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Learning Team

Genetics and Bioinformatics Learning Community

 

Learning Community Students

 

What is a Learning Community?

  • Learning communities at ISU are small groups of students with common interests who may take several courses together.

  • The aims of a discipline-based learning community are to stimulate social camaraderie and to provide an enhanced learning environment with activities to better inform participants about the chosen discipline and career opportunities in that discipline.

  • Learning community members are served by peer mentors who offer assistance with course material and provide leadership to the group.

  • Members of some learning communities live together in the same residence hall, although this option is not part of the Genetics Learning Community. Female students who wish to participate in a residence-based learning community should consider also joining WISE (Women in Science and Engineering).

 

The Genetics/Bioinformatics Learning Community

  • Genetics and Bioinformatics freshmen have a joint learning community. Incoming freshmen are automatically enrolled in the learning community and so may choose the reserved course sections and participate in group activities. A certain level of participation in out-of-class activities is required of students in GEN/BCBIO 110. ENGL 250 reserved sections are biologically-themed and address the nature of science. Early change-of-major and transfer students may also elect to take GEN/BCBIO 110 and/or join the learning community.

  • Fall courses with reserved sections for learning community members include:

    • GEN 110, Genetics Orientation
    • CHEM 177 and 177L, General Chemistry I with Laboratory
    • BIOL 212 and 212L, Principles of Biology II with Laboratory
    • ENGL 250, Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition
    • Note: Students in the first year Honors program take ENGL 250H instead of ENGL 250

 

  • Spring courses with reserved sections for learning community members include:

    • CHEM 178 and 178L, General Chemistry II with Laboratory
    • BIOL 211 and 211L, Principles of Biology I with Laboratory
    • ENGL 250, Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition if not taken in Fall
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  • During both semesters, peer mentors provide coursework support through study groups, and also organize social and educational activities. 

  • Fall activities typically include a welcome ice cream social before classes begin, a field trip to a plant genetics industry, movie night, and a trip to a pumpkin patch, corn maze, or other outdoor venue. 

  • Spring activities may include research lab open houses, a visit to Careers in Human Genetics Day at the University of Iowa, and movie night, ice skating, board game night, or other social events.

Learning Community 2

  • Service learning activities currently involve volunteering with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Students prepare by attending a presentation on cystic fibrosis by a CF health care provider or genetic counselor.