Supporting First Gen Students | First Gen Lopers | University of Nebraska at Kearney

Did you know that 4 in 10 UNK students are first generation? A first generation student is one whose parents have not completed a bachelor's degree. Nationally, first-generation students participate in organizations, undergraduate research, paid internships, and study abroad at lower percentages than continuing-generation students, so explanations and encouragement from faculty and staff about engagement and experiential learning are essential.

UNK is a First-gen Forward Institution, recognized and supported by the Center for First-generation Student Success. The First-gen Forward designation recognizes higher education institutions demonstrating a commitment to improving experiences and advancing outcomes of first-generation college students.

Our First Generation leadership team identifies and creates student success practices in recruitment and enrollment, transitions and success – and celebrates First-gen accomplishments.

Supporting First-Generation Students at UNK

Use an asset-based perspective in working with first-gen students; they bring diverse experiences, strengths, and perspectives to our campus community.
Acknowledge their strengths. They are trailblazers at UNK using talents and skills such as their aspirations, resilience, and dedication to their family and future.
Understand that first-gen students can face different barriers and pressures than other college students. Proactive support and outreach can be essential to helping these students overcome challenges, such as:
- Imposter Syndrome: They may feel like outsiders who do not belong in college.
- Difficulty Prioritizing: They may need help understanding what is important or a priority in the higher education environment.
- Family Pressures: They may have responsibilities at home like caring for siblings, managing health care situations, or translating. Family members may or may not be supportive of students attending college.
- Cultural Expectations: Students may feel pressure about their ability to follow cultural norms when they are attending college; collegiate priorities/norms do not always align with cultural expectations.
- Financial Barriers: They may work more hours, maybe full-time or overnight, to pay for college. Some students assist their families with finances using their loan checks/refunds.
- Pressure to be Involved: Students may want to be active on campus, but may also experience limitations on their ability to do so; others may need help learning how to get involved because life before college didn't allow them to be involved in activities.
- Other Barriers: They may have obstacles in their academic experience that impact their ability to engage or participate, like not having a car or driver’s license, no access to loans, or commuting to campus.
- Pressure to Succeed: They may feel additional pressure to achieve academically, graduate, and reach financial stability.
Be flexible as these students learn the rules and expectations of higher education. Recognize that students experience campus policies, procedures, and systems differently depending on their circumstances (transfer student, commuting student, student is an English language learner, etc.)
Validate what each student is doing well in class, on campus, and in the community.
Recognize that even as first-gen students experience successes in college, mistakes or failures can weigh heavily on them; make time to help them talk through challenges, face issues, and encourage them that they belong in college.

Make your office/department welcoming and safe for students to be their authentic selves; communicate that students are welcome in your space and invite them to share about themselves so they know you care about them as people.
Share about yourself – your name, title, if you are first-gen, role on campus, preferred method of communication. Since students do not always know the difference between faculty and staff, make clear in your interaction how you can help them through your role.
Learn students’ names, pronunciations, and pronouns to show you value them; if possible, memorize their faces and names so that they are “known” when you interact with them.
Give students your full attention when interacting; work to use their names and show that their questions or concerns are important as you support their needs.
Treat any disclosures with respect and confidentiality (unless mandated to report) to build trusting relationships with students; refer the students to CARE team if you feel you may need additional or specialized support.
If relevant to your position/department, use social media and marketing to connect with students and demonstrate how your efforts are student-centered.

If possible, reach out to make a first connection; these students are often nervous about asking for help.
When a student comes to you for assistance, ask exploratory questions to get to the full picture of the student’s request/needs, and then patiently give them the details needed, being mindful that students may need explanations about processes, policies, forms, locations or other campus terminology.
- Avoid using institutional jargon or acronyms that can be confusing to students.
- Use this glossary as a tool to help students who are learning higher education terms.
Ensure the student understands the next steps before ending an interaction, or before handing them off to another person or department.
- If they seem uncertain or show hesitant non-verbals about the next steps, check for understanding by having them repeat back to you the steps you have identified. Write it down or have them make notes.
- Assist students with making connections to specific faculty/staff through phone calls, emails, or walking students to the next location needed. You can help them eliminate barriers or obstacles through your own campus relationships and connections.
- Make a note in your calendar to follow-up with a student if needed. Following-up with a student shows you value them as UNK students.
Familiarize yourself with resources at UNK available for First-Generation Students to make referrals.
Know that they will have questions about navigating college over several years, not just when they are new to UNK.
Maintain your department website with appropriate contact information, deadlines, descriptions, staff directory, etc. Use language that is simple for students to understand and to seek assistance.

Promoting At-Promise Student Success

https://pass.pullias.usc.edu/

https://pass.pullias.usc.edu/practice/

Student Experience Project: https://studentexperienceproject.org/

NASPA Center for First-Generation Student Success: An Annotated Bibliography of First Generation College Student Research From 2008-2019: https://firstgen.naspa.org/files/dmfile/NASPA_AnnotatedBibliography_landscape_Final_11.pdf

Supporting First-Generation College Students in the Classroom

Make classroom content accessible by encouraging students to connect their classroom knowledge to their lives.
Let students know that it is normal to feel challenged academically in college and encourage them to approach your course with a growth mindset.
Using analogies assists first-generation students in grasping the big picture, and helps students not feel overwhelmed or discouraged by unfamiliar content.
Promote student self-efficacy and academic grit.
- Recognize that first-generation students exhibit resiliency already, which has resulted in their college acceptance.
- Promote further resiliency by highlighting pathways for students to improve their academic performance.
- Allow room for growth by encouraging students to submit multiple drafts of class projects.
- Promote and reward intellectual inquisitiveness that emerges from the student’s lived experience.
Create student centered policies that are inclusive and communicate respect for students.

