From Changing Thinking to Changing a Freshman’s Educational Experience

A course dedicated to the development of growth thinking and redesign of first-year educational programs has been completed at The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The program was organized and developed by Global Nomad Education, a team specializing in educational analytics, diagnostics, educational program design, professional development of teachers and support for institutional changes in education.

The course brought together university teachers and methodologists around an important question: what should the first year of study be like so that it does not become a test of "readiness", but helps each student to consciously enter the academic culture, master new ways of thinking and see their own development trajectory.

During the training program, the participants considered the first course as a holistic educational route. Special attention was paid to the role of the teacher as the author and designer of the learning experience, understanding the modern freshman, formulating measurable learning outcomes, developing assignments, transparent assessment, feedback and updating syllabuses.

One of the key conclusions was the understanding that a high-quality syllabus is not a formal document or a list of topics. This is a clear course map in which the student sees a goal, rules, sequence of actions, criteria for success, opportunities for improvement, and ways to receive support.

The practical format proposed by Almagul Kanagatova, Executive Director of Global Nomad Education, gave special value to the program. The essence of the method, course participants in offline and online format analyzed real educational situations, discussed students’ experiences, identified hidden academic norms and designed solutions that can be implemented in the university courses of the first year. The course allowed us to take a fresh look at the very concept of caring for a student. This is not about reducing the requirements and not about the heroic efforts of an individual teacher. It’s about the thoughtful design of an educational environment in which high academic standards are combined with clarity, respect, feedback and opportunity for growth.

The main reflection of the course is as follows: changes do not begin with a new document template, but with a new professional question from the teacher, not only “what should I teach?”, but also “what educational path will the student take and what will he learn to do?”.

The next step for the teaching staff will be to audit their own university courses, update learning outcomes, review assignments and assessment criteria, introduce understandable feedback and create conditions under which the student sees their progress and can improve results.

For the university, further work is related to the formation of a common model for the results of the first year, the coordination of university courses within educational programs, the development of a syllabus quality standard, the launch of pilot projects, and the creation of a teacher guidance system.

It is important that the redesign does not turn into a formal document update. It is necessary to consistently go from diagnostics and piloting to analyzing the results and scaling successful practices.

The training was an important step towards forming a common language of educational design and developing a culture in which the teacher does not work in isolation, but receives methodological, organizational and digital support.

The first course forms not only knowledge in individual university courses. It shapes a student's attitude towards university, studies, their own opportunities, and their future profession. Therefore, a well-designed first year is an investment in academic success, independence and sustainable development of each student.