Providing Connections Between Lower Tier And Upper Tier Courses At The University

Perhaps one of the most difficult experiences that freshmen and sophomores face in their initial contacts with the university is the issue of connectedness of lower tier courses (freshman/sophomore) with upper level courses (junior/senior.) The general university curriculum requires a broad range of courses that should be completed before a student reaches the junior and senior years. These courses include humanities, composition, social studies, and a complete set of math, physics, and chemistry courses. Problems can arise when students enter classes where no attempt is made to draw distinct connections between what is being done in those early courses and the courses that will come in the major field. Students become concerned when they are told that they are to simply learn the material because it is “good for them” or that is “to be learned for its own sake.”