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

Best Practices for Teaching First-Year Undergraduates (Carnegie Mellon study)

Teaching First-Year Students (Vanderbilt's center provides this overview of the students' cognitive challenges)

Richard Felder, Who Needs These Headaches? Reflections on Teaching First Year Engineering Students (comments applicable beyond Engineering)

Suggestions for Helping Freshmen to Learn (UC Riverside teaching center stresses the importance of motivation, structure, and opportunities to practice)

Annotated Bibliography of Resources for Teaching First-Year Students from the National Resource Center for the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition

Teaching Freshmen:  Where They're Coming From (video of presentation by a professor at UC Irvine)

SMU Resources

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

Tips for First-Year Students

Mustang Bridge Program

How is College Different From High School?

My First Semester of Study at SMU:  An Owner's Manual

Peruna Passport:  An Academic Guide (great overview of everything academic, including a very thorough contact list)