Learning Communities 

Learning Communities
Learning Communities, an academic program designed to ease the transition from high school to college, provides an opportunity for students to form connections for academic and social support. By participating in paired or clustered courses students experience a more enriched teaching and learning environment, where courses are organized around a theme. In a learning community, students get to know each other and their professors, making it easier to work collaboratively in class and to form study groups outside of class.

Each community consists of two or three courses, scheduled in a block, which students take together as a group. Many learning communities include a section of the freshman seminar Learning for the New Century. Most courses in Learning Communities fulfill Core, college, or major requirements. Enrolling in a learning community is an excellent way to satisfy requirements while building valuable academic and social connections. Each fall, Temple University offers over 30 communities including pairings such as College Composition and College Math, General Chemistry and Precalculus, Introduction to Mass Media and College Composition, or American Women's Lives and College Composition. 

Learning Communities are designed primarily for the first semester college freshman but are open to all first- or second-year students, including transfers. Beginning fall 2001, we will be offering a select number of communities designed just for new transfer students. Some colleges or majors require freshmen to register for a community, while others strongly recommend it. During New Student Orientation an academic adviser will help students select the learning communities which best meet their academic interests and needs

Freshman Seminars
Freshman seminars are academic courses designed to support student learning and development in the critical first semester of college. Seminars are currently available for students in University Studies, College of Liberal Arts, College of Science and Technology, School of Communications and Theater, and Fox School of Business and Management. 

Learning for the New Century is the freshman seminar offered primarily for students in University Studies, but the course is open to ANY interested freshman. Learning for the New Century is a one-credit course that meets one to two times a week for 11 weeks of the semester. Students receive a letter grade for the course and the credit applies toward graduation. Many sections are linked to learning communities

Learning for the New Century introduces first-year students to the purposes of higher education and to the skills needed to use information technology and academic resources successfully in college and also in preparation for the workplace of the 21st century. The seminar also focuses on topics useful to college students, including time management, e-mail training, teamwork, study skills, and academic and career planning.