Incoming freshmen have a better chance of scheduling LSU 1001 this fall as the number of sections offered has doubled from 10 to 20.
LSU 1001 is designed to provide an introduction to college for first-semester freshmen. The course is available only to incoming freshmen and goes toward students’ general free elective credits.
“The topics covered in the course will help to address many of the transition issues that first-semester students are prone to encountering,” said Darrell Broussard, Student Government president.
The course helps students learn how to utilize the academic resources of the University and teaches the history and traditions of LSU. Each class is taught by a University faculty member and a peer leader. Peer leaders currently are enrolled at LSU and help students with problems that arise outside of the classroom.
“It’s a real comfortable setting,” said Lindsay Shopfur, a mass communication freshman who took the course last fall. “It gets you away from all the stressful classes.”
LSU 1001 spawned out of the Freshman Forum course that was offered in fall 2001. Freshman Forum was open only to Residential College students in Herget Hall, and they did not receive credit for the course, Broussard said. The information taught in Freshman Forum formed the foundation for the ideas covered in LSU 1001.
A 10-section pilot program of LSU 1001 was run last fall and was designed to get an in-depth look at what was good and bad with the course, Broussard said.
“The goal was to have students feel as though ‘I can do this, I can manage,'” said Geraldine Holmes, director of LSU 1001.
Following the pilot semester, University College Dean Carolyn Collins conducted a survey asking students, teachers and peer leaders what they thought of the course.
The survey was given to Interim Provost Laura Lindsay for review with a goal to increase the number of sections offered. Based on the positive reviews, Lindsay increased the sections of the course, Collins said. The course has a budget of $55,950 for the upcoming semester, well above the $32,000 for the pilot program, Collins said.
University College is looking to increase the number of sections during the next few years depending on the budget. They also have tailored the course to meet students’ areas of concentration, Collins said.
For example, basic science majors will take a section that includes a peer leader from that college and some of the lessons will be formatted for those students.
“Our focus for the future is to divide sections by college major and encourage students in those majors to choose those sections,” Collins said.
Collins is talking with Lindsay, Vice Chancellor for Student Life and Academic Services Neil Mathews, the Undergraduate Council and the Retention Committee to discuss expectations for LSU 1001 as it relates to the Flagship Agenda.
Collins hopes LSU 1001 will contribute to the Flagship Agenda’s retention rate goal of 90 percent from the current 84 percent.