Designing a truly effective first year seminar course can be a significant challenge at any institution. Often, this course ends up being a catch-all for announcements from a hodgepodge of offices, with lofty but unrealized intentions to improve retention, support DEI goals, guide students towards majors and career paths, and/or acquaint them with college resources and services – all within just one or two credit hours. A team from Highline College came to the 2020 Washington Center Summer Institute with just such a challenge and left with a clear vision and a two-year action plan that has produced a focused and invigorating curriculum that has received positive results not only for students but also for the faculty engaged in teaching it.
The previous College 101 course at Highline College had no set curriculum and was lacking a clear purpose for students. The team proposal focused on revising that course to create a structured exploratory first-year experience with opportunities for students to explore pathways and career interests, develop a sense of belonging and community, and gain confidence with Highline’s systems and resources. Liz Word, Interim Associate Dean for Guided Pathways emphasized that the first step for the team was to clearly define what a successful College 100 course would look like, not in terms of learning outcomes, but in terms of more intangible results for students such as students having “ah-ha” moments, recommending the class to peers, and feeling free to be their unapologetic selves. Setting these aspirational, holistic goals for the course helped the team to unify around a shared sense of purpose.
Following the institute, the team went on to create a timeline for the rollout of the curriculum, define learning outcomes and assessment criteria, and work with a cross-disciplinary team of faculty to create a course outline with feedback from counselors and administrators. The team engaged in strategic advocacy for course adoption, visiting all division meetings and making a case for how the course would support retention if required as part of the AA-DTA (direct transfer) degree. Approval for a five quarter pilot was granted in Spring 2022. Of the 276 students who took the course in the fall, 84% have registered for winter quarter and student feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
"College 101 has been one of my favorite classes. I learned so much in this class. I have gotten closer to my career path and cleared up any confusion in the way. I was introduced to several resources that I will use not only in education but also personally. I had the chance to connect to many of my peers and see their viewpoints. I honestly enjoyed this class and will definitely recommend this to someone!"
-- Highline Student
Students aren’t the only ones reporting benefits from College 101. In a time when faculty burn-out is at an all-time high, reports from professors like Traci Arnold, Business and Healthcare Professions, stand out as shining examples of positive teaching experiences. “The students and the work have rejuvenated my spirit!” Arnold states. “I love the collaborative teaching approach among teachers and students, sharing ideas, which creates a unique bond that builds camaraderie and trust.”
Faculty who teach College 101 also note that the course allows time and space to address aspects of the student experience that are essential to success but can be challenging to integrate in traditional course content, such as study skills, information literacy, and navigating financial aid. Wendy Swyt, English 101 instructor, reports that in teaching College 101, “It feels good to have the time to work with students in College 101 more directly on the issues that matter to them as they move through the degree.” Traci Arnold adds “It’s absolutely wonderful to teach self-awareness and watch students gain confidence in their ability to navigate their college experience based on who they are.”
The Highline team cites the touchpoints developed in 2020 as the most useful work done with the support of the Washington Center. Nicole Wilson, Faculty Counselor, described that time invested as allowing the work to be organic, and not boilerplate. “This represents who we are,” Wilson states.
If you are interested in doing this kind of reflective, transformative work and have a project in mind, get in touch with us today for a no-risk consultation!
