Dissertation Defense Announcement Ed.D. Program: James Register “Welcome to Rutgers: A Study of the Efficacy of Byrne First-Year Seminars”

1:00 pm - 2:00 pm

First-year seminars (FYS) were originally introduced as a formal course type in the early 1980s. Since then, they have become increasingly popular as a means to ease the transition from high school to college and at the same time enhance undergraduate student success (Culver & Bowman, 2019; Porter & Swing, 2006). Studies of individual FYS programs suggest that students gain many benefits from taking such seminars, particularly when the seminars are tailored to specific institutional needs. Rutgers-New Brunswick implemented its own unique first-year seminar program in 2007 as part of a larger initiative to reorganize campus-wide operations and improve the undergraduate experience. This study aims to understand students’ experiences in the Byrne Seminars Program, and to assess the effects on their transition from high school to college, their sense of belonging at Rutgers, and their academic success. Using as my framework the sense of belonging and social capital theories, my mixed-methods study analyzes Byrne Program outcome data, student course evaluations, surveys, and focus group interviews to assess the Program’s efficacy. The findings from my study provide insight into the first-year student experience at Rutgers and the ways in which the Byrne Seminars can offer unique benefits to first-year students, such as discovering a major or minor, peer and faculty networking, and introduction to research, all of which may improve overall student satisfaction and success. The findings will also help guide changes to the Program which can make it more responsive to students’ needs and further contribute to undergraduate success at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

To attend this event virtually and for more information, please contact academic.services@gse.rutgers.edu.