Learning Communities and Integrated Studies
A Learning Community (LC) is an innovative class that is team taught by two or more faculty members who fully integrate course work to explore a single theme through multiple subject perspectives. The dynamic, interactive learning environment includes student seminars, field trips, group projects, performances, guest speakers, co-curricular activities, and action research – anything but your traditional classroom fare. The class can be a full course load with a total package of 8-15 credits in one learning experience.
Learning Communities meet Seattle Central’s Associate of Arts degree requirement of 8 credits of integrated studies. After taking one LC, students rave about the experience and are eager to enroll in others as they continue their college journey.
- A subset of Learning Communities (LC’s) to support new to college students with a strong academic and social foundation; focuses on four specific learning outcomes:
- Build Relationships of Trust;
- Engage in the Community;
- Develop a Plan; and
- Improve Academic Skills.
- Transformative educational experience that brings together students from diverse backgrounds
- Designed to connect students with peers and professors, make learning collaborative and supportive, and encourage creative and critical thinking.
- 10-credit learning experience that shows up as two different courses on your transcript.
- Hybrid class that meets Tuesday & Thursday from 9:15am to 12:50pm.
All Learning Communities fulfill the Integrated Studies and other requirements for the AA degree. For the 2024-2025 academic year, you can choose one or more First Year Learning Communities; each of them is a 10 credit, hybrid class that meets in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:15am - 12:50pm.
• Explore issues and concerns of a topical theme with instructors from different subject areas.
• Develop creative and critical thinking skills, while making connections across academic disciplines.
• Enter and complete an educational journey that welcomes life experiences and encourages problem-based learning.
• Meet the Integrated Studies special requirement for the AA transfer degree.
• Gain a sense of belonging at our college while building bonds with peers that will help achieve academic success.
It was extremely different but I enjoyed it thoroughly. This has been such a unique experience, and I can't stress enough that it was for my first quarter of college. When looking back at when I wanted to take a gap year after graduating high school, I am so grateful that I changed my mind and was presented with this class.
I really like that there were constant connections being made between the four subjects and that helped me connect and understand the things I was learning.
Interdisciplinary... Many subjects connected which helped me to think outside of the box and simultaneously about intersecting ideas.
I felt grateful to experience concepts and perspectives that I hadn't before. I wanted to share them with my family and friends, because I wanted them to experience the joy of learning something new too. I wanted to change aspects of my life that I previously thought were given, so that I could make a greater impact on issues that I didn't see before. I wanted to meet more people that had perspectives and concepts that were different than mine, and look for classes that would continue to challenge my view of the world.
A life changing experience, you will build bonds and relationships that will last a lifetime!
“sets the tone that we are all learning from each other, that there is not just one way to learn or frame knowledge. The kinds of questions we ask are different, and it is deeply beneficial to examine even how and why we pose the kinds of questions we do coming from the perspective of our disciplines, our subject positions, our personalities. I often feel like I am in a laboratory of ideas, a workshop of sorts when I am team-teaching. This practice of enquiry reinforces for our students that knowledge is not a fixed object but is dynamic and exciting.”
Phebe Jewell (Stories Beyond Bars; Say Their Names)
“learned a great deal on how to integrate material from multiple disciplines and to put them together in a meaningful way. It has inspired me to try to incorporate more authentic problems and problems that require an interdisciplinary approach in my other sections of courses.”
Danielle Mallare-Dani (Math in Motion I & II)
“absolutely a highlight of my co-teaching experience. I just ran into a student yesterday from the class who said he and a fellow classmate were reminiscing about their experience in the class and didn't know if they could find another class that would rise to that experience. As teachers, rarely do we know how impactful a class is and with this one, it was clear that students not only learned a lot but were impacted by what they learned. They were challenged to think about new concepts, new histories and to meet the academic goals we set in the class. They worked hard to meet those goals and were proud of the work they did.”
Melanie King (The Art of War; The Exotic Other)
Contact Sharon Spence-Wilcox, Learning Communities Committee Chair LCC.Central@seattlecolleges.edu