Just starting out in college, it may seem to students that they are being bombarded with classes that are completely unnecessary for their majors. One of these classes is Washburn Experience, most commonly known as WU101. This class is where students learn the basics of college and everything they need to know to pursue the ideal path for themselves.
Professors of WU101 teach things such as informational literacy, technology, the new community for learning, study skills, health, academic honesty and other topics that will help the freshman be more successful throughout their college years. The class improves students’ chances at being successful and making it through college to get their degree.
WU101 classes help these incoming students with attendance not only in the classroom, but also at events outside of school. Being present at these events can help freshman or new students reach out to new people and make friends outside their normal social group.
“Overall the biggest indicator of success can be shown by your attendance. Just showing up to class and applying yourself to the information being provided by the professors greatly increases your chances of success,” Christina Foreman, WU101 instructor said.
Foreman is a Washburn alumna and one of the first students to have taken the class as a core requirement. She shared that she utilized the things she learned in the class for other classes she had to take to complete her degree.
Also Foreman felt WU101 was beneficial for her because of the benefits it offers. Now she is a professor of WU101 and works for the Center for Student Success in the Library to help students in any way they need.
To make the class more enjoyable for students Washburn found a way to connect with students. This connection typically happens when the student finds a professor that they can connect with.
According to Foreman when a student can find a professor they enjoy they can also find that shared passion for the subject. Oftentimes this is how a student figures out what they want to do in the future and which major they want to pursue.
“This class connects freshmen from the get go, it gives you opportunities to make friends, learn tips for staying focused in classes, and helps increase your confidence going into future classes,” Ellynor George, student and peer educator of a WU101 class said.
This class gets you the connections you need for the support needed to get through other classes.
Professors have found that one way to get students to connect to WU101 is by using a team to teach them. Part of this team aspect includes a professor, academic advisor, librarian, and peer educators. These peer educators are students that have taken WU101 and gives students the opportunity to connect with any one of the team members in case they need to ask for help with assignments or other stressful parts of the college experience.
“I still connect with my professor from my WU101 class and will even ask him questions about classes even though I’m not enrolled in his class anymore,” George said.
Washburn uses this class to give the freshman a foundation. Having a foundation gives students a solid base that they can grow from. Growing from a foundation includes: stepping out and experiencing real world problems, reaching out to new people, helping others who were once in your place, and many other feats.
Many professors say that “life happens.” When life happens having that foundation is always a great way to keep yourself afloat. You can utilize your peer educators, professors, or other classmates to get you back out to the growth stage.
The Washburn Experience is an important class that has proven to help students that are present for the class and turn work in. Even though it may seem like a class that is a waste of time, it is there for students to benefit from.
Edited by Larissa Morgan and LeSha’ Davis
