Freshman Seminars offer an intimate setting for new
college students
by Paula Orth
Prasenjit Guptasarma, assistant professor of physics, taught "Physics,
Science & Technology in Society: Friend or Foe?" as part of
last year's Freshman Seminar offerings.
“Would you be excited about teaching a group of students
who know nothing about your field?” That’s the question
Nigel Rothfels asks faculty and teaching academic staff who state
an interest in the Edison Initiative’s Freshman Seminars.
The Edison Initiative, which is designed to enrich the undergraduate
experience and retain students through graduation, helps coordinate
these special topic seminars limited to 20 students. Each semester,
more than 600 students participate in Freshman Seminars that encourage
interactive learning and student participation, and are designed
to make students truly feel a part of UWM and enhance their university
experience.
Participating faculty and staff design the courses, says Rothfels,
Edison Initiative director.
“We’ve always told instructors that, in thinking
about teaching a Freshman Seminar, they should think first about
their passion for teaching and learning and second about their
disciplinary knowledge. The Freshman Seminar program is often the
perfect place for faculty to offer that course they’ve always
wanted to teach but never really found a place for in the established
curriculum.”
Teaching a Freshman Seminar often presents a new set of opportunities
to faculty. Jane Gallop, distinguished professor, English
and Comparative Literature, believes that by teaching a Freshman
Seminar she can inspire participating students to make a real effort
in their classes. As she said, students “arrive here
with very idealistic notions of higher education, and I like reinforcing
that idealism.”
Recent research conducted by Susan Donohue, adjunct assistant
professor, Human Resources and Labor Relations, and John Heywood,
professor, Economics, showed around a 4 percent higher retention
into the second year for Freshman Seminar participants.
“Although 4 percent may seem a small number,” Rothfels
says, “when you consider that, at present, only about 70
percent of incoming freshmen return for a second year at UWM, any
course that can demonstrate a positive effect of 4 percent is an
important one for us.”
Before they begin teaching, first-time Freshman Seminars instructors
are required to attend a retreat designed in collaboration with
the Center for Instructional and Professional Development (CIPD).
The retreat has undergone thorough revision from previous years,
Rothfels said, suggesting that it offers an especially good opportunity
for newer faculty members to meet others from across L&S disciplines
and learn about the UWM campus culture. This year’s retreat
took place in May.
Rothfels emphasized that the Freshman Seminars are serious courses,
meeting twice a week for three general education credits. There
is high student demand for these seminars, he said, because they
afford opportunities to become better acquainted with instructors
and classmates, and offer unique and important learning experiences.
A Sampling of Freshman Seminars for Fall 2005
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