OHIO's Learning Communities help new students get connected and support them during their transition from home and high school to Ohio University and Athens. A Learning Community is a group of students who take a common set of courses together or share a common experience around their academics. Participants develop a deeper understanding of the courses' subject matter while they build relationships and learn together outside of the classroom.
As part of a learning community, you'll get to know others students from your major or area of interest. Together, you'll take a series of classes, typically a first year seminar and two general education courses. You'll gain a deeper understanding of your courses, subject matter, and make friends both inside and outside the classroom.
Learning Communities are designed with learning, academic success, and life outside the classroom in mind. All students want to feel at home, get to know people easily, and do well academically. Ohio University's Learning Communities help students transition to college life, build connections, and thrive at OHIO.
Participants have ranked the top four benefits of participation as meeting new people and making friends, small class size, in-class discussions, and studying for other classes with classmates.
Over 98% of first-year students are in a Learning Community!
Learning Communities are an excellent way to meet new friends. As part of a community of no more than 25 students, you and your community members will share not only learning experiences and out-of-class activities, but support one another's academic success.
You and the members of your Learning Community are enrolled in two or more courses in common. These linked courses form the basis of your fall semester schedule. You will know a few friendly faces in those larger classes. Finding a study partner has never been so easy!
Every student at Ohio University must complete a series of "general education" courses. The courses in the Learning Community program are either general education courses or courses that are required for your specific academic program. This means that when you enroll in a Learning Community, you begin to complete these requirements and progress toward your degree immediately.
This one credit seminar course (UC 1900) is the hub of your community. Your instructor will assist you in adjusting to college life as well as guide you through the exploration of what Ohio University has to offer. Each community will also have an upperclass student as a peer mentor (Learning Community Leader, LCL) to provide social and academic support. Other topics such as campus involvement, diversity, community responsibilities, and career resources and planning will be explored.
Participating in a Learning Community will give you the opportunity to engage in academic as well as social activities with the members of your community. These activities may include the faculty from your linked courses. Some activities from past communities include custard, climbing, attending athletic and cultural events, cookouts, shopping/IMAX movie in Columbus, dinner with professors, carving pumpkins for Halloween, and study sessions.
From your community members, peer mentor, and Learning Community instructor to the faculty who teach your linked courses, you will make connections throughout the university. Each of these unique connections can contribute to an academically rich, fun, and rewarding academic experience and your ultimate success at OHIO.
There are specialized options for first-year students as well as transfer and OHIO relocate students.
Fall 2022 Early Sign-Up Has Ended.
You will be able to sign-up for a Learning Community with your advisor during Bobcat Student Orientation, when you register for classes.
Early-Sign-Up Process
The first opportunity for students to sign up for a Learning Community is between February 1 and May 6. Students will have another opportunity to sign up for a Learning Community at their Bobcat Student Orientation session.
OHIO offers a unique Campus Connections class that centers around being a transfer or an OHIO Relocate student. This is a 7-week course supported by a Peer Leader that focuses on connecting you to the Athens community, the campus resources, and to the Bobcat student community. To sign up for the Campus Connections class please complete the online form.
There are five objectives for the Learning Community program at Ohio University:
The objectives are met through the following programmatic elements:
There are no additional fees for joining a Learning Community, nor does it require all your time. You will take classes outside your community, room with students outside the program and become involved in other parts of campus life. However, when you have questions, need to get in a study group or want to grab lunch, you will always know someone to call.
You will receive communications from your academic program or college regarding the Learning Community opportunities for you, or you can follow the instructions on this page.
If you enroll in a college-based community or a specific population community, you will be notified by email or letter prior to orientation of your acceptance.
To enroll in a Learning Community, you will need to complete the online application process AND have completed a housing contract and paid the housing deposit (or filled-out a housing exemption form. The housing deposit/exemption form is your “final” admittance step to Ohio University). Students also enroll in Learning Communities at orientation with the assistance of an academic adviser.
The majority of our Learning Communities are NOT residentially based, which means that you can live anywhere on campus.
Some of our college-based Learning Communities ARE residentially based and/or have a residential option, and some college-based Learning Communities are non-residential. The online application specifies if your group includes a residential component.
During orientation you will be given one call number to use to register for the community of your choice. That one call number will enroll you in two or three courses, the LC seminar course and one or two Tier II courses.
Our residence halls are quite large and even if a Learning Community is residentially based or has a residential option, the students in the Learning Communities are spread out over the entire building so that you can get to know other students as well. The majority of the students in the residence halls are NOT in residentially-based Learning Communities.
Yes. During orientation, you will meet with an academic advisor who will discuss the coursework that would best match your interests and complement the Learning Community classes that you intend to take.
You can still sign up for this Learning Community. Be sure the University has a copy of your transcript. During orientation, the Learning Community director can make adjustments to your Learning Community cluster. We don't want to penalize a student for thinking and planning ahead!
Yes. Students must take all courses that are offered with their community.
The only exception is for those courses in which a student has AP, CC+, or other college credit.
The seminar course is the hub of the community and is taught by the students’ Learning Community instructor. There is also a Learning Community Leader (peer mentor, LCL) who is the instructor’s assistant for each community.
The UC 1500 Campus Connections course is designed to help transfer and OHIO relocate students learn about campus resources and the Athens community, and to build a community with peers who are similarly transitioning to Ohio University. A peer leader assigned to each class will support class conversations, facilitate out-of-class activities, and help you to be academically successful in your transition.UC 1500 Campus Connections is a 7-week course.
Students who take the Campus Connections class are not required to live together, but there is an option, with limited space. For more information, please see https://www.ohio.edu/housing/living-opportunities.
Students who live in the Transfer Residential Learning community are required to take the UC 1500 Campus Connections class.
Sign Up for Campus Connections
Learning Communities at Ohio University are a collaborative effort between University College, the Office of Admissions, the Office of the Registrar, Institutional Research, the Office of Information Technology, the Division of Student Affairs, Division of Diversity and Inclusion, Alden Library, Women's Center, the College of Arts and Sciences, the College of Business, the Scripps College of Communication, the Patton College of Education, the Russ College of Engineering and Technology, the College of Fine Arts, and the College of Health Sciences and Professions.
