First Year Programs

Mapping the First Year Experience (FYE)

Positioned within the importance of the first year for persistence, this 6-month project sought to map the first-year experience at the University of Washington. Research conducted by Dr. Cassady Glass Hastings. This included:

  • 65+ faculty and staff interviews to gain a better understanding of campus perceptions on the trademarks of the first-year experience, as well as the programs and academic departments that serve first-year students;
  • Demographic data analysis of freshman in fall 2018 comparing those enrolled in one of the available freshman-only seminars with their non-enrolling peers;
  • Gathering and analyzing focus group data from 140 students on the most beneficial and challenging aspects of their first-year student experience; 
  • Review of existing UW reports and data sources for relevant intersections with the first-year experience.

Presentations and Findings: 

Presentations & Findings

Presentations of the findings were presented during June - September 2019 to campus partners. Please review the presentation slides via the webinar recording below. 

Meet Dr. Hastings

Dr. Cassady Glass Hastings has taught at the University of Washington for over a decade.  In addition to her experience teaching everything from small graduate seminars to large undergraduate lectures, she has served as a program administrator of both graduate and undergraduate degree programs.  Dr. Glass Hastings is a consistent collaborator within Undergraduate Academic Affairs and possesses significant insight into both the academic and student affairs contexts at the University of Washington.