Background of the FYE Course

An Overview of FYE in the U.S. and Wyoming

Since the 1970s, significant efforts have been made to improve student transition experiences on U.S. campuses. A variety of campus programs have been developed to meet the needs of first-year students and help them become successful university students. The University of South Carolina was the first school to offer a class associated with the first-year experience. The original goal of USC’s University 101 was simply to “improve the educational experiences of first-year college students.” This course provided the impetus for a movement to improve the first-year experience for students.

Flowers in front of Old Main on campus at the University of Wyoming

Freshmen Year Transition

In 1982, 175 universities convened at the first Annual Conference on the Freshman Year Experience. The National Resource Center was established at USC in 1986 to provide research on student transitions in higher education.

National Resource Center 

Intro to University Life

In 1991, UW’s answer to the first-year experience was its course, University Studies 1000, “Intro to University Life.” This course was a one-credit graded course that included visits to various areas around campus, an introduction to academic skills, and alcohol awareness training. This Freshman Seminar was discontinued in 2003 in lieu of a more comprehensive summer orientation.

First Year Seminar

In 2015, UW introduced a required 3-credit First Year Seminar. Its focus was different from the 1991 course. Rather than introduce students to academic skills and campus resources, the six learning oucomes emphasized critical thinking, communication, and research skills. This course was put on pause in 2023.

2019: Introducing STEP 1102

In 2017, the First-Year Experience course was created to capture college transition skills that lacked in the First Year Seminar. The administration tasked the Learning Resource Network (LeaRN) with the creation and implementation of the First-Year Experience course. The course, STEP 1102: STEP into College, was first offered in the Fall semester of 2019. After the Next Generation University Studies Program (USP) Committee put the First Year Seminar on pause due to staffing difficulties, it was determined the First Year Experience course will still be offered as an option for students. 

Impact of Pilot Course

a bar chart showing how the enrollment in the STEP 1102 course grew from 84 in 2019 to 198 in 2024.

OTHER Learning Options

In addition to full-semester offerings of the FYE course, we have offered one section that will be available after the Early Alert process when advisors can identify students who may be missing the transition skills that can help them succeed. In 2021, LeaRN offered the first course for students in transition targeted for transfer and nontraditional students, STEP 3102. The Transfer and Nontraditional Student's Guide to College and Career is offered each fall. 

STEP 3102