At Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, freshmen were placed in groups of up to 25 who took three classes together during their first semester: an English class, usually at the developmental level; an academic course, such as health or psychology; and a one-credit orientation course. The program also provided enhanced counseling and…

Evaluation of a faculty advising program at a large, public, urban commuter university had student pairs of entering first-year students and transfers matched, with one of each pair participating in the program. Results were compromised by low participation but suggest that students feeling comfortable and respected during advising sessions were…

This booklet contains a blueprint of questions that can be used at public and private four-year colleges and universities by an institution-wide task force examining the first-year experience or the broader campus experience. The blueprint can also be used to aid in an overall process of campus self-study or assessment. The questions a task force…

This paper reports on research that examined longitudinal data on students entering Tennessee Board of Regents institutions of higher education after the implementation of a state-mandated developmental studies program. The program identifies and helps at-risk students to persist in college to graduation. Data analysis is presented from a 1986…

Use of microcomputers to teach basic prose writing to university students was investigated. The CAI program presented information, responded to answers, and evaluated input. Subjects were 50 University of Victoria freshmen. Few significant differences occured between experimental and control groups. CAI can apparently be used effectively to…

This 59-item annotated bibliography covers suggested reading material published between 1956 and 1991 to assist college faculty and administrators in promoting first year success for college freshmen. The bibliography is divided into seven sections of resource materials. Section 1 contains suggested readings on both objective research on the…

Based in part on a study at Towson State University, Maryland, retention was found to be linked to advising. In response to this defined linkage, a freshman advising program was developed which emphasized mandatory participation, increased faculty awareness of the complexities of advising, self-assessment, the merger of Academic Affairs with…

Describes and evaluates the Mathematics Workshop Program (MWP), which recruits first-year students of all races but typically enrolls primarily minority students. Data clearly suggest that MWP has succeeded in promoting high levels of academic performance among African American mathematics students. (AF)

This paper describes a model in-service training program for assisting faculty members in functioning as academic counselors (as differentiated from their traditional role as academic advisors) during a pre-enrollment freshman counseling and advising program: the first stage of academic advisement. A model for assessing the impact of the training…

This paper describes an academic assistance program designed to help ethnic minority students adjust to the demands of university life and succeed both academically and personally. The Excel program has three major components: a two-semester, two-credit core seminar; weekly instructional support groups; and peer led tutorial/discussion groups. The…

This document is a compendium of information from 34 colleges and universities on freshman seminar/student success courses and their outcomes and how institutions are evaluating and reporting on these programs. Freshman seminars or success courses are courses for entering students that aim to ease the student's transition to the college…

Modifying the classroom behavior of passive college students is central to the task of improving education. At Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, an Academic Orientation Workshop for freshmen was designed to communicate the college's expectations of high student involvement in classes from the outset of the student's college experience, in order to…

Beginning in fall 1991, Napa Valley College (NVC), in California, switched from essentially mandatory placement of incoming students to an advisory, self-selection system, where students receive course recommendations based on assessment test results. In order to evaluate the validity of NVC's assessment procedures, a study was conducted of…

Educating for Success, an instructional program designed to enhance college student self-esteem through analysis of personal successes and strengths, values identification, conflict management, and positive reinforcement was validated with 394 first-year college students in experimental and control groups. Results showed significant improvement of…

Orientation for first-year college students is important for students, parents, and the institution. It should fit institutional traditions, values, and culture, involve parents, be staffed by well-trained current students, and be carefully evaluated for improvement. Mississippi State University's program focuses on retention and is festive,…