Is your department looking for ways to connect to and engage with first-year students? Would your faculty enjoy meeting with students in extracurricular activities that extend their classroom learning?
Then you might be interested in developing a learning community. Learning communities are designed to help first-year students connect with peers and faculty who share common academic interests. The Association of American Colleges and Universities has identified learning communities as a high-impact practice for increasing retention and student satisfaction. UNL students in learning communities report a higher level of interaction with faculty, spend more time studying or preparing for class and feel better supported by their peers compared to students who do not participate in learning communities (NSSE 2010 data).
In a typical learning community, students take one or two courses in common and then participate in extracurricular activities with faculty and staff that helps them connect with one another and deepen their academic inquiry. UNL’s learning communities are designed for students pursuing specific majors or career interests (biology, journalism, pre-law, pre-vet, etc.) as well as interdisciplinary interests that enroll students across colleges (the E.N.Thompson scholars, Jones Scholars.)
Proposing a learning community is easy. Below you will find a copy of the application form that explains the expectations of the sponsoring units as well as the ways that staff members in Undergraduate Education and University Housing will support your efforts. The deadline to propose a new learning community for the 2013-2014 academic year is October 1, 2012.