Introduction to Teaching New First Year Students

Understanding the most relevant characteristics of new first year students is paramount to providing support and fostering their success.

This workshop was developed by the Drake Institute, in collaboration with partners from the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Dennis Learning Center, First Year Experience, and Undergraduate Education; General Education Bookends to prepare instructors to design and teach classes that meet the needs of new first year students in their transition to a new academic setting.

Participants will learn about new first year students within emotional, psycho-social, and cognitive developmental contexts, and will explore effective teaching strategies to support them. Participants will leave with a customized plan for implementing concepts from the workshop into their teaching, and for engaging in continued professional learning.

After this workshop participants will be able to:

• describe the most relevant characteristics of new first year students within cognitive and psychosocial developmental contexts
• consider teaching strategies that support new first year students’ learning​
• identify resources and people on campus that support new first year students and instruction​
• create a plan for continued professional learning

You may register here.

If you have registered for this event, or are on the waitlist and require an accommodation such as live captioning or interpretation to participate, please contact drakeinstitute@osu.edu. Requests should be made at least two weeks prior to the event, but the university will make every effort to meet requests made after this date.

All members of the university community are welcome in Drake Institute activities, programs, services, and employment —regardless of age, ancestry, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, pregnancy, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, or any other bases under the law.

Institute for Teaching and Learning programming is offered in accordance with university guidelines associated with in-person and remote activities. The Institute will inform registrants of delivery modifications should those guidelines change.