Quest Courses
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.
Students beginning their college career on the Fox Cities and Fond du Lac campuses and pursuing an Associate Degree take any 6 credits of Quest courses in any order. Quest I courses are not paired with WRT 188 or COMM 111 and do not have a co-requisite for these courses for either QI or QII.
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.
- Quest I classes have a co-requisite with either a public speaking class or a writing class, which means students are working on essential skills right from the start of their college career.
- Instructors emphasize helping students find their way to events, answering questions about campus, and directing them to resources and support services.
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
