1st Year Seminar Instructors

Learning Objectives

Although you have much freedom in designing the First Year Seminar class for your students, please remember to focus your class on these three main areas:

Introduction to College Life

  • Leaving home
  • The differences between high school and college
  • Changing relationships/new relationships
  • Increasing academic and personal responsibilities

Introduction to Biola University

  • The uniqueness of Biola University
  • Life in the Biola community/community standards
  • Involvement opportunities
  • Campus resources

Introduction to your Major

  • Any discipline-specific topics
  • Integration of faith into your major/discipline
  • Requirements and expectations within the major
  • Career opportunities within the major

Downloads

General Information

“Guests” & Requests

Because we have a captive audience of all freshmen in the First Year Seminar classes, the FYS instructors often receive a wide variety of requests and solicitations from various groups on campus. You may receive email or housemail from people asking to come to your class, survey your class, or asking you to make announcements in your class.

Your class is first and foremost…a class. You may respond to as many requests as you like, but please do not let this compromise the learning objectives of the class. Feel free to accept or decline these requests as they come.

Evaluations

You will be sent course evaluation forms to have your students fill out at the end of the eight-week class. Evaluations are used primarily by the Academic Advising office and are not forwarded to the Provost. You will be sent a copy of your evaluations. If you would like to have the results sent to your department chair or dean, just let Julie know.

Career Services/Library

We encourage you to expose your students to a variety of campus resources (Career Services, Health Services, Counseling Services, Library, Writing Center) throughout the course of your FYS class. The Career Services and Library staff will contact you with information about how to schedule presentations and/or visits. Their fall schedules can be very busy, so please do not delay in responding! Also, if you plan to give your students an assignment which will require them to obtain some kind of service (i.e. Career Counseling or Career Testing), please clear that with the affected office before printing your syllabus.

Class Expenses

The budget for First Year Seminar includes a small expense budget for your classes. We will be glad to pay for your duplicating center costs associated with the class, reimburse you for supplies used for the class, and/or fund a small celebration at the end of your class. If you need a cash advance for any expenses, let Julie know one week in advance. Otherwise just keep your receipts, and we will reimburse you.