Schools have implemented the high-impact practice of first-year experience (FYE) courses to assist students with the transition to college. These courses help connect new students to the school with the goal of improving retention. While students in computing majors face the same challenges as other new college students, they also face some…

Online education is growing, but retaining students is still a challenge. However, student engagement is one of the factors contributing to student retention in online education. Online instructors and instructional designers should value student engagement in online courses. The first two weeks of an online course are critical; students start to…

Wawasan Open University (WOU) provides working Malaysians access to quality higher education via Open Distance Learning (ODL). As admission of students involves students from diverse backgrounds, including diversity of ability, age groups and educational backgrounds, WOU faces the real challenge of effectively engaging and supporting these…

Introductory science courses play a critical role in the recruitment and retention of undergraduate science majors. In particular, first-year courses are opportunities to engage students in scientific practices and motivate them to consider scientific careers. We developed an introductory course using a semester-long series of established…

Over the past few years many universities worldwide have introduced a common first year for all engineering disciplines. This is despite the opinion of many academics that large classes have negative effects on the learning outcomes of first year students. The University of South Australia is also faced with low motivation amongst engineering…

We transformed our first-year curriculum in biology with a new course, Biological Inquiry, in which greater than 50% of all incoming, first-year students enroll. The course replaced a traditional, content-driven course that relied on outdated approaches to teaching and learning. We diversified pedagogical practices by adopting guided inquiry in…

Three faculty members from three different professional disciplines outline strategies to engage first-year students in a team-taught, multidisciplinary first-year experience course. The theme of the discussed section is titled food for thought...and action. Assignments are grounded in theories of cooperative and experiential learning. Tentative…

College level remediation programs are generally unsatisfactory because students tend to give these noncredit courses low priority and do not seem to transfer the skills learned to their content courses. In addition, because students are simultaneously enrolled in regular content courses requiring skills they have not yet developed, they often…

This report describes a program at Curry College (Massachusetts) to support college students with learning disabilities in developing metacognitive awareness and achieving academic success. The Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL) was established in 1970 and has been recognized as a national exemplary program. An overview describes the…

This paper describes the Study Skills program at Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, a project designed to help students from diverse backgrounds and educational experiences to successfully complete their undergraduate education. The materials focus on specific academic competencies such as taking notes, designing a self-management…

Given that adult students need an introductory learning experience, critical features of a learning process and components of a successful curriculum are presented. Adults need an opportunity for a realistic self-appraisal of their potential as adult learners. (Author/MLW)

Reforms in higher education are appearing in the new guidelines that are being developed for general education curriculums across the country. Constituents leading education reform have suggested that writing be integrated across the curriculum and embedded within several discipline-based courses. Advocates of this approach require that schools…

During 1987-88, Manor Junior College, in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania, developed a semester-long freshman seminar designed to help students understand the college system, to strengthen students' identification with their vocational program and career choice, and to improve students' academic competencies and confidence in their ability to achieve…

"Avenues to Success in College," a noncredit first-year orientation course, taught study and coping skills, familiarized students with campus facilities, and provided information about drug/alcohol use and other first-year concerns. Students completing the course earned higher average grades, were less likely to experience academic…

A strategy to improve retention and graduation rates of culturally-diverse students in postsecondary settings is described, along with a framework for counselors and educators working with these students. A guided studies seminar in psychological education utilizes a highly-structured educational program and emphasizes the Deliberate Psychological…