La Trobe University Library has embarked on an institution-wide project with the objective of enabling students to engage with scholarly and credible information from the first year. This initiative by the library is in response to La Trobe curriculum reform. In particular, it aligns information literacy with the inquiry/research graduate…

Described a program, HEAP, which attempted to humanize and personalize the junior college program for freshmen at Laredo Junior College in Texas. (Author/RK)

Most college and university retention programs do little to change the quality of academic experience for students, especially during the first critical year of college. One of the most promising reforms is establishment of "learning communities," which feature block scheduling to enable students to take classes together, are organized…

FOR A REPORT ON COLLEGE PROGRAMS IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION, THE ASSOCIATION OF DEPARTMENTS OF ENGLISH OBTAINED SYLLABI AND COURSE DESCRIPTIONS FROM DIRECTORS OF FRESHMAN COMPOSITION IN 66 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES. AMONG THE DATA ASSEMBLED FOR THE FULL REPORT (AVAILABLE AS TE 500 190) ARE THE DESCRIPTIONS OF FRESHMAN ENGLISH COURSES AT NINE…

One institution's experience in developing and implementing a freshman program is translated into suggestions for others, addressing such issues as faculty involvement, openness of discussion, program objectives, costs, faculty development, experimentation, and mistakes. (MSE)

Intended for use in curriculum planning, course development, and program evaluation, this report contains data from a study of the writing abilities of entering freshman students at the University of Texas at El Paso. The first chapter of the report provides background information concerning the need for systematic assessment of the writing…

There is a large body of well-conducted research that supports the value of freshmen orientation seminars in promoting the success of first-year students at community colleges. Orientation programs have been shown to improve retention, program completion, and the level of academic performance of these students. In addition to improving student…

Maine's York County Technical College (YCTC) developed a College Success Management course to help students learn and adopt strategies that promote their college success. In designing the course, a review of related literature was completed to determine the background and purposes of student success courses, data on student attrition, expected…

A pilot program at the University of Michigan integrated the teaching of developmental writing and the teaching of introductory psychology based upon the two-fold principles of writing-across-the-curriculum: learning to write and writing to learn. The program consisted of four components: (1) a series of brief autonomous composition assignments…

Project Vision was undertaken by the Pennsylvania State University Commonwealth Campus System (which includes 18 different campuses across Pennsylvania) to explore the potential of interactive instructional technology. Three campuses were chosen to participate, each of which selected a librarian, three faculty, and 20 incoming freshman students.…

While the library is at the center of many campuses physically, it is often an overlooked and underused resource in improving the learning and success of first-year college students. Librarians, classroom faculty, administrators, and higher education researchers come together to explore the potential of the library in shaping the student…