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FAQs
for Students
(revised 8/12/03)
What
is it?
1. What is First Year Studies?
2. What are the benefits of taking a First
Year Studies course?
3. Am I required to take a First Year Studies
course?
4. What are the First year Studies Courses
for Fall 2003?
5. How is First Year Studies different
from First-Year Experience?
How
do I register for for a FYS course?
1.
How do I register for a First Year Studies Course?
2. All sections for the couses I want to
take are filled. What can i do?
3. There still seems to be open slots for
this couse, but I'm not able to register. Why?
What
will a FYS course do for me?
1.
What are the goals of First Year Studies courses?
2. What common experiences do students in
First Year Studies courses have?
FAQs
for Instructors [Click Here]
1.
How do I create a First Year Studies course?
2. What are the requiremenst for First Year
Studies couses?
3. Who authorizes First Year Studies couses,
and how are fiscal arrangements handled between the School
of Humanities and Social Science and individual departments?
4. Can departments ouside of H&SS participate
in the FYS program?
5. What is the FYS summer workshop?
6. I am intereted. How can i participate
in these workshops?
7. What is the future direction of FYS,
and how can I get involved?
8. What are its specific objectives and
pedagogic goals?
Answers:
What
is it?
1.
What is First Year Studies?
First
Year Studies is a program, housed within the School of
Humanities
and Social Sciences, offers a set of courses specifically
designed for first year students. These courses aim to
provide new
students with an opportunity to understand the social world
in which they will live and work. It is based on the liberal
arts component of the student's education, and aims to develop
such skills as critical analysis, imagination, and interpersonal
communication. Many of the first year course offering will
complement and enhance the student's future profesional
concentration
by connecting the liberal arts to issues of science and technology.
2.
What are the benefits of taking a First Year Studies course?
First
Year Studies courses generally take place with discussion
sections of no more than 25 students. This permits more
personalized
instruction and provides students with space for active
participation.
Many First Year Studies courses also make effective use of
teamwork and other forms of collaboration, which not
only
contribute to professional development objectives (much of
the work world requires teamwork) but also provides
students
with an early opportunity to make strong social bonds within
the classroom that they can rely on throughout their
career
at Rensselaer.
3.
Am I required to take a First Year Studies course?
No.
However, all students are required to take a substantial
number
of H&SS courses to graduate (24 credits, or approximately
six courses). This means that students must enroll in an
H&SS
course during most of their semesters at Rensslear. It therefore
makes sense to enroll in a class specifically designed for
first year students. These courses are designed to help
students make an effective transition into the academic program
at Rensselaer
4.
What are the First year Studies courses for next Fall?
A
full list of the Fall 2003 FYS courses are posted at
this
website. Click here to
see the list.
5.
How is First Year Studies different from First Year Experience?
First
Year Studies and the Office of the First-Year Experience
are separate programs
within this institution. Having said this, we work very closely
with the Office of the First-Year Experience, given
our similar
goals. In general, the First Year Studies program, which
is housed in an academic unit (the School of Humanities
and Social
Sciences) deals with the academic aspects of a student's
first year at Rensslear, especially with regards to
the non-technical
part of their curriculum. The Office of the First-Year Experience
helps students cope with their social transition to
college
life and also has general cognizance over the institute-wide
first year academic curriculum. Their efforts also include
extracurricular and co-curricular programs,
the
latter
which includes
programs
that involve
direct collaboration between First Year Studies and the Office
of the First-Year Experience.
How
do I register for for a FYS course?
1.
How do I register for a First Year Studies course?
At
Rensselaer, first year students, including transfer students,
register during the orientation sessions that generally take
place during July of each year. Within the document, "Planning
Your First Semester" distributed during orientation,
is detailed information pertaining to all First Year Studies
courses offered for the Fall semester. Students will be given
additional information regarding registration procedures during
their orientation session.
2.
All sections for the couses I want to take are filled.
What
can I do?
Keep
trying. Students add and drop courses all the time, so if
there is a particular course you would like to take that is
currently full, there is a good chance that you will find
an opening later on. Make sure to sign up for another course
in the meantime, just in case you are unable to get in to
the course that you would like to take.
3.
There still seems to be open slots for this couse, but I'm
not able to register. Why?
There
are some courses, such as IHSS-1970 Design, History, and
Society,
that is restricted to specific majors (in this case, Architecture).
But more likely, you are hitting up against the fact that
certain seats are being reserved for students who arrive
at an orientation session later than yours.
What
will a FYS course do for me?
1.
What are the goals of First Year Studies courses?
