Learning Communities
FIRST YEAR LEARNING COMMUNITIES
The First Year Learning Community is an excellent way to make the most of your year at Alabama A&M University. Students enrolled in a Learning Community will be enrolled in some shared courses and assigned an academic advisor/mentor. First-Year Learning Communities are designed to help first year college students connect to peers with common interests, have an easier transition from high school to college, and help guide students’ path for their future.
Each learning community includes First Year Seminar and two general education courses that a cohort of 35 freshmen take together. Each community is supported by academic advisors/mentor and academic coordinators.
In addition to communities, students will receive support from different resources on campus and participate in activities and events created exclusively for your learning community. These activities range from panel discussions, networking events, luncheons with the deans or chairs of your academic program, to social events designed to strengthen the bonds within the learning community, to academic and career-oriented events and/or activities that will show first-year students what their chosen career path can do for their future and to connect them with professionals in the field. By sharing these important first-year experiences, you have a built-in support system to help you start college on the right path for you and have a great first year!
What is a Learning Community?
Learning Communities are groups of students with a shared academic interest, future career, and/or personal identity or interest. Members of a Learning Community:
- learn together through at least one shared class to ensure you have support in the classroom and can achieve academic success
- connect to other students, upper division peer mentors, and faculty and staff with shared interests
- prepare for the future through exclusive academic, social and professional activities and event
Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the benefits of a learning community?
Learning community students develop supportive relationships with each other, understand more of what they are learning in the classroom, and feel more connected to the campus.
Back to Top - Am I automatically admitted to a learning community?
Yes, First-Year students are placed in a learning community once a major is declared.
Back to Top - How are first-year students placed in learning communities?
Once a student declares a major, the student is placed in one of the 11 theme-based learning communities associated with the declared major. For example, students who declare Criminal Justice as a major is placed in the It’s a Matter of Social Justice and Politics.
Back to Top - Can I take other classes along with enrolling in the learning communities?
Yes, you can enroll in additional classes. Make sure to work with a counselor to ensure that the classes you want to take meet your educational goals.
Back to Top - Will the classes meet general education and/or my major requirements?
Yes, courses in the learning community are general education courses that meet the general core requirement in all academic degree programs.
Back to Top - What if I can't or don't want to take one of the classes in the learning community?
The major reason for participating in a learning community is to develop just that: a community for learning. If you are not involved in all of the classes, you will miss out on this benefit. Therefore, in order to be a part of the learning community, students must enroll in all classes in the learning community.
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