First-Year Software Engineering students are eligible to join.
Program description
The Software Engineering Learning Community is a non-residential, course-based learning community program for first year software engineering students. Students will take a set of required courses with other software engineering students. Fall semester, students will take first semester course, S E 101: Software Engineering Orientation. The goal of this course is to provide an engaging learning environment for first semester freshman to learn policies, procedures and expectations at Iowa State University. Students will find resources for personal and academic success, as well as learn about educational requirements. Students will also be enrolled in common courses and participate in structured activities.
During spring semester, students will participate in S E 166: Software Engineering Careers. The goal of this course will be for students to learn of the career opportunities for Software Engineering majors and interact with potential employers. Students will continue to take common courses and participate in activities.
Living Options
None
Signing up
Students will have an opportunity to register for this learning community during June Orientation.
Mechanical Engineering Learning Teams (MELTs) are non-residential, course-based learning community programs for mechanical engineering students. The participants in the LC enroll in a set of required courses with other mechanical engineering students. One of the required courses is an ME 190 seminar course led by a peer mentor. Our peer mentors are academically successful junior or senior students in the mechanical engineering curriculum who have completed an internship and/or a study abroad experience.
Learning community participants have the opportunity to build social and academic support groups with other mechanical engineering students to help their transition into the ISU community and the Mechanical Engineering Department. LC participants also have opportunities to interact with ME faculty, staff, and upper level mechanical engineering students. Each MELT reserves between 10-25 seats in the connected courses; however, we reserve 20 seats in each ME 190 seminar class to maximize scheduling flexibility for the students and to allow for increased participation.
We currently have 16 learning team sections, and each is assigned to a peer mentor. The MELT learning team is a full-year program, allowing students to participate in M E 190 in the fall, and programming activities in the spring. Due to the differing academic levels of our freshman students, we offer Learning Teams in the fall that are linked in all math courses from Math 143 through Math 265.
Living Options
This is a course-based learning community; thus there are no living options. MELT participants are free to live wherever they wish.
Signing up
Students who are interested in being in a MELT please notify an ME advisor during June summer orientation when setting up your Fall schedule.
First year students (direct from high school and transfer) who declare Materials Engineering as their degree program
Program description
The Materials Science & Engineering Learning Community allows first-year students and transfer students in their first year at ISU to join the strong camaraderie and collaboration that make up the culture of the MSE department. We believe it is important and exciting to have a learning community which serves as a gateway into the MSE “family.”
The mission of the MSE learning community is to embrace and nurture all new students who declare Materials Engineering as their degree program. Since the Mat E first-year population grows as the year progresses, we are happy to operate a year-long learning community experience, as this allows us to include those students who choose Mat E as their curriculum even after the school year begins. We do this by offering clustered course options in the fall and spring semesters and by selecting upper-level Mat E students to serve as peer mentors to support those who are transitioning to ISU and the MSE department.
Living Options
Nonresidential
Signing up
Students enroll during orientation. Please contact Andrea Klocke (aklocke@iastate.edu) for more information.
"I think the best part about joining a learning community is getting to know people who will be in your classes for pretty much your entire college career. I met many people in my learning community, and made some amazing friends who are in most of my classes still in my Junior year, and who I get closer to every semester." MSE Peer Mentor, Jacob
"Students should join a learning community because they are the foundation of your college career. Leaning communities get you involved with other students who are in the same class as you. This allows students to easily meet each other and form study groups. Learning communities are also externally important for networking and creating friendships. Interacting with students of either the same or different major allows students to form friendships that could last a lifetime. Also, the advisors of the learning community are a great network source, as they have had previous students going through the same thing you are. Learning communities helped me become the best I could be." -Michael
A student should join a learning community because it will not only provide personal development but professional development as well. Students will make endless personal and professional connections that will ultimately lead them onto a path of success. Students will be mentored and led by successful upperclassmen students and an instructor who has a passion to serve the learning community and provide students with the necessary resources to be successful. I believe joining a learning community is vital to success and would highly recommend it.—Christopher
Majors Eligible to Join
Multicultural students (African American, Latino/a American, Asian American, Native American & Multi-racial) in any engineering major
Program Description
Get the LEAD edge! The LEAD Learning Community is structured to support multicultural engineering students taking basic program courses (Chemistry, Math, and Physics).
The LEAD Living and Learning Community offers four main components:
Orientation courses in the fall (Engr 104) and spring (Engr 105)
Peer mentoring
A residential/living component
Course-clustered “learning teams”
The LEAD Learning Community is designed to assist in the development of the academic, professional and social support network of multicultural engineering students. LEAD Learning Community participants engage in professional development seminars, industrial plant visits, out-of-class community building activities, informal opportunities to interact with faculty and staff in the College of Engineering, and leadership and community service/volunteer experiences. In addition, LEAD members are assigned academic peer mentors who facilitate daily study sessions and assist with their transition to Iowa State University and the College of Engineering.
Students who choose to participate in the residential component of the LEAD Learning Community get the added benefit of living on the same residence hall floor with other multicultural engineering students and having the support of a residential peer mentor that lives on the floor and assists in the facilitation of extra-curricular activities.
Living Options
The LEAD Residential Learning Community is offered in conjunction with the ISU Department of Residence and is housed in Friley Hall on Meeker House.
