Editorial: Restructure intro-to-college classes

Many freshmen start their first semester by practicing teamwork and public transportation skills by traveling to exotic locations such as Squirrel Hill or Lawrenceville, sampling the neighborhoods’ cuisine and taking photos. These activities are requirements for first-year-student courses designed to orient students to Pitt.

The Chronicle of Higher Education published an article this week about a Columbia University Teachers College study that analyzed introduction-to-college (or student-development courses) at three community colleges in Virginia. The findings show that while the courses hold promise for improving students’ complete rates, the courses need improvement in areas such as structure, content, staffing choices and duration.

Pitt’s Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences offers its own version of “College 101,” called Introduction to the Arts and Sciences — although Pitt does not require incoming students to enroll in the one-credit course. According to Pitt’s website, the course helps students learn about the “educational and cultural opportunities” offered at Pitt. Other such classes are offered by various Pitt academic schools, including freshman seminar courses in both the Swanson School of Engineering and the School of Nursing.

Low college completion rates around the country make such courses essential. For example, according to the nonprofit Complete College America, only 50.6 percent of full-time students at public colleges in Pennsylvania complete a 4-year bachelor’s degree within 8 years.

Although most universities probably have noble goals of trying to better educate their students and increase retention rates, the Columbia University study found that these courses are generally not taken seriously by students and could benefit from improvement.

These courses could benefit from developing a more substantial, interactive structure, which could better aid students in applying the course material to their collegiate studies. A quick tour through Hillman Library does not adequately teach students how to properly conduct research, a common issue bemoaned by professors who still feel the need to reiterate that Wikipedia is not a credible source. Learning how to type the title of a book into a search engine is something college students should be able to figure out on their own; learning how to refine a search down to a topic such as “primitivism” using the MLA International Bibliography is a skill that students often must learn through professor-provided instruction later in their collegiate careers.

These courses could also benefit from having a more academic focus. The extent of the academics presented in Pitt’s Intro to Arts and Sciences, for example, is a requirement that all students read the same book about the progression of academia and discuss it in class. Perhaps a larger assortment of reading and written assignments could engage students further in necessary skills required for academic success.

Additionally, these courses could be improved from having a greater degree of focus on career- or major-related topics. Most freshmen are officially “undeclared” and could use guidance on choosing a major. Also, many students are not well-acquainted with the services and resources offered by the University — for example, students may not know much about Honors College requirements or the Career Development Office, beyond the office’s resumé-editing services.

Although we think there are flaws in the current intro-to-Pitt courses, there are benefits to taking them. — for example, students meet new people and learn to work in a team. But what is simply being introduced and not necessarily developed in students for the long term is unclear. These intro-to-college courses have potential to be beneficial, but they have yet to show their true effects.