University at Buffalo (UB)
Preparing you for a diverse and dynamic world.
Below are examples of approved UB Seminars. Approved courses successfully reflect the dual nature of the UBS program. They not only seek to inspire students’ intellectual curiosity but also introduce the skills needed to succeed in college.
The best practices outlined below intend to present the UB Seminar’s purpose and offer guidelines to help you design and run your class as effectively as possible, while avoiding some of the more common pitfalls.The potential value of the UB Seminar for students -- particularly for at-risk populations who traditionally have had lower four year graduation rates -- is enormous. Faculty engagement and support for the initiative is critical if that potential is to be realized.
The primary goal of the seminar is to help incoming students get excited about their academic journey and to get used to the increased expectations of being at a university. The academic seminar content allows students to learn and practice new and necessary skills: academic mastery of an area isn’t the primary goal.
The UB Seminar can be a fun way to teach a course centered around a unique topic or interest through your own academic perspective. Some unique topics include: The Bicycle, Handmade History, Whale-ology, Performance and Pro-Wrestling.
Things that seem obvious to us, may not be for new students. They may be accustomed to teachers and parents reminding them of deadlines and may not be used to keeping up with reading and coursework on their own. Be very clear about your expectations and class policies to avoid confusion. Take the time to review and discuss these things in class.
You can teach students how to approach work in other classes by breaking large assignments into smaller steps. Let students know that they can do this for themselves in other classes.
Early and frequent feedback is vital. We recommend that you give students written evaluation of their overall performance, weaknesses, and strengths regularly so they will have time to make necessary adjustments. Additionally, providing feedback through the early progress report process (weeks 3-4) helps us to intervene with students in enough time to reengage with your course.
First year students, particularly, are just beginning their college level reading and writing journey. Focusing on skills that can help students efficiently and effectively approach these tasks can help set students up for success in other courses.
Giving students lots of “low stakes”, scaffolded assignments rather than focusing on a few large assignments offers more opportunities to learn and grow.
Talk with student about email and class decorum, average grade calculation, citation tools, etc.
The Office of Academic Integrity has developed a 30-45 online module to introduce students to UB’s policy and the high standards they are held to, with the goal of preventing infractions. This may be a tool you’d like to utilize to help you address the academic integrity learning outcome in the seminar. All new students will be automatically enrolled in the course and will get a digital badge upon completion that they can present to you. For more information, please visit the Academic Integrity website or contact Kelly Ahuna at kha@buffalo.edu.
The UB Seminar is not intended for majors, but instead for students who are simply interested in a topic. Faculty expectations should be adjusted accordingly. In addition, the UBS is likely the smallest course many of your students are taking. As a result, the instructor is in a unique position to help students make decisions about their college careers.
Strategies: