First Year Experience

Publications, Presentations & Research

 

Publications

Faculty, staff and students teaching and learning in the FYE Program research, present and publish resources that support excellence in teaching and learning during the first college year. The following links provide examples of recent findings and innovations.

 

Research Findings

National Research

What do we know about the first college year? We know that students increasingly complete degrees with earned credits from multiple higher education institutions. We also know from longitudinal studies by the US Department of Education that completion of college level algebra is a significant predictor of persistence. Recent trend data also suggests that financing the undergraduate experience is a source of stress for many students and parents. National studies also suggest that engagement in a first-year experience class or participating in a living-learning community (e.g. residential college, public service community, first-year interest group, etc.) increases persistence, contributes to greater satisfaction and promotes deeper learning.

 

The following links and publications provide some of the current national thinking about the first college year.

• A Test of Leadership Report Fact-sheet

• A Test of Leadership Report Presentation

• Protecting Student Access and Affordability in Higher Education

• The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion from High School Through College

 

CMU Resources & Research

At Central Michigan University, we know that first-year students have many options – academically and socially. Because of this, many students find it difficult to make specific decisions about their future. A poll of 924 first-year students in October 2007, found that most (72% of all respondents) experience difficulty adjusting to college life and learning. Specifically, these students reported feeling homesick and not wanting anyone to know. Most interesting is that the same students indicated the desire to figure it out. When asked how parents might best assist them during the transition to college, students said they wanted encouragement in the form of “tough love” from parents, faculty/staff and peers. While the majority of students indicated struggles, they also requested the opportunity to trouble-shoot and learn to manage through the first year of college.

 

The following presentations, issue papers and research provide some of the current thinking about the first college year at CMU.

• Creating Inclusive Communities (presentation)

• Diversity Initiatives in FYE (initiatives overview)

• Excellence Through Inclusion (presentation)

• Foundations of Excellence Self-Study (linked site)

• FYE Faculty Workshop - May 2008 Agenda & Presentation

• FYE and Retention of CMU Students (research report)

• FYE in Tight Budget Times (presentation)

• FYE Qualitative Findings Report 2007 (research report)

• Impact of Peer Mentor and Instructor Relationship on FY Students (research report)

• International Student Adjustment (issue paper)

• Learning Outcomes of Undergraduate Peer Mentors (research report)

• Creating and Sustaining Peer Mentoring Programs (presentation)

• Promoting Research and Creative Endeavors in the First College Year (presentation)

• Supporting International Student Adjustment (issue paper)

• Sustainability in Higher Education (issue paper)

 

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