UNIV 101 does not give students the university experience it describes.

UNIV 101 is a course offered at NIU that is supposed to acquaint students with the university and give them important tips on how to make it through classes.

My expectations

The course is for the “development of skills to enhance academic success with a focus on student responsibility for learning,” according to NIU’s undergraduate catalog.

Edward Kloniski, Acting Associate Vice Provost at NIU PLUS said UNIV would help students with critical thinking, time management and use of university resources.

I do not feel that his is an accurate description of the course. I have taken UNIV 101 before, and it failed to match this description and meet my expectations. When I was signing up for classes for my first semester at NIU, all of the academic advisors I went to told me UNIV 101 was a vital class for me to take so that I would know my way around the university. This gave me high expectations for the course.

Cindy Carls, academic advising center secretary said she recommends UNIV 101 because “it helps students connect to staff members.” I do agree with this statement since one project actually prompted me to talk to an advisor; however, the class was mostly busy work.

For instance, we did a group project on a book that was about different ways to use the right side of the brain, and we had discussions about diversity. While I’m am all for classes about diversity, that is not what a majority of UNIV 101 is supposed to be about. I hardly learned anything about where I could get help or tips for how to survive at NIU.

According to the First- and Second-Year Experience website, UNIV 101 students are supposed to learn “how to use essential online tools such as MyNIU, Blackboard and an e-portfolio.” We hardly spent any time on Blackboard and we didn’t go over my NIU. I don’t even know where to go to create an e-portfolio, much less how to make one.

The only thing I liked about the class was the Common Reading Experience. We read a book called “Acts of Faith,” which gave me a new perspective about relations between young people of different religion, as well as diversity. I supposed this was the “critical thinking” the catalog described.

Solutions

NIU either needs to change the UNIV 101 curriculum to match the description or change the description so that it describes what UNIV 101 really is.

NIU could change the UNIV 101 curriculum so that students spend more time talking about where the important buildings are and where students can get academic and career assistance. It could also spend time talking about where students can go to get counseling. The class could also actually go over blackboard, MyNIU and e-portfolios like the website says it does.

Some other important things the course could cover are study, time-management and note-taking tips.

NIU could also change UNIV 101’s description to a class that builds cooperation by emphasizing group work and encourages diversity through the Common Reading Experience. Something needs to be done about the course because its description gives students false expectations about what it will be like.