The First. .. Year Experience at Four-Year Colleges (2nd Edition) John N. Gardner Betsy O. Barefoot Randy L. Swing These guidelines were developed by John N. Gardner, Executive Director of the Policy Center on the First Yearof College, with the assistance of Betsy O. Barefoot and Randy L. Swing, Co Directors of the Policy Center. The Policy Center on the First Year of College is supported by a grant from The Pew Charitable Trusts and is based at Brevard College (Brevard, NC). Special gratitude is expressed to Jean M. Henscheid, Associate Director of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition; to Scott Slawinski, Editorial Assistant of the National Resource Center, for editing, layout, and design; and to Tracy Skipper, Editorial Projects Coordinator of the National Resource Center, for copy editing. Additional copies of Guidelines may be ordered at $7.00 each from the National Resource, Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina, 1629 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC 29208. Telephone (803) 777-6029. Telefax (803) 777-4699. Copyright 2001, by the University of South Carolina. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or copied in any form, by any means, without written permission of the University of South Carolina. The Freshman Year Experience®and The First-Year Experience®are trade marks of the University of South Carolina. A license may be granted upon written request to use the terms "The Freshman Year Experience" and "The First-Year Experience." This license is not transferrable without written approval of the University of South Carolina. Table of Contents Editor's Note ....................................................................................... 4 Preface .................................................................................................. 5 Suggested Processes for Using Guidelines for Evaluating The First-Year Experience ........................................... 7 Academics ............................................................................................ 9 Support for Unique StudentSubpopulations ................................ 11 Campus Administration, Organization, Policies, and Climate ........................................................................................ 13 Campus Processes, Procedures, and Activities ............................ 15 Student Life and Campus Services ................................................ 18 Contact Information ......................................................................... 22 Editor's Note The first edition, Guidelines for Evaluating The Freshman Year Experi ence, was written in 1990 by John N. Gardner and published by the National Resource Center for the Freshman Year Experience, Univer sity of South Carolina. The development of the expanded two-and four-year second editions was undertaken through grant support of The Pew Charitable Trusts and was the result of the collaborative input of Gardner, Betsy O. Barefoot, and Randy L. Swing of the Pew funded Policy Center on the First Year of College located at Brevard College. Gardner, Barefoot, and Swing also received feedback on the second editions from 65 institutions in the states of North Carolina, Georgia, and Virginia. As members of five regional first-year assess ment consortia, these institutions piloted the use of Guidelines in a structured assessment process and provided suggestions for change that have been incorporated in these second editions. 4 Preface The first college year is a composite of many events, structures, and processes, both intentional and unintentional~ that are common, yet unique, on American campuses. The following blueprint of ques tions, designed specifically for use by public and private four-year colleges and universities, can be used by an institution-wide task force looking at the first-year experienceand/ or the broader campus expe rience. This blueprint can also be used to aid in an overall process of campus self-study or assessment. A version of Guidelines is also avail able for two-year colleges. Guidelines is intended as a starting point for asking meaningful ques tions about the quality of the first year so that your campus can en hance the learning, success, satisfaction, and retention of new college students. Although the guidelines are grounded in a set of beliefs, assumptions, and values about the importance of the first year of col lege, they are not .meant to be prescriptive or inclusive; some items may not be relevant to a particular setting, and, in turn, other ques tions may need to be added to this list. It is our hope that, in respond ing to these questions, colleges and universities will recognize areas ripe for change and will set in motion plans to make improvements as needed. We also hope that institutional users will resist the ten dency to get bogged down in overanalyzing "the problem" and will instead take immediate steps to correct deficiencies. Our first-year students deserve no less. John N. Gardner Betsy O. Barefoot Randy L. Swing 5 Suggested Process for Using Guidelines for Evaluating The First-Year Experience This is just a suggested process. Campuses should develop, accord ing to their needs, interests, strengths, and unique culture, the spe cific evaluation process that is most appropriate. 