Betsy Barefoot, EdD Vice President & Senior Scholar Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education October 21 st , 2010 The First-Year Seminar at Midterm: Time for a Mid- Course Correction?
Mar 26, 2015
Betsy Barefoot, EdD
Vice President & Senior Scholar
Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education
October 21st, 2010
The First-Year Seminar at Midterm: Time for a Mid-Course Correction?
The First-Year Seminar• A different kind of teaching
– More personal– More holistic– More ambiguous– May be less driven by the need to cover content than
students’ needs
• It’s not everyone’s “cup of tea.”
Reaching the Mid-Point: Time to Take Stock
Do you need to make a “mid-course
correction”?
Is your plan (conceived several months ago) . . . .
meeting the needs of
your students?
your own needs as
an instructor?
Your Personal Reactions
Are you focused and moving forward?
Are you overwhelmed? (the “homeroom”
effect)
Your Personal Reactions
Are you enjoying your class?
Or, are you counting
the days until it’s over?
Your Personal Reactions
• Are you a first-time instructor of a first-year seminar?
• Or an “old hand”?
• Would you do it again?
What Has Been Most Enjoyable – Most Frustrating?
• The students?
• Course objectives and expectations? Are they reasonable for the amount of credit offered?
• The textbook?
• What else?
.
Course Expectations1. You will cover
many topics.2. You will
transform students into
engaged learners.
3. Students will
know how to study and love it!
4. Students will
persist & graduate.
How Are the Students Responding to Your Class?
• Have students left your class or left the institution?
– Do you know why?
• Based on YOUR class, does the “first six weeks” notion make sense?
• Is there a problem with class attendance? What is your attendance policy?
How Are Students Responding to You and to the Course Content?
• Have you asked for feedback on your instructional style and course content?
• What would students like you to . . . –stop? start? continue?
• Are you hearing these comments?–“I know all this stuff – I don’t need this course.”–“This course has too much busywork.”–“This is a crip course.”
What Can You Do to Address Complaints
• Be receptive to criticism.
• Make sure that both you and your students understand
the purpose of your course and the rationale for each
component.
• Work with other instructors to guarantee consistency of
requirements across sections.
• Work with a peer leader.
• Make your course a “real” course, whatever that means in
your institutional context.
Evaluating Student Needs at Midterm: A Checklist
• Midterm is time to – Meet with each student one-to-one to get to know them better and to determine their progress in other courses– Refer students to helping services on campus. Remember that “suggesting” may not be enough.
• Tutoring, writing center, math lab, counseling services, etc.
• Are you a participant in your institution’s early warning/early alert system?