Learning Communities
Frequently Asked Questions
A learning community is a group of students and faculty working together to explore an idea in-depth. Instead of
signing up for a few unrelated five-credit classes with unconnected assignments and learning outcomes, you sign up
for a learning community that links together two or three separate courses into a single class environment. These
ten- or fifteen-credit classes meet together with all of the instructors for two or three hours a day, giving the
students the chance to get to know their classmates and faculty members well. These supportive, integrated
learning environments create strong class communities - thus, the name "learning communities."
SCC's learning communities usually focus on a central theme (for example, the environment, heroes, ancient Greece,
modernism, racism, or food), and your instructors work to connect your assignments and readings around that theme.
You get the chance to study your class theme from a variety of academic disciplines, letting you see how knowledge
is interconnected. This helps you see how knowledge of one academic area (like sociology, biology, or composition)
can help you excel in other areas.
Unlike traditional, "stand-alone" classes, a learning community doesn't focus on only one discipline at a time.
Because it is interdisciplinary, the class uses multiple academic perspectives to explore your class theme.
A learning community is a great way to meet the needs of AA-degree and transfer requirements in a unique way.
Many of the classes meet "W" (writing-intensive) course requirements and others fulfill the "D" (diversity)
requirement; see each individual course description for more information. By taking a class with a specific theme
or topic that you are interested in, you can connect your own personal interests with the courses that you are
taking. These classes increase your critical thinking and reasoning skills as you find the connections between the
academic disciplines, and most students see knowledge in a more interdisciplinary manner once they have taken a
learning community - they know that what they learn in a psychology class can help them understand characters in
literature, and learning about history enables them to understand philosophy better.
Also, students develop strong friendships with their classmates and better relationships with the faculty as
well. Shy people who tend not to speak up in most classes usually feel more comfortable offering their ideas
because they know their peers better. This collaborative environment helps your group work skills and your
communication abilities.
The tools and skills that you develop in a learning community can be successfully applied to any and all your
future academic classes, regardless of the discipline. For example, learning to write better (whether it is
about baseball or travel) is a skill that will help in all your classes, not just learning communities.
Students in a recent class had this to say about learning communities:
- "Students who take LCs [learning communities] are more likely to understand the texts better than other
students because you have two teachers giving two different points of view."
- "Students who take LCs are more likely to express their opinions and feelings than other students because
in LC classes, you are closer to your classmates and professors."
- "A learning community is like taking a class with your friends. It gives you the opportunity to get to
know your fellow students on a whole new level not seen in your typical college classroom setting."
- "Students who take LCs are more likely to actually understand and care about the material more than
other students do because the students get the opportunity to interact more with the subject matter
rather than just jumping from assignment to assignment."
- "Students who take LCs are able to write better written and thought-out papers on literature than
other students because it forces you to analyze and really understand what is being read. I know that I'm
walking away with a much better reading comprehension and a better ability to articulate my thoughts than
when I came in."
No. These classes are not more difficult than regular classes are, but they feel as if they move at a fast
pace. Most instructors say that students read fewer texts, complete fewer exams and write fewer papers than
if they were taking the two or three classes separately. You have the additional advantage of connected
readings and assignments, so most of your work actually counts for all classes. Also, students say that the
related ideas that they are studying help them understand the information better.
Because learning communities are integrated classes with a single syllabus and course grade, you cannot
pass the class by taking only one part of it. You must sign up for all the related classes (ten or fifteen
credits, depending on the class).
SCC offers learning communities almost every quarter, but the offerings often change from quarter to
quarter and year to year. There is no guarantee that any class will be offered more than once, so if you
see a class theme that interests you, don't wait to sign up.
To find out what offerings are planned for the future, see the schedule.
To enroll in a learning community, talk to a counselor or see the "Learning Communities" section in the
catalog. To make the process easy, simply enroll in the course listed in the catalog. Your instructors will
help you switch into the appropriate classes during the first few days of class. Check to make certain that
the classes offered meet your individual needs before you sign up for the class.
Yes! Signing up for a 100-level, college transfer course as part of a learning community will ultimately
show up as a regular, single course on your transcript. For example, if you took English 101 as part of
a learning community, your transcript will only show English 101, not the learning community. So depending
on your transfer needs and AA requirements, a learning community can help you complete your degree or
program. Make sure to check with a counselor for your individual course needs.
Because the classes are fully integrated, you cannot drop part of the class during the quarter and get
partial credit. And, since learning communities are ten or fifteen credits, dropping the classes can
significantly affect you. Make sure that you are prepared to do the work for the class before you commit.
Most learning communities at SCC have a single course syllabus and course grade. Therefore, your final course
grade for the learning community would be repeated for each class that you are enrolled in. (For example, if
you earned a 3.2 in a combined, ten-credit math and science class, your transcript would show a 3.2 for five
credits of math and a 3.2 for the five-credit science course.)
If you have questions about specific classes being offered, contact the instructors who will be teaching
the class. They can give you information about the course theme, assignments, readings and other information.
If you have additional questions about learning communities in general, you can talk to the co-chairs of the
learning communities committee here at SCC: Angela Rasmussen (533-8011 or
ARasmussen@scc.spokane.edu) or Glen Cosby (533-7370 or
GCosby@scc.spokane.edu).