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In a commitment to enhance the first-year experience of all University of California undergraduates, President Atkinson and the Chancellors of the University of California campuses launched in 2002 an initiative to expand existing Freshman Seminar Programs so as to make seminars available to all interested freshmen. These one-unit seminars introduce students to the research university and encourage them to become active participants in intellectual interactions with their peers and professors. With small classes of fifteen to twenty students led by Academic Senate faculty, the seminars emphasize analysis and communication, and give faculty and students a chance to explore academic topics and new lines of inquiry in a supportive, interactive, and congenial setting.
Course Proposal Submission and Review Faculty who wish to teach a seminar course are asked to submit a simple application on-line. The application must include the title of the course, a brief course description, a short list of readings (if applicable), a scheduled time and location, and preference for Fall, Winter or Spring quarter. The topic of the seminar must be in the faculty member's academic discipline. The seminar must be offered in a suitable room such as a department seminar room that is not available as a general assignment classroom. A brief biographical statement about the instructor should also be included. Freshman Discovery Seminar proposals are forwarded to the Executive Committee Chair of the college of the proposing faculty member, where a decision on the final disposition of the proposal will be made. Application Deadlines: Fall 2008 - June 20, 2008 Winter 2009 - September 19, 2008 Each ladder-rank faculty member who teaches a seminar on an overload basis will receive $1200, not as salary, but as a fund available to support his or her academic/research expenses. The home department of the faculty member will receive $300 to be used in support of the department's mission. The faculty member may optionally designate their $1200 fund for use by his/her department. Funds can be carried forward to the next fiscal year. Faculty will be eligible to receive the $1200 award only once in each academic year. Teaching a Discovery seminar will not count as part of regular workload and will not result in any reduction of teaching responsibilities.
Information and Tips on Teaching Freshman Seminars The following information was created based on feedback from faculty at UCSD who taught freshman seminars. UCR is in the process of compiling information based on student feedback and this site will be updated soon. Ideas for getting quiet students to participate in Freshman Seminar discussions Feedback from faculty and students consistently indicated that student participation was split 50/50 in many seminars - half of students actively participated and the other half did not. Lack of participation may occur for several reasons, however, the common factors for that were indicated by faculty and by students were: shyness, awkwardness, and the transitioning process from high school where in some instances students appeared to have been more accustomed to a lecture-style format. You may want to consider some of the following suggestions to actively engage students in seminar discussions:
A suggestion regarding communication of your grading and attendance policies It is suggested that you communicate your grading and attendance policies at the beginning of the seminar so that the students are clear about your expectations of them. Students should typically expect two hours per week of outside class work for every one hour of class time. Mid-terms and final exams The decision regarding whether or not to give students a mid-term or final exam rests with the faculty member teaching the seminar. However, Freshman Seminars are exempt from requiring final exams during the University's scheduled final exam week.
Who will teach the Freshman Discovery Seminars? Ladder-rank faculty are invited to teach a Freshman Discovery Seminar. Visiting professors, acting professors, lecturers and graduate students may not teach these seminars. How are Freshman Discovery Seminars identified? The Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education administers the one-unit seminars. They are identified as NASC/HASS/ENGR 092 and are different from the Freshman Advising Seminars administered by the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (NASC 091). For information about the Freshman Advising Seminars, contact Christopher Olivera at Christopher.Olivera@ucr.edu or 951-827-5326 May I teach more than one seminar per academic year? Yes, but faculty may only be awarded incentive payment for one seminar per academic year. How and when will I be paid? Incentive payments are distributed by Academic Planning and Budget to departments who then in turn allocate the money to faculty. Payments will be distributed shortly after the last day of instruction for the quarter. Who will enroll in the seminars? Freshman students will be given enrollment priority. Sophomores will be admitted at a later date if space is available. Any student may enroll in any seminar. For example, CNAS students are not limited to CNAS offerings. How will the Freshman Seminars affect my regular teaching assignments? The Freshman Discovery Seminars do not affect your regular teaching assignments. They are taught as course overload. They cannot be used to substitute for regularly assigned teaching. When and where will the seminars be scheduled? WHEN? Freshman Discovery Seminars will be scheduled for one hour a week for a quarter. (Discovery Seminars will NOT have a scheduled final exam and will not meet during that week.) Variations based on course content are possible, but in all cases the goal is to assure sustained and repeated contact with faculty throughout the quarter. Every attempt will be made to accommodate an instructor’s scheduling preferences, including quarter and time of offering. WHERE? General assignment classrooms may NOT be used. Many departments have suitable space in conference and seminar rooms outside the Registrar’s purview. Instructors are asked to recommend these sites on their proposal form and to verify the availability of these rooms with departmental personnel before submitting the proposal. Who will arrange the location of my seminar and coordinate the textbook orders? Faculty members will be asked to make their own room arrangements according to departmental procedure. Departmental personnel should handle any textbook orders for the seminar. How might I design a Freshman Seminar? Because Freshman Seminars give faculty and students a chance to explore academic topics and new lines of inquiry in an interactive and congenial setting, they can support a range of intellectual interests. Consider introducing students to a major problem in your research field, to a book or idea in your area that changed your mind, or to a contemporary social or political dilemma linked to your expertise. Consider including a cultural or field experience outside the classroom. Because teaching a Freshman Seminar is over and above your regular teaching assignment, consider topics that take advantage of your current activities, such as a research project in process, a book you are writing, or a periodical you read regularly. The seminars should engage students, foster discussion, and promote critical thinking. Normally students are expected to spend approximately two hours per week outside of class for every hour in the classroom, so the workload of a Freshman Seminar should be planned accordingly. You might consider assigning grades based on attendance, informal writing assignments, group work, class presentations, etc. How will students learn about the Freshman Seminars? New freshmen will learn about them in the regular mailings sent to new students in the spring and summer, in the Bear Facts Orientation program held throughout the summer, and in advising sessions with academic counselors. Returning students will be invited to enroll after freshmen have had every opportunity to participate. Consequently, we expect only limited participation by returning students in Fall Quarter. Are all Freshman Seminars graded on a Satisfactory/No Credit (S/NC) basis? Yes. Freshman Seminars are intended to provide a small group of freshmen (and some sophomores) an opportunity to engate in an academic experience with ladder rank faculty for eight to ten hours in an informal, seminar-style setting on a topic of mutual interest absent the pressures of a letter grade. Can more than 20 students enroll in a seminar? Is there a minimum? The enrollment maximum for Freshman Seminars is 20. It is encouraged that you stick to the 20-student limit in order to preserve the small group setting. If the room that you are using for the seminar has space to accommodate more students, increasing the limit would be at your discression. (Please email trina.elerts@ucr.edu if you would like to increase the limit in your seminar.) The minimum for Freshman Seminars is 12 students. How can students evaluate their experience in the seminar? Freshman Discovery Seminars (beginning Spring 2006) are evaluated in the on-line evaluation process. Students will be sent emails reminding them of the time frame in which to evaluate the course. More information on faculty evaluations can be found through on the Office of Instructional Development web site.
Please look at current course offerings to peruse examples of approved discovery seminars.
Sample Course Descriptions (from UC Berkeley's 2001-02 offerings): For more information, please contact:
Trina Elerts
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