In 1995, as a result of the work of the Task Force for the First Year Experience, the minicourse Academic Prelude was instituted for three hundred students and subsequently expanded for all incoming freshmen. The program was designed to complement the traditional summer orientation, which introduces students to campus life by providing students opportunities to develop academic skills. The three-day program involved a common reading assignment of a book selected by a faculty committee and classes that centered on the book, while emphasizing critical thinking, time management, and study skills. Each Prelude class was designed to have 20 to 30 students and was team taught by a UT Knoxville faculty member, a graduate student, and a rising sophomore. This program morphed into the Life of the Mind program, which began in 2003.