Our Signature Course team worked over the summer to find creative ways to support faculty and first-year students as we approached what was certainly a unique experience for everyone involved. Our end result was a fantastic short video that gives new students expert advice for academic success in Signature Courses and beyond. Built around the acronym F.O.C.U.S., members of the Signature Course Advisory Committee speak on the following topics: Focus, Open-Mindedness, Community, Understanding, and Space.
We ask that you view the video with your students during the first few days of the semester. Fall 2020 faculty reported robust conversations and wonderful experiences sharing this video with their students. Your active participation in watching the video with them (in whole or in parts each week) not only shows your personal investment in their success, but also helps students engage with you and each other. Having a brief discussion after the video with your students about the topics covered will also certainly be of benefit to them as they adjust to (mostly virtual) college learning.