First Year Together

Resources for Teaching

This page provides resources on teaching and learning for first-year students and is informed by the First Year Together Learning Community.

Differences Between High School and College

The shift from high school to college represents far more than just an increase in academic rigor. Transitioning students effectively have to learn how to be college students, often without much guidance. This transition may present itself to faculty as student unpreparedness, when in fact it is student unfamiliarity with college systems and structures. 

Watch the FYT Club Podcast with Cody Canning, First Year Seminar Director, and Dr. Thomas Byers, Northland Preparatory Academy

The table below offers faculty basic guidance on the differences between high school and college, including considerations for how to ease this difficult transition. 

Topic	High School	College	Considerations
Time	Time in high school is VERY structured. Bells cue classroom changes, school starts and ends at the same time every day, classes are held at regular times, and even after school activities tend to follow consistent structures.	College represents “time confetti.” New college students have tremendous amounts of unstructured time to “manage” compared to high school, not to mention irregular class times, new living scenarios, and a free social life disrupts regular sleep patterns, increasing the stress of the first-year experience.	Consider making learning experiences as temporally consistent as possible (i.e., create a predictable flow of assignment due dates) and offer grace to students as they adapt to their new time environment.
Autonomy	Individual autonomy is limited in high school. Students have comparatively little choice in classes and teachers. It is even difficult for students to choose to disregard their studies, as parents, administration, and other school resources will often mobilize to support and “nudge” students.	For the first time in their school lives, first-year students have incredible amounts of autonomy. They choose to go to class, choose their courses, choose their major, and the list goes on. This new freedom can be equally liberating and overwhelming. Many new students will struggle to manage their newfound autonomy.	Consider scripting for students good choices, requiring attendance, eliminating “guesswork” as much as possible, and designing learning experiences with “decision fatigue” in mind.
In-Class	In high school, the overwhelming majority of learning happens in the classroom via activities, lectures, and media. Rarely are students asked to absorb material outside of class that won’t be explicitly covered in class at some point.	Most of the learning in college happens outside of class via reading and, on occasion, media. Students are generally responsible for all materials presented in class and outside of class in exams, written work, or other assessments.	Consider scaffolding first-year students into college by placing as much content as possible in class and directing students to the most essential ideas to be found in readings or media. Consider a low-stakes/no-stakes assessment that communicates for students the balance of in-class vs. out-of-class materials. Thorough and explicit study guides.
Due Dates	Of course there are due dates in high school, but often such policies are generous. It is common for struggling students to make “deals” with teachers to turn in stacks of late work near grade submission dates.	Due dates are generally quite firm in college. Commonly, late work is penalized with partial or no-credit. “Deals” to turn in late work are uncommon and generally considered unfair.	Consider regularly bringing up syllabus policy regarding late work. Consistent messaging will ease confusion as student transition into college.
Missed Class	High schools students can miss class often due to athletics, illness, or family trips. When you’re in class everyday, missing is more common. Moreover, since the COVID pandemic, absenteeism in high school has soared. High school systems and teachers will commonly offer opportunities for students to make up missed work and content without penalty.	Missing class in college, while hardly uncommon, carries far more consequences than in high school.	Consider regularly messaging the importance of attending class or experimenting with attendance policies that reward consistent attendance. Additionally, consider ways of making class feel more “essential” by avoiding traditional approaches like lecturing on already assigned readings.
Class Structure	High schools commonly make efforts to make the class structures similar across courses. For example, attendance is commonly taken at the same time, assignments are submitted in the same way (online or in paper), and the size and scope of assessments is fairly consistent regardless of the class.	Class structure in college is highly decentralized. Often, the customs and structures vary dramatically from course to course. For example, it is not uncommon for students to have five classes that take five different approaches to Canvas design.	For new students, consider being sensitive to this challenging landscape by being explicit, thorough, clear, and transparent in course design.