iStart: New Student Days Thursday, August 28 – Saturday, August 30 2008 iStart.wayne.edu

iStart: New Student Days is a collaborative effort; provides entering first-year students an opportunity to be officially welcomed to the University by the President; creates a fun environment for students to meet peers and connect with faculty and staff; exposes students to “college life” situations and resources to address them; helps students strengthen the skills necessary to learn effectively.

Goals of iStart Students will gain greater awareness of campus resources. Students will develop relationships with staff and faculty. Students will develop relationships with peers. Students will feel better prepared to begin at WSU

Goal 1: Students will gain greater awareness of campus resources. “I am more aware of campus resources as a result of my participation in iStart.”

Goal 2: Students will develop relationships with staff and faculty. “I know staff whom I can call on for support.” “I know faculty whom I can call on for support.”

Goal 3: Students will develop relationships with peers. “During iStart, I developed friendships that I would like to continue.” “I know students whom I can call on for support.”

Goal 4. Students will feel better prepared to begin at WSU. “I feel better prepared to begin at WSU because of iStart.”

Peer Mentors have an integral role in helping achieve these goals AND creating the community in which students reach their individual goals.

Be a Part of Something Great! Learning Communities @ Wayne State Fall 2008 Good Afternoon, and WELCOME to Peer Mentor Training! My name is Amy Cooper, and I work in the office of Undergraduate Programs here at WSU. I am here today to tell you more about the Learning Community program at Wayne State.

WHAT is a Learning Community? Learning Communities are small groups of students, faculty, and staff who work closely together - each group a “community of learners” In a learning community, they’ll be among students with similar interests. Their entire group might take a course together, study together, have social activities, and they might all live on the same floor of a residence hall. There are approximately 20 students per Learning Community, paired with a Peer Mentor and a faculty member from the department or major. A Peer mentor is an upper class WSU Student who has taken the course connected to the Learning Community or is in the same major. Faculty working with the Learning Community will develop course materials, and focus the specific direction of the learning community Our Peer Mentors are the front-line connection to WSU students; you will be their connection to faculty, student services, resources on campus, and a role model new students can look up to. Most Learning Communities are focused around a course or major. Each Learning Community Peer Mentor will most likely attend class with students, and set up meeting times for various events like study sessions, community service projects, trips around mid-town Detroit, WSU campus events, social events, etc. Each Learning Community is different, so these events will vary.

Guiding Principle SUCCESS SUPPORT Responsibility The guiding principle for learning communities is success –realizing success as a student – helping students to adjust to college life and achieve academically. How do we help students succeed? Learning communities provide support – through study sessions, peer mentors, and building community. It is the responsibility of WSU faculty and staff to help students achieve their goals and help you be successful. But, there is also responsibility for the student. It is their responsibility to ask questions, to get involved, and to ask for help if they need it. In a learning community, students also support each other . They make friends, attend events and activities together, and they help foster the sense of community. SUPPORT Responsibility

Our Vision Vision for WSU learning communities: To support Wayne State University’s commitment to student learning, the Learning Community initiative seeks to enhance our undergraduates’ experience by providing ALL interested students dynamic, focused communities in which students, staff, and faculty can learn and grow together. The Learning Community program is growing! The Learning Community Program at WSU started with just five communities in 2005, now we have over 28 to choose from. Our goal is to have a learning community available for every incoming freshman student—we would also like to include Learning Community opportunities for transfer students and graduate students as well. We will continue to build the program so that students, faculty and staff and learn and grow together

Learning Communities – They Work for Students Research shows that students who participate in Learning Communities Have higher academic achievement Have an easier transition to the university Have more interaction with faculty Get more involved in campus life Our research shows that WSU students who participate in Learning Communities get better grades. Learning Communities make a big university feel smaller and more accessible. There is a big difference between a high school of 1,000 or 2,000 students, and a college campus of over 35,000. Sometimes, making that transition from high school to college is a challenge—Learning Communities help to bridge that transition, and give you a group to connect with and be an active part of. Each learning community has at least one faculty member and peer mentor assigned to it, for more 1-1 time with each student. As a part of an Learning Community, students will participate in activities on and around campus.

Learning Outcomes Over all, the following learning objectives cover much of the range of the specific objectives of the various programs Developing critical thinking skills Improving ability to apply knowledge and solve problems Making appropriate use of student services Developing ability to collaborate with others Experiencing a successful transition to university and successfully identifying and pursuing their goals As an active member of a Learning Community, each student should learn and know where they can go for campus resources and support services. Peer mentors will work with students in study sessions, team building exercises, and problem solving; peer mentors will be a resource for students.

Organizing for Success GOOD PRACTICES Discussion groups and seminars integrate learning across learning community classes Assignments explicitly integrate materials across courses Student support services staff and learning community faculty share a sense of purpose about the learning community program In some Learning Communities, students will attend several courses together. A successful learning community makes use of discussion groups and homework assignments to relate the courses more closely to each other, or relate to the theme of the Learning Community. Faculty members will work together to relate course materials, discussions, etc. to each other. Peer mentors will reinforce this concept.

Visit our website www.lc.wayne.edu Take a look at the descriptions of each Learning Community on our website. Contact the LC coordinator for more information, and details about how to sign up Our new website has LOTS of updated information about all the new Learning Communities, program information, etc. Check it out!

Are You Interested? Be Part of Something Great – Select A Learning Community Last Name____________________________ First Name____________________________ Phone Number_________________________ Academic Major________________________ WSU Student ID Number_________________ 􀂉 I would like to join the __________________________________Learning Community. 􀂉 I’m undecided on which Learning Community to join, please contact me. 􀂉 I am not interested in joining a Learning Community at this time. FALL 2008 Learning Communities Business 1 Living Learning Community • Kinesiology, Level 1 Becoming a Professional Education • Learning Community for Professional (TED 2251) Preparation in Kinesiology Center for Chicano-Boricua Studies • Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Comerica Scholars • Military Veterans Dance • Motown and the Global Community (English) Division of Community Education, • Pre-Morris Hood Scholars, Education (DCE) Learning Communities • STRONG Learning Community Engineering Bridge Mentorship Program • SNAPS and Future Nurse Professionals First Year Experience, Education • Success Track, Education LC Honors Program Learning Community • The Math Corps LC @ WSU Instructional Technology (IT) On Tap • TRIO Math Learning Community Introduction to Education (TED 2250) • Urban Scholars/Leaders Journalism Institute for Media Diversity • Visual Arts (JIM) • Wayne Computes! At Orientation, we ask all students to fill out an interest form to determine which LC they want to know more about. The LC Coordinator will contact students over the summer; the coordinator can help them get signed up, and will get them involved in the LC. This form is also available at our website. Students can fill out the form and e-mail it to me at ao4919@wayne.edu

Any Questions?

Questions? In some Learning Communities, students will attend several courses together. A successful learning community makes use of discussion groups and homework assignments to relate the courses more closely to each other, or relate to the theme of the Learning Community. Faculty members will work together to relate course materials, discussions, etc. to each other. Peer mentors will reinforce this concept.