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UCIGreat Beginnings

PURPOSE

uqGreat Beginnings is the integrated first-year experience curriculum at the University of Cincinnati (Ue). Thefirst-year curriculum is part of the very fabric of the university; it promotes the achievement of academicexcellence (UC/2l Goal 3) and places students at the center (UC/2l Goal l). UqGreat Beginnings emphasizesthat higher learning extends beyond the walls of the university classroom to incorporate the greater communityand workplace (UC/2l Goal 4) while concurrently providing students with a sense of belonging andconnectedness to the university (VC/21 GoalS), its mission, and its vision for the future.

The aims of the program are (I) to help students acquire intellectual and self-management skills needed forsuccess in the university, as well as in life-long learning; (2) to get students engaged with the cultural life anddiversity of this large, urban, research university; (3) to focus students' attention on what their professional andcivic responsibilities to the world might be as educated persons; and (4) to advance students' capacity to makeconnections between knowledge gained nom multiple sources and to apply their increasingly comprehensiveunderstanding to new questions and situations.

Opportunities for student learning embedded in UqGreat Beginnings is achieved and reinforced through studentparticipation in multiple academic and co-curricular experiences that address one or more of the program's aims.Over the course of their first year of enrollment all matriculated students will experience a similar andcomprehensive, cohesive, and well-integrated introduction to higher education at the University of Cincinnati.

EXPECfED OUTCOMES

.Increased student engagement, learning, and achievement in the first year of college and beyondespecially as it relates to General Education.Progress toward increased graduation rates as measured by increased retention nom the first to secondyears of college, a preliminary indicator of success.Clearly articulated and structured first-year experience requirements across all degree programs.Clearly articulated and structured flfst-year experience co-curricular opportunities.Creation of an identifiable and active network of faculty and staff who share with one another theirknowledge and practice surrounding the flfst college year including scholarly activity related to teachingand learning.

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STRUCfURE

uqGreat Beginnings is intended to be the cornerstone upon which each student's university learning experienceis built. Therefore, its components should be designed to reflect UC's dynamic environment for undergraduatelearning and introduce flfst-year students to the types of learning activities and level of accomplishment thatgraduating students are expected to demonstrate. For example, courses and experiences that use active,experiential, or community-based pedagogies-and, that incorporate purposeful and on-going reflection as anintegral part of their design are desirable as these are signature features ofUC's undergraduate experience.Likewise, academic rigor must be maintained to protect the integrity of degree programs.

Although all students will be assured of participation in a flfst year experience, no particular structure fordelivering UqGreat Beginnings is prescribed to divisions, colleges, departments, or units. Rather, these bodies

will develop programs that, while incorporating the UCjGreat Beginnings aims and objectives, are tailored to the

unique needs of their students.

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Structures that have proven useful and may serve as models include: freshman seminars-small courses designedto introduce collegiate levt;:lexpectations and resources to support student learning; learning communities-setsof courses in which students are co-enrolled and through which content may be linked; introductory-levelacademic or disciplinary courses that are well integrated with other aspects of the first-year experience or withother aspects ofthe undergraduate curriculum; courses and activities that foster out-of-class interaction betweenstudents, their faculty, and other professional mentors; required regularly-scheduled academic advising; the use ofundergraduate teaching assistants or peer mentors; first-year student retreats and conferences, clubs andorganizations, and other similar programs that foster student participation and leadership in university life.

EVALUATION

UC/Great Beginnings is intended to be dynamic and responsive to student and university needs with even its aimsand objectives being changeable. Multiple and varied assessments to improve UC/Great Beginnings and toconfirm its effectiveness for eliciting desired processes and outcomes must be a core and regular part of its designand implementation, which follows an on-going continuous improvement model.

Each unit will evaluate its own UC/Great Beginnings content and structures. Units will use their data inconjunction with university-wide data to make ongoing enhancements to improve performance. (See appendix forpossible examples).

University-wide assessments will include analysis of aggregate data reflecting such issues as student achievement,retention, and graduation; student engagement as measured by instruments such as the National Survey forStudent Engagement (NSSE), and other comprehensive measures of outcomes including contributions toward

achievement ofUQ21 goals.

TARGETEDSTUDENTLE~GS

INTEGRATIVE LEARNING

To advance students' capacity to make connections between knowledge gained from multiple sources andexperiences and to apply their increasingly comprehensive understanding to new questions and situations,students will:. Learn how to recognize academic and professional disciplines and their interrelationships.. Gain some appreciation for how knowledge is created and shared by learning and participating in specific

methods for developing and disseminating knowledge appropriate to their field of study.. Begin learning how to utilize diverse and even contradictory points of view.. Begin to apply previously acquired skills and knowledge to practice in new and various settings.. Recognize how various courses and learning experiences contribute to mastery of the general education

baccalaureate competencies: effective communication, critical thinking, social responsibility, andknowledge integration.

INTELLECTUAL& SELF-MANAGEMENTSKILLSTo help students acquire intellectual and self-management skills needed for success in the university as well as inlife-long learning, students will:. Gain some proficiency in academic and task-management skills including: critical thinking, ethical

behavior, goal setting, information literacy, listening, note-taking, problem-solving, project management,reading, self-assessment, self-reflection, study, test-taking, time management, writing, and use oftechnology.. Gain some personal responsibility skills for setting academic and career development goals as well as forcreating and instituting plans to achieve those goals.

. Learnstrategiesto successfully manage change and adapt to new situations.

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. Gain some understanding of issues related to personal health and exhibit behaviors that indicate attentionto personal well-being.Acquire skills to effectively manage competing priorities like work, family life, and study by learninghow to spend their time and energy in ways that support a balanced lifestyle.Learn how to form effective relationships, learning partnerships, and teams with faculty, staff, and otherstudents to learn about and engage in educational opportunities and university life.

