Objectives
Course Objectives: Missions and Goals
UALR has carefully constructed a concomitance of first-year student initiatives. While programs have a beginning and an end, UALR’s integrated, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based freshman experience seeks to provide a unified core from which can grow academic success and life-long commitment to personal growth and community service.
PEAW courses feature writing assignments that foster the development of strong character. Each student, for instance, writes an essay describing his or her service learning project and assessing its results. These projects have taken some students into local schools, others into health-care facilities, and others into businesses. In pursuing these projects, students learn to make and keep commitments, and to share their learning and expertise. In addition, students write essays and participate in learning activities assessing their curiosity, industry, co-cooperativeness, and integrity –their own character as “Master Students.”
The six learning objectives forming the paradigmatic vision of UALR’s First Year Experience initiative are:
1. Awareness of the University
- Understand the characteristics of college life
- Understand the organization structure of the University
- Recognize the responsibilities of students to the University
- Recognize the responsibilities of the University to the students
2. Awareness of the learning partnership
- Demonstrated critical thinking skills in the artifacts chosen or in the reflective essay
- Examined personal learning attitudes, habits, and learning style
- Developed memory techniques
- Recognized the importance of, and utilized, textbooks in college classes
- Improved reading, writing, listening, and note taking skills
- Developed test taking sophistication
3. Active involvement in the community
- Understand the purpose and goals of the service-learning activity
- Demonstrate active participation in the service learning activity
- Recognize the responsibilities of students to the service agency
- Recognize the responsibilities of the service agency to the students
- Understand the learning expectations of the service learning activity
4. Strategic planning for personal development and growth
- Set personal and professional goals
- Developed time management skills
- Recognized and understood their personal value system
- Recognized the appropriate use of passive, assertive, and aggressive behavior
- Developed inclusive relationships with others
- Developed stress management techniques
- Developed a plan for holistic wellness
5. Sense of academic community and sense of belonging because of an awareness of and how to use:
- All academic support services: Ottenheimer Library, Academic Advising, Academic success center, Career Links, Computer labs, E-mail, UALR Web Page, Math Lab, Tutorial Services, Writing Center, Office of Admissions, Student Financial Services, Records and Registration, Testing Services, Speech Communication Interactive Skills Center
- All personal support services: Bookstore, Cashier, Counseling & Career Planning Service, Disability Resource Center, Food Services, Health Services, Parking, Student Financial Services, Donaghey Student Center, Office of Campus Life, University Police
- All Community resources: Office of Campus and Community Service, Cooperative Education Program.
- All UALR Publications: University Life Planner, Undergraduate Catalog, New Student Guide, Student Handbook, Solution Finder, The Forum, the Official UALR Website.
6. Preparation for the future
- Understood their interests, skills, aptitudes, and personality traits as related to selecting a career
- Understood how to use the information available to them at UALR to help them choose a career
- Explored career possibilities during the semester
- Learned how to make informed career choices