FYS Instructor Core Practices
UMass’ First-Year Seminar program expects instructors to incorporate all three of the following Core Practices into their syllabi, course outlines, and instruction
When students come to college, they are learning so many things quickly, especially at the beginning of the semester. Many students will need to learn how to learn at the college level and how to adjust to a new pace and rigor of their academics. The unstated part of the college curriculum and transition includes: learning to take notes or read for class, developing a system to keep track of assignments, and knowing how to email a professor or advisor. You can help your students with these things. Most FYS instructors require their students to come for a one-on-one visit. Many also talk (even if briefly) with students about ways to budget time for study, to approach reading assignments, and to strategize for taking tests. One important resource is the Success Toolkit Series series offered every semester by the Undergraduate Student Success Center. This series has online tools that can help with test-taking, note-taking, and time management.
We expect that students will come to UMass and experience a different social environment than one they are accustomed to and at the same time, are motivated quickly to meet new friends and peers. However, despite the motivation, sometimes first year students struggle with how to do this. You can prompt your students by creating group assignments and checking in with them about their new peer groups. You can also prompt your students to reach out to their instructors (including you) and advisors. Ambitious FYS instructors also get their students to find connections on campus; by attending various events or getting involved in their residence halls or a Registered Student Organization. Some send a pair of students to a culture event, or have a group of students research and report back on a campus resource. Such activities make campus life feel accessible and give students the confidence to explore.
Like all of us, students tend to over-focus on some things to the detriment of their overall health. For some students, this means an over-focus on school work. For others, it might be too much social time and not enough studying. You should talk to your students about ways to maintain a balance. In addition to study, they might exercise, participate in clubs, relax with friends, or just be alone with a book or music. Physical and emotional health make for happy and balanced students. If things get too far out of balance, you can show them places on campus to go for support. First year students on campus can often get lost on how to ask for help and whom to go to do so. There are a few great starting places such as the university’s Student Life Single Stop, your student’s Resident Assistant, their academic advisor, the Undergraduate Student Success Center, and the Dean of Students. You can encourage help seeking behaviors by normalizing common college transition challenges, encouraging students to seek help either from a friend or a university office when things don’t feel right, and reviewing the resources listed below for students to access.
Campus Resources to explore
Effectively designing, organizing, and implementing your course is a key component of teaching excellence. The Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) offers support for faculty and instructors in providing excellence in instruction and student learning.
Another key component to approaching and implementing your course is student success—understanding our students today, the leading indicators of their success, and the resources on our campus designed to support students. The Undergraduate Student Success Center offers a Success@UMass Development Series designed to discuss and consider these aspects of student success as well as offer resources and training on promoting academic skill development and leveraging technologies to promote student success.
The UMass Academic Alert initiative strives to partner with instructors to identify students experiencing academic difficulty and connect the student with resources to support their success both in and out of the classroom.
At times, you may find yourself with a case of student academic dishonesty. The Academic Honesty policy and procedures, published annually in the academic regulations, offers both an informal resolution and formal charge option for instructors. An informal resolution attempt is always preferred prior to submitting formal charges. Instructors in need of guidance in these situations are invited to contact Academic Honesty to discuss the policy and options for moving forward. Additionally, we encourage you to consider and communicate (via a syllabus) the expectations set for the students in your course related to citing sources, group work, deadlines, etc.