Register for 2026 Courses
Registration is open for 2026 online courses. Questions? Contact us at fyeconf@mailbox.sc.edu for assistance.
Academic Recovery Program Development
June 1-26, 2026
Instructor: Cathe Nutter, Executive Director of Academic Advising, Texas A&M University - Texarkana
*Register for this course here: https://nrc.uts.sc.edu/fye/courses/
Course Description:
Academic Recovery Advising (ARA) is at its core a proactive, targeted advising practice specifically designed to engage academically at-risk students. It requires intentional engagement with students who may not realize they need help, and will include elements of developmental, prescriptive, and appreciative academic advising depending on the needs of each student. This course is designed to help you begin or re-imagine an ARA program based on your unique situation in your institution.
Learning Outcomes:
- Gain an understanding of literature and context surrounding ARA
- Examines the concept of needs assessment
- Cultivate a Proposal and Action Plan for participant’s own campus
- Develop an actionable strategy for enhancing student success and retention through specific, targeted proactive academic advising
Course Materials / Textbooks:
- Suggested: Dial, M. (2022). Academic recovery: Supporting Students on academic probation. Stylus Publishing, LLC.
- Other materials will be provided as pdfs or links
About the Instructor:
Cathe Nutter is an experienced academic advisor and higher education administrator. She holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education Research from Texas Tech University, where her dissertation examined academic advising styles relevant to academic recovery students. She is active in student retention research and presents her findings at a variety of advising and college student retention conferences. She also teaches first-year writing courses and first-year success courses. She has developed first-year courses for specific student groups as well as academic success courses for students in academic jeopardy. Cathe currently serves as the Executive Director for Academic Advising at Texas A&M University – Texarkana.
Understanding and Supporting Transfer Student Success
July 6-31, 2026
Instructor: Catherine Hartman, Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership, North Carolina State University
*Register for this course here: https://nrc.uts.sc.edu/fye/courses/
Course Description:
Transfer students are a significant and growing undergraduate population on campuses across the U.S. Promoting transfer student success requires institutional agents to understand and support students’ navigation of the transfer process and their acclimatation to new institutions. As such, this course will provide foundational information about transfer, including national trends in transfer. Participants will also explore characteristics of transfer students, assets they bring with them to their institutions, and institutional barriers that impact their success. Participants will engage in learning activities and create equity-minded actionable plans that reinforce support for transfers.
Learning Outcomes:
As a part of this course, participants will:
- Understand national trends, literature, and data associated with student transfer
- Examine and understand the characteristics and assets of transfer and transfer-intending students
- Explore common tools and practices institutions use to meet transfer students needs
- Evaluate the ways in which programs or initiatives may or may not support transfer students’ transitions, engagement, and success during the transfer process
- Develop equity-minded strategies for promoting transfer student success within and across institutions, including through pathways, initiatives, and policies
Course Materials / Textbooks:
No textbook is required for this course
About the Instructor:
Catherine Hartman is an Assistant Professor of Community College Leadership and Faculty Scholar at the Belk Center for Community College Leadership and Research. Her research focuses on community college student persistence and engagement, community college student transfer to four-year schools, and community college leadership. Catherine also serves as an Affiliate Scholar for the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and was named a 2025-2026 Fellow for the University of California National Center for Free Speech and Civic Engagement.
The following course is full
*No new registrations permitted*
Course Description:
There is growing evidence that today’s college students are becoming less engaged
in the
college experience, leading to increased drop-out rates, and negatively affecting
mental
health, general well-being, and many other facets of students’ lives. The central
focus of
this course is helping students identify and develop their own vision for their future,
connecting purpose and personal meaning to academic persistence. To this end we will
examine the disengagement phenomenon through current research and scholarship,
institutional data analysis, and practical intervention design. Participants will
explore
intrinsic and extrinsic influences on engagement and discuss strategies for engaging
students in Hi-Impact Practices (HIPs). We will use institutional data to identify
risk
patterns and apply tools—including AI—to design structured, evidence-based
interventions and programming that support student purpose, persistence, and success.
The course culminates in an AI-assisted engagement plan aligned to HIPs.
Course Learning Outcomes:
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
1. Explain major research findings related to student engagement.
2. Analyze institutional data indicators associated with disengagement and attrition.
3. Apply motivational frameworks to support student purpose, agency, and
persistence.
4. Design structured interventions using reflective practices and AI-supported tools.
5. Develop an institutional engagement framework aligned to recognized standards
and success metrics.
Required Course Materials:
1. Access to an advanced AI tool - ChatGPT Plus, Gemini Advanced (via Google One AI
Premium), CoPilot Pro, or something similar. They are usually around $20 a month
and some may have a free trial version. The AI must be robust enough to help you
develop a quality, academically informed intervention or program plan with an
assessment component.
2. There is no required textbook. All readings will be included as PDF versions
available through Blackboard or as links to publicly available sources.
About the Instructor:
David Waddell is the Associate Director of First-Year Experience and directs the Second
Year Success Program at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. He also oversees
New
Student Orientation and First-gen support. David has spent the last 20 years leading
university level initiatives. He was the founding director of BYU’s ONice of Experiential
Learning, directed the integration of career and academic advising in the colleges
of
humanities and social sciences, and created curriculum and training for professional
competency development and the college-to-career transition. Currently, he oversees
a
pilot eNort to improve student success and retention among second-year students. David
has also been developing training for using AI in program framing and evaluation.
David’s teaching experience at the university spans 20 years, from history and humanities
to student development topics like grad school prep and career and self-exploration.
He
holds BA and MA degrees in History and is currently pursuing a PhD in Instructional
Psychology and Technology.
About Our Courses
Our online courses are designed to be as close as possible to in-person instruction—providing attendees with the same content and opportunities to interact with classmates and the instructor—and are enhanced with pedagogy and teaching techniques that are uncommon or impractical in a traditional classroom format. These courses typically run between four and five weeks, with the majority of instruction occurring in an asynchronous environment. Asynchronous instruction is neither time-bound nor location-bound and does not require the simultaneous participation of all students and instructors. It uses tools such as email, threaded discussions/forums, listservs, and blogs. Participants will earn 1.5 continuing education units.
*The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition values open dialogue and respectful discourse. As such, the views of vendors, presenters, and participants during events, and courses may not be representative of those of the Center or the University of South Carolina.