First-Year & Transfer Seminar Faculty Information

Learning Outcomes:

While the content of each course varies, all First-Year & Transfer Seminars fulfill the US or Global outcome and criteria for KU Core 34 and meet the following learning outcomes:

• Academic skills: Develop and practice skills in critical thinking, information literacy, time management, and study skills. 
• Student success and wellness: Identify available academic, student, and wellbeing resources that will ease your transition to college and help you reach your goals (e.g., time management, study skills, health and wellness services)
• Community building: Interact and develop connections with peers, faculty, and staff with common interests and goals to support and encourage you and connect you to the KU experiences
• Experiential Learning: Recognize how learning extends beyond the classroom and articulate the skills and knowledge you gained in this course
• Content Specific from Instructor

Method of Instruction:

First-Year & Transfer Seminars foster a sense of belonging for students new to the university. Through an investigation of an interesting question in a discipline, students also develop academic skills that serve as a strong foundation for their studies at KU. First-Year Seminars share the following characteristics:

• Utilize active learning strategies that promote interaction between students and instructor and creating opportunities for frequent feedback.
• Content must be designed and delivered using pedagogical methods appropriate for first-year and transfer students.
• Instructor uses welcoming teaching practices to facilitate the success of all students in the course.
• Seminars include active learning and introduce students to experiential learning. To support faculty, the First-Year Seminar Program brings together FYS faculty with representatives from campus units that offer experiential learning opportunities in order to explore possibilities for class involvement.*

*A limited amount of funds will be available to assist faculty with incorporating experiential learning opportunities such as field trips, movie screenings, theatre tickets, etc. 

Required First-Year Seminar Course Features:

• Participation in a campus event. 
• A library visit. 
• An individual meeting with each student.
• An signature assignment assessed with a common rubric.
• Participating in Showcase of Student Learning at the end of the semester.
• Incorporation of Canvas modules created by FYS staff that outline resources/services/opportunities available at KU. 

Fellowship:

Faculty who are approved to teach a First-Year or TransferSeminar will be inducted into the Seminar Fellowship, a fellowship based on excellence in teaching and mentorship of first-year students. 

Fellowship Expectations:

All First-Year Seminar fellows are expected to (Fall 2024):

• Participate in a fellow's program that includes professional development on integrating experiential and active learning, best practices for teaching first-year and transfer students,
  
  building effective assignments, and course redesign strategies. Professional development includes:
  • Multiple workshops and monthly dialogue
    • April 19, 2024 | 10:30a - 12p | Zoom
    • May 3, 2024 | 8:30a - 3p | Baker Wetlands Discovery Center
    • August 22, 2024 - CTE Teaching Summit
  • Faculty-led learning community in which faculty exchange ideas and support each other. This requires at least three  meetings during the semester where small groups check in with each other. 
    • September 13, 2024, October 11, 2024, and November 8, 2024 | 9:30a-10:30a

• All KU faculty who are tenured or tenure-track, teaching professors, professors of practice, full-time lecturers, and qualified instructors are eligible to apply to teach a First-Year Seminar.  
• First-Year Seminars must be part of the individual faculty's regular teaching load.

If you have questions about your eligibility, email fys@ku.edu.

Department/Faculty Funding

First-Year and Transfer Seminars must taught “on load” in the fall and spring semesters (with department chair approval). Beginning Fall 2024, we will not be awarding instructional replacement costs. All instructors will be directly paid $1,500 for completing professional development workshops and redesigning their course to meet the new learning outcomes associated with First-Year and Transfer Seminars. There are limited funds available for qualified instructors without a full-time teaching load.

The departments receive the student credit hours (SCH) associated with the seminars they offer in accordance with the College/School practices for managing these tuition dollars.

Application Instructions

Faculty interested in teaching a new First-Year or Transfer Seminar during the Fall 2025 semester should complete the following steps:

1. Review the requirements for First-Year Seminars.
2. Talk with your department chair to see if your participation in the First-Year Seminar Program will be feasible.If so, ask your chair to complete the Chair Endorsement Form.
3. Complete the 2025 FYS Seminar Application before the September 13, 2024 deadline for Spring 2025 or the December 13th deadline for Fall 2025.
4. New seminars will be approved by Undergraduate Education and the University Core Curriculum Committee.

Note: Faculty who taught a seminar in Fall 2024 do not need to complete the application again unless they would like to teach a different topic.

Evaluation Criteria for New Seminar Proposals

Applications for new First-Year Seminars will be evaluated on the following:

Topic: Course is organized around a stimulating and innovative content area, more narrowly focused than a survey course. Topic is important and will be engaging to first year students.

US or Global Culture: Course meets or can be adapted to meet the learning outcomes and criteria associated with the US or Global Culture goals. 

Seminar and assignment design: Course activities will enable students to practice skills and apply their knowledge in a variety of settings. Application describes an integrative assignment that will capture student achievement of the major course learning outcomes.

Transferrable skills: Course will provide students with opportunities to develop skills that have value in a variety of contexts at KU.

Experiential/Hands-on Learning: Course clearly provides opportunities for experiential or hands-on learning (e.g., field trips, service projects, lab experiences, artistic performances or exhibits. Opportunities for experiential/hands-on learning are articulated in the application.

Welcoming Classroom: Course design will foster an inclusive experience for all students.

Other Considerations: Additional considerations for approving this course: (a) multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary, or makes clear connections with other courses, or (b) involves collaborations with other units or organizations on or off campus (e.g., Spencer Museum of Art, Writing Center), or (c) from a discipline or area not represented by current list of FYS.

General Requirements for Faculty and Departments

• FYS must be 16-week courses taught in-person on the Lawrence campus. 
• Course must taught “on load” in the fall or spring semester with department chair approval (see funding tab for more information).
• Department/Instructor must commit to teaching the course for 3 semesters over the course of 3 academic years (beginning fall 2024).
• Enrollment is capped at 24.
• Classes are scheduled for a standard time meeting pattern and meet at least twice a week.
• Faculty must participate in the professional development and the assessment processes

I taught a First-Year Seminar previously. Do I need to complete the application?

Everyone who taught a seminar prior to Fall 2024  must complete the application. 

I currently teach a course that satisfies the US Culture Goal in KU Core 34. May I continue teaching that course and teach a first-year/transfer seminar?

Yes, you are welcome to continue teaching that course in addition to a first-year/transfer seminar. If you are selected to teach a seminar, you are expected to adapt the content to meet the needs of first-year or transfer students. The seminar would be taught under XXX 177. 

When will we learn if our application has been approved to teach a seminar for Fall 2025?

All seminars must be approved by the University Core Curriculum Committee (UCCC). We intend to seek their approval and notify all departments and faculty of decisions regarding Fall 2025 by the beginning of the Spring 2025 semester. Please consider submitting your application material earlier if you would like a decision before winter break.