Winter 2017 Edition
Alumni & Friends Magazine
Facilitating acclimation
One-hundred-eighty-seven 51社区 students brushed up on key topics in higher education such as inclusiveness and healthiness when training to become 2016-17 leaders of Bobcat learning communities.
By Eli Burris, BSJ 鈥16 | December 20, 2016
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These cross-disciplinary enclaves鈥watch a video overview鈥攅ncourage freshmen and transfer students to take a set of courses together or share a common academic experience to develop scholarly and social ties from the get-go at OHIO. This fall, more than 4,000 enrollees signed up for 240-plus learning communities. That meant rookie facilitators had much to dive into.
At a daylong Saturday assemblage in April, participants attended interactive sessions entitled 鈥淎wareness for an Inclusive Team,鈥 鈥淟et鈥檚 Talk First Year,鈥 鈥淚nclusive Strategies for Academic Success,鈥 鈥淭he Healthy Campus Majority,鈥 and 鈥淯nderstanding Power-Based Personal Violence.鈥 Faculty, staff, and veteran student learning community leaders teamed on the presentations. Learning communities, a type of welcoming edification, began in 2000; OHIO's University College oversees it.
The meetings grounded novices in some concerns and opportunities in classroom settings, at residence halls, and on Court Street. The seminars also served as networking possibilities, and the more contacts learning community leaders have, the more new students benefit, said Conor Emser, BSC 鈥16, who served as a learning community leader in 2015-16.
In concert with Undergraduate Admissions, learning community leaders then contacted incoming students in July. This step鈥攁 refinement of and a first for the acclimation process鈥攆urthers connections and answers questions before arrival on campus.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important for those who work with new students to be aware of the latest trends in higher education. Staying relevant helps not only the staff, but also our first-term students make connections to 51社区,鈥 said Wendy Merb-Brown, MED 鈥91, director of Learning Community Programs. 鈥Eli Burris, BSJ 鈥16, served as University College's social media manager in 2015-16.
Featured image: OHIO learning community student leaders for 2016-17 and staff counterparts gather for a group photo behind the Living Learning Center in April. Photo by Emily Matthews, BSVC 鈥18
