Grant Summary
$70,000 over 12 months to focus on building increased engagement as well as enhanced integrative thinking among their students. More specifically, Gettysburg College will: (1) collect and analyze data on a pilot program that merges students' First-Year Seminar courses with their First-Year Experience program and then (2) use these data as well as previously collected data to construct a plan to spearhead changes in advising and co-curricular learning. Union College will support the initial conceptual development of an advising tool called a "Plan of Study" to improve integrative student learning across core courses, terms abroad, and capstone projects. Washington and Lee will assess effective teaching strategies in their four-week Spring Term, with an emphasis on understanding how to best foster creative and critical thinking abilities among students. As part of this collaboration, the three institutions will meet at a national conference, visit each other's campuses, and use collaborative web tools for document and data sharing.