{"id":36,"date":"2025-03-31T16:04:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T20:04:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/?page_id=36"},"modified":"2025-09-30T10:53:33","modified_gmt":"2025-09-30T14:53:33","slug":"first-class","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/initiatives-outreach\/first-class\/","title":{"rendered":"First Class"},"content":{"rendered":"<nav class=\"toc-wrapper\" id=\"toc\" aria-label=\"Page Section Navigation\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"toc-heading toc-nav-toggle\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Toggle Page Contents Navigation\" aria-expanded=\"true\">Page Contents<\/span><\/nav>\n<h2>What is BU First Class<\/h2>\n<p><strong>BU First Class <\/strong>is an online, noncredit, pre-arrival orientation course developed by Global Programs in 2016 to prepare incoming international students for their transition to the Boston University (BU) classroom and community. The course is delivered on Blackboard, and is comprised of written information, short videos, and self-checks.<\/p>\n<p>There is a second course, titled <strong>BU First Class ISSO Immigration Overview for Students<\/strong>,\u00a0 developed by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/isso\/\">ISSO<\/a>. This course is also on Blackboard and delivers important information for international students about maintaining their immigration status while at BU. Students can learn where to find key information on the ISSO website, the types of employment they are eligible for while a full-time F-1 or J-1 student, and the steps they need to take if they plan on traveling outside the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>For the fall and spring, all incoming international students receive information on how to participate in the two courses, and why they are of value to them.<\/p>\n<p>Below is a summary and a sample video of each <strong>BU First Class <\/strong>unit.<\/p>\n<h2>Unit 1. The BU Classroom<\/h2>\n<p>This section encourages students to think critically about the education system or systems they grew up in and compare their academic background with the academic expectations at BU. The section introduces students to common terms used in the BU classroom, the importance of class participation, and how to use office hours. After completing this section, students should have a better understanding of what to expect in a variety of classroom settings and should be more comfortable interacting with BU professors and understanding how they will be assessed.<\/p>\n<p><em>Watch: The American Way of Learning<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"560\" height=\"395\" src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/2159741\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/54272102?iframeembed=true&amp;entry_id=1_55x0nkba\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" frameborder=\"0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2>Unit 2. Academic Integrity and Expectations<\/h2>\n<p>This section introduces BU\u2019s Academic Conduct Code and why it is important. It outlines the most common Academic Conduct Code violations, such as plagiarism and misrepresentation of data, and potential consequences. It introduces students to University services and resources, including BU Libraries, the Educational Resource Center, and the CAS Writing Center, to help students write with integrity and avoid plagiarism.<\/p>\n<p><em>Watch: \u00a0Citation, Quotation, and Plagiarism <\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 608px;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 66.118421052632%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"608\" height=\"402\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; border: 0;\" id=\"kaltura_player\" src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/2159741\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/54272102?iframeembed=true&amp;entry_id=1_pycidxmw\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay *; fullscreen *; encrypted-media *\" sandbox=\"allow-downloads allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-presentation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Citation Quotation Plagiarism\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h2>Unit 3. Transition to Campus<\/h2>\n<p>This section presents unique content to undergraduate and graduate student populations. Information that is common to both populations focus on how to prepare for arrival in the U.S., how to navigate academic, community, housing, and employment resources using the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/compass\/\">Compass,<\/a> as well as how to locate health and wellness resources and services offered on and off campus.<\/p>\n<p>Undergraduate students receive information about how to sign up for programs designed to support their transition to BU, including the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/initiatives-outreach\/international-peer-mentor-program\/\">International Peer Mentor Program<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/cas\/student-life\/undergraduate-students\/ospl\/the-first-year-experience\/fy101\/\">FY101 First Year Experience<\/a> courses. Graduate students receive information unique to graduate student life at BU, such as student groups and organizations, graduate students with children resources, and financial support.<\/p>\n<p><em>Watch: What to Expect at the Port of Entry<\/em><\/p>\n<div style=\"max-width: 608px;\">\n<div style=\"position: relative; padding-bottom: 66.118421052632%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"608\" height=\"402\" style=\"position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%;\" id=\"kaltura_player\" src=\"https:\/\/cdnapisec.kaltura.com\/p\/2159741\/embedPlaykitJs\/uiconf_id\/54272102?iframeembed=true&amp;entry_id=1_lzg41wzf\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"webkitallowfullscreen\" mozallowfullscreen=\"mozallowfullscreen\" allow=\"autoplay *; fullscreen *; encrypted-media *\" sandbox=\"allow-forms allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-top-navigation allow-pointer-lock allow-popups allow-modals allow-orientation-lock allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox allow-presentation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" frameborder=\"0\" title=\"Kaltura Player\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>To experience BU First Class or BU First Class Immigration Overview, or if you have any questions about the courses, please email Sheila Hernandez, Assistant Director of International Student Initiatives, <a href=\"mailto:sheilahz@bu.edu\">sheilahz@bu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is BU First Class BU First Class is an online, noncredit, pre-arrival orientation course developed by Global Programs in 2016 to prepare incoming international students for their transition to the Boston University (BU) classroom and community. The course is delivered on Blackboard, and is comprised of written information, short videos, and self-checks. There is [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1301,"featured_media":0,"parent":16,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1301"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":546,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/36\/revisions\/546"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/16"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/globalprograms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}