Learning Communities
At Kennesaw State University, a learning community is a themed combination of two or three General Education, elective, and/or lower-division major courses taken by the same students during the same semester. At least one class in each learning community is small. The purpose of a learning community is to create a group of students in their first year of higher education who connect with each other, connect to campus, and connect to faculty from multiple disciplines. In a learning community, students establish friendships, form study groups, and find a sense of belonging.

A learning community is “Students Connecting.” We offer a variety of learning community themes. Some are designed for a general student population. Others are designed for specific majors, such as Visual Arts, Business, Education, and Chemistry. There are a few learning communities that require permission of the instructor. Follow the link to "Students Connecting" (below) for more detail.

Our evaluation of Kennesaw State University learning communities agrees with national studies that indicate students who complete a first-year seminar, like KSU 1101, are more likely to return to college for their second and third semesters than students who do not complete a first-year experience course. The numbers go up for students who take a learning community. The best results are for students who succeed in a learning community that includes a first-year seminar course.

All full-time, first-year students with fewer than 15 credit hours are required to sign up for either a learning community or a first-year seminar (KSU 1101 or KSU 2290). Students will register for either KSU 1101 or a learning community during Orientation.

Spring 2010 Learning Communities
Schedule of learning communities offered in the Spring 2010 semester.

Students Connecting:
Learning Communities & First-Year Seminar
Fall 2009
"Students Connecting" is a booklet that should be read by incoming first-year students before summer orientation/registration. It explains our approach, lists learning community themes, and defines the first-year seminar. A schedule of learning communities and themed first-year seminar courses is also included in the booklet.

DISCLAIMER: Every effort was made to assure that the information in the "Students Connecting" booklet was accurate when it went to press. However, it is possible that some course schedule information may have changed, such as CRNs (Course Registration Numbers), instructors, rooms, and/or times. Please check the Registrar’s website for the most recent information (https://web.kennesaw.edu/registrar).

National Learning Communities Conference (NLCC)
Kennesaw State is a member of the consortium that organizes and hosts the annual National Learning Communities Conference (NLCC). In November 2009, KSU hosted the conference. The conference features scholarly research and teaching "best practices" related to learning communities. Student involvement in the conference is welcome. For more information about the conference, see the NLCC site (www.kennesaw.edu/fyp/learning_communities/nlcc/2009).

Journal of Learning Communities Research (JLCR)
Kennesaw State, in collaboration with Indiana University Purdue University-Indianapolis (IUPUI), publishes the Journal of Learning Communities Research (www.kennesaw.edu/jlcr), the only academic journal dedicated to learning community topics.

For more information, please contact the Department of First-Year Programs
(678) 797-2471.

Meet the Coordinator of Learning Communities: David Thompson

Send emails regarding this web site to: david_thompson@kennesaw.edu
This page last modified January 17, 2010.
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