Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Freshman Interest Groups Program
Address: 541 N. Woodlawn Ave
City: Bloomington
State: IN
Zip or Postal Code: 47405-7101
Country: USA
Program Director (or best person to contact): Sarah B. Westfall
Email: sbwestfa@indiana.edu
Phone: 812-855-4302
Fax: 812-855-7046
Web Address:
Brief Program Summary
Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs) are groups of 20-23 first semester freshman students who co-enroll in 3 or 4 courses together. In most cases, students also live near each other in the residence centers. Each FIG is rooted in a theme or topic.
Students also take a 1-credit "FIG Seminar" which helps students make a successful academic transition to the university. This Seminar includes study skills topics, as well as various "outings" and "fieldtrips" designed to acquaint students with the vast resources of the university. This course is taught by an accomplished and highly trained upperclass student called a "Peer Instructor."
The purpose of the program is to help students connect with the university by developing a common academic and social frame of reference with a small group of their peers.
Sources of funding
FIGs at Indiana University is funded by a grant from the Lilly Foundation.
Program Reports To:
Are students charged an additional fee: No
The number of persons in each of the following categories are teaching academic credit bearing courses
Fulltime Tenured Faculty: 0
Fulltime Probationary Faculty: 0
Fulltime Instructors: 0
Fulltime Retired Faculty: 0
Fulltime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Fulltime Graduate Students: 0
Fulltime Residence Hall Staff: 0
Parttime Tenured Faculty: 0
Parttime Probationary Faculty: 0
Parttime Instructors: 0
Parttime Retired Faculty: 0
Parttime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Parttime Graduate Students: 0
Parttime Residence Hall Staff: 0
Academic staff involved in the program that weren't included as faculty above
(Academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing academic services to students such as advising.)
Fulltime Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Academic Staff: 0
Non-academic staff involved in the program
(Non-academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing services that do not directly involve academics such as residence hall staff or staff who organize social activities that are not tied to academics.)
Fulltime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Number of faculty offices in the residence hall: 0
The approximate percentage of students in each grade level
First Year: 100
Second Year: 0
Third Year: 0
Fourth Year and above: 0
Graduate Students: 0
Total Number of Students: 220
Year the Program Began:1998
Academic Courses Offered In The Community
FIGs will include 60 different courses for Fall 1999. Most of the courses fulfill distribution requirements and most of them carry 3 credit hours.
Other Academic Offerings
Classrooms in hall
Summary of Facilities and Facilities Budget
Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Computer labs and workstations are located throughout each of the residence centers. In addition, each residence hall room is "wired" for ethernet connections.
The Role of Community Partnerships
The Role of Leadership Development
Leadership development in FIGs at Indiana is most dramatically seen in the Peer Instructors. PIs receive substantial training and teach, independently, a 1-credit course - they determine topics, write their own syllabi, evaluate their students, and assign credit at the end of the course.
The Role of Research
Our research to date stems from our evaluation efforts. The efficacy of the FIGs program is being determined through an multi-faceted evaluation plan including student satisfaction, retention, GPA, and CSEQ data, as well as qualitative data.
Summary of Assessment Activities
Summary of Extracurricular Activities Formally Associated with the Program
The FIG Seminar requires that all students complete two "cultural/intellectual outings," two "fieldtrips," and a "faculty chat." The outings are designed to acquaint students with cultural and intellectual resources (museums, opera, etc.) of the university. Fieldtrips connect students to resources they are likely to make use of (career development center, academic support center, etc.). Faculty chats enable students to interact informally with faculty members.
The Role of Interdisciplinary Studies
How Diversity Issues are Addressed in the Program and in Courses
How Diversity Issues are Addressed Among Faculty and Students
All of the Peer Instructors attended a diversity training workshop prior to the start of fall semester. Many also choose to include this topic in their FIG Seminar.
Student Demographics
FIG participants (FIGsters) at Indiana for 1998 differed from the freshman class in the following ways:
- more were from out-of-state
- they had significantly lower hs rank and slightly lower
SAT scores
- higher level of mother's education
This is exact partial data for the 1998-99 academic year.
Faculty Rewards for Participation in the Program
Release Time:
Salary Supplement:
Travel Funds:
Other:
Description of Other Rewards
Disciplines Represented by the Faculty
Faculty from the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Schools of Business; Education; Health, Physical Education and Recreation; Journalism; Music; and Public and Environmental Affairs participate in FIGs.
Willing to Serve as a Consultant:
yes
Greatest Challenges for this Learning Community:
Getting the more active involvement of faculty members
Suggested Bibliography
"Learning Communities: Creating Connections Among Students, Faculty, and Disciplines" by Gabelnick, MacGregor, Matthews, and Smith. New Directions for Teaching and Learning, Number 41, Spring 1990. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.