The Daily Bulletin Archive

The Buffalo State Pedagogical Institute will present Where Do We Start? on Wednesday, May 20, at 3:00 p.m. in Ketchum Hall 200.

Faculty members who are teaching courses with high enrollments of first-year students bring certain expectations to the start of class. What happens if the knowledge, skills, and behaviors of our students do not match our expectations? This session will explore the following:

• The skill sets we might expect of an incoming student who has graduated from high school in New York State
• The factors that contribute to students being under-prepared to meet college-level expectations
• Strategies for faculty to facilitate the development of appropriate level academic skills and demeanors

Participants will develop a more accurate understanding of the skills of an average incoming first-year student, particularly in the areas of math and writing. Session leaders will discuss factors influencing various aspects of first-year performance, including students’ attitudes and approaches to college courses, homework habits, and exam and assignment preparation habits. Session leaders will contextualize first-year student behavioral patterns within cognitive, moral, and psychosocial theory in order to assist faculty in adopting strategies that support college-level performance.

The 2015 Pedagogical Institute is sponsored by the Professional Development Center, the National Coalition Building Institute, and University College with support from the College Senate.