Abstract
Students in two different types of first-year experience seminar courses at a moderately sized public university were compared using a large variety of measures—both direct and indirect. One of these first-year experience types was a three-credit academic-themed course offered in sections with variable content; the other was a two-credit transition-themed course. In terms of direct measures such as retention to the second year, first-year grade point average, and number of earned credits during the first year, no significant differences were found. The academic-themed seminar did rate significantly better according to certain indirect measures related to academic engagement. These quantitative findings were consistent with qualitative information obtained from focus groups conducted with the students in the academic-themed seminar. The overall picture from across the data sources suggests that students were realizing a greater benefit from the academic-themed first-year seminar.
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