Fall 2008
INTEGRATED LEARNING COMMUNITIES

Investigating Patterns for Success in Math
This learning community will take advantage of group activities and projects throughout the semester.  The course will provide opportunities for students to collaborate, explore, and discover mathematical patterns to enhance their success in the Developmental Algebra course.  We will use the theories developed by Keith Devlin to enhance student mathematics achievement.

Instructors:  M.B. Angeline and N. Sams

Making It All Add Up
"Making It All Add Up"  is designed to introduce incoming freshmen to the appropriate study skill strategies needed to be successful in math and as a college student.  Students will have an opportunity to work collaboratively to strengthen their study skills while at the same time completing the objectives for the Math 95 course.  Topics addressed will include:  study skills, time management, math anxiety and overal student success.

Instuctors:  S. Fry and M. Bolyard

Family Matters
"Family Matters" is a learning community focused on giving first year students opportunities to thrive in the college environment while exploring family issues and how they impact college life.  Students will compile a portfolio of essays based on Freshman Seminar activities and college/family themed issues.  The learning community will help students acclimate to all aspects of college life including attendance at student events, utilizing facilities and services, following proper procedures and regulations.

Instructors:  G. Hines and D. Benedetti

Words to Live By
"Words to Live By" is a learning community that promotes college student success by providing first-year students with an opportunity to become familiar with campus resources, develop study skills and begin the career exploration prociess in an environment that encourages self-exploration, experiential learning, and the development of college-level writing skills.

Instructors:  C. Tannous and N. Parks

Write to Succeed (off campus course - MTEC)
"Write to Succeed" is a learning community designed to give freshman level students the best possible opportunity to develop college level reading, writing, and study skills. The Freshman Seminar course encourages learning outside of the classroom, and self reflection through journal and essay writing.  The English 0097 course fulfills the Developmental Skills English requirement with an emphasis on forming well composed and well written essays.  These classes complement each other in academic content and writting style expectations.

Instructors:  M. Belmear and B. Fallon

Exploring and Experiencing College
"Exploring and Experiencing College" is designed to give first-semester students opportunities to connect with each other, faculty, and the campus community, as well as to learn how to meet academic expectations of college courses.  This learning community will emphasize the importance of developing and/or enhancing writing skills and will promote the importance of audience and purpose in planning and revising writing assignments.

Instructors:  C. Lavorata and D. Lupica-Scott

Virtual Society (Online Course)
"Virtual Society" is an online learning community pairing Freshman Seminar and Introductory Sociology.  The goal is to help students understand their social roles and responsibilities as a valuable member of the campus community and beyond.  Students will learn how their social experiences color their perception and how to better understand and navigate campus systems.  These are virtual courses byt there will be a joint orientation session on-campus.  Although not restricted, this linked course series is designed is designed with the needs of non-traditional students in mind.

Instructors:  L. Grandstaff and J. Weist

Math and English:  Shared Strategies for Success
This learning community will focus on incorporating good study skills as well as test-taking and writing strategies as they apply to both Math and Composition.  Students will use writing as means of engaging with course content and self-analysis.  Student learning will be supplemented through the use of WebCT.

Instructors:  L. King and D. Beighley

Global Insight of Race, Class, and Gender
These courses will "link" by exploring popular cluture and global perspectives on race, class, and gender. The interrelationships of race, class, gender, and ethnicity are explored as well with an overview on varied components of organizational communications, human concepts, and public speech.

Instructors:  P. Edwards and I. Campbell

Speaking of Psychology (Off campus course - MTEC)
"Speaking of Psychology" is a learning community designed to give primarily freshman students the best possible opportunity to make connections with fellow students and to gain a better understanding of how disciplines are interrelated and do not exist in a vacuum.  This will be accomplished via collaborative activities while meeting the requirements for both Human Communication 2200 and Intro to Psychology 1101.

Instructors:  G. Brookover and C. Richardson

Art and Literature through the Middle Ages (Honors course)
English 2200 and Art 1120 form a learning community for sophmore-level honors students working to fulfill their liberal studies requirements in the "Cultural/Civilization Exploration" and "Artistic/Creative Expression and Interdisciplinary/Advanced Studies" areas. Students will have the opportunity to study major works of art and literature from Prehistory to the Renaissance, to learn about the cultural contexts underpinning these works, and to advance their ability to interpret and analyze in clear, correct prose.

Instructors:  M. Hokom and M. Hollinger