University Studies Program

INTRODUCTION TO THE QUEST SEQUENCE 

Students who start their college career at UW Oshkosh take Quest I and Quest II in their first year as well as a public speaking class (Comm 111) and a writing class (WRT 188). Students take a third Quest course in either semester of their second year. This site contains tools for developing your Quest I, Quest II, or Quest III class, including learning objectives, details about the aspects of each that differentiates it from the others, syllabus checklists and samples.

Quest I

In addition to covering disciplinary content, Quest I courses are designed to help students transition to college life by offering a First Year Experience (FYE). In particular, Quest I classes offer the following to new students:

• Enrollment is limited to 25 students.
• Pairing with either a public speaking class or a writing class, which means students are enrolled in the same section of both classes.
• Returning students are chosen as “peer mentors” who can help students find their way to events, answer questions about campus, and direct them to resources and support services.

Additional Peer Mentor information available on the Peer Mentor page.

Quest II

Quest II courses integrate knowledge, skills, and responsibility into student learning through the incorporation of disciplinary content, a signature question, and ethical reasoning. Students are engaged in the process of ethical reasoning by identifying situations with a significant ethical component and determining their own course of action.

To extend the first-year experience from Quest I to Quest II, students are provided opportunities to plan their future in college, work, & life. This is achieved through the following Quest II components:

• Explore academic majors, minors, & other university programs during Academic Open House Week
• Exposure to opportunities in undergraduate research/creative activity
• Alumni class visits
• Career & Professional Development
• University engagement opportunities; e.g. Taste of UW Oshkosh, Student Leadership & Involvement Center (SLIC), Volunteer Fair, Study/Intern Abroad Fair, etc.

Quest III

In Quest III courses students extend their classroom into a community setting, working with a local non-profit, community group, or campus partner. This experience allows the student to apply their classroom learning to a real world, practical experience, and then return to the classroom with a higher proficiency. Community Partners include:

• Growing Oshkosh
• Habitat for Humanity
• Oshkosh Area Community Pantry
• Local farmers, local schools, veterans, and multicultural groups