First
Year Studies courses aim to offer a wide variety of courses
that draw on the disciplinary and interdisciplinary strengths
of the various departments housed within the School of
Humanities
and Social Sciences. All of the courses invite students in
the first semester to relate their ideas and experiences
within
the new context of academic life. All First Year Studies
courses draw on a broad array of pedagogic strategies
(teaching philosophies)
including, but not limited to those of critical thinking,
written and oral communication, teamwork or group work,
diversity / diversity of perspectives, and
personal instructional attention. We also foster
a sense of community, both within the classroom, as well
as
among all first year students at Rensselaer.
2.
What common experiences do students in First Year Studies
courses have?
Currently,
there are three forms of common experiences that students
enrolled in a First Year Studies course receive. These are:
-
Team-oriented projects
- A shared lecture series
- A common theme for each semester that many FYS courses
integrate into their curriculum
FAQs
for Instructors
1.
How do I create a First Year Studies course?
We
would very much welcome new First Year Studies course offerings.
Please contact the director, Atsushi Akera, directly at akeraa@rpi.edu. If
you are using a recent version of Internet Explorer, or another
compliant browser, you may also download the Application Form
for New Courses
here.
2.
What are the requirements for First Year Studies couses?
During
AY 2002-2003, the FYS Faculty Advisory Committee,
director, and director of pedagogy produced revised guidelines
for new courses to be introduced into the program. We
have tried to put in place very flexible guidelines that
simply requires instructors, for the most part, to adopt
a "topics" approach that builds a course around a specific
issue or theme that would be immediately familiar to first
year students, and hence encourage their direct engagement
with the course content. (FYS courses should not
be an "Intro to X" type course.) We also
continue to emphasize courses with an interdisciplinary
orientation. There is also a set of pedagogic strategies
for the program. While there is no expectation that
any single course will fully incorporate all of these strategies,
instructors should feel comfortable with the pedagogic
approaches described under the heading of "Philosophy," above.
The information may also be found in the Application
Form for New Courses. In general, however, the
uniformity of the program's pedagogic style is sustained
through the two-day FYS Summer Seminar (substantial compensation
is offered to all participants, including TAs) held in May
of each year, as well as the optional Fall pedagogy brownbag
sessions where all FYS instructors will have an opportunity
to share their teaching experiences and philosophies.
If
you are interested in developing a new first year studies
course,
please contact the director, Atsushi
Akera, at akeraa@rpi.edu.
3.
Who authorizes First Year Studies couses, and how are fiscal
arrangements handled between the School of Humanities and
Social Science and individual departments?
Beginning
with the AY2003-2004 fiscal year, all FYS courses will
be subject to regular three-year evaluations. The
FYS Faculty Advisory Committee currently serves as the
curriculum committee for all FYS courses. While the
advisory committee can certify that a particular course
and instructor can teach within the program, the ultimate
decision regarding what courses to offer lies with the
individual departments within H&SS.
The
current fiscal arrangements are best explained in the context
of the history of the program and institute budgetary policies.
As part of a fundraising effort for
H&SS,
the school received an $800k endowment, originally to support
three dedicated faculty positions. When the institute
shifted to an incentive based budgeting system, the budgeting
of participating faculty members was transferred to their
departments. This continues to be the practice,
although it is under evaluation with the recent shift
away form
incentive budgeting. Adjuncts who are teaching
in the program are supported directly out of the endowment
income.
4.
Can departments ouside of H&SS participate in the FYS
program?
Yes.
Under one vision, a number of First Year Studies courses
would
be team taught by faculty across the various schools at Rensselaer.
This might involve a collaboration between an Engineering,
Management, and H&SS faculty member all of whom are dedicated
to looking at a particular issue or technology (such as
biotechnology)
from different disciplinary perspectives. It is expected
that at least one H&SS faculty member be involved in
such an effort. But aside from this constraint, we would
very much
welcome conversations across the various schools
in creating innovative, interdisciplinary offerings for
first
year students.
5.
What is the FYS Summer Seminar?
Currently,
the FYS Summer Seminar constitutes one of the main
venues
through which we are able to carry out serious discussions
about pedagogy as it related to university education and
especially
the training of first year students who are making a very
important transition to academic life. The summer seminar,
as described in more detail within the Philosophy
section of this website provides an opportunity for FYS instructors
and teaching assistants to discuss pedagogic goals and strategies.
External speakers and facilitators are brought in to assist
us with the process during these two-day paid workshops.
6.
I am intereted. How can I participate in the Summer Seminar?
Please
contact the director of pedagogy, Julie Gutmann, at gutmaj@rpi.edu.
7.
What is the future direction of FYS, and how can I get involved?
The
future direction of FYS is determined jointly by the FYS
director, its director of pedagogy,
and the members of the FYS Faculty Advisory Committee. The
committee is comprised of representatives from each of the
five departments within
the
School of Humanities and Social Sciences. If you are interested
in contributing to the planning process for our program,
please
contact the director at akeraa@rpi.edu.
8.
What are the specific objectives and pedagogic goals of the
program?
For
a detailed answer to this question, see the Philosophy
section of this website.
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