New Digital Course Helps First-Gen Students Keep Positive Mindset

  • By Dian Schaffhauser
  • 01/29/19
smiling college student

A publishing company that creates digital learning experiences has introduced a new course to help students navigate through difficult obstacles on their path to graduation. Perceivant launched reMIND, which is designed to improve the success of first-generation, low-income college students but is applicable to all undergraduates.

According to the company, the program focuses on the cultivation of non-cognitive competencies: confidence, resilience, self-advocacy, emotional intelligence, self-control, growth mindset and sense of belonging, all characteristics that can help students develop a positive mindset, even as they struggle with common first-generation issues such as lack of college experience, guilt for leaving family behind or financial challenges.

The course was created by Kristin Taylor, who specializes in working with colleges and universities on their student success coaching efforts, and Donn MacDonald, an instructional designer in adult learning.

"Many institutions invest in courses to educate first-year students on the importance of developing fundamental skills such as time management and goal-setting to succeed in college," said Taylor, in a statement. "However, these courses fail to develop a student's belief system, which resides at the center of a student's success. reMIND will enable universities to provide a more effective solution that successfully supports a student's institutional experience, especially for those who statistically lag behind generation peers."

The course will be made available on Perceivant's online courseware platform, which uses guided and interactive learning experiences through web and mobile usage. Resources include interactive online chapters, slide presentations, quiz banks, discussions, reflections, all of which can be enhanced with additional instructor-approved materials.

Faculty gain access through a dashboard to predictive analytics, to monitor student usage. Using that data, they can determine course efficacy and predict student engagement and probable success. Auto-graded labs and self-assessments are included to reduce grading time.

The program is designed to be used in face-to-face, online or hybrid settings.

About the Author

Dian Schaffhauser is a former senior contributing editor for 1105 Media's education publications THE Journal, Campus Technology and Spaces4Learning.

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