A Meeting of the Minds: Two Perspectives on New Student Seminars On March 25, 1997, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition at the University of South Carolina hosted its first teleconference entitled, A Meeting of the Minds: Two Perspectives on New Student Seminars. The teleconference set the stage for an interactive dialogue among David Ellis, John Gardner, and the viewing audience. The two leading pioneers of the first-year movement discussed topics ranging from essential characteristics of a first-year seminar to assessment and many points in between. This teleconference was taped live, so you will notice there are times that the audience is asked to phone or fax in questions in order to promote an interactive experience. We felt it was valuable to provide the broadcast to you with minimal editing, so you should ignore these requests. Also, you should note that not all references to individuals or job position titles reflect current titles or people today. Although you cannot submit questions or engage in the way the audience did in 1997, we encourage you to download the teleconference resource packet. You will hear the speakers refer to it several times throughout the teleconference. We hope that the packet complements your viewing experience and provides material that allows you to begin a dialogue on your own campus. You may download the teleconference resource packet here. David Ellis John N. Gardner
About the panelists: David B. Ellis is the author of Becoming a Master Student, one of the best-selling college textbooks in America, founder of the Brande Foundation, a philanthropic organization, and author of numerous titles including Life Coaching: A New Career for Helping Professionals, and Falling Awake. He is an educator, workshop leader, author, and philanthropist dedicated to enhancing the lives of others. John Gardner is the Executive Director of the Policy Center on the First Year of College, Senior Fellow of the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, and Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Library and Information Science at the University of South Carolina. For over 30 years, he has been a leader in the first-year experience movement. He is the author of countless titles including Challenging and Supporting the First-Year Student: A Handbook for Improving the First Year of College (2005) with M. Lee Upcraft, and Betsy Barefoot, The Freshman Year Experience (1989) with M. Lee Upcraft, and The Senior Year Experience (1997) with Gretchen Van der Veer. Below offer the teleconference in two ways: (a) full, and (b) in chapters. Click on the teleconference title to begin video-streaming the complete broadcast. If you prefer, you also have the option to view the teleconference in six parts; each part is titled and briefly outlined. Click on the title of the desired chapter to begin viewing. For more information about video-streaming, click here. Mac Users:  To view this video you will need to use Firefox for your browser. Safari does not load this video. COMPLETE INTERVIEW A Meeting of the Minds: Two Perspectives on New Student Seminars 2 hr. 45 min. SECTION TITLES PART I Introductions & History (Includes: Dave Ellis, John Gardner, and the history of the first-year seminar) 21 minutes and 52 seconds PART II Essential Characteristics & the 7-Part Structure (Includes: course content, credit, characteristics, and structure) 25 minutes and 53 seconds PART III Nuts & Bolts of First-Year Seminars (Includes: administration, recruitment, and instructors) 29 minutes and 32 seconds PART IV Thinking Outside the Box (Includes: adult students, transfer students, and high school seminars) 31 minutes and 25 seconds PART V Reaching the Students (Includes: teaching to all levels, team-teaching, communicating and building trust, and empowering students) 30 minutes and 57 seconds PART VI Research, Assessment, and Loose Ends (Includes: helping students see the value, distance learning, conducting research and using the findings) 15 minutes and 23 seconds