They are offered in a variety of disciplines on topics chosen by each participating professor. Students are expected to undertake course assignments which encourage analysis and communication and which significantly enhance their understanding of the seminar topic. More broadly, a major purpose of the program is to help students at the beginning of their university careers adapt to the culture of a major research university and to encourage them to become active in their intellectual interactions with peers and professors. The benefits to students are clear. Research has shown that such seminars have long-range benefits, substantially improving students' performance generally and increasing the likelihood of retention.
Faculty frequently report that such seminars are among their most satisfying teaching experiences.
Such teaching is also helpful to the faculty member's unit and the campus in that each seminar counts as a full course for the purposes of compiling workload statistics. The staff of the Division of Undergraduate Education handles all administrative aspects of the course. After arranging to offer a seminar, the professor provides a course description. DUE handles publicity, enrollment and all the mechanics.