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The initial days of academic life for first-year undergraduate students offer so many new experiences, it can be overwhelming just to stay tuned to the first few sets of classes. The University of Victoria has devised an innovative approach to help instructors reach out to first-year students during this time and throughout the rest of the year.
With funding from the Office of the Vice-President Academic, the First Year Course Instructors Council (FYCIC) was formed last summer by Teresa Dawson, director of UVic’s Learning and Teaching Centre, as a “think tank” to enhance the first-year learning experience.
The FYCIC is chaired by Dr. Ed Ishiguro, professor emeritus in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, and inaugural master teacher at the learning centre. The council itself is comprised of Ishiguro and the 35 faculty members (representing less than 3 per cent of our teaching staff) who teach more than 90 per cent of all first-year students. This small group of educators plays a pivotal role in the life of every new undergraduate student.
The council considers—from the perspective of both instructors and students—the challenging aspects of the first stages of the academic experience, and promotes useful and creative means of lowering any unnecessary hurdles. In addition to understanding the overall student experience, through workshops and discussions the council explores a range of related topics.
A key concern is that foundation courses generally have the largest class enrolments. “Large class sizes pose a totally new experience to first-year students,” says Ishiguro, “especially those coming directly from high school. Large classes are also a challenge to teachers. It is difficult for professors to get to know their students, and I believe it is equally difficult for students to get to know their professors.
“Since we are unlikely to change the large enrolment format of first-year courses, the FYCIC instead considers ways of enhancing course delivery under such circumstances, such as improving student engagement. Another current topic focuses on clear presentation of learning outcomes: for instance, informing students what we expect them to learn from our courses; and this is perhaps something we can improve upon.”
Improving the retention and success rate of undergraduate students is paramount at any post-secondary institution, and other universities such as Simon Fraser University have already made note of this fresh new approach by UVic and are adapting the idea in their own context.
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