First-year seminars (FYS) are courses "intended to enhance the academic and/or social integration of first-year students" (Barefoot, 1992, p. 49). In 2008, the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) introduced a list of 10 high-impact practices (HIPs) that had been tested and found to have significant positive…

University educators struggle to provide effective assistance to students for the transition to college life (Center for Collegiate Mental Health, 2019). Like many other institutions, Florida State University, population 42,000, has grappled with how best to help students meet these challenges. In 2018, the university administration requested a…

The transition to college life presents myriad opportunities, hurdles, and learning experiences. Honors education emphasizes the importance of building community. This article showcases a program developed to engage first semester honors students in community through cocurricular activities designed to raise their awareness of diversity,…

The Elon Gap Experience (EGE) was conceived out of Elon University's most recent strategic plan, the Elon Commitment (Elon University, 2009). One theme calls for "strategic and innovative pathways in undergraduate and graduate education," specifically "to launch a service program as part of a gap-year program" (Elon University,…

We used quantitative data from the National Study of LGBTQ Student Success to investigate if participation in high-impact educational practices influenced lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ+) students' academic development. We also examined if these effects are mediated by perceptions of the campus environment. Our findings suggested that…

This study explores the concept of strategies as a means for understanding how students negotiate the transition to college. Based upon a qualitative study of eight first-year students at an urban, commuter, public four-year college, it explores how students experienced challenges, perceived influences, and devised strategies during the freshman…

Although the case teaching method is most prominent in graduate schools, the technique is well suited to freshman seminar courses that seek to promote student development and self-discovery. Discusses how cases have been developed and integrated into Freshman Seminar 101, a required one-credit course at a private liberal arts college. (JPS)

Evaluated outcomes of freshman orientation seminar on orientation to college. Found college freshmen's (n=113) participation was associated with improved academic and social adjustment, in contrast to normal trend of declining adjustment over first semester. Seminar seemed successful at increasing participants' knowledge of university and…

To increase students' academic success and retention rates, colleges and universities are increasingly implementing seminars that will equip students with academic survival skills such as note-taking and doing library research. UNCC's program was found to be effective, and possibilities for further investigation were offered. (BF)