First-Year Seminar Information

Foundations for Success

New Core General Education Requirements are effective for students starting Summer and Fall 2026 or later. These requirements include a course in Social Foundations for Success, which may be fulfilled by taking either FYS 100 or UWL 100.

FYS 100 | First-Year Seminar

FYS 100: First-Year Seminar is a semester-long, 3-credit class focused on a specific topic.

This topics seminar hybrid course focuses on developing the knowledge, experiences and skills helpful for success at UWL, including learning strategies, community involvement, and academic inquiry. Students will investigate enduring questions and reflect on the purpose and value of a liberal education. (3 Credits)

Sample FYS 100 Topics

Mindfulness in Nature: Restoring Health in a Busy World
It's OK to swallow your gum!: Health myths that will shock you
Being American in a Global World
The Arts Today: Expression, Innovation, and Our Human Responses
Sporting Events That Changed the World

Current Topics

Students can search for current sections and topics of FYS 100 in WINGS by using these instructions.

UWL 100 | The Eagle Advantage for College Success

UWL 100 | The Eagle Advantage for College Success is a 7-week, 2-credit class focused on college success and career-readiness skills.

Students in this hybrid course develop the knowledge, experiences, and skills that support college success with specific emphasis on Eagle Advantage competencies, the essential skills that prepare students to thrive personally, academically, and professionally. This course features a selection of the following eight competencies: adaptability; collaboration and leadership; communication; critical thinking and problem solving; digital literacy and technology; diversity, equity, and inclusion; accountability; and career and self-development. The course invites students to view the UWL experience as a laboratory for developing these competencies through coursework, engagement, and meaningful connection with others. Discussions include strategies for academic success, building supportive communities, and making intentional choices that shape a successful, grounded, and well-rounded college life. (2 credits)

A High Impact Practice

First Year Seminars and Experiences are a "high-impact practice" that offers "significant educational benefits for students who participate in them" (AAC&U). UWL students take FYS 100 or UWL 100 during their first year to support their transition to college.

Meaningful Connections

FYS 100 and UWL 100 classes are small, typically between 25-28 students per section, allowing students to make meaningful connections with their classmates and their instructor. These courses provide a space for students to ask questions about campus life, college expectations, and the adjustment to college. Recent UWL students have noted in course evaluations that they value the size and structure of the class because it helps them make friends, build confidence, and become more comfortable as college students.

This support is especially important because 25% of new UWL students are first-generation college students and may benefit from additional guidance as they navigate college for the first time. In addition, many UWL students now arrive with more General Education credit already completed, making FYS 100 or UWL 100 an important shared first-year experience that helps students adjust to UWL alongside other new students.

Building Essential Competencies

FYS 100 and UWL 100 explore the value and purpose of General Education, as well as college education as a whole. They emphasize critical thinking through discussion, activities, and collaborative projects. Students inquire into bigger questions such as:

What does it mean to learn?
What is college trying to teach?
What factors contribute to success?

By combining academic content with the resources and skills students need to adjust to college, these courses support student retention and timely graduation (Jamelske, 2009). They also help students develop essential Eagle Advantage career competencies that are critical to success after graduation.

A Common Experience

Both FYS 100 and UWL 100 include online common experience modules so that all students develop the same foundations for success.

Online modules include:

Campus resources
Involvement
Belonging in College
How and why to talk to your professors
Developing a growth mindset
Learning how to study better
The purpose of General Education
Diversity on a college campus
Registering for classes
College and your career
It Make$ Cents!
Getting the money you deserve: Scholarships

Information for Faculty & Staff

Who teaches FYS 100/UWL 100?

Instructors are selected in collaboration between the college, the department and individual instructors. Once certified, individual instructors can rotate in and out of FYS 100/UWL 100 in semesters that it works best for the teaching load of their department and/or college.

What is the instructor certification process?

Contact the FYS Coordinator for information about upcoming certification opportunities. See contact information below.

Why is there a 2-credit and a 3-credit option?

Having both 2-credit and 3-credit options allows different course experiences and flexibility for students.

Each FYS 100 course has a different topic created by instructors to introduce students to interesting academic and research areas. Students also connect with campus resources, activities, faculty, and other students.
Every  UWL 100 has the same focus on building skills employers and graduate schools value, such as communication, collaboration, and adaptability. Students also connect with campus resources, activities, faculty, and other students.

Questions?

Please contact the First Year Seminar Coordinator.

Faculty Senate Meeting Dates

Click on each date below to see the agenda, meeting minutes, and distributed documents.

Fall 2026

Spring 2027

All Faculty Senate meetings are scheduled in Union 2310 and typically start at 3:45 p.m.