Preconference Workshops

Lunch is provided for all preconference workshop participants.

W-1 Critical Thinking Pedagogy in the First-Year Experience
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 8:00 am-12:00 noon <> $135 US

Robert Kenedy, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology - York University - Canada

Many students entering college and university are faced with the challenge of mastering critical thinking skills. Current literature suggests that students who acquire various critical thinking and related academic skills are more likely to successfully complete their degrees. Teaching first-year students to become critical thinkers requires a comprehensive educational approach. In this way, the evaluation process plays a vital role in critical thinking pedagogy. This workshop focuses on teaching and assessing critical thinking components in first-year university seminars and introductory courses. We will examine the relevant pedagogical theory, research, and exemplary practices for teaching critical thinking.

W-2 Making Change Happen: Implementing a First-Year Initiative Effectively
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 8:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $135 US

Diane Nutt, Learning and Teaching Consultant, Department for Learning Development - Teesside University; Marcia Ody, Teaching and Learning Manager - The University of Manchester - United Kingdom

Do you have a first-year initiative that you would like to implement? This interactive workshop will enable participants to work together to think about what steps to take to implement their individual first-year experience initiatives effectively. Drawing on their own substantial experience of driving institutional change and implementing first-year initiatives, the facilitators will engage participants in considering a variety of first-year experience models/approaches and exploring how initiatives are implemented over time and strategies for changing institutional or departmental cultures . The workshop will provide the opportunity to creatively and strategically plan for the future. How do we take people with us? How do we embed new practice and ensure that positive change continues?

W-3 Teaching Strategies and Pedagogy for First-Year Courses: How College Professors and Instructors Can Boost Academic Success and Retentio
Monday, July 16, 2012 <>8:00 am - 12:00 noon <> $135 US

Mominka Filev, Professor of Social Sciences, First-Year Career and Education Seminar, Humanities and Global Cultures; Patricia Phillips, Associate Professor of English and Communications-Davenport University- United States

Most colleges and universities have comprehensive programs aimed at retaining first-year students. However, literature suggests that students are not effectively using these services. College professors and instructors of first-year students across all disciplines can help the university-wide retention and academic success efforts through effective course curricula, pedagogy, and teaching skills. Through interactive exercises, vignette analysis, an assignment-design puzzle, and flag semaphore activities, participants will explore ways in which college professors and instructors can provide guidance along a specific career path and selection of a major, communicate appropriate concern for their students, facilitate their adjustment to college, and guide first-year students toward academic success.

W-4 Best Practice in the First College Year Around the World: Defining What Works and Why
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 9:00 am - 4:00 pm <> $245 US

John N. Gardner, President - John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education; Senior Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina; Betsy O. Barefoot, Vice President and Senior Scholar - John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education; Fellow, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina - United States

For more than three decades, colleges and universities around the world have made a significant investment to improve the first year. Since the first international conference on the first-year experience in 1986, central questions have been: What is the adaptability/replicability of a set of educational practices developed in the United States to other countries? What might be good for new tertiary students around the globe? What are the universally applicable best practices? What can we learn from each other? In this workshop, presenters will explore with participants these compelling questions and attempt to build a consensus about best practices in the first year of higher education that can be adapted to a variety of cultures and educational settings.

W-5 Incorporating and Evaluating Information Literacy Skills: Critical Thinking, Research, and 21st Century Skills For First-Year Students
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135 US

Rhonda Huisman, Assistant Librarian for Education and The Center for Teaching and Learning; Sarah B. Zahl, Graduate Academic Advisor, School of Education, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis - United States

Developing a good relationship among all staff and faculty who work with first-year students includes engaging with librarians beyond a one-shot library orientation. Discussing learning outcomes, technology skills, and information literacy in-depth not only benefits the students in expanding their knowledge, but the results are also evident in the classroom when students have more resources at their disposal. Early and frequent communication with librarians can be crucial in identifying and utilizing these resources and can lead to creating, implementing, and assessing student learning outcomes and competencies based on information literacy and 21st century skills. In this session, participants will learn more about information literacy, what it means to their students and their learning process, and effective strategies for integrating a librarian in the curriculum.

W-6 Transitions Beyond the First Year: Implications for Curriculum Design, Student Support, and Success
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135 US

Matthew Portas, University Teaching Fellow - Teesside University; Jennifer R. Keup, Director, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition - University of South Carolina

The workshop will explore the key issues related to the transitions experienced by students at the end of first year, a vital but under-explored area of student transitions. Many students, despite successfully passing the first year at university, fail to adjust to the demands of second year and drop-out or fail their course. This interactive session will focus on two things: (a) identifying the key issues for students going through the transition stage out of first year and (b) developing the best strategies to support students through the experience. The workshop facilitators will draw on their own research, including a recent study exploring the student transition from year one, to frame the learning experience for participants.

W-7 Learning Across Borders: Creating a Global Learning Community for First-Year Students
Monday, July 16, 2012 <> 1:00 pm - 5:00 pm <> $135 US

Thenral Mangadu, Research Associate, Office of Undergraduate Studies; Irma V. Montelongo, Lecturer, Entering Student Program; Dorothy Ward, Director, Entering Student Program - The University of Texas at El Paso - United States

This workshop examines the creation, implementation, and evaluation of a global learning community (GLC) for first-year seminar students. A GLC links courses and students from different countries and cultures in a virtual learning environment, offers a space for entering students to achieve transitional goals while better understanding intercultural connections, and encourages students' interest in study abroad. The workshop will address designing the GLC, selecting technology to enhance global/multicultural interactions, expanding cultural literacy through structured interactions/academic content, and determining methodologies for qualitative and quantitative assessment of first-year GLC students and the program's impact on their exposure to multiple cultures and environments.