UNIV 100 Library Week Pretest Posttest Results, Fall 2007

Abstract

The University 100 freshman seminar is an elective, letter-graded course offering three semester-units of general education credit, which has been offered at CSUN since 1999. The goal of University 100 is to increase the persistence rates of students from traditionally at-risk populations by enabling them to develop a plan for personal, academic, and career success through self-evaluation, application of specific techniques, discussions, field experiences, and traditional classroom exercises. Lessons include effective study strategies, critical and creative thinking skills, university-level oral and written expression, establishing short-term and long-term goals, time management, and information competence. The enrollment limit is 25 students per section; currently about 16% of first-time freshmen enroll in UNIV 100. While persistence rates from first to second year for freshman students enrolled in University 100 is only slightly higher than the rate for all freshmen (77.2% versus 76.2%) , one should consider this a success. Indeed, considering that University 100 students are traditionally recruited from students designated as needing remedial help in English and math, this data appears to show that at least students considered at risk for dropping out did at least as well as students not in that predicament.