Webster University: Living Learning Communities FAQ

What are Learning Communities (LCs)?

Why should you want to live and learn?

What Learning Communities are available at Webster University?

Where are the Learning Communities located?

How do I apply?

What are Learning Communities (LCs)?
When attending a college or university, a student should expect to gain the whole higher education experience. The ultimate academic and social experience occurs on Webster’s Learning Communities. Students will live and learn with a group of connected students who live residentially and share classes in their majors.

The Learning Community program consists of co-enrolling students in several courses specifically selected for the learning community based on an area of interest of academic study. Students may participate as either residential or commuter students. Residential students will be housed on the same residence hall floor, and commuter students will receive special commuter access to that residential floor. Through these Learning Communities students will participate in activities inside and outside of the classroom that will enhance their learning and foster a sense of connection to the Webster Community.

Students participating in a Learning Community will:

Enhance their learning experience
Engage in activities outside the classroom that will reflect topics they are learning inside the classroom
Integrate their academic, social, and career development
Have a higher retention rate and GPA
Show appreciation for diverse cultures and experiences
Learn to work collaboratively with each other and other members of the University community
Adjust better socially and academically to campus life
Engage in activities that will contribute to their university and local community

What Learning Communities are available at Webster University?

Pathways – Exploring Options and Making Connections

Designed for first year students who are undecided in a major (2 cohorts - 30 spots available)
This LC is designed to assist undeclared students to effectively explore options during the freshman year and make good decisions about what major to pursue. These students will enjoy the most exciting way to experience the freshman year, while building strong relationships with other first-year students, getting actively involved in campus live right away, and achieving academic success. This LC will assist students in deciding major by exploring the academic majors and will assist them in making informed decisions that will help them through the rest of their academic career.

The students in the Pathways LC will be divided into two Cohorts. The Cohorts then take following academic courses:

Cohort A
Fall 2010

GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar (3 credits)

SPCM 1040 Public Speaking (3 credits)

INDZ 1500 University 101 (1 credit) Fall 1

INDZ 1500 Major Exploration and Career Development (1 credit) Fall 2

Cohort B
Fall 2010

GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar (3 credits)

PHIL 2320 Contemporary Moral Problems (3 credits)

INDZ 1500 University 101 (1 credit) Fall 1

INDZ 1500 Major Exploration and Career Development (1 credit) Fall 2

Communications – SOCC – School of Communication Communities

Open to first year students with majors in the School of Communications (2 cohorts - 30 spots available)
The School of Communications at Webster University operates with one goal in mind: to educate and prepare students to excel as skilled professionals in a global field of communications. To achieve this goal, the school takes a hands-on approach to learning. Students work with professional-grade media equipment as early as their freshman year. Internships connect students with more than 300 employers across the nation. And most students graduate with a professional portfolio in hand.

The students in a Communications LC will be taking the following linked courses:

Fall 2010

EPMD 1000 Introduction to Media Production,

MEDC 1010 Introduction to Mass Communications

MEDC 1050 Introduction to Media Writing, or JOUR 1030 Fundamentals of Reporting

Spring 2011

MEDC 2200 Ethics in Media

Fine Arts – An Environment to Foster Creativity

Open to first year students majoring in Music or Art (2 cohorts - 30 spots available)
The Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts extends a warm welcome to all students! For our arts students, the LC prepares students for successful careers in the arts. At the same time, we provide students with an education that makes them creative and tolerant citizens with an awareness of the relevance of art in a changing world. Because of small classes and careful advising, students are able to take full advantage of a dedicated faculty that includes practicing artists and scholars.

For our music students, Webster University provides you with unparalleled experience and unrivaled training, thanks to our setting in a major urban area. Our music faculty includes outstanding professional practitioners in the composing, analysis, teaching, conducting, and performing of music. Our curricula offer real-world knowledge to help you prepare for real-world success.

The students in the Fine Arts LC will be taking the following linked courses:

Art Majors (1 Cohort)
Fall 2010
GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar

ART 1010 Creative Strategies

ARHS 2200 Current Art

Spring 2011

ART 1220 3D Design

Music Majors (1 Cohort)
Fall 2010
GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar

MUSC 1000 Fundamentals of Music or MUSC 1010 Music Theory I

Spring 2011

MUSC 1010 Music Theory I or

MUSC 1020 Music Theory II

Social Engagement – Using Learning and Lasting Friendships to Make a Difference

Open to first year students who have an interest in areas like human rights, political science, and social activism (1 cohort - 15 spots available)

Fall 2010

GNST 1200 Freshman Seminar

HRTS Current Problems in Human Rights

ANSO 2560 Social Movements

Spring 2011

WRIT 2072 Writing for Change

The Communications LC is housed in the newly renovated Maria Hall. Maria Hall is a traditional residence hall that features suite-style rooms, common area lounges, kitchenettes, laundry facilities, and study rooms.

Maria is centrally located near several academic buildings, providing easy access to many classrooms. An addition benefit to Maria Hall is the main student dining hall, Marletto's Marketplace, is located on the ground floor of Maria.

West Hall

The Fine Arts, Pathways, and Social Engagement LCs are located in West Hall. With the opening of two new residence halls in Fall 2006, Webster University is able to provide a modern, air-conditioned, on-campus housing option for students. West Hall is reserved for freshmen and includes shared two-bedroom, one-bath suites. The hall includes laundry rooms, social lounges, study lounges, kitchenettes, a recreation room, and a multipurpose room.

West is near several Fine Arts academic buildings, providing easy access to many classrooms. An additional benefit to West Hall is that it is the main freshman residential facility on-campus.

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How do I apply?

Complete the application for the Learning Community, found at http://www.webster.edu/students/first-year/index.shtml.
Selection is based on genuine interest in the program, the applicant's vision of how the Learning Community experience will affect their college success, and what the applicant feels they can contribute to the community.
If applying to join the Fine Arts or Communications Communities, you must also be accepted into that school’s program. Visit department websites for specific information on applying.
Apply for housing (if a residential student).

The Learning Communities are limited to a specific number of students in each. Priority will be given to those who apply by March 29th, 2010. If there is still room in the Communities after this date, we will continue to accept applications.

Application Review
After we receive your application it will be reviewed by faculty and staff in the designated LC program. Your application will be reviewed and selected based on the below criteria:

Genuine interest in the program
How you hope to use the LC for your college and post-college success
What you can offer the LC to benefit everyone involved in the community

Placement on the floor
If your application is selected you will then be placed on the assigned floor. The Communications floor is designated in Maria Hall, and the Pathways, Fine Arts, and Social Engagement floors are designated for West Hall. You will also be placed with a roommate based on your personal data sheet, in order to provide the best residential match. There will be between 20-30 students placed on the LC floor.

Placement in your classes
After you are placed in the LC and on the residential floor, we will work with Academic Advising to place you in the linked courses with the other members of your floor and LC. Each LC is paired with 3-4 courses. You will be pre-registered into these courses before you attend the orientation sessions over the summer. At that point your academic advising will help you put together the rest of your schedule around the LC courses.

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