Ms. Starr Wentzel, Director
Whitlock Building 455
Phone: (859) 622-7322
www.firstyearcourses.eku.edu

The Office of First-Year Courses & Learning Communities

The Office of First-Year Courses & Learning Communities administers Student Success Seminars for all first-year students. Student Success Seminars include content about campus resources, study skills, and critical thinking, helping students find ways to get connected to the university during the transition to college. Our courses teach the structure and functions of the university.

Our instructors teach learning strategies backed by science. Our students participate in a variety of out-of-class experiences and co-curricular learning opportunities. These opportunities include seminars and events on topics such as financial literacy, student health, and cultural awareness.

Students in GSD 101 Foundations of Learning participate in Major and Career Exploration allowing students to evaluate potential major and career paths.

Student Success Seminars teach students to think critically, solve problems, and take advantage of the resources and opportunities EKU has to offer. As such, our courses are often the first step many Colonel’s take on their paths to success.

All new first-time first-year students seeking an associate or a baccalaureate degree must complete a (3) credit hour GSD 101 Student Success Seminar Course.

• Full time students must complete the Student Success Seminar during their first semester.
• Part time students must complete the Student Success Seminar within their first (18) credit hours but are strongly encouraged to complete the requirement during their first semester.
• Transfer students who have 30 or more transfer credits upon admission to EKU may have this requirement waived.  Non-collegiate transfer credit, including military transfer credit, does not count toward waiving this requirement.  Some majors require all students to take a Student Success Seminar, regardless of transfer status. Student Success Seminars will not be waived for AP and Dual Credit hours.
• Students who earn a grade of “W,” “F,” or “FN” in a Student Success Seminar must repeat the course the following term.

Eastern Kentucky University offers several variations of the seminar for some student populations or majors.

• Students who enter the University with a declared major enroll in a (3) credit hour seminar in their college.
• Exploratory students (students who have not declared a major in a college) will enroll in a (3) credit hour seminar, GSD 101 Foundations of Learning, which incorporates a major and career series (MaC) developed by the Office of Advising and Career Services.  The MaC Series helps students evaluate potential major and career paths through interviews, market data research, personality assessments, and critical thinking and success strategies.
• Sections of GSD 101 Foundations of Learning are also offered for special populations, such as NOVA and student-athletes as enrollment allows.
• Sections of GSD 101 Foundations of Learning are also offered for special student populations as paired Learning Communities in English (ENG 101 Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric), and Psychology (PSY 200 Introduction to Psychology).  Eligible students are pre-enrolled in Learning Communities on an as-available basis.  In a Learning Community, students take two classes with the same group of students and have opportunities to interact with instructors, classmates, and peer mentors outside of class.
• Students who are admitted into the university as Success First will be paired in a Learning Community with ENG 101R Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric (Supported), ENG 101 Reading, Writing, and Rhetoric or PSY 200 Introduction to Psychology. Students are enrolled in these Learning Communities with their GSD 101 Foundations of Learning course contributing to the fulfillment of their Learning Contract.