Research Reports on College Transitions No. 2

2009 National Survey of First-Year Seminars: Ongoing Efforts to Support Students in Transition

Ryan D. Padgett & Jennifer R. Keup

The findings from the ninth triennial administration of the National Survey of First-Year Seminars comprise the most comprehensive data set of institutional information on first-year seminars to date and provide a national portrait of current practices and structural characteristics for these courses. The analyses also suggest emerging trends and future directions for first-year seminars. Drawn from a broad sample of colleges and universities from every institutional type, control, and size, the survey addresses topics including seminar characteristics and administration; student demographics; instructional roles, development, and compensation; and assessment.

Crafting and Conducting Research on Student Transitions

Jean M. Henscheid & Jennifer R. Keup

Introducing a new resource, ideal for use in graduate programs or professional writing groups and by educators who wish to conduct research on students' movement into and through higher education. Crafting and Conducting Research on Student Transitions is a concise resource, describing both qualitative and quantitative methods. The authors walk readers through the process of selecting a topic, designing a study, and disseminating the research results on explorations of the college student experience from the first college year to beyond graduation.

Introducing a Five-Volume Series on Course Design and Administration

The First-Year Seminar: Designing, Implementing, and Assessing Courses to Support Student Learning and Success

The First-Year Seminar: Designing, Implementing, and Assessing Courses to Support Student Learning and Success, a five-volume series,is designed to assist educators who are interested in launching a first-year seminar or revamping an existing program. Each volume examines a different aspect of first-year seminar design or administration and offers suggestions for practice grounded in research on the seminar, the literature on teaching and learning, and campus-based examples.

Volume I: Designing and Administering the Course
Jennifer R. Keup and Joni Webb Petschauer

Volume II: Instructor Training and Development
James Groccia and Mary Stuart Hunter

Monograph No. 56

Fulfilling the Promise of the Community College: Increasing First-Year Student Engagement and Success

Thomas Brown, Margaret C. King, & Patricia Stanley, Editors

A joint publication with the American Association of Community Colleges

Educators throughout the academy who have a commitment to ensuring the vitality of American higher education will find this an insightful yet highly practical examination of strategies for engaging first-year students and helping them succeed.