2. UNT Office for Exploring Majors &
First-Year Seminar
Bridge the Gap for the
Undeclared/Undecided Student
Lisa E. S. Maxwell, M.Ed. Director, Office for Exploring Majors
Jennifer A. Palcich, M.A., LPC Senior Counselor, Office for Exploring Majors
Coordinator of First-Year Seminar

3. Agenda for this Session…
• Office for Exploring Majors
• Who are we?
• Who do we serve?
• Program for OEM Students
• What we offer?
• First Year Seminar
• What is it?
• Curriculum
• Sample Syllabus
• Major Players in the course
• What’s to come…

4. UGST 1000
First-Year Seminar
(previously UCRS 1000)

5. • Who Takes UGST 1000?
– All entering University Undeclared Students
• Fall 2010: 393 participants
• Fall 2011: 436 participants
• From here on out this presentation will focus on the
impact of the course on this particular group of
students.
– Freshman interested in Leadership or other
“onesie” topics
– Student Athletes

6. IN A NUTSHELL…
• 3 credit hour core class
• Satisfies Discovery area of core
• Transcendent material tied to all course
topics
• Majority of the sections focus on
Exploring Majors & Careers
• Required of Undecided students coming
into Undergraduate Studies
• Each section has one peer mentor
• The “linchpin” in a Learning Community

7. Learning Communities
• A group of students who take three UNT core courses
together, including the First-Year Seminar Some designed to
have an interest area which allows you to experience
coursework required for a major
• Students select their LC’s at Freshman Orientation
• Improves academic experience & retention; for the Fall 2010
population:
• LC students had .11% higher GPAs than their non-LC peers
• LC students were in good standing at a 5% higher rate than
their non-LC peers
• Undecided students were retained at a 6% higher rate when
involved in LC’s than previous non-LC years
• Benefits of LC’s
• Form study groups, both formal and informal
• Participate in social activities, such as football games, plays,
speakers and just hanging out
• Interact with faculty and staff outside the classroom
• Feel connected in a large class setting

8. First-Year Seminar Curriculum
• Transcendent Topics (55%)
• Academic Success
• Personal Development
• Connection to Community
• Exploring Majors & Careers Topics (45%)
• Self-Knowledge
• Educational Knowledge
• Occupational Knowledge
• Decision-Making Knowledge

9. Transcendent Topics
• Life of the Mind
• UNT Key Policies & Procedures
• Learning Styles
• Time Management
• Note Taking
• Test Taking
• Information Literacy
• Diversity
• Engage/SRI
• Values Clarification
• Majors & Careers
• Goal Setting
• Connection to Community

10. Exploring Majors & Careers Topics
• Introduction to Majors & Careers
• Personal & Work Values
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Strong Interest Inventory
• Talents, Skills & Abilities
• Decision Making
• Road Trip Nation Project
• Campus & Career Speakers

11. UGST 1000: Exploring Majors & Careers
Objectives & Expectations
 Better understand and articulate how their personal values relate to
their work values
 Identify and research majors available to them both at UNT and
beyond this University
 Understand how their skills, abilities and talents lend themselves
naturally to certain majors and careers
 Understand how their chosen or intended major may or may not fit
with their personality
 Review the Career Theory of John Holland and think critically
about how their personalized hexagon (Holland Codes) applies to
their personalities and major/career choices
 Understand the decision making process as it relates to deciding
on majors and careers
 Understand how their Personality Inventory (MBTI) relates to their
major/career options
 Confirm or rule out the majors they may have already declared

12. COURSE CONTENT & GRADING STRUCTURE
• 60% of grade is predetermined: “Non-negotiables”
– 5% Myers Briggs Type Indicator
– 5% Strong Interest Inventory
– 15% Road Trip Nation group project
– 20% Research Paper/Presentation
– 15% Mid-term Exam (Study Skills)
• 40% of grade is instructor-determined: “Negotiables”
– Suggestions:
• 10% Participation (obviously includes attendance)
• 10% Journals, Activities and Homework Assignments
• 10% Out of Class Activity and/or Connections w/ Peer Mentor
• 10% One-on-One Appointment

13. Who Teaches UGST 1000?
Various Masters-level Counselors across campus:
• Undergraduate Studies (OEM, LC, START, Core
Academy, Title III)
• Housing
• Career Center
• PACS
• Business
• Money Management
Professionals from Division of Student Affairs &Athletics
Ph.D. Candidates from several different disciplines

14. We encourage Instructors to find their own style…
• Connection to Community activities
assigned where activities arise
• Speakers can be interspersed
throughout the semester if Instructor
prefers
• Instructor can use
Speakers/Presentations or
Combination of both
• “Flow” can be changed

15. UCRS 1000 “Major Players”

16. MAJOR PLAYER:
ROAD TRIP NATION PROJECT
• “Find your open road”
www.roadtripnation.com
• Student Groups of 3-5
• Proposal
• Group Presentations to the class
• Fact Sheet
• Process Paper
• Team/Class/Instructor ratings for grade

17. Road Trip Nation
• Charna Halpern, Co-Founder of ImprovOlympic

18. MAJOR PLAYER: ASSESSMENTS
• Myers-Briggs Type Indicator
• Strong Interest Inventory
• Combined Report

19. MAJOR PLAYER:
EDUCATIONAL/OCCUPATIONAL RESEARCH PAPER
• Research Two Majors
• Research Two Careers
• Four-page research paper

20. MAJOR PLAYER:
INDIVIDUAL PRESENTATIONS
• Culmination of everything learned in this
course
– Self-knowledge
– Educational knowledge
– Occupational knowledge
– Decision (if one has been reached/narrowed)
– Road Trip Nation
• Examples of great past presentations

21. MAJOR PLAYER:
ADVISING STUDENTS FOR SPRING
• Planning advising week
– In class
– 1:1
• Must have been through advising training
• Refer to Binder from training when advising your
students
– Meet w/ Lisa Maxwell if you have not been
trained (3 hour training)
• ImageNow & Advising Records
• DARWIN & AD Exceptions
• Observe Guidebook Sessions for refreshers
• October – Brown bag

22. MAJOR PLAYER:
ADVISING STUDENTS FOR SPRING
• Planning your advising week
– In class
– 1:1
• Must have been through advising training
• Refer to Binder from training when advising your
students
– Meet w/ Lisa Maxwell if you have not been trained.
• ImageNow & Advising Records
• DARWIN & AD Exceptions
• Observe Guidebook Sessions for refreshers
• October – Brown bag

23. MAJOR PLAYER:
CLASS SPEAKERS
• Survey students in class
• Learning Community-relative
• Utilize expertise of Learning Community instructors
or the R.E.A.L. Communities in Housing
• Small database available of past semester speakers
• Be creative!
• Career Center Programs available

24. Interesting things going on as a
result of UCRS 1000:
• Exploring Majors Ambassador
Program
• Peer Mentors for future UGST 1000

25. Looking to Fall 2012…
• Remove advising component and encourage one-on-one
meetings in the first two weeks of class
• Much more streamlined communication/connection
between peer mentors and Instructors
• Peer Mentors are taking on responsibility of teaching 4-6
class lessons
• Make a Difference Day (Oct): group community service
component coordinated by peer mentors –
reunion/community service in spring at BIG Event (Mar)
• Developing a “hybrid” version of the course (online
component)
• Developing library tours/partnership
• Instructor Resources: converting from Blackboard to
Blackboard Learn

26. Questions?…
Please Ask!

27. Santiago Aguerre
Co-Founder - Reef