Bridging Student Success: Supporting academic preparedness and belonging for first year Arts & Science students

Facilitators:
Alyssia Bueno, Student Success Programs Officer, FAS
Scott Clark, Associate Director, Student Success Programs, FAS
Adriana Caragea, Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, Cell and Systems Biology, FAS

First year students enter the Faculty of Arts & Science with vastly different levels of preparedness for university studies related to subject area knowledge, academic skills, interpersonal skills and metacognitive skills to facilitate their success. These differences have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and systemic inequities that can impact the access and persistence of students from historically marginalized communities in higher education. Over the past four years, the Arts & Science Student Success Programs unit, in partnership with A&S faculty members, academic units and upper-year students, has begun to address these concerns through Arrive Ready, a series of summer academic preparation learning modules to support incoming first-year students. This session will draw on the learnings of Arrive Ready and will explore how course-specific academic skill-building interventions can be curated to support student learning gaps while enhancing a sense of belonging. This workshop will highlight the creation of a BIO130 Interactive Learning Module that was created in Fall 2022 in response to faculty concerns about the limited lab experience and skills possessed by first year students. In this interactive session, participants will have an opportunity to reflect on their own teaching and learning contexts to identify skill gaps and discuss how educational resources and technology can be utilized to address these challenges and provide additional support to students within our diverse learning contexts.

NOTE: there are additional questions when you click the REGISTER button.

If you would like to attend remotely, please contact ctsi.teaching@utoronto.ca.