A Model for Building Community in a First-Year Seminar
Katie Hopkins, Associate Director, University 101 Programs, Sandy Greene, Associate Director, University 101 Programs & Dan Friedman, PhD, Assistant Vice President, University of South Carolina
Why build classroom community in a first-year seminar?
Community building in first-year seminars can positively impact students’ sense of belonging and learning. Strayhorn (2019) defines sense of belonging as “a feeling that members (of a group) matter to each other and to the group” (p. 4). Padgett and Friedman (2010) found that sense of belonging is the top predictor for student persistence to the second year. Institutions interested in increasing persistence and retention should invest in programs, practices, and curriculum that facilitate a sense of belonging for students. Instruments such as the First-Year Seminar Assessment can measure student sense of belonging. Example questions include: I feel accepted by other students, I find it easy to make friends here, and I have things in common with other people.
Community building also increases learning by helping students feel comfortable sharing their ideas and perspectives with their classmates. This exchange of ideas helps students acquire content knowledge and teaches them to have discussions across differences. In this way, community building is essential for creating a safe place for learning to take place.
Figure 1: The Tree Model
The Tree Model
Community building should be intentionally scaffolded throughout the semester. The University of South Carolina’s University 101 Programs introduces The Tree Model during faculty development programming to illustrate the importance of community building’s progression and sequencing. A tree is an appropriate metaphor because trees must be nurtured to grow, just like classroom communities, and the variety of types of trees represents that no two communities of students will look the same.
Soil: Foundational Community Building
For a tree to grow, investment is first made in the soil. The tree’s soil represents facilitating activities like introductions, name games, and get-to-know-you exercises. Without a strong foundation, student-driven pedagogy, such as classroom discussions, active learning, and group projects cannot be successful or effective. At the beginning of the semester, these activities might feel silly or awkward, but dedicating time early on allows for the artificial community building to “grow” into organic community building. Examples of appropriate community builders early in the semester include:
Yarn Ball – In this activity, students take turns sharing their interests and throwing the yarn ball to another student who shares their interests (indicated by raising their hand). Before and after throwing the ball, students must hold on to the yarn. This continues until each person has shared. Instructors can help students make meaning of the web of yarn created by using it as a metaphor for community. This activity is great for helping students find connections.
I Have a Link – I Have a Link is a similar activity to Yarn Ball, but instead of using a yarn ball to represent connections, once one person shares things/facts/interests about themselves, whoever has a connection stands next to them (even if multiple students share that connection, only one stands next to the person sharing). Ultimately, the whole classroom community will have a connection, resulting in a circle.
Wheel Within a Wheel – In this activity, students will form an inner circle and outer circle. Once in formation, a series of prompts are asked, and students will have 1-1 conversations with the person they are lined up. After every prompt, the outer wheel rotates. Wheel Within a Wheel is an efficient way to help students interact with one another on a 1-1 basis. Example prompts:
What is your favorite thing about the university?
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be?
If you could be on a reality show, which one would it be?
The Trunk: Check-Ins
In nature, a tree trunk’s purpose is to bring nutrients from the soil and roots to the leaves. Within this context, it symbolizes the consistent use of check-ins, such as asking students to share a high or a low of the week, to grow community. A tree without a trunk is not a tree, just as a first-year seminar without check-ins is not a first-year seminar. Check-ins are a powerful community-building tool that allows instructors to gauge how the class is doing while providing students the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and build connections with one another. Check-ins also provide an important opportunity for affirmation and validation so students see they are not alone in their experiences. Fall 2023 end-of-course evaluation data showed a positive correlation between the frequency of check-ins and the degree to which students reported University 101 helped them realize they are not alone in their experiences, feelings, and challenges (4.64/5 when check-ins occurred frequently compared to 4.37/5 when check-ins were used occasionally).
There are different types of check-ins, such as those that help get students talking early, and those that introduce specific topics, such as asking students what their top “time wasters” are before a lesson plan on time management. Additionally, as illustrated in the examples below, another type of check-in promotes student well-being and connection. Please visit the University 101 Program’s Faculty Resource Manual for a more complete list.
Flavor Words – Students describe how they are doing using two flavor words. It’s helpful to provide a list of options (you can google “list of flavor words” and put it up on the board to give students some ideas), and/or examples, such as “feeling mushy because I just took a hard test” or “feeling herbal because I just spent time with friends, and it was good for my soul”.
GIF/Meme – If your class uses a group-messaging app, such as GroupMe, ask students to post a GIF or meme to represent how their week is going, how they are feeling about the upcoming weekend, etc. Students will then have an opportunity to explain why they chose their GIF/meme. (Remind students to use appropriate judgement when selecting their GIF/meme.)
“On a Scale of…” Memes – Ask students to rate their current mood based on this popular meme template which features a grid of nine photos with various facial reactions. Instructors could use popular versions that already exist (such as a grid of Michael Scott from The Office or a grid of puppies) or create their own.
Roses, Buds, and Thorns – Students share a highlight of their last week (Rose), challenge of the previous week (Thorn), and thing they are most looking forward to (Bud). Students can also choose just one to share based on how they are feeling at that point.
Weather Emotions – Ask students to share how they feel that day by choosing the most appropriate type of weather and explaining why they chose it.
The Leaves: Active Learning
Within the tree metaphor, the vitality of the leaves are dependent on the soil and the trunk. The leaves represent community building that organically takes place alongside learning content. As the semester progresses, community building strategies evolve into active learning, discussion, beyond-the-classroom activities, and group projects. The pedagogical approaches build from their community building foundation and allow students to explore course content and learn from one another more deeply. For example, to discuss school history and traditions, instructors could 1) engage students in a trivia game to learn important information about the institution; 2) break students into small groups to discuss what tradition is their favorite and why; 3) have students attend a campus-wide event and create an opportunity for them to reflect on the experience; or 4) create a campus scavenger hunt for students to complete in groups. As this example illustrates, instructors have a plethora of active learning choices to make about how to teach specific topics. To reiterate, these strategies are most successful when a foundation of community is established.
Applying the Tree Model
An organic classroom community is equivalent to the growth of a strong tree. The instructor’s pedagogical approach plays a critical role in the degree to which community and sense of belonging are formed. Community building can be achieved through content related to course objectives and goals. However, it is clear for that to happen, instructors must deeply invest in starting to build community on day one and nurturing community throughout the semester.
References
Friedman, D., Hopkins, K. & Fahey, C. (Eds.) (2024). University 101 Faculty Resource Manual. University of South Carolina.
Padgett, R.D., & Friedman, D.B. (2010). Relationship of FYI factors and persistence for University 101 students. Unpublished study. University of South Carolina.
Strayhorn T. L. (2019). College students’ sense of belonging: A key to educational success for all students (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.