First Year Institute Learning Communities

Learning Communities are an exciting way to help students to succeed in college. In learning communities, two or more courses are linked together to focus on a common theme or concept. Teachers coordinate lessons, the amount of homework, and test dates so that students will not be overwhelmed by competing course demands. They emphasize teamwork and encourage all students to actively participate in learning. Students will receive a separate grade for each course. In addition, students will have the opportunity to work with supplemental instructors outside the classroom as needed.

The primary goal of learning communities is to support students during their first year in college by empowering them with the tools necessary to succeed academically. The same students participate in all the courses within the learning community and help each other, making it easier to develop friendships.

Please note: When a student enrolls in a group of two or more courses as part of a learning community, he or she MUST MEET THE PREREQUISITE(S), if there are any, for EACH course in the combination. Students enrolled in one section of a course that is part of a learning community must be enrolled in all other courses in that group. Labs must be taken with lecture. If one course is dropped, the student MUST and WILL BE DISENROLLED from all other courses in the learning community. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO THIS POLICY.

For more information about the F.Y.I. Learning Communities, call (310) 434-8470 or e-mail questions to FirstYearInstitute@smc.edu. Also, visit us at www.smc.edu/fyi.

The Reading-Writing Connection
(Recommended for Black Collegian and Adelante program students)

ENGL 83A, Reading and Vocabulary I    3 units

1954   8:00a-9:20a TTh   PE 140   Markarian E A

   Arrange-2 Hours    DRSCHR 312  

ENGL 81A, The Paragraph – Plus    3 units

1938   9:30a-10:50a TTh   PE 140   Markarian E A

   11:00a-11:50a TTh   DRSCHR 308     

Career Stories and Tools for College Success

COUNS 20, Student Success Seminar    3 units   UC, CSU

1533   8:00a-9:20a TTh   MC 14   Hanson N J

ENGL 23, Intermediate Reading and Vocabulary    3 units

1915   9:30a-10:50a TTh   DRSCHR 215   Todd G T

   Arrange-2 Hours    DRSCHR 312   

ENGL 21A, English Fundamentals 1   3 units

1881   12:45p-2:05p TTh   DRSCHR 213   Todd G T

Public Speaking in the 21st Century: Using the Library to Prove Your Point

SPEECH 1, Elements of Public Speaking   3 units   UC, CSU

2986   11:15a-12:35p MW   LS 105   Kraut D S

LIBR 1, Library Research Methods   1 unit   CSU

2370   12:45p-1:50p W   LIB 192   Womack C Z

The Math Bridge

MATH 81, Basic Arithmetic  (weeks 1-8)  3 units

2506   10:45a-1:50p MW   SM AIR 213   Robles I P

   Arrange-2 Hours    

MATH 84, Arithmetic Review and Pre-Algebra  (weeks 9-16)  3 units

2522   10:45a-1:50p MW   SM AIR 213   Robles I P

   Arrange-2 Hours        

COUNS 20, Student Success Seminar    3 units   UC, CSU

1550   2:15p-3:35p MW   SM AIR 216   Lewis M L

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