Working Toward a Distinct “Pedagogy of the First Year”: What Classroom Strategies Work Best with First Year Students?

Presented at First Year Experience annual conference

Do first-year students benefit from a different teaching approach? If so, what makes for quality “first-year teaching,” and how do these “best practices” differ from those of upperdivision courses? What types of assignments work best with first-year students? How can exams and other graded assignments be structured to help first-year students adjust to college-level expectations? This roundtable session is designed for faculty and administrators who are interested in sharing ideas about a distinct “pedagogy of the first year.”