First-year students at Cal State Channel Islands participate in our Learning Communities (LC) program involving General Education and/or academic program requirement classes in both Fall and Spring semesters. The Learning Communities program supports students in their transition to campus through faculty mentorship and peer mentor engagement both in and out of the classroom. Learning Communities at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI) are designed to support student success as a scholar and campus community member. Students who participate in Learning Communities report a greater sense of belonging on campus and increased confidence in their academic abilities.
What are Learning Communities?
Learning Communities
Learning Community Structure
Generally, a Learning Community includes two classes in the Fall semester and one class in the Spring semester. Classes in the program meet either General Education and/or academic program requirements. One class in each semester will include an Embedded Peer Mentor (EPM). The role of the EPM is to connect you with campus resources to support your campus success and engagement both academically and socially. Our EPMs complete over 50 hours of training each year and serve as a valuable resource and guide to support first-year students in their transition to university life. EPMs partner with the professors teaching the LC classes to offer students in LCs strategies for academic success.
Living-Learning Communities
For some of our LCs, first-year students have the opportunity live on the same floor in campus housing to build a close-knit community. These are called Living-Learning Communities. Many LC students who choose to live on-campus will request to participate in an LLC option to fully experience the program. However, all are welcome, and participation in Living-Learning Community activities accommodates students whether they live on-campus or off-campus.
Engaged Learning
Faculty and program staff curate unique field trip experiences and campus events specially designed for first-year students in the Learning Communities program. Activities such as weekend trips to the Santa Rosa Island Research Station, Virtual Reality Gaming Center field trip, San Diego Cultural Immersion field trip, Kwanzaa Celebration, regional musical performances, and service-learning engagement with partners in the community have been part of the program. These hands-on learning experiences create opportunities to explore your academic and personal interests and reimagine how you might navigate your educational journey at Cal State Channel Islands through student research, global learning experiences, academic internships at for profit and nonprofit organizations in the area, and/or other place-based learning endeavors on campus and beyond.
Learning Communities Benefits
In a nutshell, students who participate in the Learning Communities program will enjoy the following benefits as a first-year student:
- Guaranteed enrollment in high demand classes during prime times
- Peer led opportunities to learn and practice skills for attaining academic success including time management, faculty outreach, campus engagement and academic resource support
- Experiential learning environments where you feel supported and challenged to reimagine the possibilities
- Unique first-year learning experiences via field trips and social gatherings
- Opportunity to extend the experience into the residential living (dorms) for some Learning Communities (living on campus is not required for participation in the Learning Communities program)
Enrolling in a Learning Community
Enrollment into your Learning Community begins with the Joining the Pod survey. In this survey you will be guided into a first-year community experience that matches with your academic program or personal interests.
Undeclared? No problem, there are multiple communities where you can explore different areas of study.
Incoming students who do not complete the Joining the Pod survey will be placed into a community based on recommendations made by their declared major or based on availability. To ensure your preference, please complete the Joining the Pod survey upon receipt in your email and/or text messages as part of your acceptance and enrollment process. This survey should be completed prior to your summer advising session.
If you have questions about what the Learning Communities program will look like for you, please email the Learning Communities program.