Teaching First Year Students

The first year of college is critical to both student retention and success in the following years. The links and resources below provide an overview of today's first-year students and suggest strategies for helping them make the transition from high school to college. 

First Year Students Generally

(Carnegie Mellon study)

(Vanderbilt's center provides this overview of the students' cognitive challenges)

Richard Felder, (comments applicable beyond Engineering)

(UC Riverside teaching center stresses the importance of motivation, structure, and opportunities to practice)

from the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

(video of presentation by a professor at UC Irvine)

SMU Resources

(aimed at students, but will give you some insight into what they need)

(great overview of everything academic, including a very thorough contact list)