Creating a Resource Guide for Faculty
Teaching First-Year Students
In conjunction with other ongoing efforts
coordinated by the Council for the First-Year
Experience, this Resource Guide was created in an
effort to:
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Raise awareness of the importance Illinois State
University places on the first-year experience.
Raise faculty awareness of campus support
services.
Provide faculty with a holistic understanding of our
first-year experience and the vital role they play.
Enhance the importance and prestige of teaching
first-year students.
Normal, IL
Illinois State University
 One of twelve AASCU Founding Institutions selected to
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participate in the Foundations of Excellence® project.
Total enrollment: 20,265
Undergraduate Students: 17,827
Graduate Students: 2,438
3,179 First-year students who have an average ACT of
23.8; 10.9% graduated in the top 10 percent of their high
school class; 36% graduated in the top 25 percent
Faculty to Student ratio is 19:1
7,029 Students live in University Housing
The initial concept and ideas for the Resource Guide were developed by members of our
Council for the First-Year Experience. Council co-chairs further developed the concept, collected
content and developed the guide. The wide-range of expertise of the Council members contributed to the
comprehensiveness of the Guide. Contents include:
 Overview of our involvement with the Foundations of Excellence® Project
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Timeline of events/programs our first-year students experience
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First-year curriculum update
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Insight into what students may be experiencing and feeling
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Detecting student difficulty (academically and personally) and
making referrals to appropriate support services
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Brief overview of the Millennial Generation
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Resources on first-year students and the first-year experience
Benefits of using electronic ‘pdf’ format:
No printing costs
Easy to update and distribute
Ability to download to desktop for
‘Quick Reference’
Section and Topic ‘Bookmarks’
allow for easy navigation
Concept  Completion = Three Months
Dissemination of the Resource Guide
Dissemination was accomplished primarily through email, first to specific populations of faculty, and then
due to an overwhelming response and the support of the Provost, it was emailed to all faculty. The Guide
was also referenced in the Associate Provost’s address to new faculty during the New Faculty Orientation.
At the beginning of the spring semester a ‘reminder email’ was sent to faculty teaching our first-year general
education courses. The Guide continues to be available on the Provost’s web site.
Updates and Assessment
Feedback from faculty and staff will be collected through the spring semester and an updated 2006-2007
Resource Guide will be distributed to all faculty in August of 2006. As part of our First-Year Experience
Assessment Plan we will evaluate the impact a variety of efforts, including the Resource Guide, had on:
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Faculty awareness of the first-year experience and its importance
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Faculty perceptions of their role in the first-year experience
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Faculty knowledge of campus support services
Co-Chairs for the Council for the First-Year Experience, Illinois State University:
Danielle Lindsey, Special Projects Coordinator, Office of the Provost, [email protected]
Amy Roser, Coordinator of Academic Services, Enrollment Mgt. and Academic Services, [email protected]
Foundation Institutions make the first college year to a high priority for the faculty.
Faculty Foundational Dimension®
The Resource Guide is available at:
www.provost.ilstu.edu/initiatives/first_year_experience.shtml#resourceguide
Foundation Institutions make the first college year to a high priority for the faculty.
Faculty Foundational Dimension®