Faculty Resources
How to Develop New First Year Seminar Courses
First Year Seminar courses have been determined to be High Impact Educational Practices (Source: High-Impact Educational Practices: What They Are, Who Has Access to Them, and Why They Matter by George D. Kuh, (Washington, DC: AAC&U, 2008). For information and more resources and research from LEAP, see www.aacu.org/leap.)
The High Impact Educational Practices include: First Year Seminar Courses and Experiences, common intellectual experiences, learning communities, collaborative assignments and projects, undergraduate research, diversity/global learning, service learning and community based learning, internships, and capstone courses and projects.
University College is here to assist you in the incorporation of these high impact practices.
First Year Seminar courses should include a variety of learning experiences and, whenever possible, should incorporate high impact practices such as common intellectual experiences, learning communities, collaborative work, and service learning and community based learning.
Please contact University College to discuss how you may develop a course for First Year Seminar. This course will serve to introduce students to your program area, recruit students who may be interested, and form learning communities of students within your area which will increase program completion.