E-Source for College Transitions | Vol. 18, No. 4

Page 1

Vol. 18 No. 4 December 2021

An Assessment of First-Year Seminar Modality and Academic and Social Belongingness

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1

Kennesaw State does a deep dive on how first-year seminar modality affects student engagement and outcomes.

Deborah Smith , Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, Dept. of Interdisciplinary Studies, Kennesaw State University Miyanna Clements-Williamson , Student, Kennesaw State University Kennesaw State University, a large, public, R2 university in the Southeastern United States, has a long-standing three-credit hour, free elective, first-year seminar (FYS) course which met the institution’s previous first-year curriculum requirement. The FYS faculty were housed in an academic department devoted solely to first-year and students in transition. Over the course of an academic year, an adhoc committee of several full-time FYS faculty met to discuss possible course revisions. One proposed course update was to revise the course learning outcomes, which primarily focused on skills and knowledge acquisition. In order to align with current literature (Shook & Keup, 2012; Strayhorn, 2018) and best practices (e.g., near-peer mentoring and positive student/faculty interactions), the faculty deemed emphasizing students’ sense of belongingness should be a primary course learning outcome. Furthermore, they agreed it was essential to focus on two aspects of belongingness – social and academic.

Belongingness Overview Social belongingness concerns a human need for connectedness while academic belongingness involves feeling successful and capable in one’s endeavors (Strayhorn, 2018). Both constructs are related to student attrition (Pittman & Richmond, 2008; Strayhorn, 2018) and as thirty percent of college students do not progress from their first to second year of college (Schneider, 2010), it is important to continue to explore why first-year college retention is so low. Ranging from a lifetime of reduced earnings to a loss in perceived college prestige, students and universities suffer multiple negative consequences when students do not persist to graduation.

Study Purpose While the general effectiveness of FYS has been well researched, the literature is less robust in its comparisons of FYS modalities (e.g., course meeting formats such as hybrid, online, or in-person) and their effectiveness in meeting course learning outcomes. Additionally, while the literature thoroughly discusses the importance of belongingness, there are not studies in which belongingness and the modality of the FYS are considered together. Thus, the purpose of this study was to assess how effective the various FYS course modalities were in helping students achieve academic and social belonging. The data gathered was then used to inform course redesign.

Assessing Sense of Belonging by Course Modality in FYS The FYS compared were four sections the lead author (hereafter referred to as I) taught in the previous academic year and included classes that met (a) twice a week in person (one as a stand-alone seminar and one embedded in a learning community); (b) fully online (asynchronous); and (c) in person 34% of the time and online the remaining 66% (hybrid format). Other than the difference that students in the learning community went through an application and selection process, there were no other differences between the students in the four classes. All students in the three non-learning community sections chose to take the elective FYS. The students in the learning community section chose to be in the program, which included the FYS as one of the two required courses. All four classes contained identical assignments, readings, activities,

An Assessment of First-Year Seminar Modality and Academic and Social Belongingness

4

The Benefits of a Provisional Admission Program as a Strategy to Increase Enrollment The College of Charleston uses provisional admissions to increase enrollment without lowering enrollment standards.

6

Effecting Change: A Redesigned FYS Call-to-Action ServiceLearning Project Reinhardt University redesigns their service-learning project to increase student engagement and allow for online delivery.

9

11

Rethinking a Faculty Academic Advising Model Moravian University considers fundamental questions about faculty advising and strengthening its connections to the first-year seminar.

Who Gets In?: Determining Equitable Admissions Criteria for Students from Migrant Backgrounds Problem The University of Kansas facilitates the transition of a vulnerable group of students through the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP).

WWW.SC.EDU/FYE/ESOURCE


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.