1. Select a task force to focus on the nature of your campus's first year experience. Ideally, this task force should be composed of participants from all areas of the campus (faculty, academic ad ministrators, student affairs professionals, institutional research ers and assessment professionals, and students). 2. Determine who will serve as chair and in other positions as necessary. 3. Send each member of the task force a copy of Guidelines, and request that members review it before an initial meeting. 4. In its first meeting, the task force should determine the follow ing with reference to the questions in Guidelines orin regard to other first-year issues that might emerge: • What do you already know about the institution's first year experience? What do you need to know, but don't currently know? • What are the institution's greatest strengths? What are the institution's most critical weaknesses? • Is additional information needed to make a judgment' about strengths or weaknesses? If so, in which areas is this information needed? .. Which three or four areas are most critical and need/ require immediate focus, analysis, and possible change? The point is to keep the focus of the process manageable. . You may appropriately choose not to take on all aspects of the first year and instead concentrate on selected components you deem most in need of your immediate attention. 7 • What data are needed in order to conduct a thorough problem analysis, and where are those data available? ., What external help is needed with assessing these ar eas and making recommendations for change? 5. Divide large task forces into smaller working subcommittees as needed to study issues in depth and make"recommendations for change. 6. Either working in small subcommittees or in a large group, col lect available qualitative and/ or quantitative data on the problems selected for further study. 7. Develop possible solutions to the problems. 8. Meet again with the task force to develop suggested plans of action for change in the areas determined to be most critical. 9. During the period of their work, working committees should meet at least once every two weeks to refine the process of assess ment, share findings, and develop strategies for further work. The larger task force should convene at least once a month to hear re ports from the smaller committees and share ideas. 8 Academics The Formal Curriculum How is the first-year curriculum structured? Do depart ments have desired learning outcomes for first-year students within various disciplines? Are there integrated academic experiences that are designed to explain the value of core curricula, general education, or the liberal arts? Is there some academic experience that is shared by all first-year students? Borrowing the concept developed by the National Insti tute of Education's 1984 report, Involvement in Learning, to what extent has your institution "front-loaded" the academic experience, assuring that first-year students have access to high-quality courses taught by the most respected (and most senior) faculty? Are writing and speaking integrated as intentional com ponents of first-year classes across the curriculum? Are first-year students introduced to the process and value of critical thinking in first-year courses? When, how, and by whom are first-year students taught to use the library and technology? How effective is. this instruction? Does your college or university offer or require a first year seminar? Is this course evaluated according to established goals, and are faculty who teach the seminar provided adequate training and support? What is the faculty / student ratio in introductory courses? Is this a desirable ratio? Does your institution have an attendance policy? Does that policy set higher standards for attendance in first-year courses? Has your campus undertaken any kind of study of classroom attendance patterns, especially for Friday classes and first-year courses in general? 9 Faculty Issues Who (tenured/untenured, full-time/part-time, senior fac ulty / graduate student) is teaching first-year courses across the cur riculum? If your campus uses graduate students (TAs) to teach first year courses, are the TAs provided some instruction in methods of college teaching? Do international teaching assistants have sufficient English language skills? How are these skills measured and improved? Within criteria for tenure and promotion, what is the rela tive merit assigned to teaching first-year courses or advising first year students? Are faculty / staff development programs available and/ or required to enhance instruction and student support during the first year? Pedagogy Are faculty encouraged to take risks and experiment with new, interactive pedagogical methods in first-year classes (i.e., group learning, service learning, use of technology)? Within designated "high-risk" courses, is extra support available for students (e.g., tutoring, Supplemental Instruction, required group study)? Has your institution considered the creation of and/or implemented learning communities (i.e., the linking of two or more courses across the curriculum) for cohorts of first-year students? Have faculty designed service-learning courses for first year students across the curriculum? How is technology being integrated into instruction? Does every student have ready access to a computer, the Internet, and the World Wide Web? Academic Advising and Tutorial Assistance Overall, how would you rate your campus's system of aca demic advising? What is its current structure (e.g., faculty advising 10