The purpose of the First Year Experience (FYE) at North Idaho College is to assist in the development of the “whole student” by exposing the learner to strategies essential for success, cultivating a hungry mind, and assuring a path to career readiness.
In order to fully embrace the purpose of the First Year Experience as an integral part of the fabric of North Idaho College, it is important to more deeply understand the foundational components of the statement above. FYE defines a wholly developed student as an active collegiate citizen who understands how to cultivate intellectual curiosity and takes ownership in the acquisition of employer-preferred skills. An active collegiate citizen understands their integral role in the educational process and is prepared to engage at every opportunity. Intellectual curiosity is a key predictor of academic success and one of the top traits employers value. In a rapidly changing world, those who are willing to explore alternatives and continue learning will be most able to adapt and innovate. Ensuring students are consciously competent at accessing this portion of their minds is a foundational concept embedded within the FYE. The collegiate experience has a plethora of opportunities that prepare students to be productive in life after college, but we often fail to highlight these moments in such a way that students can intentionally plan their development. The FYE will set the foundation for the recognition of these moments and the skills needed for their development.
The FYE at NIC pursues its purpose through the use of three primary curricular interventions. Cardinal Convocation, Seminar, and Learning Communities are intentionally integrated to foster persistence from semester to semester. Below you will find the primary student learning outcomes for each phase of the FYE.
By participating in the NICFYE Cardinal Convocation program, first-year students will:
- Connect with fellow new students with whom they share at least one class during the first semester.
- Connect with a faculty member who will serve as a vital contact throughout the first semester.
- Gain insight and develop an appreciation of campus resources, services and organizations available to them.
- Develop a connection to the North Idaho College campus through interacting with fellow students, faculty and staff.
By participating in the FYE Seminar:
- Students will develop and implement interpersonal skills for college and career success.
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of collegiate citizenship and its connection to their future academic and personal goals.
- Students will identify relationships between general education courses and how they lead to career choices and personal development.
- Students will explain the importance of cultivating personal curiosity and the value of actively engaging in their own learning.
- Students will identify opportunities for academic, personal, and career readiness development.
By participating in the FYE Learning Communities:
- Students will develop an understanding of the importance of interpersonal skills and how they contribute to college and career success.
- Students will integrate their collegiate citizenship with their academic and personal goals.
- Students will design sound practices for academic, personal, and career readiness development, including the creation of an academic plan.
- Students will demonstrate intellectual curiosity in support of their learning.
Learning Environment Outcomes (LEOs) indicate the degree to which the institution is allocating sufficient energy and resources to the First Year Experience initiative to meet the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs), and whether the FYE is implementing its Strategic Plan. In other words, when combined with the assessment of the SLOs, the assessment of these LEOs will ensure that the strategic plan is meeting its goals. The LEOs to be pursued are:
- Increase the retention of new students through the completion of their chosen degree plan annually.
- The number of faculty and staff who participate in the FYE will increase annually.
- The number of courses involved in the FYE will be equally represented by each interest area.
- The number of programs represented in the FYE will increase annually.
- Awareness of the FYE integration into the North Idaho College culture will increase annually.
- Fiscal sustainability for the FYE integration will be evaluated annually.