UNIVERSITThe Penn State University Faculty Senate Tuesday [April 29] passed a legislative report that will replace the current University-wide First-Year Seminar requirement with a “First Year Engagement Plan” to orient students to the scholarly community and facilitate students’ transition from high school to college life.
The plan will be implemented beginning with the summer sessions in 2009, upon approval by President Graham B. Spanier. Each University Park academic college, each of the 19 Commonwealth campuses and the Division of Graduate Studies (DUS) will submit a First Year Engagement Plan.
Though the current First Year Seminar has shown positive effects on student adjustment and achievement, concerns — such as a lack of specific objectives; variability in content, rigor and format; low interest in teaching the First-Year Seminar template in some units; an uneven perceived need between University Park and other campuses; and difficulty in scheduling DUS students at University Park — led the Senate to review the requirement over the past year.
Under the plans of the report, University Park colleges must retain at least one-credit of first-year seminar taught by tenure-line or other regular full-time faculty in sections of 25 students or fewer as a requirement for graduation. Other units may opt to include the seminar, which is expected to be academic in content and ideally would satisfy General Education or other college or major requirements. Units may offer sections of regular courses in seminar format, with an “S” suffix applied to suitable courses.
The ad hoc First Year Seminar Committee, which issued the report noted that a three-credit course would be the gold standard for first-year engagement, but recognized a three-credit seminar is not always feasible. First-year seminars worth fewer credits should be supplemented by other means, such as other courses, special advising programs, intensive orientation experiences and special Student Affairs programs.
The committee wrote that due to the size of University Park’s enrollment, and often the size of its classes, as compared to other campuses, a required freshman seminar seemed logical.
“In light of this categorical difference, we believe that the logic for a required freshman seminar is compellingly strong for University Park, but less so for other campuses where small classes are the norm and instructors are typically continuing faculty members,” the report states.
Engagement plans should include how DUS will be accommodated, and the DUS plan may be prepared under the assumption that its students will have available at least one credit of first-year seminar.
First Year Engagement Plans will be submitted for one-time review and approval by a special committee appointed by the Senate chair and vice president for undergraduate education. It is expected that engagement plans will be assessed on implementation and effectiveness in five years.
The First Year Seminar Committee, co-chaired by Patti Mills and Kim Steiner, consisted of 11 members.Y PARK –
