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University of Wyoming
Lunch With LeaRN: Brown Bag Discussions
A Focus on Freshman Teaching and Learning
Every year, LeaRN hosts several brown bag discussions focused on issues of transition and academic success for incoming college students. This year, LeaRN’s brown bag discussions will center on issues relevant to first and second year courses. Before each brown bag, LeaRN will distribute LeaRNing Notes, a summary of some of the books and articles discussing “best practices” for each topic. These compilations of advice and reflections will offer a starting point for the discussion, and they will be sent to all instructors regardless of their participation in the lunches.

To contact LeaRN about any of the topics under consideration—or to suggest topics for future discussion, please email learn@uwyo.edu.
 
Thursday, September 24th: Why College? Helping Students Imagine More than a Job
The economic downturn has created shifts in the ways students apply to and think about a college degree. In response to the question “why are you pursuing a college degree?” 72% of entering UW students in June 2009 reported financial or career prospects as their primary reason for seeking a degree. Of the 1,076 students surveyed, only 14% reported reasons related to advancing knowledge or personal educational goals. This discussion will consider trends in college student motivation and offer approaches to helping students imagine the scope of their goals for college.
► LeaRNing Notes:
Why College? Helping Students Imagine More than a Job (pdf)
PowerPoint from Brown Bag
 
Tuesday, October 27th: Revisiting the Reading Leap from High School to College
This session will report on three state-wide meetings in 2008 and 2009 in which Wyoming high school and college instructors brainstormed challenges and strategies for guiding students through the tricky transition into college-ready reading. Discussions at these meetings revealed transition gaps in genre, homework parameters, and synthesis skills. This brown bag will overview results and offer transition strategies for teachers across disciplines.
► LeaRNing Notes:
 Revisiting the Reading Leap from High School to College (pdf)
Activities for Scaffolding Reading (pdf)
 
Tuesday, November 24th: Transitions Program:
Summit ’09
In fall 2009, UW implemented its first weekend transition program for entering freshman, a three-day experience targeted at helping students make the shift into college level expectations and opportunities. This brown bag will overview assessments of the program from multiple perspectives (campus programs, participating students, peer leaders, and faculty) and invite discussion and visions for future programming.
 
Register for Brown Bag here
 
Useful Stuff!
► If you'd like to read older issues of LeaRNing Notes, please click here. 
► Information about Generation Me can be found here.  Sorry, no books are available.