Josué Fuentes, contributor

Augsburg Seminar (AugSem) is a required course that students take during their first year at Augsburg University. This year, AugSem followed a new structure by splitting the course into two separate sessions. In previous years, the course met once a week in a single session that included both the AugSem leader and the faculty instructor. Many students reported dissatisfaction with this year’s new structure.

Due to ongoing challenges within the program, AugSem Director Amanda Case has been working closely with Vern Klobassa, the Batalden Assistant Dean for Student Success and Belonging, as well as Yeng Her, the current Director of Campus Life. Since Her will be leaving the university soon, Klobassa has temporarily taken on additional responsibilities to help improve outcomes for future semesters.

As a result of Klobassa joining the work, some have assumed that AugSem has switched departments. When asked, Klobassa attempted to address confusion by stating that he has “been working with Dr. Case and others to explore how we can continue to shape and enhance [AugSem] in ways that best support students’ success at Augsburg and beyond. I am temporarily taking over supervision of our AugSem Leaders (ASLs) and AugSem Program Assistants (APAs) as we search for a new Director of Campus Life.” 

Klobassa also addressed expected changes to the course. He stated that “Dr. Case and I have heard from AugSem instructors, leaders, and students in the course about their experiences from the fall and are currently piloting a revised structure this spring. Responding to some of the challenges we heard related to the structure in the fall (confusion about the two separate sessions, not feeling as much connection and cohesion between those sessions, etc.), we are piloting some changes this spring. These changes move away from having separate community sessions with ASLs and class time with instructors to a single, 90-minute time block on either a Tuesday or Thursday. This change also brings the ASLs and AugSem instructors into the same space, where they are building a stronger partnership as we support students through the AugSem course.” This would hopefully increase collaboration between faculty and AugSem leaders. 

Regarding the future of the program, Klobassa added that they “plan to evaluate that after the spring sections of AugSem are complete to determine what would be best as we move forward with fall and into the future.”

Klobassa, Case, and Her are working collaboratively to assess what worked well in previous semesters and identify areas for improvement. While some believe that the original structure of AugSem was more effective, the ongoing evaluations offer hope that the course will continue to evolve in ways that better support both students and faculty.

Augsburg Seminar (AugSem) is a required course that students take during their first year at Augsburg University. This year, AugSem followed a new structure by splitting the course into two separate sessions. In previous years, the course met once a week in a single session that included both the AugSem leader and the faculty instructor. Many students reported dissatisfaction with this year’s structure.

Due to ongoing challenges within the program, AugSem Director Amanda Case has been working closely with Vern Klobassa, the Batalden Assistant Dean for Student Success and Belonging, as well as Yeng Her, the current Director of Campus Life. Since Her will be leaving the university soon, Klobassa has temporarily taken on additional responsibilities to help improve outcomes for future semesters.

As a result of Klobassa joining the work, some have assumed that AugSem has switched departments. When asked, Klobassa attempted to address confusion by stating that he has “been working with Dr. Case and others to explore how we can continue to shape and enhance [AugSem] in ways that best support students’ success at Augsburg and beyond. I am temporarily taking over supervision of our AugSem Leaders (ASLs) and AugSem Program Assistants (APAs) as we search for a new Director of Campus Life.” 

Klobassa also addressed expected changes to the course. He stated that “Dr. Case and I have heard from AugSem instructors, leaders, and students in the course about their experiences from the fall and are currently piloting a revised structure this spring. Responding to some of the challenges we heard related to the structure in the fall (confusion about the two separate sessions, not feeling as much connection and cohesion between those sessions, etc.), we are piloting some changes this spring. These changes move away from having separate community sessions with ASLs and class time with instructors to a single, 90-minute time block on either a Tuesday or Thursday. This change also brings the ASLs and AugSem instructors into the same space, where they are building a stronger partnership as we support students through the AugSem course.” This would hopefully increase collaboration between faculty and AugSem leaders. 

Regarding the future of the program, Klobassa added that they “plan to evaluate that after the spring sections of AugSem are complete to determine what would be best as we move forward with fall and into the future.”

Klobassa, Case, and Her are working collaboratively to assess what worked well in previous semesters and identify areas for improvement. While some believe that the original structure of AugSem was more effective, the ongoing evaluations offer hope that the course will continue to evolve in ways that better support both students and faculty.