Trying to ease the transition into university life while also fostering a sense of belonging among incoming students, BYU-Idaho has introduced a new course made specifically for first semester freshman students. Don Bingham, a faculty member at the university and the course lead for the new program, helped highlight the benefits of the new course in an interview with BYU-Idaho Radio.
BYUI 101: Experience BYU-Idaho is a blended class focusing on helping orient students to campus resources and building a sense of community within them. Designed for incoming freshman, the course aims to give students all the tools they will need to navigate university life.
“I think it enhances the experience by just letting students know all of the things that are available to them,” Bingham said. “As we were doing focus groups with students in developing the course, one of the things that we really heard from students was, ‘I wish I would have known this back when I started’… it [gives] students all of those resources right up front so that they’ve at least been exposed to them. [So] when they need them, they know where they’re at.”
The course allows learners to tailor their learning with their goals and interests in mind. With a mix of online work and on-campus activities, its innovative structure is designed to help students receive personalized support. It can also help them make meaningful connections with their peers in student-led gatherings.
“A lot of times students [struggle to fit in] … [and] figure out college … One of the big drivers of this course is to help students know that there is a place for [them] in higher education and helpings them … fit in and connect with the university,” Bingham said.
Bingham says the course is adaptable based on student feedback, which has helped make the course more engaging and relevant. Looking ahead, he says he’s committed to its continual refinement and hopes that it will help students find their place at BYU-Idaho.