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.PROFESSIONAL AND CIvIc REsPONSIBIUTY

To focus students' attention on what their professional and civic responsibilities to the world might be as educatedpersons, students will:. Gain some understanding regarding the consequences that their actions have upon the community and

incorporate learning from mistakes and building on successes as they learn to take responsibility for theirbehaviors.. Learn concepts of professional and civic responsibility to improve the world and the human condition.. Learn professional and practical ethical and behavioral skills to hold themselves accountable as well asassertiveness skills for voicing ethical concerns to others.. Exhibit behaviors that indicate they have some understanding of cultural competence and welcomeopportunities for cross-cultural interaction and communication.

UNIVERSITYENGAGEMENTTo get students engaged with the cultural life and diversity oftms large urban research university, students will:. Know how to find out about university services and practices and how to reach service representatives for

assistance.. Stay abreast of current university policies and procedures as well as be familiar with campus facilities,academic and student service offices, governance structures, and other resources.. Participate in university sponsored co-curricular activities outside of class requirements includinglectures, workshops, plays, concerts, student organizations, etc.. Have opportunities to participate in classroom and co-curricular activities with students from differentnationalities, ethnic, religious, and cultural groups.. Extend to those they meet the same respect, cooperation, and caring they expect from others.. Work to build a learning environment that offers everyone an equal opportunity to grow, flourish, andcontribute.

. Have opportunities to take courses and participate in activities from colleges and academic departmentsoutside of their primary program of study.

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APPENDIX

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college? Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Donahue, L. (2004). Connections and reflections: Creating a positive learning environment for first-year students. Journalof the First-Year Experience, 16(1), 77-100.

Elmore, D. E., Prentice, J. C., & Trosset, C. (2006). Do students understand liberal arts disciplines? Liberal Education,92(1),48-55.

Gardner, J. N. (2006, February 28). The First-Year Experience's First 25 Years-The Jury is In, But Out on the Next:You Can Detennine the Verdict. Plenary address presented at the 25th Anniversary First-Year ExperienceConference and Gala Celebration, Atlanta, GA. Retrieved May 22, 2006, fromhttp://www.sc.edu/fye/ events/presentation/FYEAnnuaIConf06PlenarySpeech.pdf

Gardner, J. N. et at. (2006). Foundational dimensions, foundations of excellence in the first college year. Retrieved May21,2006 from http://www.fyfoundations.orgJfoundationaIDimensions.aspx

Huber, M. T., & Hutchings, P. (2004). Integrative Learning: Mapping the Terrain. Washington, DC: Association ofAmerican Colleges and Universities and The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.

Kuh, G.D. (2001). The National Survey of Student Engagement: Conceptual Framework and Overview of PsychometricProperties. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. Retrieved May 21, 2006 fromhttp://nsse.iub.edu/pdf/conceptual framework 2003.pdf

Kuh, G. D., Kinzie, J., Schuh, J. H., & Whitt, E. (2005). Student success in college: Creating conditions that matter. SanFrancisco: Jossey-Bass.

Lattuca, L. R., Voight, L. J., & Fath, K. Q. (2004). Does interdisciplinarity promote learning? Theoretical support andresearchable questions. The Review of Higher Education, 28(1),23-48.

MacGregor, J. (2003). Integrating learning communities with service-learning. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen StateCollege, Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, in cooperation with theAmerican Association for Higher Education.

Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student. Ithaca, NY: Cornell UniversityPress.

National Panel Report. (2002). Greater expectations: A new vision for learning as a nation goes to college. Washington,DC: Association of American Colleges and Universities. Retrieved May 21,2006 fromhttp://www .greaterexpectations.orgJpdf/GEX.FINAL.pdf.

National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition. First-year resources. Retrieved May21,2006 from http://www.sc.edu/fye/resources/fyr/index.html

Oconner, J., & with others. (2003). Learning communities in research universities. National learning communities projectmonograph series. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen State College, Washington Center for Improving the Quality ofUndergraduate Education.

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Pederse~ S. (2003). Learning communities and the academic library. National learning communities project monographseries. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen State College, Washington Center for Improving the Quality of UndergraduateEducation in cooperation with the American Association for Higher Education and the Association of College andResearch Libraries.

Peters, J. R., & Stearns, D. E. (2003). Bringing educational relevancy to the first-year college experience by bearingwitness to social problems. The Journal of Experiential Education, 25(3), 332-342.

Skipper T. L., Argo R. (Eds.). (2003). Involvement in campus activities and the retention offirst-year college students(monograph no.36) . Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-YearExperience and Students in Transition.

Swing, R. L. (2004). Introduction to first-year assessment. In R. L. Swing (Ed.), Proving and improving, volume II: Toolsand techniques for assessing the first college year (monograph no. 37) (pp. xiii-xxvi). Columbia, SC: University ofSouth Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Swing, R. L. (Ed.). (2004). Proving and improving, volume II- Tools and techniques for assessing the first college year(monograph no. 37). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Enter for The First-YearExperience and Students in Transition.

Taylor, K., with, Moore, W. S., MacGregor, J., & Lindblad, J. (2003). Learning community research and assessment:What we know now. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen State College, Washington Center for Improving the Quality ofUndergraduate Education, in cooperation with he American Association for Higher Education.

Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring the educational character of student persistence. TheJournal ofHigher Education, 68,599-623.

Tobolowsky, B. F. (2005). The 2003 national survey on first-year seminars: Continuing innovations in the collegiatecurriculum (monograph no. 41). Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for First-Year Experience and Students in Transition.

Walker, A. A. (2003). Learning communities and their effect on students' cognitive abilities. Journal aftheFirst-Year Experience, 15(2), 11-33.

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