Our+Mission,+etc.

At our first meeting we decided that:

=Our Mission=

=Our Deliverable=

=Our Timeline=

This was the initial proposal that was sent to the Deans:

** __Proposal for a University Skills Course for 1st time university students __ **  This proposal aims to develop a course ** UNI 1001: University Skills ** for first time university students aimed at enhancing student success and promote student retention.  ** Background  ** From the discussions at the Strategic planning and from discussions with advisors from other universities, it seems that a transitional course helps 1st time university students in moving into university academics. Most universities have a form of such a course designed to develop academic skills and increase the success rate of the students.  Furthermore, a course like this would help to make a personal connection between the students and the university community, thus enhancing the first year experience.  There is a current course on the Academic Calendar:  ** SCI 1001: University Skills for Science Students (2ch)  ** ** Course Description: ** // Introduces first year students to skills which will assist in their success in first year university. Helps students develop their self assessment skills and their approaches to problem solving. //   This proposal seeks to expand the content and re-offer the course to students from all faculties. The rationale behind this is to make the course an attractive elective for students to enroll in as well as ensuring that the students have the relevant skills to be successful at university. This would mean that all three faculties would need to be in support of it and recognize the course as a potential credit. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Goals ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Pedagogical approach ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Workload will not be overly heavy but assignment pieces will have to be done on a regular basis in order to have a constant flow of information and feedback. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The course will also focus on reflection and self awareness so that the students can be conscious of their abilities. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The use of tutorial groups will help facilitate communication and interaction. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Grading will be done on a CR/NCR basis. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Format  ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">To meet best practices, the class sizes would be a tutorial format and small to facilitate discussion and questions, which would mean that multiple sessions would have to be held in order to accommodate the 1st years. A combination of one lecture and one tutorial session for group discussions per week would seem to strike a balance on teaching methodology and time effectiveness. Tutorial groups could be divided by the 3 faculties so specific faculty content/skills could be injected into the discussions if necessary. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The current suggestions are to: <span style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 84pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 84.0pt; text-indent: -48pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">1) Offer the course at a 3ch but not mandatory so that students are inclined to take it as an elective.  <span style="margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt 84pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo5; tab-stops: list 84.0pt; text-indent: -48pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">2) Offer the course at a 1ch but mandatory for all students in their first year. The challenge would be to accommodate all first year students or to attract the students who need it the most. One option is for students could be enrolled in UNI 1001 course via acceptance high school grades. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">On the issue of teaching the course, the proposal would be to use resources and expertise already on campus. The most cost efficient format will be to have a facilitator to manage the course but rely on the expertise on campus to deliver specific content. For example, the librarian can be brought in to teach research strategies. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The following topics are proposed to be taught in class: <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Resources  ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Partners ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Program review  ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">In order to review the success of the program, several markers would provide accurate reflection of the course. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">GPA: **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> GPA of the students who participate in the program should be higher than the students who did not participate <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Retention rates: **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> Student who participated in the program would be less likely to withdraw from university. <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> ** <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Student feedback: **<span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">After the course, a detailed feedback can be obtained in order to gauge the responses of the students.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The course seeks to assist the 1st year student in adapting and thriving in post secondary studies as well as teaching them to be efficient and effective at the university.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The goal is to equip first time university students with the necessary skills to be successful in a university environment. This would help in the retention of students and academic success in their post secondary education.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">The course also aims to transition the students from high school or the workforce to the university, in order to reduce stress and dissonance in expectations so that they will continue on in university to pursue their goals.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Time Management
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Academic and personal self awareness
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Teaching and Learning; Learning styles
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Taking notes
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Reading <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';"> and understanding text
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Research
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Academic writing
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Problem solving
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Health and wellness
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Money matters
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">University services for students
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Presentations
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Motivation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Preparing for exams
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Stipend for one course coordinator
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Topic facilitators and guest speakers should be allocated time to develop their sessions
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Workload allocation
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Lecture and tutorial room space
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Student Services
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Academic Advisors
 * <span style="font-family: 'Calibri','sans-serif';">Three Faculties