TIDES changes course

The Tulane Interdisciplinary Experience Seminar (TIDES) Program annually introduces Tulane students to university life in New Orleans during their first semester, connecting them with fellow students and faculty members through small seminar groups. In an effort to deepen those connections, the program is embracing changes in a redesign called TIDES 2020.

The new program was designed based on recommendations from the report on the President’s Task Force on the Undergraduate Experience.

“By the fall semester in 2020, every TIDES course will be under this new model.”

— Allison Cruz, director of academic programs for Newcomb-Tulane College Academic Programs.

“By the fall semester in 2020, every TIDES course will be under this new model,” said Allison Cruz, director of academic programs for Newcomb-Tulane College Academic Programs.

Cruz says that the new format is built on a foundation composed of several “anchors” approved by the Newcomb-Tulane College Curriculum Committee after a year of collecting data.

“Anchors are identified as things that all first-year students should encounter in a TIDES course,” she said. These core concepts include diversity and inclusivity, faculty guidance and peer mentorship.

“We’re going to give resources to faculty members to discuss diversity and inclusivity through the lens of their course,” said Cruz.

TIDES faculty members will now schedule one-on-one meetings with each of their students throughout the semester.

“This is to encourage student-faculty interaction and to encourage students to visit faculty office hours. It’s a good experience for faculty, as they learn more about their students than they normally would inside the classroom,” said Cruz.

The program is additionally utilizing a peer mentor system led by upperclassmen.

“These peer mentors help introduce students to campus resources for academic success, such as Tulane Career Services and the Academic Advising Center,” said Cruz.

TIDES 2020 courses will also require assignments that develop students’ writing, oral presentation and team collaboration skills.

“We wanted to make sure the TIDES courses were providing opportunities for students to write a great paper or present something in front of their class,” said Cruz.

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