The Impact of First-Year Seminar Courses at an Emerging Hispanic-Serving Institution

• In Event: Marriott Roundtable Session 69
  In Roundtable Session: First-Year Experiences

Abstract

This study examined the impact that a First-Year Seminar (FYS) course had on educational outcomes among students attending an emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) in the Southeastern United States. After accounting for a variety of demographic characteristics through propensity score matching, we found that the FYS course increased the likelihood that students would return to college for a second year if they (a) expected very little financial contribution from their families, (b) were women, or (c) were Asian American men. The course also appeared to have increased students’ first-year grade point averages among (a) women and (c) African American men. While the effects of the program on the general population were small, underserved populations benefited from the course.

Authors

• Jesse Perez Mendez, University of Central Florida

• Jamil D. Johnson, Ph.D., University of Central Florida

• Zarrina Talan Azizova, University of North Dakota, College of Education

• M. H. Clark, University of Central Florida

• Masha Krsmanovic, University of Southern Mississippi