Minnesota State Universtiy, Mankato

MSU Learning Communities



Address: 10 Gage Center, Office of First Year Experience
City: Mankato
State: MN
Zip or Postal Code: 56001
Country: USA
Program Director (or best person to contact): Lynn D. Akey
Email: lynn.akey@mnsu.edu
Phone: (507)389-5498
Fax: (507)389-5183
Web Address: http://www.mnsu.edu/fye/

Brief Program Summary
Purpose: The Minnesota State University, Mankato Learning Communities Program provides an opportunity for incoming first year students to join a community that supports their academic success. How They Work: Learning Community students take some of their semester classes together and many live on the same residence hall floor providing an excellent opportunity to connect with other first year students. Each Learning Community has their own Learning Community Coordinator (LCC) who is dedicated to the academic success of every member as they transition to college life at MSU. The LCC assists each student in setting academic goals, develops study groups for the community, and plans community events. Key Components: Primary components of the Learning Communities Program include: Course Co-Enrollment, Peer Mentorship, Community Involvement and Clustered Housing.

Sources of funding
Funding for the program is based on allocations from Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, Office of First Year Experience and Admissions.

Program Reports To:
The Office of First Year Experience is the administrative home for MSU Learning Communities with a reporting relationship to Student Affairs and Academic Affairs.

Are students charged an additional fee: No

The number of persons in each of the following categories are teaching academic credit bearing courses
Fulltime Tenured Faculty:
Fulltime Probationary Faculty:
Fulltime Instructors:
Fulltime Retired Faculty:
Fulltime Adjunct Faculty:
Fulltime Graduate Students:
Fulltime Residence Hall Staff:

Parttime Tenured Faculty:
Parttime Probationary Faculty:
Parttime Instructors:
Parttime Retired Faculty:
Parttime Adjunct Faculty:
Parttime Graduate Students:
Parttime Residence Hall Staff:

Academic staff involved in the program that weren't included as faculty above
(Academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing academic services to students such as advising.)
Fulltime Academic Staff: 1
Parttime Academic Staff: 1

Non-academic staff involved in the program
(Non-academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing services that do not directly involve academics such as residence hall staff or staff who organize social activities that are not tied to academics.)
Fulltime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Number of faculty offices in the residence hall: 0
The approximate percentage of students in each grade level
First Year: 100
Second Year: 0
Third Year: 0
Fourth Year and above: 0
Graduate Students: 0

Total Number of Students: 245

Year the Program Began:1999

Academic Courses Offered In The Community
Learning Community Types: Anatomy of Nursing, Army ROTC, Aviation, Elementary Education, Elements of Nursing, Honors, Introduction to Business and Economics, Pre-Engineering, Strategies for Success, Understanding the Person: Psychology, and Women in Science and Engineering. Anatomy of Nursing: Fall Semester NURS 110: Nursing Perspectives BIOL 220: Human Anatomy ENG 101: English Composition FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Spring Semester CHEM 111: Chemistry of the Life Processes SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology Army ROTC: Fall Semester MSL 111: Foundations of Officership HIST 153: War & Peace in the 20th Century SPEE 102: Public Speaking ENG 101: English Composition Aviation: Fall Semester AVIA 100: World of Aviation AVIA 150: Private Pilot Ground School AVIA 151: Private Pilot Flight Lab ENG 101: English Composition FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Elementary Education: Fall Semester BIOL 100: Our Natural World ENG 101: English Composition FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Spring Semester EEC 205: Service Learning: Society and the Environment EEC 200: Early Clinical Experience: Elementary School Elements of Nursing: Fall Semester NURS 110: Nursing Perspectives CHEM 111: Chemistry of the Life Processes SOC 101: Introduction to Sociology FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Spring Semester BIOL 220: Human Anatomy ENG 101: English Composition Honors: Fall Semester HONR 201: American Reflections: History in Performance HONR 201: Nobel Conference HONR 201: Hollywood Goes to Washington Introduction to Business and Economics: Fall Semester ECON 201: Principles of Macroeconomics MRKT 100: Global Business Concepts FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Pre-Engineering - Track 1: Fall Semester EE 101: Introduction to Engineering I CHEM 201: General Chemistry I COMS 171: Introduction to C++ Programming MATH 121: Calculus or MATH 115: Pre-Calculus Spring Semester MATH 122: Calculus II or MATH 121: Calculus I PHYS 221: General Physics I (if enrolled in MATH 122) Pre-Engineering - Track 2: Fall Semester EE 101: Introduction to Engineering I EET 125: Perspective on Technology MATH 112: College Algebra or MATH 113: Trigonometry Spring Semester MATH 113: Trigonometry or MATH 121: Calculus I CHEM 201: General Chemistry I COMS 171: Introduction to C++ Programming Strategies for Success: Fall Semester SPEE 100: Fundamentals of Speech Communication FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Understanding the Person: Psychology: Fall Semester PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology ENG 101: English Composition FYEX 100: First Year Seminar Women in Science and Engineering: Fall Semester ENG 101: English Composition FYEX 100: First Year Seminar *CHEM 201: General Chemistry I or *BIOL 105: General Biology I Spring Semester SPEE 100: Fundamentals of Speech Communication *CHEM 202: General Chemistry II or *BIOL 106: General Biology II

Other Academic Offerings


Classrooms in hall
3

Summary of Facilities and Facilities Budget

Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Computer Lab located in each complex.

The Role of Community Partnerships


The Role of Leadership Development


The Role of Research
Program assessment utilizes the following: * Institutional tracking for retention and GPA * College Student Expections and Experiences Questionaires * Focus Groups

Summary of Assessment Activities
- see above -

Summary of Extracurricular Activities Formally Associated with the Program
Co-Curricular program consisting of activities focused on : * Academic Support * Career Development * Faculty Connection * Cultural Diversity

The Role of Interdisciplinary Studies


How Diversity Issues are Addressed in the Program and in Courses


How Diversity Issues are Addressed Among Faculty and Students


Student Demographics


Faculty Rewards for Participation in the Program
Release Time:
Salary Supplement:
Travel Funds:
Other:

Description of Other Rewards


Disciplines Represented by the Faculty
* see class listings above - in additon First Year Seminar Faculty represent additional disciplines throughout the campus community.

Willing to Serve as a Consultant:
Yes

Greatest Challenges for this Learning Community:
Developing non-residential experiences beyond the first-year.

Suggested Bibliography
We used a great deal of information from the Washington Center for Undergraduate Education.