The Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs) Program Report: Course Offerings in Fall, 2008

The First-year Interest Group (FIG) program at Western Washington University has been a curricular option for first-year students since 1999. In the fall, 2008, it entered its tenth iteration. Briefly described, FIG program students register for a cluster of three courses: two general education courses (usually quite large) linked with a two-credit seminar (maximum enrollment 25). The FIG program is modeled on best practices culled from first year experience literature and poses that the learning community environment created by the combination of large lecture courses and a small seminar can help students connect more quickly to university life, as well as foster a smoother transition from high school to college. On average, about 20% of each in-coming freshmen class has opted to enroll in a FIG cluster.