FYS Instructor Frequently Asked Questions

General Information

Proposal Process

Instructor Eligibility

Financial & Curricular Support

Seminar Categories: Classic, CURE, First-Gen, & Global Learning

General Information

• What are First-Year Seminars (FYS)?
• First-Year Seminars (FYS) are unique courses that connect UC Davis undergraduates and instructors in a small class learning environment. Freshman and transfer students have priority enrollment and individuals from all five Colleges and the UC Davis Medical Center serve as instructors. For detailed information about the FYS Mission and Values, please visit our About Us page. 
  FYS About Us
• How many FYS courses are offered each quarter? How many students enroll annually? 
• Each Fall, Winter, and Spring term, approximately 100 FYS courses are made available to UC Davis undergraduates. The offerings change each quarter, though instructors are welcome to offer their FYS during more than one quarter a year.
  Each term over 1,000 undergraduates enroll in FYS courses. During the '19-'20 academic year, almost 5,000 undergraduates — approximately 16% of the UC Davis undergraduate population — enrolled in FYS courses. 
• What topics, disciplines, and course content are encouraged in FYS courses? 
• Seminars tap into the shared curiosity of UC Davis instructors and students and create communities of people excited to learn. Diverse topics representing all disciplines are welcome.
  In addition, FYS is increasing diversity of course offerings by inviting instructors to propose one of four categories of seminars: Classic (default; typically referred to simply as FYS courses), FYS-CURE, FYS-First-Gen, and FYS-Global Learning. Each of these courses has unique educational outcomes and criteria. 
  FYS Categories
  Please peruse the current First-Year Seminar Schedule to see the exciting array of topics offered by FYS. 
  Current FYS course listings
• Who is eligible to register for a FYS course? How do students register for FYS courses? 
• All students in their first year at UC Davis, including both first time freshman and transfer students, are given priority enrollment in FYS courses during both Pass 1 and Pass 2. After Pass 2, courses are typically opened to all undergraduates, regardless of class standing. However, instructors are able to indicate in their course proposals who they would like permitted into their courses after Pass 2. 

  

  
  Students register for FYS by choosing the course that interests them most, identifying that course's CRN (course record number) and using Schedule Builder to enroll.
  
  For more information on student eligibility and registration visit the FYS Student FAQ.
  Visit FYS Student FAQ
• How many students may enroll in each course? Can I set a limit on student enrollment? 
• The maximum enrollment limit for all FYS is nineteen students. No exceptions to this maximum will be made. However, to promote an even distribution of students across all FYS each term, an initial limit of fifteen students is typically applied to all FYS courses and later lifted, if necessary. 
  (FYS-CURE courses using the FYS-CURE teaching laboratory are limited to 16 students, maximum, due to space limitations. )
  If you have any questions regarding a need to limit the number of students in your class, please contact FYS Program Assistant, Janet Chambers, jachambers@ucdavis.edu.
• What is the minimum number of students required in an FYS course? 
• To avoid automatic cancellation, all FYS courses must have a minimum of 5 enrolled undergraduates by the 10 day drop deadline. 
• How do students learn about FYS courses? Can I advertise or recruit on my own? 
• FYS uses several methods to make UC Davis first-year students aware of the many courses we offer each term. In particular, extra efforts are made to reach out prior to Fall matriculation. For example, an email with useful information about FYS is sent to every incoming first-year students each fall during their particular College Orientation passtimes. 
  FYS Outreach Email, Fall 2020 - EXAMPLE
  
  In addition to these outreach efforts, instructors are strongly encouraged to tap into their own "spheres of influence" and reach out to student populations that they think may be particularly interested in their course topic. To assist with this, FYS has developed a series of marketing tools for instructors to post and share. Please feel free to customize the relevant pre-formatted flyer templates with information and images relevant to your course.
  TEMPLATE EDITING INSTRUCTIONS
  
  CLASSIC FYS TEMPLATE for one instructor
  CLASSIC FYS TEMPLATE for two instructors
  FYS-CURE TEMPLATE for one instructor
  FYS-CURE TEMPLATE for two instructors
  FYS-FIRST-GEN TEMPLATE for one instructor
  FYS-FIRST-GEN TEMPLATE for two instructors
  FYS-GLOBAL LEARNING TEMPLATE for one instructor
  FYS-GLOBAL LEARNING TEMPLATE for two instructors

Proposal Process: Preparation, Submission, & Deadlines

• What is the process for proposing and being approved to teach an FYS course? 
• To propose an FYS course, all instructors must submit an application through the online FYS Proposal Application system. This customized application system is the portal through which all applications are submitted, approved, reviewed, and finalized.This system allows instructors to start their applications, save, and return at a later date.

