eSource for College Transitions, Vol. 18 No. 1
September / October 2020
First-Year Seminar and Faculty Pivot to Remote Teaching Rebecca Campbell, Editor, E-Source for College Transitions First-year seminars are perhaps the most widely recognized strategic initiative within the first-year experience and are a driving force in first-year student success on many campuses. Broadly defined, the first-year seminar (FYS) is a course designed to integrate students socially and academically into the university. Its design is based on Tinto’s (1993) model of student departure, which highlights the connection between student engagement and persistence. The FYS has also been influenced by Astin’s (1984, 1993) work on shaping the college experience to ensure positive outcomes. In March 2020, in-person classes in higher education pivoted to an online delivery mode in response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. For the FYS, this posed particular challenges because of its mission of social connectivity; the FYS has traditionally avoided hosting its courses online due to the difficulties in fostering engagement and facilitating community and connections within the university context. Similarly, disciplinary faculty historically faced challenges in moving courses online while maintaining the academic rigor that allowed students to meet general education or pre-requisite requirements. The sudden and swift move to online instruction gave faculty very little time to adapt. Hodges et al. (2020) note the distinction between online teaching and learning and “emergency remote teaching.” To acknowledge the efforts of faculty in making the transition in such a constricted timeframe that limited their ability to carefully design and plan instruction (Hodges et al., 2020), the term emergency remote teaching (ERT) will be used here. This article highlights how two campuses retooled their FYS for online delivery. It also includes the experiences of two faculty who pivoted disciplinary courses. In each of these situations, creativity, innovation, compassion, and resilience abound.
Two First-Year Seminar Pivots University of Tampa Located in Tampa, Florida, the University of Tampa is a private university with more than 9,600 students. It offers 124 sections of its FYS as a required, one-credit, graded course with an enrollment of 2,200. Only 1% of courses were online before March 2020, so many members of faculty were unfamiliar with online pedagogy when the ERT transition came. Nevertheless, their shift focused on maintaining a high standard of social integration despite the potential isolation of the online modality. University of Tampa faculty collaborated online and via email with the local community, alumni, and parents of students. The brainstorming sessions resulted in a novel way to embed social integration into the online FYS by implementing a three-pronged approach: (a) innovative class activities, (b) creative partnerships, and (c) connections.
Innovative Class Activities
Using Zoom, faculty hosted online movie gatherings and “UT Jeopardy” games about the campus and local community. Prizes
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The University of Tampa offers 124 sections of its first-year seminar with an enrollment of 2,200. Only 1% of its courses were online before March 2020, but staff were committed to maintaining a high standard of social integration after the switch to remote classes. were mailed to students’ homes. One instructor held “Waffle Wednesdays” where students enjoyed their favorite breakfast together on Zoom. Others held “bring your dog to class” day, online study sessions, and trivia nights.
Creative Partnerships
Partnerships were also made to build community and further encourage social integration: one with the campus bookstore and another with a prominent, local scholar. The FYE program teamed with Barnes & Noble to create an online form that allowed faculty to send pre-approved University of Tampa gifts to students. Each gift was accompanied by a note from a peer mentor (e.g. ,“Here is a little something to remind you of your second home.”) This gesture kept the university in the minds and hearts of students. The university also hosted a COVID-19 Q&A session about the origins, pathology, and threats of the coronavirus with Eric Freundt, an Oxford University graduate, national science scholar, and director of the university’s Office of Undergraduate Research and Inquiry. This event connected 25% of the FYS students to the university’s resident expert, and many students included their parents and other family members in the session.
Connections
Through the use of online technology, parents and alumni were included in class events. For example, one course invited parents to watch students perform brief skits. Alumni with expertise in business, law enforcement, health care, and more were invited to give lectures and demonstrations related to some of the themed
