Fresh Ideas: Teaching Techniques Developed by UMass Dartmouth
Faculty to Increase Freshman Success and Achievement is a collection of teaching
strategies from faculty in the Freshman Success Program in 2002-2003. Freshman
Success is an annual program in which faculty modify one of their courses
to promote freshman student retention and achievement. The program begins
with an introductory workshop in the spring, after which faculty meet with
each other in study groups in the fall. They then share their teaching ideas
with other colleagues in a spring workshop and in one-page papers that are
published annually as Fresh Ideas.
Freshman Success began in spring 2001, with the goal of making
academic support strategies used in College Now, the University’s alternative
admissions program, available to the general freshman population. College
Now students enter the University without standard qualifications for admission,
but stay and succeed at the same rates as the general enrollment due to early
assistance in developing the basic academic skills and attributes vital to
success in college.
Freshman Success is a collaboration of College Now and the Center
for Teaching and Learning. Faculty involved in the program receive mini-grants
to modify their courses and produce their teaching strategies. Because of
the success of the first two years, the program is continuing with a new round
of grants during 2003-04. Faculty interested in participating can contact
College Now for information.
The planning committee of the Freshman Success Program includes
James T. Griffith, Chancellor Professor of Medical Laboratory Science; George
Smith, Assistant Chancellor for Equal Opportunity/Diversity/Outreach; Anne
Boisvert, College Now Counselor; Wayne Ramos, College Now Counselor; Marjorie
Condon, Executive Director of the Center for Teaching & Learning.
Acknowledgements
The committee gratefully acknowledges the guidance and support
of Provost and Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Thomas J. Curry. Dr. Curry
has provided essential resources to launch and continue the project.
The committee also recognizes faculty and administrators who
participate in Freshman Success workshops and especially those faculty who
modify courses and generously share their experiences with others. The dedication
of these faculty is well-documented in the teaching ideas that are presented
in this booklet.