  

  
  
  FYS Proposal Workflow
  The FYS proposal process consists of several sequential steps. First, the instructor of record (IOR) completes their course proposal (See What does an FYS proposal consist of? below.) and submits their proposal. Second, an email from the application system is sent to the IOR's department Chair for approval. This email consists of an overview of the proposed course and a link prompting the department chair to approve or reject the IOR's request to teach an FYS course. Third, once the department chair approves the IOR's request to teach an FYS, the proposal is assigned to the FYS Review Committee for review. The review committee identifies proposal strengths and areas for improvement, and makes recommendations for revision. Fourth, the IOR wiil receive an email notifying them that their proposal has been reviewed and is ready to be revised and re-submitted. The IOR will address suggested revisions and submit the final, revised proposal. Fifth, the FYS program staff will work with the Office of Undergraduate Records (OUR) to assign the course a CRN (Course Registration Number) and add the course to the course catalog for student registration. The finalized course will also be added to the current FYS course listings so that students can view course details and make their selection for enrollment.
• What does an FYS proposal consist of? 
• The FYS proposal consists of administrative questions regarding the proposing instructors department, course time, date, and location information, and then a series of prompted questions regarding the Course Description, Educational Outcomes, Assignments, Grading scheme, etc.
  The FYS Proposal Preview document linked at the bottom of this FAQ contains detailed information regarding the specific information required by the FYS Proposal Application System. 
  
  Note: The FYS proposal serves two very distinct purposes. It both communicates the educational goals and curriculum of the course to the FYS Review Committee and serves as an advertisement and recruitment tool for students as they evaluate their many FYS options. Please take care to voice your submission with both these audiences in mind.  
• What is the maximum number of FYS courses an instructor can propose or teach each term? 
• An instructor may only serve as IOR (Instructor of Record) on two courses per term. 
• What are the proposal submission deadlines for each quarter? 
• Typically, there is a single proposal submission deadline approximately 10 weeks prior to the start of the term for which the course is being proposed.

  EXAMPLE: ​​​​​AY 2023-24 Seminar Proposal Deadlines

  • First-Year Initial Registration Deadline – Friday, July 7, 2023
  • Fall 2023 Final Deadline – Monday, August 7, 2023
  • Winter 2024 Final Deadline – Friday, October 13, 2023
  • Spring 2024 Final Deadline – Friday, January 4, 2024
  This timeline allows ample time for department chair approvals to be procured, FYS review committee revisions to be implemented by the instructor, and coordination with the Office of the University Registrar to list the course for student registration.
  
  In advance of the Fall quarter, the "Orientation Priority Deadline" is an early deadline that invites proposals well in advance of the Fall quarter. The early deadline allows these courses to be finalized in time for early promotion to all incoming freshman and transfer students during Orientation events that occur in July and early August. Submissions that meet this early deadline are strongly encouraged.
• Will FYS accept applications beyond the late deadline? 
• FYS strongly encourages prospective instructors to submit their proposals on or before the posted deadline, but will make exceptions in order to accommodate extenuating circumstances. The established deadlines are carefully select to allow ample time for all elements of the proposal process to be completed and the course posted to the registrar prior to student registration appointments. Late proposals run the risk of being posted too late for promotion by FYS and may suffer from under-enrollment. To avoid automatic cancellation, all FYS courses must have a minimum of 5 enrolled undergraduates by the 10 day drop deadline. 