Signing Up
To sign up for a residential learning community simply click on the “Learning Community” tab when filling out your Department of Residence contract on AccessPlus. You can go in and update or change your learning community preference information at any time up until the deadline without losing your “priority date.”
Once enrolled in the residential option of the LEAD Learning Community, registration for the course-clustered learning team takes place during summer orientation in the month of June.
Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to Robinette Kelley, Director, Office of Equal Opportunity, Title IX/ADA Coordinator, and Affirmative Action Officer, 3350 Beardshear Hall, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515 294-7612, email eooffice@iastate.edu
Learning communities are a great way to meet new friends, adjust to college life, and learn about the college/area in general. I personally still am friends with quite a few people from my learning community that I was in during my Freshman year. I think learning communities are a great thing for everyone to join. – Cole
The best part of being in a learning community is building an academic network of students. This helps academic performance since you have people to go to for help. Also helps make school a more enjoyable place since you’ll know people wherever you go. – Meghan
Majors eligible to join
Students transferring in or continuing within the Industrial Engineering major.
Program description
The IDEAL Transitions Learning Community provides academic and social support systems for Industrial Engineering students. Students have the opportunity to take common courses and participate in social, professional, and study group experiences lead by peer mentors.
Living Options
This is a non-residential learning community.
Signing up
Students will have the opportunity to register during the Fall/Summer and Spring registration periods.
Contact
Heather Robinson 3034 Black Engineering Phone: 515-294-7797 hrobins@iastate.edu
Devna Popejoy-Sheriff 3038 Black Engineering Phone: 515-294-1603 devna@iastate.edu
IDEAL works to assist new Industrial Engineering students while they are transitioning into college life through academic and social support systems. This will be accomplished by developing a supportive network of students, peer mentors, faculty and staff. The IDEAL Learning Community students take clustered courses to build interactions based on similar academic interests, while learning together to enhance their experience.
Living Options
None
Signing up
All first-year students who declare Industrial Engineering as a major before or during the school year automatically become members of the IDEAL Learning Community. They receive information through mailings and at summer orientation.
“The best part of being in a Learning Community is the connections you make with other students and your peer mentor. Many of these connections and friendships will carry throughout your college career.” –Megan
“In my opinion, the best part about being in a learning community is having the opportunity to spend time with a wide variety of people who are in a similar situation as you are. In college it is so important to have a good support system, and learning communities are a wonderful place to find that.” – Michelle
Majors eligible to join
All engineering students who are advised through Engineering Student Services
Program description
The Engineering Exploration learning community is designed for first-year engineering students advised through Engineering Student Services. It provides a sense of community and academic support with clustered first year engineering courses. Students have close connections with engineering peer mentors in a small learning community class designed to assist in learning about engineering, group interaction skills and academic problem solving in order to increase success and retention. It is our hope that students get more connected to ease their transition to ISU.
Living Options
None
Signing up
Engineering Exploration students will be able to sign up for a learning community when they meet with an adviser during orientation.
Open to all majors, the emphasis of the problems and demos are based on interesting problems in Electrical and Computer Engineering.
Program description
EELC offers a great environment to know your peers and many people in the department including professors, advisors, juniors and seniors. Students will take classes together in the first terms, such as: Math 165 Chemistry 165/or 155 EE 185 Engr 101
And in the second term: Math 166 Physics 221 EE 186 EE166
The students have opportunities to work with mentors, as well as help sessions for math and chemistry and physics. The learning community emphasis team work, group projects and group activities that will enhance students social and educational lives within the univeristy. Activites are encouraged, mentors are available but not mandatory.
Living options
Students have the option to live-in with CprE learning community students in Friley Hall.
Signing up
You need to sign up after you take the math placement exam. Your academic advisor can sign you up.
Open to Construction Engineering majors Other students with permission from instructor
Program description
The purpose of the Cornerstone Learning Community is to help freshmen and transfer students in Construction Engineering adjust to life at ISU, learn what resources ISU offers, and to introduce students to faculty and industry members early in their careers at ISU. The activities we engage in encourage teamwork and team building, as well as help our students learn more about themselves and others in the ConE program. A large part of our purpose is to help foster and develop the 'soft skills' that industry is looking for in our graduates while developing competent leaders and future employees.
Living Options
None
Signing Up
Sign up for the learning community takes place at summer orientation.
During fall semester, students in the computer engineering learning community participate in the first semester course, CprE 185 Introduction to Computer Engineering and Problem Solving. The goal of the course is to obtain experience solving problems using C programming and to learn to function as an engineer in a team. Project based examples from computer engineering. Computer based projects and solutions of engineering problems using the C language.
During spring semester, students in the computer engineering learning community participate in the second semester course, CprE 186 Exploring Computer Engineering. CprE 186 was designed with special emphasis on the supporting laboratory experiments and interactive robots. Students design, implement and test computer based projects in an interactive, team oriented approach. This one credit course is only open to learning community students.
Living Options
Students live in Friley Hall with 3 live in peer mentors.
Signing up
To sign up for a residential learning community simply click on the “Learning Community” tab when filling out your Department of Residence contract on AccessPlus. You can go in and update or change your learning community preference information at any time up until the deadline without losing your “priority date.” Sign up for the learning community course(s) takes place at summer orientation.
