First Year Experience, First Year Seminars, and Learning Community Seminars at the UConn form a seamless, holistic academic component designed and committed to the success of all students in transition.
The core curriculum of these courses exists to help serve as the foundation upon which every first and second year student can build their academic successes. The core curriculum aids students in developing the following essential skills: self-advocacy, critical & creative thinking, as well as information, technology, and resource literacy; preparing them for success in their personal, academic, and professional lives at UConn and beyond.
The FYE course suite includes:
- First-Year Experience is an integral part of the core that helps students adjust to the academic, social, and cultural life at UConn
- First Year Seminars focus on developing and enhancing research skills through expert led special topics courses
- Learning Community Seminars explore academic, social, and cultural life at UConn through a discipline specific lens at beginning and advanced levels.
- Learning Community Service-Learning focus on activities specific to the theme of a learning community. Student discussions and critical reflections revolve around their specific service-learning experiences.
| UNIV 1800 | University Learning Skills |
| One credit. One class period. Prerequisite: Open to freshman and sophomore students only. A component of the First Year Experience (FYE) program, this course is intended to acquaint students with the university and expand their learning experiences in order for them to adjust to the new expectations they will face. Course involves assignments that will provide opportunities for students to enhance their academic and interpersonal skills.
Course Structure: Key Course Learning Objectives: LO1: This course will help students discover and connect with the University of Connecticut by using appropriate campus resources and engaging in opportunities that contribute to their learning within and beyond the classroom. LO2: This course will help students develop their definition of academic success by identifying and practicing basic academic and professional skills necessary for undergraduate success at UConn and beyond. LO3: This course will help students exhibit personal growth and development by examining and developing strategies that promote wellbeing, foster relationships with peers/faculty/staff, and increase appreciation for diversity. LO4: This course will help students cultivate their curiosity by increasing self-awareness and exploring countless opportunities throughout their first semester. |
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| UNIV 1810 | Learning Communities Seminars |
| UNIV 1810 Courses are associated with either a Living-Learning Community (LLC) or a Learning Community (LC) and are open only to those students in the Learning Community related to the course.
Living-Learning Communities (LLC): Students in a LLC live together in a residence hall on campus, take a one-credit, UNIV 1810 class, and engage in related activities outside of class. In some communities, students enroll as a cohert in additional courses, such as English. Learning Communities (LC): Students in a LC do not live together, but because they are in the same major or share a common interest, enroll in an UNIV 1810 course. Students come together and form a community through sharing common experiences. |
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| UNIV 1820 | First Year Seminars |
| One credit. One class period. Open to freshman and sophomore students only. May be repeated for credit with a change in content. Guided research or reading, discussion, and writing on topics of professional interest to the instructor. Course materials promote independent learning and active engagement in the academic life of the university.
Course Structure: Key Course Learning Objectives: Required Curricular Elements: |
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| UNIV 1840 | Learning Community Service-Learning |
| One credit. Activities, discussions, and critical reflections related to service-learning, community engagement, and/or experiential learning activities specific to the theme of a learning community. Students taking this course will be assigned a final grade of S (satisfactory) or U (unsatisfactory). This course may be repeated for a total of 2 semesters.
Course Structure: Students engage in a required number of service learning activities (varies by community: 20-32 hours per semester) and reflect on their work through assignments and community discussions. Key Course Learning Goals: The goals of this course are to engage students in activities outside of the classroom that provide a rich context for what they are learning within their Learning Community as well as across their undergraduate curriculum. Students will examine their personal values and motivations and learn what it means to engage effectively and appropriately as a member of a global community with complex societal problems. Key Course Learning Objectives: LO1: Students will recognize and apply the principles of service-learning. |
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| UNIV 3820 |
Advance Learning Community Seminar |
| One credit. Class hours by arrangement. Open only with instructor consent. This course is only open to sophomores, juniors, or seniors in learning communities. With a change in content, this course may be repeated twice for credit. A variable topics course designed to help students engage with the advanced academic and enrichment opportunities unique to their learning community.
Course Structure: The instructional pattern for this course is blended. It may include a series of lectures, discussion sections, discussion boards, collaborative research, and meetings, along with active projects in which the students participate. Key Course Learning Objectives: Required Curricular Elements: Individual instructors will determine specific learning outcomes as well as the best content and assessments for their intellectual projects in the contexts of their learning communities. |