2010 - 2011 Learning Communities Final Report (via an NSID protected page)
2011 - 2012 Learning Communities Peer Mentor Handbook (via an NSID protected page)
Thank you for your interest in Learning Communities!
Learning Communities are available to incoming first-year students entering the colleges of Arts & Science, Agriculture & Bioresources, Kinesiology, Engineering, and St. Thomas More in the fall of 2012. Sign-up begins in May 2012 and continues (on a first-come, first-served basis) until mid-June. Advising your students to join a First-Year Learning Community at the University of Saskatchewan is one of the best ways you can help them on their road to success.
This website includes detailed information on course block options, programs and majors, course descriptions, how Learning Communities help students meet requirements for professional programs and non-direct entry colleges, and much more—all of which help you advise your students on how to choose the Learning Community that is right for them. We suggest that you start at our Prospective Students page for general Learning Communities information and the potential benefits to your students, and then move through the College sections (based on the individual interests and aspirations of your students).
Information on 2012-13 First-Year Learning Communities is now available here. Please sign up for our newsletter to ensure you have the most up-to-date information to share with your students!
Note: Sign-up in a Learning Community includes student registration in that block of Learning Community classes (in advance of the opening of general first-year registration).
"I felt that the students who participated in the LC component of my course refined their ability to critically discuss not only the subject matter of my course, but that of the course we were paired with. The LC students modeled this behaviour for the other students in my class to the advantage of all."
- LC PROFESSOR, 2010
Handouts from Learning Communities Workshop Sept. 14th, 2011
Please click on the links below to download the materials from our Fall Workshop:
Learning Communities Information Sheet
Collaborative Learning Techniques
10 ways LC professors might get involved
- Share your research and passion for your discipline by participating in a Multidisciplinary Panel Discussion or LC Symposium. What inspiring, timely, and/or provocative ideas would you like to see first-year students engaged in a discussion about?
- Visit a Learning Community weekly LC Hour to talk about your class and get to know students in their LC environment. How would you like to see students prepare for assignments or exams? What skills and competencies should your students focus on developing?
- Share your syllabus and links to open access course materials with the other one or two professors teaching the same LC and/or the LC team. How can we help first-year students with time-management?
- Meet with the two LC Peer Mentors and/or Alumni Namesake Mentor who guide the LC involved in your course. Offer them guidance on ways to impassion, demystify, or direct your students. What does mentorship mean to you?
- Suggest supplemental resources or materials (e.g. readings, TED talks, videos, websites, blogs) that draw out interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary connections between the courses in your LC. What resources would you like Peer Mentors to use as points of departure for group discussion with your students in their weekly LC Hours?
- Sit in on one of your LC colleagues' lectures, and connect back to your own course, teaching, assignments, and intended learning outcomes, or invite your colleagues to sit in one of your own lectures. How would you like first-year students to integrate their learning experience?
- Collaborate with your colleagues and find one theme, reading, video, news story, etc. that can be used in each of your classes, offering multiple disciplinary perspectives on one and the same artifact. How can we help first-year students think critically about their world?
- Inspire your LC to engage with the wider community. How can participation in First-Year LCs inspire a sense of belonging and citizenship in local and global communities?
- Share your suggestions for future First-Year LC course combinations, or devise one in collaboration with your colleagues and the LC team. How should Learning Communities take shape?
- Beyond first-year students: suggest a Term 2 Interest-based LC (e.g. Study Abroad, Research LC, etc.). What topic would most benefit undergraduate students, the University, and your research and practice?
LC professor workshops
Our most recent workshop, the Spring Learning Communities Faculty Luncheon and Workshop was held on April 27, 2011.Attendees had the opportunity to:
- explore the opportunities and benefits for everyone involved in the 2011/12 Learning Communities initiative
- participate in a hands-on multidisciplinary Learning Communities activity
- gain insight into what goes on in a weekly LC hour led by Peer Assisted Learning (PAL) Peer Mentors
Workshop Facilitators:
Wendy Roy (Department of English, College of Arts and Science)
Ann Martin (Department of English, College of Arts and Science)
Erin DeLathouwer, Brea Lowenberger, and Megan Marcoux (University Learning Centre)
Helping your Students Succeed in University Math
Do you have students who are taking MATH in first term of their first year at the University of Saskatchewan? Are you looking for ways to help support their transition and maximize their potential for success?
First, we strongly encourage students to consider starting their university career in a Learning Community. The Math options in Learning Communities include:
College of Kinesiology:
KI01 (Biology 120.3 - Kinesiology 122.3 - Math 104.3)
KI02 (English 114.3 - Kinesiology 122.3 - Math 104.3)
In addition to Learning Communities, all incoming students planning on taking Math in first term of first year should consider enrolling in the Math Readiness Course this summer.
The Math Readiness Course is a non-credit math review, for students who wish to refresh their high school math skills in preparation for university math. The 2010 Math Readiness Summer Camp runs August 18–31. For more information, download the Math Readiness brochure (PDF, 871kb) or visit the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education website.
