The Impact of First-Year Seminars on College Students’ Life-long Learning Orientations

Using longitudinal data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, this study measured the impact of first-year seminars on college students' life-long learning orientations. The findings suggest that first-year seminars enhance students' life-long learning orientations and that the effect of first-year seminars is mediated through vetted good practices. These findings provide empirical evidence that first-year seminars can positively impact complex learning in ways that were previously untested.