First-Year Seminar for Geoscience Students
Elizabeth Crook, Earth System Science
Julie Ferguson, Earth System Science
University of California-Irvine
Summary
This introductory seminar consists of presentations or discussions led by faculty, current students, and staff to provide information about the departmental degree programs, campus resources, special programs/opportunities, and career trajectories available to geoscience students. The course is designed to provide newly enrolled students (freshmen/transfers) with an awareness of the department, school, and campus resources available to help them succeed and to provide a sense of community for newly enrolled students. Like many geoscience programs, our department offers more than one major, and this course is also designed to help students select the major that is appropriate for their career goals without delaying time to graduation.
Course URL: []
Course Size:
31-70
Course Format:
Small-group seminar
Institution Type:
University with graduate programs, including doctoral programs
Course Context:
This is an introductory course with no pre-requisites, and it does not serve as a prerequisite for other courses. Rather, it is designed to be a "college transition/success" seminar (i.e. Freidman & Marsh, 2009) that helps students transition to a four-year institution. It is designed to unveil the "hidden curriculum" that might be a barrier to newly enrolled students who would otherwise lack support structures in their first year of college. The course is restricted to geoscience majors enrolled in one of our two degree programs.
*Friedman, D., & Marsh, E. (2009). What type of first-year seminar is most effective? A comparison of thematic seminars and college transition/success seminars. Journal of the First-Year Experience & Students in Transition, 21(1), 29-42.
Course Content:
This is a 1-unit, 1 hour per week seminar that covers one specific topic each week as it relates to the transition to a 4-year University, including: the different aspects of each degree program, career trajectories for geoscientists, campus/student resources, academic counseling, constructing 2-year course plans, departmental research opportunities, and finding mentors, among others. The specific weekly topics, activities, and associated learning outcomes can be found in the course schedule in the syllabus.
Course Goals:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- Identify the available department, school, and campus resources that support students on campus.
- Build connections with instructors, teaching assistants, peers, and other members of the department and campus community.
- Describe the difference between the two majors offered by the department, and define several career options each degree might lead to
- Describe the research of various faculty in the department, write a professional email, and list the steps needed to participate in research in the department.
- Create a 2-year course plan and enroll in classes
Course Features:
The seminar is designed to build community among participants in an informal atmosphere. Students are encouraged to work in groups when participating in activities, and must converse with their classmates regularly during the hour-long session. An important element of this course is having students directly interact with faculty through office hours, presentations, and lab tours. Activities are described in the syllabus, and where appropriate, worksheets have also been provided.
Course Philosophy:
This course was designed as a college-transition seminar to address issues related to retention and success of our geoscience majors. The geoscience workforce suffers from a lack of diversity, and many of our students are First-Gen, low-income, and otherwise underrepresented students who could benefit from more guidance in their first year at University. Therefore, this seminar was designed to address the hidden college curriculum, provide students with a sense of community and support, and help students define how their degrees might lead to meaningful careers that reflect their investment of time and money.
Assessment:
Students must turn in 6 of 7 assignments throughout the quarter to pass the class, and each assignment is designed to reinforce the topics discussed during the weekly seminar. Attendance is also required, and students must be present for 8 of the 10 seminars throughout the quarter. Additionally, the 2-year course study plan is a requirement to pass the course.
Syllabus:
Syllabus (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 21kB May13 25)
Teaching Materials:
2 Year Course Plan Handout (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 17kB May13 25) : This is the student handout used in the assignment where students design 2-year course plan, and is also used in a follow-up session in which students conduct a peer review of a neighbor's course plan.
Externalizing vs. Internalizing Approach to Academic Problems (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 15kB May28 25) : Students learn about the importance of internalizing approaches to academic problems.
Investigating Careers at Companies (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 18kB May28 25) : Students research companies and define how each company might employ a recent graduate from each of the degree programs offered by the department.
Resource Office Student Handout (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 14kB May28 25) : Students fill this worksheet out while listening to student presentations on the various resource offices on campus (students are assigned a resource office to present in groups).
Rewording Common Student Questions (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 13kB May28 25) : Students reword common problems addressed in office hours and address how to take ownership of their learning.