First Year Experience

Interdisciplinary Approach To University Studies and First-Year Experience

The First-Year Experience initiative is designed to provide an activity-rich, academically-supportive, learner-centered educational environment designed to help first-year students become part of “a community of learners dedicated to improving our world.” Much of the work undertaken as part of "Learning for the 21st Century" is aimed at improving resources, teaching, retention, programming, advising, and wellness of/for WSU's first-year students. In sum, these "21st-Century" initiatives—including the common book, expanded academic assistance, the redesign of megasections, the learning portfolio, enhanced interdisciplinary experiences, and many others—will constitute a revolutionary redesign of the First-Year Experience at WSU.

Based on the efforts of prior years' workgroups, the First-Year Experience will aim to draw together these diverse initiatives with a set of common goals for incoming students. Among these, we ultimately expect to provide all WSU students in their first year with the following:

A thorough and effective orientation to WSU’s academic and support service offerings A common book reading experience fostering community both in and beyond the classroom Effective advising and scheduling in both major and University Studies courses An introduction to the learning portfolio Experiential, active, and travel-based learning opportunities in a range of classes, from small Multiple opportunities for connecting academic studies to available, coordinated extracurricular programming The First-Year Experience Learning Community for 2005-06 will aim to refine and develop these goals; to articulate an administrative and leadership structure for the future; and to begin the coordination of the diverse initiatives impacting the first-year student. We cordially invite the participation of interested students, staff, faculty, and administrators who would like to work to make this vision a reality.