First-Year Experience

First-Year Experience (FYE)

MinotStateU.edu/fye/index.shtml

The First-Year Experience (FYE) at Minot State University is a requirement for first-year students and transfer students with less than 24 credit hours. Through FYE, students participate in powerful learning experiences to inspire their transition to university life and learning through participation in unique learning communities, peer mentor interactions, and opportunities to engage with the campus and larger community. Students enroll in a First-Year Experience Learning Community composed of two or three classes united by a common theme. One class in the Learning Community will be UNIV 110: First-Year Seminar which is a General Education requirement. In the FYE, students work with talented, engaging faculty and staff members who care about students, are focused on student success, and provide learning experiences that are unique, challenging, and relevant. Students also receive the assistance of a peer mentor, an upper-level student trained to provide support and guidance to first-year students.

FYE Student Learning Goals: 

  1. Academic Engagement – Facilitate an understanding of the relevance of academic experiences, the variety of approaches to learning, and expectations of the academic experience.
  2. Psychosocial Wellbeing – Develop each student’s positive sense of identity.
  3. Campus Engagement – Promote student engagement on campus.
  4. Community Engagement – Engage students in meaningful ways with the larger community

Peer Mentoring Program 

MinotStateU.edu/asc/peer_mentor.shtml

The Peer Mentoring Program is designed to assist in the personal, social, and academic acclimation of first-year Minot State students through cultivating relationships with outstanding upper-level mentors as part of the First-Year Experience. In addition to providing support, mentors can connect students to resources, clubs, organizations, and other academic and co-curricular activities.
 
The objectives of the Peer Mentoring Program are:
      To develop and enhance a sense of student identity
      To become effectively integrated into the school, faculty, and campus as a whole
      To articulate a sense of purpose about being at MSU and about pursuing their particular program of study
      To acquire the necessary skills to become independent and life-long learners.

What is a Peer Mentor?
A Peer Mentor is an exceptional student chosen to serve as a co-instructor in a FYE class. Peer Mentors are former students of the First-Year Experience who have been recommended by faculty and selected through an application and interview process based on their academic success, involvement in campus organizations, and knowledge of the Minot State campus. Peer Mentors are not simply teaching assistants; rather, they are co-instructors, taking responsibility for leading class discussions, planning activities and working one-on-one with each student.