Class Objectives:

After successful completion of Week One of FY101, students will fulfill the learning outcomes of BU Community and Academic Pathways to Success through:

  • Recognizing that making connections leads to a sense of belonging and overall college success
  • Discovering the skills and practices necessary to make personal connections
  • Making personal connections with other students and staff in FY101
  • Breaking down the components of a college syllabus necessary for success in a college course 
Week One Outline:
  • Ice Breaker
    • View all of our ice breakers. Stick to tier 1 for your first class.
    • We also have a FY101 Instructor presentation of additional engagement activities 
  • Share FY101 Overview and Goals
    • Emphasize that FY101 builds a sense of belonging in students’ first semester and provides tools for college success
    • Explain why and how FY101 is going to help with the transition to college
  • Review FY101 Syllabus
    • Use FY101 syllabus as a way to explain the parts of a college syllabus and how to use it. i.e. you are responsible for info in all of your syllabi for your academic classes (due dates, grading criteria, late policies, absence policies, etc)
    • Attendance is expected. If you’re sick or have an emergency, contact your instructor!
    • Make sure to describe the role of the Instructor and Peer Mentor and participatory nature of class
  • Group activity of your choice. Get them moving and talking to each other! Check out suggestions from ice breakers. 
  • Encourage students to attend Splash, the BU Student Activities Fair, usually held on the first Saturday of the academic year at 12pm on Nickerson Field  (likely Saturday, September 5, 2026 ) or if your first class meets after Splash (like Monday sections), debrief your student’s experience Splash and/or campus involvement thus far. Ask them what campus activities / clubs they have been getting into!
    • Peer mentors share their experience at Splash and how they approached getting involved in their first semester. 
  • Important things to include in your presentation:
  • Complete the FY101 Survey on their phones/computers: Link TBD
Our activity + ice breaker suggestions for the first week: 
  • Name Plate Intros: Students are in pairs. They introduce themselves with their name and three things about them. They switch name plates with their partner. Then that person takes the nameplate and finds someone else to introduce their partner and their three interesting facts to. Pairs switch three times so everyone ends up with a different name plate than how they started. Students re-take seats and introduce the nameplate and the three facts of their final partner (at this point the facts are likely wrong and confused and it’s usually funny/fun when the actual student has to correct them and do their own intro). Good for week one or later. 
  • FY101 BINGO: Getting to know you activity that gets students moving. You can make a survey in advance of class and use their actual fun facts for Human Bingo. 
  • Commonalities: Put students in pairs and have them find the most interesting thing they have in common. Have them share it out in the large group. Then put them in groups of four. Have them find the most interesting thing that new group has in common. Share it out in the large group. Double group size each time until the whole class has to find something they have in common.
  • Pictionary: Make it BU themed, Boston themed, or theme it based on that week’s topic (Time Management, Stress Management, etc).
  • Padlet: You can make a “board” and ask students a question such as “How are you feeling about midterms?” “How are things going with your roommate?”, etc and they can respond via images/gifs/words and then share out.