To ensure first years have options to create meaningful academic connections, First Year Programs coordinates聽opportunities for personal classroom experiences
First-year Interest Groups (FIGs): Creating small communities at a big university
Operating within Undergraduate Academic Affairs, is dedicated to facilitating transitions for all聽incoming freshman and transfer students. One option FYP coordinates, First-year Interest Groups (FIGs), brings students聽together in small cohorts where they become part of a learning community of peers as they embark on their Husky Experience聽and make connections both academically and socially.
Since 1987, these FIGs have given first years the opportunity to fulfill General Education requirements while learning about聽campus resources and connecting with upperclass student mentors. As a result, they develop skills and build connections that聽will lead them toward a successful undergraduate experience.
Low stakes courses encourage exploration: Students enrolled in a FIG take a 2-credit course (graded credit/no credit) called聽. This weekly seminar is led by an upperclass undergraduate FIG Leader with 20 to聽25 students. Beyond GEN ST 199, FIGs may also be clustered with an additional one, two or three classes, generally organized聽by academic fields such as pre-engineering, pre-health, environmental studies or political science. This model allows students to聽explore new academic topics with other students who share common interests.
鈥淛oining a FIG that catered to my academic needs and interests has been a highly enriching experience,鈥� explains freshman聽bioengineering major, Rebecca Darrow. 鈥淣ot only did it connect me to amazing undergraduate students who can share their聽experiences with me, but I met so many friends who share the same interests. Since all my classes were attached to my FIG, I聽had a close-knit group to study with. My FIG encouraged me to put myself outside of my comfort zone and network within the聽 91探花community 鈥� my first quarter would not have gone nearly as well if I had not joined the FIG.鈥�
Experienced students serve as leaders: FIG Leaders gain first-hand leadership and mentoring experience, get practice聽teaching and managing a classroom, and learn how to be a mentor for younger students. For first-year students, having a direct聽relationship with an experienced student helps them in their transition to UW.
The classes and assignments designed by FIG Leaders in the University Community course are centered on themes from the聽FYP common curriculum. The curriculum includes the five themes of Transition, Critical Thinking, Academics, Community and聽Professional Pathway. Activities and assignments may include experiential projects such as an in-depth exploration of Seattle聽neighborhoods where students practice observation, reflection, research and synthesis, and presentation skills. They may also聽engage in career preparation with workshops on LinkedIn and resume writing, and Q&A panels with upperclassmen about聽choosing majors and getting involved around campus.
Departmental partners are key to success: Over 40 departments collaborate with FYP to provide these grouped classes.聽They coordinate schedules and ensure聽spaces are reserved for about 70 unique聽combinations of classes in some 160聽FIGs. With about half of the first-year聽population participating in FIGs, these聽departmental relationships help ensure聽that all students who are interested聽have the opportunity to be a part of this聽enriching program.
Brian Fabien, professor of mechanical聽engineering and associate dean of聽Academic Affairs, addresses the value聽of this type of early academic access.聽鈥淲orking with First Year Programs to聽offer FIGs provides new students with聽the opportunity to begin exploring their聽academic interests in engineering,鈥� says聽Fabien. 鈥淭hese FIGs are a great way for聽students to learn about departmental聽requirements, ask questions about degree聽programs and decide which engineering聽disciplines interest them the most.鈥�
Collegium Seminars: Small-setting engagement with faculty
The offers first-year students a specially designed opportunity to build connections with faculty聽and peers for more personal interactions and in-depth discussions. These seminars often serve as an introduction to college level聽critical thinking and engagement. The 1-credit seminars are graded credit/no-credit to encourage students to explore new聽subjects in a low-risk environment.
As of the 2015-16 academic year, the program created a strategic partnership with FYP and the in聽an effort to expand and integrate leadership education into the classroom. With the ,聽the seminars become a place where the teaching and learning of leadership skills is made explicit by weaving . Through this integration, students begin to associate their developing identities聽as intellectuals with a sense of responsibility and opportunity to engage in leadership and apply their knowledge in service to the聽world.
Since many introductory level courses commonly have large聽enrollments, first-year students benefit from a wider selection聽of small classes, especially those with low-stakes. The seminar聽program expands its selection of smaller settings by capping聽enrollment around 18 students. The style of interaction also聽helps students begin connecting with faculty early on in their聽academic careers.
The seminars鈥� variety of subjects is reflected in the breadth of聽departments that offer courses each year: 14 departments were聽represented in the 32 seminars available during the 2015-16聽academic year.聽The benefits of the program also extend to the faculty who聽teach them. 鈥淐ollegium Seminars give faculty a chance to聽explore topics outside of their normal teaching area, or, if it鈥檚 a聽topic that they do cover in their teaching load, they can offer it聽in a unique way,鈥� explains Taso Lagos, affiliate instructor in the聽Jackson School of International Studies. Lagos leads a seminar聽called Hollywood Dissent and American Democracy.
Clarence Spigner, professor of Health Services and adjunct professor in American Ethnic Studies and Global Health, is another聽instructor who goes outside his regular courses. In his seminar Good Books: Race, Gender and Diversity, students conduct critical聽analysis of a book of their choice, reflecting particularly on themes of race, gender, ethnicity and well-being.
Lagos has been involved with the program for two years. 鈥淔or the freshmen who take [seminars], I think they also feel liberated聽鈥� putting the emphasis on knowledge and discussion rather than information retention,鈥� he says. Collegium Seminars serve聽as one starting place for first years to learn how to engage in thoughtful conversation and reflection, leading discussions and聽developing community among themselves.
