A new course aimed at first-year University of Colorado at Boulder students known as "CU 101" will be launched this semester as part of a first-year pilot program.
The elective course will be offered to about 60 students in the residential academic programs of Baker and Farrand halls. The new class is titled "The Contemporary Research University and Student Citizens."
"The class is aimed at providing students with the knowledge and understanding of this university, and their place in it, so that they can succeed at CU-Boulder," said Michael Grant, associate vice chancellor for undergraduate education. "We have recruited several dedicated faculty to lead this pilot and I am optimistic that this will be a very successful first phase."
If the first-year pilot program is successful, the university plans to develop a second-year pilot in the 2007 academic year with the longer-term potential to become a requirement for all first-year students. Similar classes are offered at many other colleges and universities.
Past practices of simply assuming students know why they are here, how to be successful and having the skills to accomplish all of the tasks inherent in being a successful student have not been sufficient for many students, according to the task force creating the course, which is chaired by Grant.
The class will focus on the history and purposes of a research university; what CU-Boulder expects of its students; how individual students fit into the whole campus; dealing with challenges presented by differences involving race, gender and religion; the impact alcohol can have on diversity issues; the development of individual values; and personal involvement in the university community.
The class was developed partly in response to issues arising from many students' lack of exposure to people with different backgrounds and values from their own. The class aims to encourage students to develop the skills and knowledge needed to deal with differences in both personal and group interactions.
Student representatives were included in faculty subcommittees that helped to develop the class. The task force plans to formally assess the effectiveness of the class using formal testing instruments in a pre- and post-class design, with control groups, before making a decision on whether or not to proceed with a second-year effort.