The American Association of Colleges and Universities recognize several High-Impact Practices (HIPs) related to evidence of significant educational benefits for students to participate in. One of these HIPs Tennessee Tech is interested in establishing and expanding options for is Learning Communities–integration of learning across two or more courses linked together for a group for students to collectively take during the same semester.
Research shows that Learning Communities create opportunities for first-year students to connect, develop a sense of community, and perform better academically. Furthermore, they support students' academic and social success during their first semester. These results lead to higher retention rates, academic achievement (based on GPA course grades), graduation rates, and shorter time-to-degree completion.
As part of the Tech Tomorrow Strategic Plan - Education for Life, Learning Communities are being piloted with a small group of first-year freshman student. A small selection of majors (also known as "Programs of Study") and Career Tracks have been chosen for the initial pilot. The goal of this pilot is to help the institution identify opportunities to further implement learning communities with other majors and develop common topics/themes based on students' interests.
About the Pilot
The initial pilot is designed to accept around 200 first-year freshman students beginning classes during the Fall semester. Select students within Civil & Environmental Engineering and Business majors along with students within the Undecided Career Track will be pre-enrolled within a Learning Community.
All first-year freshman students are pre-advised by their academic advisor within the Launchpad Student Success Center. Pre-advisement occurs once students register for freshman orientation (SOAR) and complete the short questionnaire that is associated with their orientation reservation. From there, students' academic advisor will review expected pre-college credit (AP, Dual Enrollment, etc) to help place students within courses for their first semester. Considering these factors, among many others, first-year students identified within this pilot will be registered for the Learning Community that best aligns with their degree progress within their Program of Study.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am within a Learning Community but need to adjust one of the courses, what should I do?
The courses designated for each Learning Community are grouped together. If a student must un-enroll from one course, then they will un-enroll from all associated courses related to the Learning Community. Note: Course adjustments due to students' start and end time preferences may not be possible due to limited number of Learning Community options. Speak with your academic advisor if you have questions.
What happens if I change my major?
Students who change their major before the start of the Fall semester will be un-enrolled from their participation Program of Study Learning Community. At that point, the first-year student's academic advisor from within the Launchpad Student Success Center will assist them in adjusting their courses and ensuring they are registered for classes necessary for their new Program of Study.
Who should I contact if I have more questions about Learning Communities?
If you have questions about Learning Communities or this pilot, please contact StudentSuccess@tntech.edu.
1American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U). (n.d.). High-Impact Practices. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/trending-topics/high-impact.
