Instructor:
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Credit Hrs: 3-0-3
Prerequisite: FYP 5000 and FYP 5100 or permission of the FYP Graduate Program Director
Course Description
This course utilizes the case study method to examine the development, maintenance, and growth of first-year programs within distinct educational environments: community colleges; private institutions; small, public universities; and large, research universities. The course reviews structural options, faculty/staff supervision, budgeting, and assessment practices related to first-year programs.
Online Learning
Students in this class should realize the nature of the course in which they are enrolled. This is an online class with no on-campus meetings scheduled. Therefore, there are no planned face-to-face interactions between students or between students and the instructor. Students are encouraged to visit the instructor on campus during office hours if geography allows, but this is not required. Students will interact with each other and with the instructor virtually, through online discussions in GeorgiaView
Vista, email, virtual office meetings and instructor feedback.
An online course requires self-motivation and discipline on the part of the student. Thus, while this course is designed to enhance student learning, the student is ultimately responsible for ensuring that the learning takes place. Students will need to adhere to the course outline in order to remain current with their readings and assignments. Although technical difficulties may arise from time to time, such difficulties will not excuse late or missing work. Students are responsible for anticipating occasional technology issues and for developing a contingency plan to deal with such issues (e.g., completing and submitting work in advance of the due date/time and identifying alternate computer and Internet access).
In the absence of face-to-face interaction, student-instructor interaction will be enhanced by a number of mechanisms:

1. The instructor will maintain on-campus office hours. In addition virtual office hours will be held twice a week. These hours will be posted in GeorgiaView Vista once the course begins.
2. Students and the instructor will interact by email as needed. Student emails will typically receive by the next business day or sooner, when possible.
3. The instructor will interact with students in discussion postings. As students post questions or concerns, the instructor will respond and interact as appropriate.
4. The instructor will provide prompt feedback for submitted assignments.
5.
Students are free to schedule on-campus appointments, phone calls, and other synchronous interactions as needed.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
differentiate between the structures that house first-year curricular initiatives versus extracurricular programs within various colleges and universities
develop research proposals to study current and future trends in curricular and co-curricular programs for first-year students
demonstrate understanding of first-year students and their needs in a particular educational setting, i.e. the community college, a private liberal arts institution, or a land-grant university and
understand the distinct roles of academic and student affairs administrators in furthering programs for first-year students.
Academic Integrity
Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation/falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention, or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing procedure, which may subject a student to the
Code of Conduct’s minimum one semester suspension requirement.

Classroom Accommodations for Students with Disabilities
If you have any form of disability or impairment and need any special assistance, please let me know. I assure you that anything you tell me in confidence will remain in confidence. Additionally, I advise you to contact Carol Pope, Director of the Disabled Student Support Services, at 770-423-
6443. The office is located in the Student Center, Suite 267.
Texts and Materials
1.
Three chapters from Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student: A Handbook for
Improving the First Year of College by Upcraft, Gardner, and Barefoot (eds). (2004). Jossey-
Bass.
2.
Barefoot, B.O. Gardner, J.N, Cutright, M., Morris, L.V., Schroeder, C.C., Siegel, M.J., et al.
(2005). Achieving and sustaining institutional excellence for the first year of college. San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
3.
Evenbeck, S.E., Jackson, B., Smith, M. & Ward, D. (2010). Organizing for student
success: The University College model. The First-Year Experience Monograph Series
(No.
53).
4. Select journal articles from Community College Review, Journal of the First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and the Journal of Learning Communities Research.
Assignments
Students will write an 8-10 page case study on a particular institution’s first-year programs exploring the structures in which the programs are housed, the resources (personnel, fiscal, and space) dedicated to the programs, the integration of those programs across the campus, and the results of assessments conducted on those programs. Students will then present the case study results through videos.
Students will develop an annotated bibliography for 10 scholarly articles that examine first-year student needs and challenges in a particular educational environment (i.e., a community college, an HBCU, or a research university) to determine effective structures for administering programs that meet those needs and/or address those challenges.
Students will actively participate in weekly discussion boards to explore issues in the readings, current research, and the case study presentations.
Students will conclude the semester by writing a research proposal examining a current or future trend in first-year program administration that will include an introduction, review of the relevant literature, and methodology.

Evaluation and Grading
Case study of a first-year program
Presentation on case study
Research proposal
Annotated bibliography
Participation in discussion board
Total
Course Outline
1
200 points
100 points
500 points
125 points
75 points
1000 points
<date> Introductions & Overview
2 Institutions of Excellence
A = 895+
B = 795 - 894
C = 695 - 794
D = 595 – 694
F = below 595
Syllabus Overview/Assignments
Discussion Board #1: General
Structures that Support First-Year
Students
Barefoot, Chapters 1 & 2
Discussion Board #2: Self-Study
Process
3
4
5
6
Case Study 1: Community
College of Denver
Case Study 2: LaGuardia
Community College
Case Study 3: Eckerd College
Case Study 4: Elon University
Barefoot, Chapter 3
Discussion Board #3: Community
Colleges
Barefoot, Chapter 4
Discussion Board #4: Current Trends in
Community Colleges
Bibliography Assignment Due
Barefoot, Chapter 5
Discussion Board #5: Liberal Arts
Colleges
Barefoot, Chapter 8
Discussion Board #6: Private
Universities
7 Case Study 5: CUNY
Barefoot, Chapter 10
Discussion Board #7: Public Colleges and Universities
8
9
Case Study 6: Texas A&M
University – Corpus Christi
Case Study 7: Appalachian
State University
Barefoot, Chapter 11
Discussion Board #8: Launching a
First-Year Program & Managing
Resources
Case Study Paper Due
Barefoot, Chapter 12
Discussion Board #9: Rural Institutions
10 Case Study 8: Ball State
University
Barefoot, Chapter 13
Presentations on Case Studies

12
13
14
11
15
16
Case Study 9: IUPUI and UTEP
Barefoot, Chapter 14, Evenbeck,
Chapter 1 & Upcraft, Chapter 9
Discussion Board #10: University
Colleges
Case Study 10: University of
South Carolina
Case Study 11: Kennesaw State
University
Barefoot, Chapter 15
Discussion Board #11: Research
Universities
Upcraft, Chapter 10
Discussion Board #12: Dedicated
Academic Department Model
Partnerships between Academic
Affairs and Student Affairs /
Supervising Faculty and Staff
Members
University Colleges: Growth and Assessment
Upcraft, Chapter 12 & Evenbeck,
Chapter 2
Discussion Board #13: Student Affairs and Managing Personnel
Evenbeck, Chapters 3 – 7
Discussion Board #14: Administration and Assessment
Discussion of Emerging Trends within First-Year Practice
Research Proposal Due
On-line Course Evaluations
Discussion Board #15: Emerging
Trends