Preparing first-generation students to meet the demands of applying to and graduating from college

Being a first-generation student myself, I have come to understand educational barriers through personal encounters while in the process of obtaining a college degree. While working for Upward Bound Projects at California State University, Chico for five years, I noticed some similarities between my experience and those of my students. The experience of not understating the process of applying to college, financial aid, and college graduation requirements still continue to be a trend within this population of students. The purpose of this project is to develop curriculum that addresses educational needs of first-generation students by teaching them the process of applying to college, developing financial literacy, understanding college graduation requirements, and developing technology literacy. First-generation students do not come from families where parents have earned a college degree, they lack information that could benefit them and assist with the transition from high school to college. In addition, first-generation students need to understand technology and how to use it effectively in their academics. For those students that are first-generation and low-income, having access to technology might be difficult because they might not be able to afford a computer. For this reason, schools become the only means of exposing students to technology. Upward Bound Project does not have a set curriculum addressing the needs of first-generation students and this being a national federal program, this project could assist other programs across the country. Educators can use certain parts of the curriculum to teach their students or use the entire curriculum for a course. National educational standards have been used to guide objectives and assignments to teach students about this topic. The curriculum introduces students to software and hardware before learning anything on the topic of higher education. As technology is being used in education, it is important to do research in this area to grasp a good understanding of the relationship technology has with education. This will avoid schools and educators from creating a disservice in student’s learning, preventing them from being distracted and overwhelmed by technology. The purpose of this project is to develop curriculum that addresses educational needs of first-generation students to better prepare them before heading to college. First generation students will learn through scenarios, following “Alisha” as she applies to college, works towards understanding financial aid and loans, and using educational resources to help her to graduate in a timely manner. First-generation students will develop technology literacy through class assignments, homework, and group work, while learning to integrate technology for their academics. In Chapter 2, researchers agree on the importance of assisting first-generation students to overcome educational barriers, while at the same time closing the digital gap for this group of students.