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http://www.tourisme-montreal.org/MontrealTV
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Despite the differences in educational cultures and climates, students across the globe have similar experiences. Moreover, higher educators have a common bond in that we share an interest in shaping the transition experience for first-year students. The 22nd International Conference on The First-Year Experience provides a setting for sharing ideas, concepts, resources, assessment tools, programmatic interventions, and research results focused on the first year of college/university. We invite you to join with educators from around the world as we explore approaches for enhancing the first-year experience for students and provide opportunities for intensive learning and relaxed interactions.
Primary Objectives
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Montreal is a beautiful island city located in the Canadian province of Quebec. While considered the largest city in Quebec and second largest in Canada, visitors still find this compact city great for walking. Montréal is cultural mecca, boasting more than 80 ethnic communities and enjoys an outstanding reputation worldwide for gourmet dining. And there are many vibrant neighborhoods to be explored, at any time of the day or night. Downtown Montreal lies at the foot of Mount Royal - the three-headed hill located at the heart of the city - and extends toward the St Lawrence River. If you are looking for a taste of history, a visit to Old Montreal is a must. This historic area is located southeast of downtown and contains many different attractions such as the Old Port of Montreal, Place Jacques-Cartier, Montreal City Hall, the Bonsecours Market, Pointe-à-Callière Museum, the Notre-Dame de Montréal Basilica, and the Montreal Science Centre. Architecture and cobbled streets in Old Montreal have been maintained or restored and are frequented by horse-drawn caléches carrying tourists.
The conference lends itself to a wide variety of subjects. The suggestions listed below are neither inclusive nor restrictive.
Lunch is provided for all preconference workshop participants.
W-1 Strategies for Training Supplemental Instruction Leaders and Facilitating Small Group Learning Monday, July 20, 2009 9:00 am - 12:00 noon $130 US
Supplemental Instruction (SI) leaders play a key role in the success of SI. Training is essential to provide them with strategies to conduct effective SI sessions. This workshop will focus on the role of the SI Leader, scenarios on managing group dynamics, demonstrations of SI learning strategies, and techniques for facilitating small-group learning that are essential for student success. It will provide a brief overview of SI, data, discussion of effective leader/facilitator characteristics, and benefits for leaders.
W-2 Creating and Implementing First-Year Seminars to Fulfill Varying Curricular and Student Needs Monday, July 20, 2009 9:00 am - 12:00 noon $130 US
L. Lynn Marquez, Associate Professor of Geology; Linda L. McDowell, Coordinator of the First-Year Experience; Carol Y. Phillips, Associate Provost Emerita - Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Every educational institution has a diverse set of first-year learners with specific transition and curricular needs. Colleges and universities, including Millersville University, have responded to those needs with various seminar formats including one-credit extended orientation, three-credit content-rich, and discipline-specific seminars. This workshop will provide insights on these contrasting seminar models and offer guidance for faculty and administrators attempting to create a broadly based FYE program. Participants will explore the benefits and challenges associated with the various seminar styles, develop course shells for seminars specific to their needs, and discuss implementation and assessment issues associated with the respective models.
W-3 Best Practice in the First College Year: Defining What Works and Why Monday, July 20, 2009 9:00 am - 4:00 pm $240 US
John N. Gardner, Executive Director - Policy Center on the First Year of College; Senior Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina; Betsy O. Barefoot, Co-Director and Senior Scholar - Policy Center on the First Year of College; Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina
For more than two decades, a significant investment has been made by many colleges and universities to improve the first year. But funds spent have often not yielded expected returns in student learning and retention. In this workshop, the presenters will explore the question, "What works in first-year programs and why... or why not?" They will draw from recent research findings and provide a variety of examples of best practice. Participants will be challenged to reflect on the first year at their own campuses - what initiatives have made a positive difference in the first year and what challenges remain?
W-4 Strategies for Transition and Retention: Embedding the First-Year Experience and Developing a Value Proposition Monday, July 20, 2009 9:00 am - 4:00 pm $240 US
Wayne Clark, Director of Student Administration - University of Auckland, New Zealand; Bill Crome, Group Manager Student Support Services - University of Auckland, New Zealand
Practitioners must often rely on intelligently persuasive strategies and alternative methodologies to engage their academic colleagues and the first-year cohort, especially when first-year initiatives are not curricular-based. This workshop will focus on how to make the first-year experience indispensable where programs are not embedded in the core curriculum and on how to initiate support for program development from a variety of perspectives. Drawing on a wealth of available research, the facilitators will explore strategies for modeling the key institutional drivers to strengthen the value of, establish, and embed first-year initiatives.
Stefinee Pinnegar, Director ESL Endorsement Program BYU/Public School Partnership, Acting Dean Invisible College for Research on Teaching and Teacher Education; Pat Esplin, Director Freshman Academy - Brigham Young University
Initiatives supporting the integration of new students frequently involve peer mentoring programs, in which upper-class students support first-year students in making a successful transition to the university. Mentoring is often viewed as a "magic bulle" for alleviating the challenges confronted by new students; however, the implementation of a mentoring program does not guarantee results. Effective programs give careful attention to both sides of the mentoring relationship: mentors and protégés. This session will provide tools that can be used to guide the development of new mentors, chart their growth, and attend to the ongoing development of the first-year students they support.
W-6 Developing Collaborations Between Academic and Support Staff in Locating and Supporting "At Risk" First-Year Students Monday, July 20, 2009 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm $140 US
Colleen Blaney Doyle, Student Adviser, College of Engineering, Mathematical, and Physical Sciences - University College Dublin; Claire Laudet, Lecturer, Department of French - Trinity College Dublin
Facilitated by a member of academic faculty and a student adviser at two Irish universities, this workshop will explore how staff from different areas of the institution can identify, locate, and support "at risk" students. Through guided activities and discussions, participants will define what constitutes "risk" for them, discover what the literature has to say about this, discuss how such students may be identified, and identify appropriate supports. The workshop will encourage participants to think across the traditional boundaries between faculty and support staff. It will also provide participants with examples of good practice and encourage them to share the same.
Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth Hotel 900 Rene-Levesque West Montreal, Quebec, H3B 4A5 Canada Reservations: 1-800-441-1414 or (514) 861-3511 Hotel Phone: (514) 861-3511 Guest Fax: (514) 954-2258
Hotel reservations can also be made by visiting our Passkey site at https://resweb.passkey.com/go/firstyear
Room rate: $165.00 CAD single or double plus tax; each extra person sharing a room will be charged an additional $40.00 CAD (must be same as individual reservation charge) per night.
Make your reservations early. Once the room block is filled, we cannot guarantee the conference room rate will be available. Reservations must be made by June 26, 2009 to receive this special rate. Specify “International FYE Conference” when making reservations. After this date, reservations are accepted on a space available basis and may not be available at the conference rate.
Airline Discounts American Airlines is offering convention discount of 5% off applicable discountable fares. To obtain this discount, call American Airlines Meeting Services Desk at (800) 433-1790 and refer to Authorization Number STARfile A2979AA, or you can take advantage of the discount on American Airlines, American Eagle, and American Connections online by visiting www.aa.com. After you have selected your flight(s) under the "enter passenger details" tab, go to the "AA.com Discount Code" field and enter the authorization number for the conference as stated above.
