Weber State University   

First Year Experience

Results of Assessment 

1999-2000 (submitted 11/27/00)

1. What data were collected on your program participants in 1999-2000?
   • The First Year Experience (FYE) Program is for students in their first year of college. Most students have not declared a major. Students in the FYE Program enroll in Educ 1105 - Introduction to the University, a course designed to help students make a successful transition to college. Three kinds of data were collected to assess the FYE Program. First, questionnaire data were obtained from FYE students, faculty, and peer mentors on the perceived ability of the FYE students to demonstrate the following outcomes: master academic skills, demonstrate a knowledge and use of campus resources, demonstrate effective interpersonal skills, and develop a sense of belonging to WSU. Second and third, retention and GPA data are collected on students through the university’s Office of Institutional Research. Data were collected from Summer Term, 1999; Fall Semester, 1999; and Spring Semester, 2000.
2. When/how were these data discussed among the FYE Program staff/faculty?
   • Data are provided to FYE faculty and staff in two ways: 
     • 1) each semester, student feedback on individual Educ 1105 faculty teaching effectiveness is provided to that instructor, along with program-wide comparison data, for the purposes of formative teaching improvement (sometimes the coordinators discuss these data with individual faculty); 
     • 2) data on overall student achievement of the four outcomes - mentioned in question #1 - are reviewed over a series of meetings in the summer and early fall by the FYE Program management staff to identify needed program changes.
3. What changes are anticipated as a result of these discussions?
   • In general, the overall data suggest that students are meeting the program outcomes. Students and peer mentors rate the students’ abilities higher than do faculty. Educ 1105 teachers rate the students’ abilities higher than do the "academic" faculty.
   • During Summer and Fall of 2000, FYE Program management staff discussed whether or not each outcome objective was still pertinent to the mission of the program. The program outcomes were revised to better reflect the program’s mission. In turn, the mission statement was expanded. Then, the questionnaires were revised to correspond to the changes in the program outcomes. No changes in curriculum were made based on the data. However, a faculty contract was implemented to make faculty more aware of the needs of first year students.
4. What student learning outcomes will your department assess in 2000-2001?
   • The following four outcomes will be assessed next year using the same methodology as used in 1999/00: 
   • By the end of the semester, the FYE student will have achieved the following:
     1. Mastered academic skills such as note taking, textbook reading, test taking, writing, and time management.
     2. Demonstrated a knowledge and use of campus resources.
     3. Demonstrated effective interpersonal skills with a variety of people.
     4. Developed a sense of belonging to the WSU community through the connections with other students, teachers, peer mentors, and WSU employees.

Mission Statement / Student Learning Outcomes / Curriculum Grid / Assessment Plan / Contact Person