Instructor Eligibility

• Who is eligible to serve as an FYS instructor? 
• In light of the recent side-letters between Academic Affairs and the Academic Federation, Unit 18 Lecturers and Senate Faculty are eligible to offer First Year Seminars for academic year 2022-23.  Researchers are eligible, but they must obtain an EWOS appointment from their home department first. Emeriti faculty are eligible to serve as FYS instructors if they have been recalled to teach by their home department for other courses.  Instructors on sabbatical are not eligible to teach until they return to their regular teaching.
• Are Emeriti faculty eligible to serve as FYS instructors? 
• If they have been recalled to teach by their home department for other courses, Emeriti faculty are eligible to serve as FYS instructors. Please refer to the emeriti guidelines on the Academic Affairs webpage for specifics on Academic Enrichment Funds (AEFs). 
• Are postdoctoral researchers or graduate students eligible to serve as FYS instructors? 
• Postdoctoral Scholars and graduate students are not eligible to serve as IORs, nor are they allowed to hold Educator Without Salary (EWOS) positions. However, they may collaborate in the leading the seminar with an eligible instructor of record if the instructor of record will participate fully in teaching the Seminar and attend a majority, if not all, class sessions. 
• I still have questions about my eligibility. Who should I contact for more information? 
• If you have questions regarding your eligibility to teach a FYS seminar, contact fys@ucdavis.edu. 

Financial and Curricular Support

• Is there any financial support for instructors? 
• Financial support for instructors as they implement their courses is available in two forms:
  
  Academic Enrichment Funds (AEF): The instructor of record (IOR) for each seminar is eligible for an AEF allocation of $2,500 for a one-unit course or $3,000 for a two-unit course. These funds are issued to the IOR's home department and may be used towards University-related business expenses in support of academic or professional endeavors. These funds are not salary and may not be used as instructor compensation. More information on Academic Enrichment Fund Accounts can be found on the Academic Affairs website.
  
  FYS Course Support Funds (previously known as "Mini-Grants"): As part of the initial course proposal, the instructor of record may apply for up to $500 to cover direct course-related expenses for each seminar offering. More information on what expenses course support funds can cover and how funds are allocated can be found on the FYS Course Support Funds webpage. 
  
  Both AEF and Direct Course Support funds are distributed to the IOR's department approximately three weeks after the start of the academic term. 
• Is there curricular support available for FYS instructors as they design their courses?
• The FYS team has many years of collective experience advising, designing, teaching, and evaluating first-year seminars. If you have any questions about how best to accomplish the educational goals of your course feel free to contact anyone from the FYS team for guidance. 
  
  FYS Staff Contact
   
• When during the quarter can an Instructor of record (IOR) expect to receive these funds? 
• Both AEF and Direct Course Support funds are distributed to the IOR's department approximately three weeks after the start of the academic term. These two sources of funds may arrive simultaneously or not.
  If you have yet to receive your funds, refer to your submitted course proposal and contact the person you listed as MSO. The FYS team does not administer these funds and your department will likely be more able to tell you if or when those funds arrive. 
• Is there funding for TAs in FYS courses? 
• No. FYS does not have funding for TAs in FYS courses. 

Seminar Categories: Classic, CURE, First-Gen, & Global Learning

• What are FYS categories?
• In addition to the default FYS-Classic style of seminar, the FYS program has established additional seminar categories that support and integrate with the broader goals of the UC Davis campus and the needs and interests of our first year students. The majority of seminars continue to be Classic, but the option to propose a seminar that fits into one of these sub-categories of courses is now available to all potential instructors.
• How do the different seminar categories differ? 
• There are currently four different types of seminars available for an instructor to propose. The default category is the FYS-Classic seminar. The remaining sub-categories are FYS-CURE, FYS-First-Gen, and FYS-Global Learning.
  Read on for a short description of what makes each of these seminar types unique.
  Refer to the FYS Proposal Preview document at the bottom of this page for detailed information on how the educational outcomes and proposals for each of these different categories differ. 
  
  FYS-Classic: This is the default seminar category. The majority of all FYS courses fall into this category.
  FYS-CURE: CURE stands for course-based undergraduate research experience. This national model for discovery-based learning invites faculty to integrate their research into the seminar curricula, allowing students a genuine hands-on opportunity to engage in research under the mentorship of their FYS instructor.  Learn about the five elements of an FYS-CURE
  FYS-First-Gen: FYS-First-Gen courses are taught by first-generation instructors and designed specifically for first-generation students, with the intent to foster affinity and a sense of belonging through shared lived experiences and curiosity. Learn what makes FYS-First-Gen seminars special
  FYS-Global Learning: FYS-Global Learning seminars invite first-year students to explore cultural diversity and global challenges while developing awareness and critical thinking skills that will help them thrive in an interconnected world. Learn about FYS-Global Learning seminar
• Where do I select the category in my proposal? Do I have to select a category?
• In your proposal you will be prompted to select a proposal category.  If no choice is made Classic will be automatically selected.