Arthur Levine & Jeanette Cureton (1998). When hope and fear collide: A portrait of
today's college student. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
A nice blend of both "hard" statistical data and poignant student quotes pertaining to the hopes (aspirations) and fears (sources of anxiety) of college students at the end of the 20th century.
Alexander Astin & Associates (1998). The American freshman: Thirty year trends.
Higher Education Research Institute, UCLA Graduate School of Education, Los
Angeles, CA.
Summarizes and traces trends in student attitudes and behaviors reported in national CIRP surveys administered annually to beginning college students from 1966 to 1996.
Lee Upcraft, John Gardner, & Associates (1989). The freshman year experience. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
The only book which explicitly and comprehensively examines the first-year experience (at least to my knowledge). Contains info on the characteristics of first-year students, key programs/services for first-year students, the first-year seminar, diverse first-year student populations, and strategies for building administrative and faculty support fo first-year programs. (Note: A second edition of this book is in press and should be published this year.)
Bette Erickson & Diane Strommer (1991). Teaching college freshmen. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Although more than a decade has past since this book was published, so it may not qualify as a timely ("millenial") publication, the value of its content is timeless. I think it's the best book written on the topic of how to teach first-year students. It covers a lot of territory--ranging from desinging the syllabus to constructing the final exam--and it includes discussion of both classroom instruction and out-of-class learning--via advising and mentoring. I strongly recommend this book.
Robert Leamnson (1999). Thinking about teaching and learning: Developing habits of learning with first year college and university students. Sterling, VA: Stylus.
The most recent book devoted to teaching first-year students that includes some topics not covered by Erickson & Strommer's text, such as: the biological basis of learning, and teaching/learning technologies.
Richard Light (2001). Making the most of college: Students speak their minds. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Although not exclusively devoted to the first-year student experience, this book has been very well received by professionals who work with first-year students. Contains some great student quotes and reflections about their college experience, as well as some very practical action strategies for improving the quality of the undergraduate experience.
© 1999 thomas.kesterson@kctcs.net