Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE - As the University of Wisconsin-Platteville's pilot year of First Year Experience comes to a close, the director of FYE, Joanne Wilson, reports that two measures in particular have shown great success and will be at the forefront of next year's programming.

The Introduction to College Life course has proven to be particularly successful and will be expanded and provided more resources. The course was introduced a number of years ago and has proven so popular that UWP will offer more sections and support for instructors. Topics for the course include introduction to campus services, academic success skills such as time management, understanding general education requirements, healthy living, issues of diversity, opportunities for leadership, involvement in co-curricular activities, setting personal goals, career registration and the advising and pre-registration process.

"The course offers students the opportunity to become connected to campus in multiple ways. In addition to learning about academic resources and study skills, they learn about ways to become involved on campus and engaged in their community. They are introduced to campus organizations and service learning activities and are able to connect with faculty members in ways outside the classroom," said Valerie Wetzel, who has taught a section of the course for seven years. Wetzel is also the assistant director for the Pioneer Student Center.

Peer Assisted Learning, which developed out of the previous Supplemental Instruction program, has also proven popular. Student assistants - the PALs - work with individual faculty members and the students in their course. The student assistant participates in class and may offer office hours, assistance with class projects or reviews for class exams. The program initially targeted courses with high failure rates, but has proven so successful that it will now target courses with high freshman enrollment rates as well.

"Over 80 percent of students who regularly attended PAL activities last semester believe that their grades improved because they worked with the PAL assigned to the course. By targeting courses with significant numbers of enrolled freshmen, PALs can serve as mentors for students in their first year, which we think will be of great help to students as they transition from high school to college," Wilson said.

Alisha Pleotis is a chemistry major who has been working as a PAL during the past year.

"So far my experience as a supplemental instructor has been very positive. The students I work with are very willing to learn and help out because even I don't know all the answers. It's helpful to them to have another source to go to in addition to the help they get from professors," said Pleotis.

Another student PAL, Ryan McConnell, said his experiences have also been positive and helpful to both his peers and the professor.

"My involvement began by being a student grader and lab helper last semester for EE 121, an introductory electrical engineering course, and I still hold that position for this semester. I was able to observe the positive effects of the program by tutoring multiple students whose test scores have overall increased throughout the semester. I have learned how to convey my experiences throughout the program to inspire them to stay in the class. I also believe that by them hearing my experiences as an electrical engineering student and my job pursuits makes the challenges seem worthwhile," he said.

Anyone interested in learning more about UWP's First Year Experience programming may contact Wilson at (608) 342-1081.

Contact: Joanne Wilson, director, UWP First Year Experience, (608) 342-1081, wilsonj@uwplatt.edu Written by: Evelyn Martens, UWP Public Relations, (608) 342-1194, martense@uwplatt.edu