing the Great Divide: Can We Achieve Equity when Generation Y Goes to College? (2000) Princeton: Educational Testing Service.

Erickson, Bette LaSere and Strommer, Diane Weltner. Teaching College Freshmen. (1991) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Hunter, Mary Stuart and Skipper, Tracy L. (Eds.) Solid Foundations – Building Success For First-Year Seminars Through Instructor Training and Development. (1999) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Knowlton, Steven R. and Barefoot, Betsy O. Using National Newspapers in the College Classroom. (1999) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Levine, Arthur and Cureton, Jeanette. When Hope and Fear Collide: A Portrait of Today’s College Student. (1998) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Levine, Jodi H. (Ed.) Learning Communities : New Structures, New Partnerships for Learning. (1999) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Mosher, Ralph L., et al. Moral Action in Young Adulthood. (1999) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Pascarella, Ernest T. and Terenzini, Patrick T. How College Affects Students. (1991) San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Paul, Richard and Elder, Linda. Critical Thinking: Tools for Taking Charge of Your Learning and Your Life. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Ruggiero, Vincent Ryan. Becoming a Critical Thinker, 3^rd Edition. (1999) Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Upcraft, M. Lee and Kramer, Gary L. (Eds.) First-Year Academic Advising: Patterns in the Present, Pathways to the Future. (1995) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.

Upcraft, M. Lee, Mullendore, Richard H., Barefoot, Betsy O., and Fidler, Dorothy S. (Eds.) Designing Successful Transitions – A Guide For Orienting Students to College. (1993) Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience.