First Year Experience

Join us for the 2025 Focusing on the First Year Conference!

Monday, February 24, 2025
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. 
Ohio Union, check-in and opening at Archie Griffin Ballroom (East)

We look forward to seeing you at the Focusing on the First Year Conference! Feel free to view breakout session options and locations below.

If you have any questions, email Jenny Osborn at osborn.21@osu.edu.

Conference Breakout Sessions

View breakout session recordings here!

Breakout Session I (9:45 to 10:45 a.m.)

• View session options

• Data at your fingertips: Unlocking student success with dashboards (SESSION IS FULL)
  Location: U.S. Bank Conference Theatre (1st floor)
  Feeling overwhelmed by institutional data? Curious about how students fare after they leave your campus or department? If you’re eager to learn more about the students you support, this session is for you. Join us as we introduce Ohio State's new data dashboards, and show you how to leverage data in your role. Representatives from the Offices of Institutional Research and Planning (IRP) and Enrollment Analysis, Research, and Insights (EARI) will guide you in using data to enhance your work and better support student success.
  
  Presenters:
  Beth Wallace, Housing and Residence Education
  Katie Smillie, Office of Institutional Research and Planning
  Beth Venter, Enrollment Analytics, Research and Insights
  
  Themes: Academic support, Inclusive excellence, Leadership skills/career competencies, Retention/enrollment management
  
  
  Don't get lost — remember your mentor map!
  Location: Interfaith Room (3rd floor)
  Mentoring, which is critical to professional and career success, is often inaccessible or opaque to undergraduate students, particularly as they transition to institutions for the first time. Mentoring has also been recorded as a critical component for student motivation and success. Building and mapping social networks, imagined and existing, will help students to both feel confident and have tools to be successful in their career journeys — during and beyond their first year experience!
  
  Presenter: Carmi Thompson, Arts and Sciences / Drake Institute
  
  Themes: Academic advising, Leadership skills/career competencies
  
  
  Embracing Ikigai and the beauty of exploration: Framework for advising undecided college students
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 1 (1st floor)
  This session explores using the Japanese philosophy of Ikigai as a framework for advising undecided college students. Ikigai, meaning "reason for being," integrates what you love, what you're good at, what the world needs and what you can be paid for. By aligning these elements, students can find fulfilling academic and career paths. The session will demonstrate how Ikigai addresses career indecision, encourages exploration and enhances student well-being with practical advising strategies.
  
  Presenter: Dominique Todd-Shumate, University Exploration
  
  Themes: Academic advising, Leadership skills/career competencies
  
  
  Epic journeys and cozy corners: Student belonging and well-being with University Libraries programming
  Location: Cartoon Room 1 (3rd floor)
  This session introduces an innovative strategy to enhance belonging and inclusion at University Libraries. Presenters will discuss the creation of a digital library passport along with a program of weekly drop-in activities to support student well-being. Inspired by a study on student belonging, these initiatives aim to boost engagement and serve as a model for others looking to support students in new ways using university-provided tools to increase capacity for programming.
  
  Presenters:
  Stephanie Founds, University Libraries
  Hanna Primeau, University Libraries
  Chris Seifert, Universtiy Libraries
  Angel Gondek, University Libraries
  
  Themes: Student engagement
  
  
  Focusing on the First Year: Eras Tour
  Location: Barbie Tootle Room (3rd floor)
  Our (mostly reliable) FYE archives indicate it’s been about 20 years since we hosted the first Focusing on the First Year conference for Ohio State colleagues invested in supporting first-year students. While much has changed on the Columbus campus and with our new students in the last two decades, much has remained the same regarding typical college transition milestones. We’ll explore all this and more in this interactive and reflective session!
  
  Presenter: Nicole Craven, First Year Experience
  Themes: Retention/enrollment management, Student engagement
  
  
  From big data to personalized messaging: Progress reports for every student in a large enrollment class and planning similar practices for your large populations
  Location: Cartoon Room 2 (3rd floor)
  We will show you how we are messaging hundreds of general chemistry students individual progress reports with personal messages, in an efficient way, with preliminary results presented. We will facilitate small group brainstorming to help you envision how you can adopt a similar practice for use in your daily work, and then show you the tools, with some tips, to get started. Each attendee can leave with a vision and getting-started plan. (Plan to bring a tablet or laptop for active learning!)
  
  Presenters:
  Rebecca Ricciardo, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  Lisa Nguyen, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
  
  Themes: Academic support, Student engagement
  
  
  Somali Buckeye Voices
  Location: Senate Chamber (2nd floor)
  Columbus is home to the second largest population of Somali Americans in the United States. What can we, as student affairs professionals, learn from our Somali students that will help us engage, embrace and serve them better? Come for stories and perspectives from a panel of Ohio State’s Somali students.
  
  Presenter: Peter Spreitzer, University Exploration
  
  Themes: Academic Support, Academic advising, Inclusive excellence, Student engagement
  
  
  RiSE to the occasion: Learn how ODI is Reimagining the Student Experience (RiSE)
  Location: Brutus Buckeye Room (3rd floor)
  The Office of Diversity and Inclusion's RiSE initiatives support specific populations of students as they transition to the Columbus campus. Learn about the Dr. James L. Moore III Scholars Program (transfer students), the Regional Campus Transitional Scholars Program (campus changers), and the Fostering Achievement Network (FAN) for former foster youth, and how YOU can be a champion for all of them.
  
  Presenters:
  Chaka A Wilson, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
  Kris Wethington, College of Arts and Sciences
  Tookie Al-Damen, Student/RiSE Scholar
  
  Themes: Student engagement, Transition support
  
  
  The silent struggle of academic burnout in first-year students and what we can do (SESSION IS FULL)
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 3 (1st floor)
  Academic burnout is a condition where students feel tired and display chronic stress due to academic demands, course load, feelings of incompetency, loneliness, and other psychological factors. It’s commonly found in universities and is often unaddressed as first-year students navigate through their college life. So how can you help first-years navigate college life and prevent burnout? We will share tips on what we can do to help prevent and manage student’s academic burnout.
  
  Presenters:
  Minso Choi, Department of Educational Studies
  Rachel Tuttle, Dennis Learning Center/Department of Educational Studies
  Jackie von Spiegel, Dennis Learning Center
  
  Themes: Academic support, Student engagement
  
  
  What your international students wish you knew
  Location: Ohio Staters, Inc. Traditions Room (2nd floor)
  What is it really like to be an international student at Ohio State? This session will cover the major areas of difference and challenge as compared to domestic students. We will discuss international students' experiences, unique regulations and restrictions, and top concerns. We will share feedback and direct input from international students to help staff around campus understand their perspective. Attendees will leave feeling more comfortable anticipating and addressing common international student concerns.
  
  Presenters:
  Devan Gibson, Office of International Affairs
  Caroline Omolesky, Office of International Affairs
  
  Themes: Inclusive excellence
  
  
  
  

Breakout Session II (11 a.m. to noon)

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• Access for all: Promoting accessibility and inclusion
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 3 (1st floor)
  In this session, we will explore promoting accessibility and principles of universal design and critical disability studies. By examining best practices and drawing from our practical experiences in coordinating accessibility services, attendees will learn how to provide inclusive experiences for individuals with disabilities in a variety of higher education settings. This session will provide practical takeaways for staff and faculty to implement accessibility strategies and to foster an inclusive environment.
  
  Presenters:
  Warren Lor, Student Life Disability Services
  Caity McCandless, Student Life Disability Services
  Lauren Rose Strand, Student Life Disability Services
  
  Themes: Academic support, Inclusive excellence, Student engagement
  
  
  Buckeyes Start Strong: The challenge of late admissions to retention
  Location: Cartoon Room 2 (3rd floor)
  Buckeyes Start Strong is a program at Ohio State Newark to support first year students who enroll for fall semester at the last orientation or during the first week of classes. Since current policy allows students to apply via the late application (opens mid-July) and enroll no later than the last Friday of the first week of fall semester, the Office of Retention and Student Success Initiatives created this program to support those students in succeeding throughout the semester. In this session, you will learn about this program, how it's run and the outcomes since its genesis (2021-present). This presentation will, hopefully, inspire you to think even more critically about different ways to support students, especially this cohort, on your campus.
  
  Presenter: Stefanie Negron, Retention and Student Success Initiatives
  
  Themes: Academic support, Retention/enrollment management
  
  
  Building foundations: How hall directors shape the college experience
  Location: Rosa Ailabouni Room (3rd floor)
  Hall Directors and Assistant Hall Directors play a crucial role in the experience of on-campus, first-year students. Through personal anecdotes and time studies, this presentation will analyze how in-hall staff allocate their time and how their roles adapt to meet the changing needs of students. This includes the day-to-day and behind-the-scenes work that goes into creating thriving residential communities. By highlighting the significance of these positions, we will demonstrate their contributions to the overall student experience and their potential for collaboration with other campus departments.
  
  Presenters:
  Shantrice Bradley, Housing and Residence Education
  Brianna Langs, Housing and Resicence Education
  Elise Nelson, Housing and Resicence Education
  Quantazia Merchant, Housing and Resicence Education
  
  Themes: Leadership skills/career competencies, Student engagement
  
  
  Enhancing student engagement and retention in critical conversations
  Location: Barbie Tootle Room (3rd floor)
  Preparing students for success requires efficient communication of oftentimes complicated information. Join staff from Global Education in the Office of International Affairs as we explore methods of sharing complex information in an accessible and engaging manner to promote student retention of critical concepts.
  
  Presenters:
  Kyle Sturges, Office of International Affairs, Global Education
  Kennedy Sepsi, Office of International Affairs, Global Education
  
  Themes: Inclusive excellence, Leadership skills/career competencies, Retention/enrollment management, Student engagement
  
  
  GENED 2601: (Connecting) connections for transfer students
  Location: Ohio Staters, Inc. Traditions Room (2nd floor)
  In Autumn 2024, the General Education Bookends program introduced a course specifically for transfer students. In this session, we will share an overview of the Connection Seminar and how it complements other campus resources and supports transfer students. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the purpose and approach of the Connection Seminar, how it connects transfer students and university partners, and how to support transfer students in their own roles.
  
  Presenters:
  DeeDee Cruz, GE Bookends
  Beth Black, University Libraries Jackie von Spiegel, Dennis Learning Center
  
  Themes: Academic Support, Instruction/Pedagogy
  
  
  Learning on the move: 21st century tips for crafting intentional educational road trips
  Location: Brutus Buckeye Room (3rd floor)
  Experiential learning remains a powerful educational tool for providing students with hands-on ways to connect the classroom with the real world. Intentionally crafted, off-campus learning opportunities take scholarship "on the road" by engaging participants in more in-depth opportunities to make applied and intellectual links between theory and practice. This session will explore how AI, problem-based learning, and curricular-based design can help facilitators provide relevant, exploratory, thought-provoking educational road trip experiences.
  
  Presenter: Julius Mayo, Student Life- Housing and Residence Education
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy, Student engagement
  
  
  Like peas in a pod: Small group interactions in a first-year survey course
  Location: Senate Chamber (2nd floor)
  The ASC (Arts and Sciences) Honors Peer Mentor Program provides survey students the opportunity to engage with older honors mentors. These students are trained to assist with the transition to college by providing examples, resources and support. This year, by returning mentor request, we developed a new small group interaction component ("pods") within the survey setting. This presentation will discuss this model, presenting supporting research and modeling engagement and will include a panel of our Peer Mentors.
  
  Presenters:
  Joanna Spanos, College of Arts and Sciences Honors Advising
  Emma Traylor, College of Arts and Sciences Honors
  Samantha Zimmerman , College of Arts and Sciences Honors
  
  Themes: Academic advising, Student engagement
  
  
  More than just pizza: Starting the student experience (SESSION IS FULL)
  Location: U.S. Bank Conference Theatre (1st floor)
  Academic preparation, social/personal engagement, mental health concerns, and local and world issues are just some of the difficulties students are experiencing when they arrive on campus. Higher education professionals need to prepare for the challenges and opportunities this cohort presents. This presentation will discuss how we need to reexamine the critical “First 6 Weeks” and provide a new approach in meeting the needs of today’s students.
  
  Presenters:
  Xavier De Freitas, Housing and Residence Education
  Rebecca Kapusta, Housing and Residence Education
  Dani Rodriguez Pacheco, Housing and Residence Education
  Cianna Agosto Tillman, Housing and Residence Education
  
  Themes: Student engagement
  
  
  
  The syllabus as a constitution: Setting expectations for an inclusive classroom
  Location: Student Alumni Council Room (2nd floor)
  You may have heard of the framework “the syllabus as a contract." This has its merits but can challenge student sense of belonging and reinforce power disparities. In this interactive session, we will expand on the framework to use the syllabus as a tool to set expectations for an inclusive classroom. We will explore strategies for using the syllabus as a living constitution. Participants will identify ways to implement changes to syllabi and course materials.
  
  Presenters:
  Audrey Harlyn, Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
  Erin Mercurio, Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
  
  Themes: Inclusive excellence, Instruction/pedagogy
  
  
  
  Using active learning strategies to engage first-year students in the classroom
  Location: Interfaith Room (3rd floor)
  Most instructors who teach first-year students have experienced the blank stares and silence that can pervade a first-year classroom. This session will provide participants with active learning strategies that encourage students to engage, think, connect, and, maybe even, have a little fun! Come experience some active learning with us and then reflect on how you might utilize the strategies in your own classroom!
  
  Presenter: Vicki Pitstick, Drake Institute for Teaching and Learning
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy, Student engagement
  
  
  
  What and why am I reading? First-year students’ college goals vis-à-vis reading interest
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 1 (1st floor)
  The Atlantic shared how college students admitted that they had never been required to read an entire book before. With reading as a required skill for college success, are our students interested in reading at all? Analyzing a student-determined reading task as the anchor of goal-setting in our learning-to-learn course, I aim to share first-year students’ goals and experiences related to reading interest and what we can do to encourage and support them academically.
  
  Presenters:
  Ionell Terogo, Department of Educational Studies
  Rachel Tuttle, Dennis Learning Center/Department of Educational Studies
  
  Themes: Academic support, Student engagement
  
  
  
  

Breakout Session III (1:15 to 2:15 p.m.)

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• AI teaching strategies: Having transparent conversations with first-year students
  Location: Cartoon Room 1 (3rd floor)
  First-year students enter Ohio State with varying familiarity with higher education norms and experience with generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). During this interactive session, participants will discuss the efficacy of using the Transparency in Learning and Teaching (TILT) framework with first-year students. They will also try and reflect on GenAI prompting approaches and consider strategies for engaging students in an authentic dialogue about learning with and about AI.
  
  Presenters:
  Larry Hurtubise, Drake Institute
  Shari Beck, Digital Learning/Office of Technology and Digital Innovation
  Jane Hammons, University Libraries
  Chris Manion , Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing
  Jennifer Whetstone, Committee on Academic Misconduct
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy, Student engagement
  
  
  
  ASSIST: Academic Support Services that Inspire Students to Thrive
  Location: U.S. Bank Conference Theatre (1st floor)
  Meet the ASSIST team at Ohio State! We represent academic support services and will tell you about our services, who can use them and how they work. Hear from the Writing Center, Dennis Learning Center, Disability Services, Mathematics and Statistics Learning Center, Peer Tutoring Program and University Libraries.
  
  Presenters:
  Carolyn Johns, College of Arts and Sciences, Mathematics
  Jackie von Spiegel, Dennis Learning Center
  Allison Kranek, College of Arts and Sciences/Center for Study of Teaching and Writing
  Kelly Bonice, Student Life Disability Services
  Stephanie Founds, University Libraries
  Shannon Mullally, Housing and Residence
  
  Themes: Academic support
  
  
  
  Common Carmen questions new students ask I.T.
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 3 (1st floor)
  Have students ever asked you questions about Carmen? New students seek support from staff with whom they feel comfortable — sometimes that means their academic advisor, Student Life staff, residence hall staff, Survey or Launch instructor and more! This session arms you with answers to the most common Carmen questions received from students. You'll even get a sneak peek into the questions that the Carmen Team WISHES students would ask!
  
  Presenters:
  Max Gulick, OTDI Learning Systems
  Richard Henricksen, OTDI Learning Systems
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy, Technology
  
  
  
  Create welcoming spaces: Supporting first-year multicultural and multilingual students
  Location: Ohio Staters, Inc. Traditions Room (2nd floor)
  How do we create a university setting in which multilingual, multicultural students can thrive from day one? It starts in your office, your classroom, your Zoom room. This breakout session will offer practical and realistic strategies to make your spaces more welcoming and more accessible. Throughout, participants will engage in small group discussion and large group sharing, contextualizing for their own setting, whether it be classroom or student/academic services.
  
  Presenter: Elizabeth Osbourne, Intercultural English Language Programs
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy, Technology
  
  
  
  First-years teaching first-years: New GTA training for English 1110 instructors
  Location: Tanya Rutner Room
  Each autumn, hundreds of new first-year students (NFYS) take English 1110, taught by GTAs who are often first-year graduate students and first-time instructors. In this presentation, we share how we prepare these new instructors in our weeklong August Workshop and offer insights from GTA reflections about their experiences as first-year GTAs and grad students teaching NFYS. At the core of our approach is helping new instructors understand and support their NFYS, which includes encouraging them to build a colleague network with fellow GTAs.
  
  Presenters:
  Michelle Gabay, Department of English
  Scott DeWitt, Department of English/Writing and Information Literacy Program
  Ashleigh Hardin, Department of English/Writing and Information Literacy Program
  Zaira Girala Munoz, Department of English
  
  Themes: Instruction/pedagogy
  
  
  
  It's Lit: A review of recent books related to first-year students
  Location: Brutus Buckeye Room (3rd floor)
  Join avid reader and lifelong learner Nicole as she shares her picks and pans of 10 recent books (published in the last five years) related to higher education. Nicole will share a high-level summary, major takeaways, relevancy to first-year students and her personal rating (1-5 stars) for each book to help you make an informed decision about what you may (or may not) want to read in support of your work with college students!
  
  Presenter: Nicole Craven, First Year Experience
  
  Themes: Academic support, Student Engagement
  
  
  
  Living, learning, leadership: What’s in it for me?
  Location: Cartoon Room 2 (3rd floor)
  This session will delve into the benefits of incentivizing participation and adding structure, fostering a more dynamic and cohesive student community guided by lessons learned from the John Glenn Civic Leadership Community. Attendees will gain practical insights and methods to motivate their students, implement effective frameworks and ultimately create a supportive environment that promotes both personal and professional growth. Join us to discover how you can make a lasting impact on your students' leadership journeys!
  
  Presenter: Sydney Rubin, John Glenn College of Public Affairs
  
  Themes: Leadership skills/career competencies, Student engagement
  
  
  
  More than just a registration lock: Stopout outreach program designed to support students individually through the re-enrollment process
  Location: Great Hall Meeting Room 1 (1st floor)
  Why do so many students not enroll in classes for the following semester when their enrollment windows open? Some have registration holds; however, for many, the barriers extend beyond this. A long established stopout outreach program on the Newark Campus finds success in assisting 50 to 60% of stopout students with re-enrolling at Ohio State each semester through unique and personalized outreach measures - an initiative that continues to support positive retention rates one student at a time.
  
  Presenter: Jamie White, Office of Retention and Student Success Initiatives
  
  Themes: Retention/enrollment management
  
  
  
  Neurodiversity Awareness in Faculty Initiative (NAFI)
  Location: Senate Chamber (2nd floor)
  NAFI is a student-initiated training program that aims to increase awareness about neurodivergence and provide strategies to improve inclusive pedagogy. This interactive presentation, facilitated by undergraduate STEM scholars, will serve as a professional development session for anyone interested in enhancing accessible academic settings and advancing a neuroinclusive campus culture. Attendees will learn about: (1) Definitions of neurodiversity; (2) Individual learning needs; and (3) Creating accessible education. Presenters will engage attendees through assessments, discussions and feedback.
  
  Presenters:
  Andrew Buck, Nisonger Center
  Karen Krainz Edison, Nisonger Center
  Panel of students
  
  Themes: Inclusive excellence, Instruction/pedagogy
  
  
  
  Stronger together: How advisors can utilize Launch curriculum to develop students’ academic identity
  Location: Student Alumni Council Room (2nd floor)
  While it can sometimes feel like advisors just schedule classes, Craig McGill (2021) states that the purpose of academic advising is “the formulation of a student’s academic identity.” Interestingly, this is also one of the primary objectives of GenEd 1201. Join us to gain a better understanding of the purpose of Launch as we showcase how advisors can leverage the Launch curriculum to work collaboratively with students in creating their own academic identity.
  
  Presenters:
  M. Renee Benham, College of Social Work
  Niki Jaburek, Undergraduate Education/General Education
  
  Themes: Academic advising, Instruction/pedagogy
  
  
  
  This is how we do it: Finish Line — a program-wide course recovery initiative
  Location: Rosa Ailabouni Room (3rd floor)
  What if, rather than instructors individually managing student incompletes, a supportive department-wide program handled them? Imagine a program that not only coordinated incompletes, but also provided layered support to help students complete assignments and develop skills like time management, motivation and other strategies to overcome academic challenges. Over the period of three semesters, the GE Bookends Finish Line Program has helped over 200 students remedy their incompletes and stay on track for success.
  
  Presenters:
  Chelsea Ratell, GE Bookends Program — Undergraduate Education
  Amy Soter, GE Bookends Program
  
  Themes: Academic support, Retention/enrollment management