Mentoring First-Year Students
Annual Conference on the FYE
February 19, 2007
Contact Info:
Dr. Robert Krueger
Director of the First-Year Seminar Program
Concordia University, St. Paul, MN
[email protected]
Abstract: The First-Year Seminar Program at Concordia University, St. Paul, aims to provide firstyear students with a process to build a mentoring relationship with the faculty member who advises
them. Students begin to learn this process thought a topics-based course in which the topic provides
the common ground to facilitate a mentoring relationship. This poster presentation will describe the
steps used to foster this process in the areas of faculty development and relationship building.
Mentoring Objectives:
 Institutionalize first-year student mentoring on our campus.
 Facilitate increased student engagement through the FYS course.
 Provide an opportunity for students and faculty FYS mentors to build a closer relationship.
 Enhance the academic environment at Concordia University for both faculty members and
students by implementing a structured mentoring experience.
General Achievements for FYS course
 Students will evaluate sources of information, seeking answers to personal and intellectual
questions.
 The student will explore the academic community and develop new relationships with friends,
faculty, staff, and peers.
 The student will experience the academic world, engaging oneself in the content of the chosen
FYS topic.
Specified Achievement for Mentoring
 Student will be prepared to discuss spring registration with academic advisor.
 Student takes responsibility for relationship by completing the FYS Spring Registration
Worksheet and making a registration advising appointment.
Rubric Designed for Registration Worksheet
 Beginning: Student shows up to advising appointment.
 Developing: Student shows up to the advising appointment and has begun to fill out the
registration worksheet. The worksheet is incomplete or inaccurate.
 Accomplished: Student shows up to the advising appointment with a nearly complete
registration worksheet and is ready to discuss courses for spring semester or potential
alternatives.
 Exemplary: Student has not only completed the entire registration worksheet but has setup a
preliminary schedule, including course registration numbers (CRN) numbers.
Rubric Scoring for Fall 2006 – 172 first-year students
No Show
Beginning
Developing Accomplished
Exemplary
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7.6%
9.9%
16.3%
FYS Spring Registration Worksheet
36%
30.2%
Fall 2006
Student name: ____________________________ID: ________________ PIN (know it, don’t write it)
Faculty Advisor: ___________________________________
Office: ________________
Academics
Have you decided on a field of study? YES or NO
If YES, a) what is the field of study and/or career interest? __________________________________
b) what is your academic major? ________________________________________________
c) any minors? ______________________________________________________________
Please bring a planning sheet for your majors and/or minors to the advising appointment.
If NO, what fields/careers would you like to explore? (List at least two)
__________________________________________________________________________________
Activities and Other Obligations
What activities are you involved in on campus? (List all, examples: football, choir, Psych Club)
__________________________________________________________________________________
What activities would you like to try in the future? (List at least two)
__________________________________________________________________________________
How many hours per week:
a) are you currently working: On-campus: ____ Off-campus: ____
b) do you plan to work in the spring: On-campus: ____ Off-campus: ____
c) do you spend on activities this semester (list activity & hours): ______________________________
d) do you plan to spend on activities next semester (list activity & hours):
__________________________________________________________________________________
Courses for spring semester
Could you benefit from help with study habits? YES or NO
Do you think you could use a career assessment class (SSS150)? YES or NO
For your chosen or proposed program(s), major(s), and/or minor(s), what courses should be taken in
the spring semester (list course number and name, example: MAT145, Calculus II).
__________________________________________________________________________________
What general education courses would you like to take?
__________________________________________________________________________________
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On the back: Please list course, CRN, time, and days of some of the classes you are considering.
If you are having trouble or need assistance, please contact your Peer Advisor or the advising office in
Administration 121.
Grant Support
We were fortunate to receive support through a local faculty development grant to fund some of the
mentoring initiatives. These include:
 Mentoring Funds: Each faculty member could obtain up to two hundred dollars to fund servicelearning or other activities outside the classroom. Some of the activities included:
o Financial Literacy Seminar
o Raising Funds for a Homeless Shelter
o Major League Baseball Game
o St. Paul Symphony Orchestra
o Minnesota Zoo
o Ice Cream on Grand Avenue
o Coffee at Caribou
 FYS May Faculty Conference
o Each FYS Faculty Member attends a one-day conference on campus each May to
prepare for the following year. Lunch is provided.
o The conference includes relationship building between faculty members, review of the
learning outcomes (general achievements), and training on mentoring and advising.
o New FYS faculty receive $400 and returning faculty receive $150.
 Assessment
o Concordia University, St. Paul utilizes eLumen (www.eLumen.info) to track scoring of
student achievement.
o FYS faculty receive $100 stipend after they complete their eLumen assessment at the
end of the semester.
Pre and Post Student Assessment
Students were asked to rate their agreement with the following statement: I am interested in developing
a mentoring relationship with my faculty advisor (who is also their FYS instructor). We are pleased
that students continue to be interested in forming these relationships.
Results from Fall 2005:
Disagree
Pre-Survey
3
Post Survey
5
Disagree Somewhat
10
9
Agree Somewhat
41
34
Agree
47
53
Faculty Self-Assessment
The following scores are from the mid-semester and end of the semester faculty evaluations. They
were asked if they felt successful in their role as mentor and supported in their role as mentor. After
two years of data, we plan to work hard this third year to support faculty in this role so that the support
turns into success.
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Mid-semester 2005: Successful: 3.27 and Supported: 3.91
End of semester 2005: Successful: 3.6 and Supported: 3.7
Mid-semester 2006: Successful: 3.56 and Supported: 4.22
End of semester 2006: Successful: 3.22 and Supported: 4.22
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