Abstract
Retention of students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields, particularly of traditionally underrepresented groups, remains a nationally recognized concern. Many studies have shown that first-year seminars can have a positive effect on a student’s transition to college, persistence in their chosen degrees, and ultimate success and retention in the geosciences and other related STEM fields. We created a one-unit first-year seminar to assist our geoscience students with academic and career planning, increase student awareness of opportunities on campus, and increase a sense of belonging in their major. We present pre and post survey data to assess the effectiveness of the seminar class in meeting our instructional goals for student learning, thereby enhancing our teaching and curriculum through reflective program assessment. Our results suggest that the seminar was effective in meeting our objectives in three key areas, including assisting students with academic and career planning, increasing student awareness of support resources and opportunities on campus, and increasing a sense of community amongst participants.
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Recommended Citation
Crook, Elizabeth D. and Ferguson, Julie E.
(2025)
"The Impacts of a First-Year Seminar on Academic and Career Planning and Community Building for Geoscience Students,"
International Journal for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning:
Vol. 19:
No.
2, Article 9.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.20429/ijsotl.2025.190209
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