Supporting First Generation College Students

Toolkit Overview

This toolkit is based on two workshops taught in Fall 2019. The POD workshop "How to Support First Generation College Students" by Emily Versace and the Fall FLEX day workshop "Change Your Student's life in the First Two Weeks of Class" by Emily Versace and Richard Myers. It covers activities to help faculty create a welcoming environment for first generation college students using Dr. Laura Rendon's Validation Theory. It also looks at Role Theory, as explained by Melinda Mechur Karp and Rachel Hare Bork. This toolkit includes activities to help faculty create a welcoming environment for first generation college students. which identifies ways to help new students have a better transition into college. participants will learn how to apply Laura I. Rendon's Validation Theory, described as "an enabling, confirming, and supportive process initiated by in- and out-of-class agents that foster academic and interpersonal development" towards first-generation college students. Research on Validation Theory indicates that for first-generation and culturally diverse students, validation serves to transform them into powerful learners. This workshop will be interactive and include concrete examples faculty can implement in their classes immediately. The tools provided will benefit all students and faculty regardless of the level of the course and will be especially relevant to equity and first-generation students. This session is inspired by information learned at the NISOD Conference and is an adaptation from the Fall 2019 Faculty Flex Day session titled: Change Your Students' Lives in the First Two Weeks of Class