Learning communities uniting students

The new Thematic Learning Communities are under way for fall 2003.

A TLC typically is composed of a group of 20 students who live on the same floor of a residence hall and take two general education courses and a “bridging seminar” that focus on a particular theme. TLCs are designed to connect students to a community of peers and faculty united through academics.

Eleven TLCs have been organized with more than 125 participants. The 2004-05 academic year promises to be even larger.

This year’s participating schools and departments include aerospace engineering, allied health, biological sciences, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, communication studies (leadership studies), Freshman-Sophomore Advising Center, humanities and Western civilization, psychology, and theatre and film.

Faculty members interested in interdisciplinary teaching can use TLCs as an opportunity to explore connections among courses and fields of study without creating new courses or abandoning existing ones. The one-hour bridging seminar gives teachers the opportunity to explore ways to create learning that draws from the two related courses.

Proposals are being accepted for the 2004-05 academic year. Contact Linda Dixon, interim TLC coordinator, at ldixon@ku.edu.

More information about TLCs is available at www.tlc.ku.edu.