As a first-year student, you have the unique opportunity to participate in a learning community at Pitt-Greensburg.
What is the Natural Science learning community?
The learning community model places students in courses that are connected. This means that the professors collaborate to link the courses in some way. All courses count towards students' general education and/or major requirements.
Participation in a learning community does not require any additional investment of your time. Students in these courses are together in each connected course. The connected courses do not fill an entire full-time schedule, leaving space for flexibility of additional courses in a student's first semester schedule.
For example...a biology major would be connected their first semester via the following courses:
- Introduction to Biology 1 (BIOSC 0170)
- Biology Lab 1 (BIOSC 0070)
- General Chemistry (CHEM 0110)
- Science Cornerstone (FS 0026)
If you choose to participate in one of our learning communities, you will also have the option to continue in a learning community in the following semester of your first year. If you feel the fall semester experience is not one that fits your personality, there is no obligation to continue enrollment in the learning community for the spring.
What are the benefits of learning communities?
A sense of community - stronger student connections
Because students are together in multiple classes, they have the opportunity to get to know one another more quickly and on a deeper level. They will often walk to class together and form study groups and closer friendships.
Stronger connections to faculty
Faculty collaborate together on course prep and discuss their courses throughout the semester. This communication can help faculty be aware of students' needs and interests.
More engagement in courses
Some courses invoke a sense of fear in students - such as mathematics or public speaking. By forming a community with peers, participating in math class, giving a speech, or asking for help can become less daunting.
Greater academic achievement
Building social connections around academic study can help increase motivation and increase intellectual development.
Interesting and engaging courses
Because the courses are prepared with notion of connection, assignments and concepts are often coordinated. The book a student reads and discusses in one class may be the topic of a paper in another class. This type of coordination can often make the transition to college learning more manageable.