Peer mentoring programs have repeatedly shown that peer-to-peer support is a vital part of the transition process for new college students. Sometimes, what a student needs most in those imperative years is someone who can identify with them and provide the advice needed to get them to the finish line. In August 2019, the University of Nevada, Las…

This article describes All Rise, a career and calling circle (CCC) designed to address first-year underrepresented pre-law college students' sense of belonging. The article focuses on how the practice was designed, developed, and evaluated. Although restorative practices such as the circle process have emerged in response to addressing student…

The paper describes guidelines for the planning, organization, and implementation of virtual activities within a metaverse environment, aiming to familiarize students with key concepts related to hard and soft acids and bases (HSAB) theory. The guidelines are based on experience gained during an online lesson given in January of 2022 for 188…

Students with disabilities are enrolling in colleges and universities at increasing rates, but not completing degrees with comparable success as their peers. First Year Seminars (FYS) are commonly employed by colleges and universities to address retention, strengthen connections between the student and the institution, and enhance the likelihood…

For business schools, AACSB and Middle States' call for more experiential learning is one reason to provide study abroad programs. Universities must attend to the demand for continuous improvement and employ metrics to benchmark and evaluate their relative standing among peer institutions. One such benchmark is the National Survey of Student…

In September 2011, the Association of American Universities launched a major initiative to improve undergraduate STEM education. The overall objective was to influence the culture of STEM departments at AAU institutions so that faculty members are encouraged and supported to use teaching practices proven by research to be effective in engaging…

With the growing volume of obtainable medical information and scientific literature, it is crucial that students in the field of allied health professions develop and refine the research skill set necessary to effectively find, retrieve, analyze, and use this information. This skill set can be effectively developed using student inquiry; an active…

"The First-Year Seminar: Designing, Implementing, and Assessing Courses to Support Student Learning and Success," a five-volume series, is designed to assist educators who are interested in launching a first-year seminar or revamping an existing program. Each volume examines a different aspect of first-year seminar design or…

Retaining college-level science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students remains a priority in higher education. A variety of methods have been shown to increase retention, including mentorship, tutoring, course enhancements, community building, and engagement in high-impact practices such as undergraduate research. In 2011, an…

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…

The School of Engineering and Design Multidisciplinary Project (MDP) at Brunel University is a one week long project based activity involving first year undergraduate students from across the School subject areas of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering and Design. This paper describes the main aims of the…

BEGINNING IN 1964, THE RHETORIC DIVISION OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS BEGAN AN EXTENSIVE STUDY OF ITS RHETORIC PROGRAM. IN SUMMER 1965, THE INSTRUCTIONAL STAFF MET WITH HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS AND CONSULTANTS TO REVIEW THE UNIVERSITY'S PROGRAM AND TO PLAN A REVISION OF THE BOOKLET, "STANDARDS IN FRESHMAN RHETORIC AT THE UNIVERSITY 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…

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…

In late 2003, the regional campus of the University of South Australia initiated a peer-mentoring program aimed at assisting the smooth transition of new students to university life. In particular, the Nursing and Rural Health unit envisaged a program that would be effective and rewarding for both student mentees and mentors. This paper presents…