Work to develop rapport and build relationships with first-generation students.
- Recognize first-generation students in the classroom.
- Acknowledge students by answering emails and phone messages promptly.
Show that you are open to your students’ questions and concerns.
- Create an office hour policy that explains what office hours are used for, and then encourage students to visit you outside the classroom.
- Provide clear information about how and when students can best reach you.
- Offer positive feedback when students visit you during office hours to discuss the course.
Share your story, especially if you're first-generation student. Modeling first-generation success can inspire students.
Take certain circumstances that impact first-generation students into consideration. While highly motivated to earn a college degree, first-generation students may face barriers to success.
- First-generation students may have varying levels of familial engagement. Some may feel a lack of support, while others may feel pressure to succeed.
- Knowledge about college and higher education may be limited.
- Students may face daunting financial concerns. Some students are working nights and evenings to pay their expenses and may also be contributing to their family’s financial well-being.
- Imposter syndrome is common among first-generation students, who may worry that they don’t belong in college.

Create an inclusive classroom environment from the first day of by constructing a syllabus that is friendly to first-generation students.
- Course expectations and due dates should be clearly expressed.
- Provide information about resources that are available to students who need additional support.
Create an intuitive Canvas page that is easy for students to navigate.
- Provide clear guidance on course expectations and due dates.
Provide transparency on assignments and projects so that students understand your expectations.
- Explain in detail the task you want students to accomplish. “What do I want students to do?”
- Include the purpose of the assignment or project in your instructions. “Why am I asking students to do this?”
- Use rubrics to provide the criteria by which assignments are evaluated. This allows students a better understanding of how their coursework will be scored. “How will I evaluate their work?”
- Provide examples of excellent and average work as context for students as a reference for those who may not have been exposed to your discipline previously.
- Model discussions for students. First-generation students may not be familiar with classroom discussion procedures/atmosphere at the college level.
- Set deadlines for students who may still be learning time management skills, and ensure those deadlines are consistently expressed in course materials https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/teaching-first-generation-college-students/
Make sure students can gauge their success in your class by keeping posted grades current. Enter zeros promptly for missing work in the Canvas gradebook. If the assignment is left unscored it will not calculate into the cumulative course grade, and the student’s overall class grade will appear deceptively inflated.
Provide tips for the classroom culture you expectt. Not all first-generation students are familiar with the classroom environment on a college campus.
- Discuss the expected classroom behavior/etiquette you expect to see in your classroom.
- Be explicit about the use of electronics in the classroom, including laptops, smartphones, headphones, and voice recorders.
- Talk with students about your expectations for in-class communication.

Advising First-Gen Students

Understand first-generation college students may have obstacles when attending college:
- Limited access to information about the college experience.
- Lack of experience with college finances and budgeting.
- Support from home and/or family member may not be present.
- Conflicts may exist between the home and college environment.
- Susceptibility to doubts about academic abilities.
- Perception that they are not “college material” and thus have decreased motivation to try.
- Struggle to maintain balance between work, family, and school.
- The feeling of isolation with limited support from parents and peers. Reference: Washington State University Website
Acknowledge first-generation students may experience information scarcity, which is caused by lack of mentoring at home and at school. Students are less likely to seek help if they are not prepared to do so. Reference: Carleton College Website
Ask the student if they have any responsibilities outside of school that will affect their course load.
Be aware of times students need to work and/or have other commitments when selecting classes and meeting times.

Proactively communicate with your students. Send them information about your availability, how to schedule meetings, and how to sign up for advising when it is time for students to be advised for the next term.
Ask the student about themselves (hometown, interests, etc.), including their experiences with higher education and how their transition to college has been. This may lead them to disclose if they are first-generation students.
Share some information about yourself and your role on campus. If you were a first-generation student, share this with them.
Highlight career goals, academic goals, expectations, and future plans in your first advising meeting with the student. Inquire about why they chose their major and gauge their understanding of the degree plan.
Connect and share campus organizations with students to build family/community.
Reference: NACADA’s Website
Empower students to see their value and understand they belong in a university setting. Positive affirmation is crucial.

Ask students if they have a certain number of credit hours they must take each semester for a scholarship, learning community, organization, and/or athletic requirements.
Do not make assumptions that students know how academia works. Provide context that allows students to make informed decisions.
Explain the definition of a credit hour and how it relates to outside-of-the-classroom preparation. This would be a good time to discuss the difference between a 12- & 15-hour credit load. It’s also helpful to explain how many credit hours are required each semester to maintain a 4-year graduation pace.
Welcome questions and regularly ask the student what questions they have. Many students are afraid to interject for fear that they should “already know” the answers.
Avoid acronyms, institutional jargon, or “short cuts” when describing the physical surrounding or buildings, requirements, or other university administrative processes. Phrases and words that are familiar to us may be particularly confusing for our first-gen students. Reference: Washington State University Website
Inform students about campus resources like the Learning Commons, office hours, TRIO, and Disability Services for Students (if applicable) to promote academic success.
Connect students with financial literacy programs and make them aware they must be a full-time student for grant aid and most scholarship aid unless they have spoken with Financial Aid about accommodations.
Explain potential career options related to the student’s program of study. Reference: Pennsylvania University Website
Send regular communications about deadlines, procedures, and other essential information.
Advise the student to seek a senior check two semesters before graduation.

Downloads

Supporting First-Get Students at UNK Supporting First-Gen Students in the Classroom Advising First-Gen Students

As a first-generation student, I was looking for guidance on how to navigate my undergraduate career and I wanted to connect more with my culture. By joining Lambda Theta Nu Sorority, Inc., a multicultural sorority at UNK, I was able to surround myself with strong Latina women and build a strong support network that has helped me throughout the last four years.