An Introduction to PSU 1st Year Seminars

1
An Introduction to PSU 1st Year Seminars

• Presented to
• The Society of Penn State
• Electrical Engineers (SPSEE)
• May 21, 1999

2
What is a 1st-year Seminar Course?

• 1st-year seminar courses are mandatory
  small-sized classes taken by all incoming
  students. The individual course content may vary
  from course to course however, the primary goal
  of any seminar course is to foster interaction
  between 1st-year students and PSU faculty.
• Although some 1st-year seminar courses have been
  around for years, they were formally established
  in 1997 by the PSU faculty senate and will
  officially start this coming Fall semester.

3
Objectives of 1st Year Seminars

• To foster interaction between 1st-year students
  and faculty within their intended major
• To orient 1st-year students to various aspects of
  their intended (or possible) field of study
  and/or to assist them in selecting a major
• To introduce 1st-year students to university
  resources (email, library, internet)
• To help 1st-year student adjust to college life
  through discussions about alcohol abuse, study
  habits, etc.

4
General Guidelines for all seminar courses

• Required (starting FALL 1999) for all 1st year
  (freshman) students
• Maximum enrollment of 20 students/course
• MUST be taught by full-time faculty
• Should be a discussion and/or hands-on type
  course
• Typically 1 credit (1 or 2 periods/week)

5
Types of 1st-year seminar courses in
Engineering

• General survey of all Engineering majors
• Example Engineering Orientation (ENGR 100)
• Overview of a particular Engineering major
• Example Adventures in EE (EE 007)
• In-depth study of a topic within a given major
• Example Introduction to Amateur (Ham) Radio
• Lab-oriented study of a topic within a given
  major
• Example Introduction to Digital Music