Betsy Barefoot, EdD

Vice President & Senior Scholar

Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education

October 21st, 2010

The First-Year Seminar at Midterm: Time for a Mid-Course Correction?

The First-Year Seminar• A different kind of teaching

– More personal– More holistic– More ambiguous– May be less driven by the need to cover content than

students’ needs

• It’s not everyone’s “cup of tea.”

Reaching the Mid-Point: Time to Take Stock

Do you need to make a “mid-course

correction”?

Is your plan (conceived several months ago) . . . .

meeting the needs of

your students?

your own needs as

an instructor?

Your Personal Reactions

Are you focused and moving forward?

Are you overwhelmed? (the “homeroom”

effect)

Your Personal Reactions

Are you enjoying your class?

Or, are you counting

the days until it’s over?

Your Personal Reactions

• Are you a first-time instructor of a first-year seminar?

• Or an “old hand”?

• Would you do it again?

What Has Been Most Enjoyable – Most Frustrating?

• The students?

• Course objectives and expectations? Are they reasonable for the amount of credit offered?

• The textbook?

• What else?

.

Course Expectations1. You will cover

many topics.2. You will

transform students into

engaged learners.

3. Students will

know how to study and love it!

4. Students will

persist & graduate.

How Are the Students Responding to Your Class?

• Have students left your class or left the institution?

– Do you know why?

• Based on YOUR class, does the “first six weeks” notion make sense?

• Is there a problem with class attendance? What is your attendance policy?

How Are Students Responding to You and to the Course Content?

• Have you asked for feedback on your instructional style and course content?

• What would students like you to . . . –stop? start? continue?

• Are you hearing these comments?–“I know all this stuff – I don’t need this course.”–“This course has too much busywork.”–“This is a crip course.”

What Can You Do to Address Complaints

• Be receptive to criticism.

• Make sure that both you and your students understand

the purpose of your course and the rationale for each

component.

• Work with other instructors to guarantee consistency of

requirements across sections.

• Work with a peer leader.

• Make your course a “real” course, whatever that means in

your institutional context.

Evaluating Student Needs at Midterm: A Checklist

• Midterm is time to – Meet with each student one-to-one to get to know them better and to determine their progress in other courses– Refer students to helping services on campus. Remember that “suggesting” may not be enough.

• Tutoring, writing center, math lab, counseling services, etc.

• Are you a participant in your institution’s early warning/early alert system?