A study of the first-year academic experience at a growing liberal arts institution

Robyne Hanley-Dafoe,Cathy Bruce

doi:10.22329/celt.v11i0.4973

Abstract

How can universities ensure that the first-year learning experiences for students are in alignment with a vision of education that is purposeful, personal and transformative? This essay presents the study of Trent University’s first- year academic experience, that aimed to uncover the problems post-secondary institutions face in the ever-changing landscape of first year teaching and learning. The study captured the perspectives of faculty, student support staff and students, in both first and second year, in relation to their academic experiences. The study led to the generation of a series of recommendations and wayforwardings for consideration with the broader goal of supporting student retention as well as quality teaching and learning experiences for both students and faculty. The study spanned 18 months and included surveys, reflections, and an environmental scan of 92 first year course syllabi. This essay also includes a condensed literature review pertaining to student transition theory, student engagement, student motivation to learning, student retention, and 21st century students.

Highlights

Comment peut-on faire en sorte, dans les universités, que les expériences d'apprentissage des étudiants de première année soient significatives et personnelles et qu'elles aient un pouvoir de transformation? Cette étude explore les défis auxquels les établissements postsecondaires sont confrontés dans ce paysage mouvant que représentent l'apprentissage et l'enseignement de première année
Discussions with faculty of the First-Year Caucus suggest that, due to an increase in class sizes, combined with the increasing complexity of the needs of 21st century students, it is becoming more challenging to achieve the outcomes of first-year courses
The first-year learning experience has been predominantly studied within the frames of student transitions into university, student engagement, student motivation, student retention rates, and the 21st century learner

Summary

Method

This project spanned 18 months and included studying the first-year academic experience across four perspectives (and in four phases): faculty perspective; student service staff perspective; student perspective (both first and second year); and an environmental scan of 92 syllabi. All 122 instructors had experience teaching first year courses (level 1000), and the survey returned a response rate of 53%. In July 2015, the second phase of the FirstYear Academic Experience project commenced, where we sought out the student support staff perspective. Data was collected via retrospective self-reporting for the second-year students. According to Lam and Bengo (2003), retrospective self-reporting is an effective measure of a participant's perspective and personal accounts of an experience if the questions require minimal effort in responding. For more on the rapid growth of electronic survey use with university students, see Couper and Miller (2008)

Findings

Types of Assessments

Types of course formats

Way Forwarding