Our first-year students arrive on campus in September in various states of mind: excited, nervous, anxious, disoriented, ready or perhaps not so ready to work, exhilarated at or overcome by their first shot at more independence. They are younger than ever before, paying more for tuition and hence working more than ever before, unversed in the culture and practices of academia that their instructors take for granted, at varying levels of preparedness, and experiencing a number of emotions and situations for the first time. If we want to maximize our students’ success experiences, we need to build learning communities that acknowledge the seismic shift that the transition to first-year university life represents.

This summer, the EDC wants to help faculty and contract instructors design first-year courses, assessments and learning environments that are informed by effective practices and infused with an awareness of the personal and educational challenges our first-year students face.

Participants will take part in hands-on activities and receive feedback from facilitators and fellow participants as they hone their abilities to:
-Elaborate on the impact of the first-year experience for teaching and learning
-Create learning outcomes suitable to an introductory-level course, especially core skills-based outcomes
-Build assessments that promote deeper learning, discourage plagiarism, and develop students’ awareness of the assessment genres characteristic of their discipline
-Create teaching activities and assignments with a focus on formative feedback
-Build learning communities, face-to-face and/or online, that foster student engagement and comfort
-Connect students in need to the support services and resources on campus

The sessions will run from 9:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. on July 27-29 and from 9:30 a.m. - noon on July 30. A light lunch will be provided on July 27 – 29.