Attrition of doctoral students at the rate of 50-60% of those who enter the program, suggests the need to examine alternative strategies within educational institutions in working with doctoral students. The purpose of this paper is to suggest how incorporating Internet technology might be one alternative in reducing attrition in doctoral…

At Creighton Univesity, a Jesuit university in Nebraska, freshmen defined as at risk academically were required to participate in a student success program, the Master Student Course (MAST). The MAST program was designed to help these at-risk students develop college-level study and thinking skills and to provide an opportunity for examination of…

This monograph considers the role of peer leadership in first-year seminars and how they help create successful transitions for incoming students. It explains how they provide meaningful leadership opportunities through various activities on campus. The monograph begins with the history of an educator's experience directing one of the initial…

Asserts that the use of journals in a service-learning course is a way to motivate first-year students to be more introspective and reflective and to document changes they undergo during their experience. Finds that students will reflect on how service-learning affects their evolving identities and their clarification of career goals. (Contains 14…

This "back to school" edition of College Connection features ideas and success stories from academic libraries that have welcomed first-year students in creative ways. Many libraries participate in campus orientation initiatives in order to introduce new students to the library as a welcoming place with helpful staff. These events can set a…

English 116: Freshman Seminar is, according to the college catalog, the "gateway course for North Central College's integrative curriculum. [It f]ocuses on writing, reading, and critical thinking related to a specific area of inquiry [and is t]eam-taught by faculty from English and another department. Topics vary, but emphasis is on rhetoric…

A 25-item self-report instrument was constructed to measure intrinsic motivation for academic work in the first-year student population. The instrument was based on a taxonomy of four types of intrinsic motivators: challenge, control, curiosity, and career outlook. The aim of this study was to provide reliability and validity evidence for the…

The first-year experience movement opens a window of opportunity for student affairs professionals to extend their educational endeavors into the classroom, thus allowing entrance into segments of campus once reserved exclusively for faculty.

At the end of the fifth year of a successful, ever expanding freshman seminar program, students in selected sections of the course, who were also enrolled in developmental reading/writing, were asked to evaluate the worthiness of the goals in terms of their own freshman year experience. The fifth year was a new pilot year for the program. Some…

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…

Freshman seminar instructors need training for identifying the frequency, severity, and other aspects of grief emotions in relation to real or perceived loss as expressed by first-semester freshmen. Psychological studies of grief suggest ways instructors can assist students in coping successfully with loss and sadness. (Author/MSE)

Followed the progress of eight cohorts of first-year college students taking an orientation course between 1986 and 1993. Found that, compared to students who did not take the course, they fared significantly better in retention, graduation rate, grade point average, and other satisfaction, participation, and skills measures. (EV)

Academically oriented first-year seminars can be good venues for teaching many of the concepts important to WAC programs, including extended engagement with a research topic and situated writing. A qualitative study of a first-year seminar program at the University of Calgary highlights faculty members' and students' responses.

There is a great need for professionals trained to work in the field of nanotechnology, particularly in food and agriculture. However, the general public knows very little about nanotechnology; therefore, few students entering college seek out educational opportunities that will lead to careers with a focus on nanotechnology. This study was…

A first-year seminar general education course provides a good opportunity to search for mathematical topics associated with the popular culture represented in the course's required films and readings. We discuss mathematical connections to several books, including "Life of Pi" and "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time," and to the…