UA Now Offering Learning Communities Option to Its Incoming Freshmen

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The University of Alabama’s new Freshman Learning Communities (FLC) will give incoming freshmen an opportunity to have fun, make friends, meet faculty, and earn course credit all at the same time.

“The thirty or more communities are centered on areas of interest, not particular majors, so they will encourage students from different colleges to meet and exchange ideas,” said Dr. Ann Webb, FLC coordinator. “The University’s intention in launching these communities is to engage students early in their university careers, even before they arrive for fall classes, in a close collaboration with faculty and other students who share the same interests.”

A full listing of FLCs, along with faculty directors, courses, and an on-line application, is available online at www.FLC.ua.edu.

The FLCs are open to all incoming freshmen enrolling for the fall semester. The choice of a freshman learning community is not tied to the residence hall in which the student may live.

“It is exciting to build communities that may well include students who live near you but also include others who live across campus from you,” Webb said. “The FLCs seek to transform The University of Alabama, a major research university of more than 20,000 students, into a small group of friends and mentors who share a desire to learn in a special, interesting, and challenging way during the important freshman year.”

According to Webb, the FLCs are built around general education courses that students would be taking to fulfill degree requirements. In addition to the general education courses, most FLCs have a one-hour course that enables faculty and students to meet and to engage in activities related to the FLC theme. The communities encourage involvement in out-of-class learning, including student organizations and special campus events.

Topics are wide-ranging. One community, CarNation, will explore the impact of the automobile on life. Another, CSI Alabama, will introduce students to forensic science. There are several communities that address international and environmental issues, green manufacturing, and a Creative Campus FLC is intended for students who are interested in the arts, but not arts majors.

“These FLCs will help our freshmen get the most of their first semester at UA. By being concurrently enrolled with the same cohort of students in courses linked by a common theme, new freshmen have a ready-made community of study buddies, as well as instructors who take a special, personalized interest in their progress,” Webb said.

Registration is on a first-come, first-serve basis, with a limit of 25 students in each FLC. Priority deadline for registering is May 15.