Approximately 300 incoming freshmen will be involved in the Learning Communities Project next semester, according to Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, chairman of the Learning Communities program.
The new programs, targeted at first-year students, are an attempt to expand the University College program. The programs in the project can be either residential or nonresidential. They include one-credit courses, four-credit courses and two three-credit courses, Jackson said.
Program associates, lead the programs, work closely with students in their classes and live with them in the residential communities, he said.
Program associates must participate in a 10-day training program, where they are trained in community building and student development, both socially and intellectually, according to New Student Programs Director Tiffany Sanchez.
One of the residential community programs, Explorations, will cater to students who have not declared a major, according to Katie Young, an Explorations program associate and graduate student in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Jackson has asked several university officials to speak with the Explorations class, including AU President Neil Kerwin and Dean of Academic Affairs Haig Mardirosian, Jackson said.
"There is a lot of attention being paid to this class," he said.
Explorations will offer a broad survey of what AU has to offer in academics, Young said.
"We are encouraging undecided students to explore all of their options, including interdisciplinary studies, before settling into a major," she said.
Nineteen students are currently enrolled in the programs, all of whom are undecided, Young said.
She said she looks forward to working with the students in the program.
"Undecided students have a special place in my heart. I was one when I came to AU, and I like to say that I still am one," Young said in an e-mail. "Over four years I changed my major about four times, and still was looking at other things to study my senior year."
The students enrolled in all programs will be able to explore D.C. through out-of-the-classroom activities, Jackson said.
Living-learning communities enhance the learning experience, Sanchez said.
"Housing students enrolled in the seminars together offers many opportunities for academic learning to take place in the halls," she said.
Nonresidential learning communities follow the same basic premises, but students in the programs do not live in the same residence halls, according to Jackson.
"Crime and the Media" is a learning community that pairs sections of courses "Understanding Media" and "Introduction to Systems of Justice," according to Jackson. "Global Media, Global Politics" is another nonresidential learning community, which pairs the "Understanding Media" and "World Politics" courses. Students enrolled in "The History and Practice of Science" will take both "Great Experiments in Biology" and "Science and Society."
The inspiration for the Learning Communities Project was the University College program, which began three years ago and has been a learning experience, Jackson said.
"The three years of University College provided quite a lot of experience to draw from," he said.
University College has contributed to maintaining enrollment at AU, Sanchez said.
"We have found that students who participate in the University College are more likely to stay at AU," she said.
