The Office of First-Year Seminars at Florida Gulf Coast University is dedicated to supporting the transition and success of first-time-in-college (FTIC) students. We oversee SLS courses that provide students with the academic strategies, campus connections, and personal development tools needed to thrive in higher education.
Our work extends beyond the classroom through strong partnerships with faculty and staff across campus. We collaborate with gateway course coordinators to align student success strategies in high-enrollment, high-impact courses. We also design and facilitate training for first-year seminar instructors to ensure consistent, high-quality teaching and mentoring.
In addition, our office oversees Learning Communities, which bring students together around common academic and personal interests. These communities foster belonging, collaboration, and engagement during the critical first year.
By integrating academic preparation, mentorship, and community building, First-Year Seminars at FGCU help students build a strong foundation for persistence, success, and growth throughout their college journey.
SLS Courses
Click to learn how First Year Seminars help students explore interests, build skills, and set the foundation for long-term success.
The University Transition
The University Transition course is designed to ease students' adjustment to college life by helping them engage with campus resources, discover personal strengths, and build a foundation for long-term success. Through interactive experiences, students will overcome the challenges of transitioning to college, engage in campus life, explore academic success strategies, and foster personal and career growth through self-reflection.
Prefix/number: SLS 1101
Semester(s) offered: Summer, Fall
Credits: Variable 1-3
Learning outcomes
As a result of this course, students will:
- Be able to successfully identify and overcome the challenges that are most experienced when transitioning from high school to college.
- Learn about the various opportunities for student engagement and how they can create the FGCU experience that they would like to have.
- Engage with various academic success strategies while determining which academic success strategy works best for them.
- Better understand their strengths, interests, and values and how these are tied to their choice of major and future career path, in addition to developing and practicing life skills that will assist them in their personal growth and development and will allow them to be successful throughout their time at FGCU and beyond.
Effective Learning
The Effective Learning course, part of a co-requisite cohort model, helps students apply achievement and motivation strategies to both personal and academic goals while providing discipline-specific insights. Students will explore cognitive development and learning theories, develop effective study habits, and enhance their academic performance through practical strategies tailored to their field of study.
Prefix/number: SLS 1501
Semester(s) offered: Fall, Spring
Credits: Variable 2-3
Learning outcomes
As a result of this course, students will:
- Be able to engage in self-directed learning and problem-solving techniques.
- Learn to take personal responsibility for their educational experience.
- Advance their critical thinking skills through self-reflection and analysis of their own experiences.
- Articulate an understanding of the University culture and their own adjustment to the expectations and demands of college.