What is COL101?
COL 101 – College & Career Success
- Credit: 3 credits (counts as a restricted elective toward the AA-DTA)
- Overview: Designed for new, degree-seeking, to be taken in their first or second quarter. This course helps students explore their strengths and interests, create academic and career plans, and navigate campus resources and support services.
By the end of COL 101, students will be able to:
- Choose an academic pathway by exploring individual strengths, values, interests, and personal and career goals
- Identify and use campus resources in support of student’s educational goals
- Collaborate with diverse peers and instructor(s) to foster interpersonal skills and a sense of belonging
- Identify and develop skills for professional and academic success
Why Take COL 101?
Research consistently shows that first-year seminar and college success courses like COL 101 significantly improve student outcomes:
- A What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) review of first-year experience courses found statistically significant positive effects on GPA, concluding that such courses have potentially positive effects on student achievement (Institute of Education Sciences & WWC, 2016; Jamelske, 2009).
- A retrospective study of over 3,000 students at Qatar University found that students who completed a first-year seminar course had higher first-semester retention rates and sustained GPA improvements across later semesters (Elzain & Omar, 2023).
- Research on learning communities, often overlapping with FYE formats, demonstrates that participation enhances student engagement, fosters a stronger sense of belonging, and improves persistence toward graduation (Zhao & Kuh, 2004).
- For the Fall 2023 cohort, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center reported that 77.6% of first-time students persisted into the second fall, while 69.5% were retained at their original institution.
In short, COL101 is not just another class; it is a research-backed foundation that improves persistence, GPA, and long-term student success.
Offerings
Beyond general COL101 sections, Shoreline provides specialized versions of COL101 (athletics, STEM, health occupations, BIPOC, etc.) to better serve various student populations (subject to course enrollment). Please check the browsable course schedule and/or reach out to your advisor to discuss availability.
References
- Elzain, H., & Omar, A. (2023). Impact of the first-year seminar course on student GPA and retention rate across colleges in Qatar University. ResearchGate. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/371256351_Impact_of_the_First-Year_Seminar_Course_on_Student_GPA_and_Retention_Rate_across_Colleges_in_Qatar_University
- Institute of Education Sciences (IES), & What Works Clearinghouse (WWC). (2016, July). First year experience courses (Intervention Report). U.S. Department of Education. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/InterventionReports/wwc_firstyear_071916.pdf
- Jamelske, E. (2009). Measuring the impact of a university first-year experience program on student GPA and retention. Higher Education, 57(3), 373–391. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-008-9161-1
- National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. (2025, June 26). Persistence and retention report — Fall 2023 cohort. https://nscresearchcenter.org/persistence-retention/
- Zhao, C.-M., & Kuh, G. D. (2004). Adding value: Learning communities and student engagement. Research in Higher Education, 45(2), 115–138. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:RIHE.0000015692.88534.de