A case study of the creation, development, and implementation of a first-year experience course

The purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine the processes and procedures used by a Selected Public College to create, develop, and implement a first-year experience course. This qualitative study included interviewing faculty and staff and reviewing archival data in an effort to answer the research question, what are the effective processes and procedures used to create, develop and implement a first-year experience course as an intervention strategy to enhance student success at the Selected Public College? The findings from this research found evidence that: strong leadership is important though out the entire process to effectively create, develop and implement a first-year experience course; faculty and staff buy-in are vital for support; providing meaningful professional development opportunities to train faculty and staff is essential; and, college processes and procedures to implement a newly required three-credit hour first-year experience course need to be well-planned, especially in the areas of advising and registration.