Freshman Learning Communities

 

Connecting advising, enhancing learning, engaging with community.

Engaged learning is a process that allows students to be responsible for their education in a collaborative environment which combines active learning outside the classroom with reflection inside the classroom. Research shows that students who are engaged in the learning process feel empowered and learn skills that are transferrable to real-life problem solving. The aim is to create a close-knit learning community which supports a holistic learning experience, improves the quality of classroom time, increases student success rates, and arms freshmen with decision making and self-advocacy skills essential to a successful college experience. Hampden-Sydney will offer five learning communities to freshmen this year. Students will be enrolled in a one-credit freshman seminar which connects a common text with the exploration of questions such as

• What does it mean to be a leader?
• How can my experiences today help me better understand history?
• How is community important to me?
• Who do I want to be as a man in this society?
• How can I serve others?
• How do I perceive the environment in which I live?

The freshman seminar will be led by a faculty member who has been carefully selected and trained in making connections both in and out of the classroom. That faculty member will serve as the freshman academic advisor for the group and each group will have an upperclassman "peer advisor" who will be available to help new students with the transition to college. Freshman seminars will meet once a week throughout the semester and participants will engage in group work outside of class a few times during the semester. Course assignments will be specifically designed to help students enhance learning skills such as time management, reading, and note-taking. These skills will benefit participants in all of their college classes. All students who complete the program will receive one academic credit toward graduation.