Metacognitive thinking has come to be described as thinking about thinking by most of us. Matt Birkenhauer wants us to apply that to our teaching by making thinking visible. He suggests that we become "helicopter instructors" mimicking the best of what helicopter parents do, which is basically "pestering." I am not sure I would agree with him but the basics of his idea bear further discussion. Many of our students at LU are not only first-generation but may not have ever thought that they would be attending college. Some of them may have decided at the last moment to pursue a college degree. We know that without the proper preparation for anything, you typically set yourself up to fail. Realizing this, then the pestering or hovering that Birkenhauer recommends may have merit. We should certainly offer to mentor our students and that is a form of hovering. Asking questions to prompt deeper thinking and perhaps advanced planning can only be beneficial for our students. As we prepare to offer the first sections of the University Success Seminar or LMAR 1101, we should begin to think of "intrusive" ways that we can influence our students, who incidentally have a lot on their minds. Here are just a few ways that you can begin to build an engaged relationship with your students that may pay off in the form of higher retention and graduation rates for LU. Remind them that this is not year thirteen of high school. College will require less time of them in the classroom but subsequently more time on things like homework, reading, and pre-class assignments. They will more likely experience being in larger classes in college. This can create problems for them but also opportunities to network extensively and usually larger classes allow them the opportunity to work in groups, a valuable life-skill that will be used in the workplace. The negative may mean less personal attention in some cases but they should be encouraged to make the effort to talk with you. College is typically less concerned about attendance although some folks still capture this information. The idea here is to help them realize that they are “driving the bus.” That means they need to create a schedule and attempt to stick to it to help them manage their time wisely. Finally, you should remind them that they may have come from a culture that valued standardized tests but college requires them to think critically using empirical and quantitative methods. They will be asked to communicate their thoughts in various ways and they will be evaluated. Don’t forget to remind them that the rewards on the other side are substantial both economically and otherwise. The National Survey for Student Engagement (NSSE) captures data from students at over 800 universities across North America. The survey is administered to first year and fourth year students and the results provide a sense of how a given university is perceived by both commencing and graduating students. The data can be mined for all sorts of things. Some interesting trends have merged recently related to designing teaching and learning spaces, something that has been the focus of CT+LE as well as several University-related groups. Learning spaces that support student learning, according to results from NSSE, should be designed for active and collaborative learning. Student-faculty interaction should be enhanced rather than impeded by the layout. Instructors and students should always be able to hear one another as well. Technology should be realized as a valuable tool but not the panacea to all of our ills. Classrooms designed to enhance learning sends a clear message to our students that we are committed to their success.