Effects of a learning community program on the first-year experience of engineering majors

First-year engineering majors face a myriad of obstacles as they begin college. Taking challenging foundational coursework, navigating new expectations for performance and experience, and understanding the broader impact of their academic interests are just a few of those obstacles. In addition, female students sometimes face additional barriers to success, particularly as some question their own competence in the field. This chapter focuses on a first-year seminar for honors students that highlights the high impact practices (Kuh, 2008) students should participate in throughout their undergraduate career. These practices include global engagement, undergraduate research, and internships that are essential for early exposure to future career interests. By developing both formal and informal learning communities within the seminar (Johnson, Pasquini, & Rodems, 2013), first-year students are exposed to opportunities, mentoring, and support that help them make informed decisions about their major and career.

Download Full-text

Quantitative Analysis Of First Year Experience Mechanical Engineering Learning Community

10.18260/1-2--4738 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Freddie Davis ◽

Emily Hunt ◽

Kendra Campbell

Keyword(s):

Quantitative Analysis ◽

Learning Community ◽

Mechanical Engineering ◽

First Year Experience ◽

First Year

Download Full-text

Building a Scholarly Network in Learning Communities at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln

Advances in Library and Information Science - Innovative Solutions for Building Community in Academic Libraries ◽

10.4018/978-1-4666-8392-1.ch002 ◽

2015 ◽

pp. 16-37

Author(s):

Charlene Maxey-Harris ◽

Lorna M. Dawes

Keyword(s):

Learning Communities ◽

Learning Community ◽

Literacy Skills ◽

First Year Experience ◽

First Year ◽

Student Enrollment ◽

Library Administration ◽

Information Literacy Skills ◽

University Of Nebraska Lincoln ◽

The University

In 2011 the Chancellor at the University of Nebraska – Lincoln (UNL) charged each department and academic unit within the university to create programs and strategies to increase student enrollment within the next six years. The UNL Libraries embraced this goal by becoming more involved in the first-year experience programs and the first-year learning communities. This chapter will outline how the UNL Libraries gained library administration support to hire a Learning Communities/First-Year Experience Librarian and describe how they applied the theory of threshold concepts to develop a series of workshops and e-booklets to teach information literacy skills to students affiliated with the William H. Thompson Scholars Learning Community. These two initiatives will demonstrate how UNL Libraries built connections with campus units and services to become actively involved in student enrollment and retention.

Download Full-text