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Learning Communities

Learning Communities at SVC

Skagit Valley College has been offering Learning Communities (LCs) since 1986 and has included them in degree requirements for transfer students since 1993. Because of this aspect of our innovative degree program, college teams come from all over the country to study our program, and Skagit is highlighted in a number of books and articles about important reforms in college education.

View SVC 2024-25 Learning Communities Schedule

Faculty & Staff

  • Most LCs are paired courses that are team-taught, with faculty for each class in the classroom at all times and the coursework fully integrated. Examples: Feast or Famine (Nutrition and Sociology); Northwest Indians Rock! (Earth Science and Ethnic Studies); and Sex.comm. (Human Sexuality and Mass Communication).
  • LCs that include a writing course are structured as “links,” with one or more overlapping assignments and a variety of possible course structures. Examples: “Know What I Mean?” (History of Jazz and English Composition); Thinking the Unthinkable (Political Science and English Composition); and Place/Time/View (Introduction to Art and English Composition).
  • In other LCs – for instance, those designed for science majors on the Mount Vernon campus – small groups of students from several different courses will co-enroll in one course and, together, will explore issues related to their major field of study. Example: students who enroll in Celluloid Science take Introduction to Film and one of a number of science courses.

Most Learning Communities emphasize collaborative, interdisciplinary learning. Students work together in small and large groups and often prepare projects, panels, or papers that show their understanding of the connections between the two fields of study.

  • Students in Stating the Matter (Chemistry and English composition) analyze articles and publications about global warming and water pollution to determine the scientific merit of the claims being argued for papers that they write for English.
  • Students in Music Makes the World Go Round (World History and World Music) learn to understand cultural expression and the limitations of cultural conditions by locating “found objects” and turning those into musical instruments, for instance, PVC pan pipes and chimes made from horseshoes.
  • Science majors in Celluloid Science study how films portray scientists and analyze the accuracy of scientific practice and concepts in films. Each week, a different member of the science faculty analyzes that week’s film from the perspective of his/her particular discipline and student panels present their own analysis.

FAQs

Learning Communities (LCs) intentionally combine courses to explore connections between areas of study and to foster deeper, more meaningful learning relationships among faculty and students. For example, a math course might be combined with a reading course to show how the skills and knowledge used in the study of one subject help to understand the other. An Earth Science course might be combined with an Ethnic Studies course to explore the relationships between the geology of a particular place and the people who have inhabited that place over time.

Integrative Experiences (IEs) are curricular (course) or co-curricular experiences designed by faculty in which students demonstrate their ability to integrate information, concepts, analytical frameworks, and/or skills from two or more areas of inquiry in a purposeful project or experience.

Transfer students need three integrative learning experiences in order to fulfill graduation requirements. Two must be learning communities. The third may be an integrative experience project or a third learning community.

Although Learning Communities are not required for ATA degrees, if you need to enroll in a pre-college level math or English or reading course, you may find that a Learning Community can help reinforce your learning in those disciplines.

Each 100-level or 200-level course contained in the Learning Community will count toward your other degree requirements in communication, quantitative reasoning, the natural world, social sciences/culture, arts & humanities or physical education.

When two different courses combine around a theme, there are connections to explore and this helps to learn the information and to apply it. In other words, by seeing the connections or overlapping of two different areas the learning becomes more concrete or applicable. Similarly, research shows that combining writing with another subject improves your comprehension of that subject while improving your writing skills.

Just like with everything else it depends on the learner. What is hard for you isn’t necessarily hard for someone else. But these courses aren’t designed to be harder or to have more work. They are two classes combined, so always check your quarterly credit amount and be sure you aren’t overburdened, no matter what types of classes you chose to enroll.

No, they vary in credit value depending on the courses. They could be 5 to 12 quarter credits depending on what courses form the class.

Yes, each quarter there are different offerings on both campuses and online. Please check the quarterly schedule for a list of what is being taught.