Having the right faculty is of utmost importance and they will be extensively trained. We are in conversation with the Provost about paying a stipend in order to pay faculty to be trained over the summer. The content will include an in-depth review of the curriculum and lesson plans; defining what belonging is and how to create/build a community, etc. Center for Teaching and Learning is partnering with University College to develop the training. This year, training is scheduled for May 18-19, 9:00 am -4:00 pm.

Many programs used FYE as an “introduction to the profession” course.  However, the purpose of Flashes 101 is to help students develop a sense of belonging and build community and connection to Kent State, so the content is designed to focus on these goals and section size will be limited to 30 students. The Flashes 101 leadership team is currently working with advising deans and coordinators to determine how advising and other transactional content can be shared with students outside of Flashes 101.

Yes. The curriculum and instructor requirements will be the same for all sections, regardless of the campus on which they are taught. Colleges may have instructors for college-based sections that are taught by someone not in the college.

No. College-specific sections will still be offered. Student Success Programs will work with colleges to determine the number of college-based sections. However, some students want the opportunity to choose a section with students outside of their major so some sections will allow for this choice. The curriculum in each section will be the same, regardless of whether it is college/major specific or not.

We may add summer sections if there is a need.

We want instructors who are committed to undergraduate student success, whether they are faculty or staff. A job description can be found here. Per University Policy 3-02(B), instructors must have at least a master’s degree.

No. Common Reading is not part of the Flashes 101 curriculum.

This is developing! We did a small assessment of the pilot in Fall 2022 with questions on the SSI, and also completed a pilot of a fully online section in Fall 2023. The evaluation plan will include formative assessment for instructors, assessment for the university level course, and focus groups to understand the student experience.

Flashes 101 will be graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory (S/U).