Freshman Seminar – taught by a professor and a student
By Zaila Brinson UA’27 and James Stellar
We taught together a 1-credit course (UFSP 100) to about 30 freshmen in their first semester of Fall 2025. As background, we were looking in that class to primarily produce engagement between students and us two. The idea we had is to undermine the bad side of a university as an ivory tower and encourage more active learning in the classroom and between course instructors and students. We have some insights into this idea because ZB was a freshman in JS’ class 2 years ago and we have been and will be talking about it as a team.
One of the key features of this course is self-recorded videos on the students’ phones and then a class presentation of those videos that occurs about half way through the term. We spend 4 weeks of class time on this activity. The idea is to get each student to talk about themselves and their choices in a way that is comfortable and does not require public speaking. We ask the students in a 3-minute video to address these three questions:
1) What do you think will be your major next year and why?
2) What influenced you to decide on it?
3) How will you continue to explore at UAlbany with majors/minors, clubs, etc.?
In the class presentation, the student sits in a chair in the front of the class while the video plays behind them. Then the previous presenter asks the student at the front the first question about what they said in the video. That is followed by the peer mentor (ZB) who asks the second question, and that is followed by class discussion with the presenter. It appears to us that the students give thoughtful recorded answers and have no problem answering questions asked, where many report they would be very nervous about public speaking. Since they have had only a few classes by then and know each other just a bit (e.g. through some standard opening ice-breakers in our class), the resulting conversations seem to us to be excellent and not only explores the course topic, but helps the students to be better acquainted with their peers.
For me (ZB), when I took it in my freshman year, the UFSP 100 course was a nice break in the week from my more academically rigorous classes. I got to learn more about my peers’ journey to UAlbany and why they had chosen the majors they did. These interactions helped inform my decision making when it came to switching my major from biology to English, because I learned that I had to consider things like passion, viability, and my own happiness when it comes to pursuing degree programs. The class highlighted how everyone has their own path in life and through university, even if you come from the same town or study the same thing. No two undergraduate careers will be identical, which is a good thing because as I told our students, you should experiment with new clubs and courses to learn more about yourself and what you are actually interested in.
As JS and ZB planned, the object of having the students “speak” in this class to the other students is to create an authentic, active-learning environment for all. That process is substantially aided by having ZB as a peer mentor as she is close to the student’s age and experience. The point of all that is to get the students’ limbic systems (emotions) engaged as well as their cognitive systems (planning) while getting them to know each other better, and the point of getting them to know each other better is the classical power of groups to support individuals when they are reflecting on making decisions. We are trying to use this class to help students find out what they are passionate about. As the old saying goes, “If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life.” So now that they are in college, they should begin that passion-seeking journey and one cannot do that without using both the head and the heart, of the cognitive brain system and the emotional brain system.
From ZB’s perspective, even though I liked taking biology in high school, I knew since childhood it wasn’t my passion. Reading and creative writing always brought me peace during emotionally tumultuous times so it’s no surprise that I have found more joy in the English program at UAlbany. When it came to deciding on a second major, I also referred to my past experiences, focusing on the time spent in my AP Psychology class in high school. I enjoyed learning about the structures of the brain, neurotransmitters, various mental health disorders, etc. My strong feelings ultimately informed my decision for both majors. I think that it is important to consider emotions along with logic when it comes to decision making. How you feel towards your major/career path can impact how you perform and your desire to grow in your chosen field.
This course is part of a general effort by the university to help students adapt to college life in their first term. As such, many colleges and universities have similar courses. We note that the principal people with whom all students interact is the faculty teaching the courses and the students taking them. While there are many logistical issues that face freshman students, such as how course registration works when they have to pick their classes for the second semester, there are other more human issues that are very powerful. For example, is this the right school for me? Am I in the right major? Do I have friends? Who can I talk to about these issues besides my family and friends? All of this interaction impacts student retention, and here the university and the student are similar – both want the student to be happy and productive and stay in their college experience.
ZB has the last word. The course did not necessarily influence me to actually change my major to English. More so, the class let me voice my thoughts about my future in a comfortable space. I sometimes find talking to other people about my thoughts and feelings stressful (which is why I love writing), but the videos we recorded took some of that anxiety away.
