Learning Communities

Learning = Performance
Community = Academic community building

The Learning Communities are an integral part of the first year of the bachelors of the Faculty of Spatial Sciences.

Students who have finished their first year of Human Geography and Urban and Regional Planning or Spatial Planning and Design should have a clear view on what they have learned and why this is useful. This helps them in making crucial choices within their educational career (for example concerning the choice of courses or a master). Answers on important questions, like ‘How does everything relates to each other?’ and ‘How to apply your knowledge in practice?’, seem to be unclear for many students. That is why the FSS has established the Learning Communities.

A Learning Community is a group of 12-18 first year students which are put together to increase the involvement between students, but also between student and staff. A Learning Community aims to realize a good performance, to create cohesion within the programme, to stimulate the sense of community among students and to stimulate students to get in touch with the working field.

The Learning Communities undertake 3 activities during semesters 1a, 1b and 2a of their first year at the FSS:

1. Each semester there is a specific course in which a Learning Community-element is integrated. Attention is paid to cohesion with other courses, specific skills of the students or orientation on the working field. This type of activities is referred to as course-based activities.
2. Each semester organizes or joins a Learning Community an activity that is not related to a specific course. This activity is not a part of the curriculum and can have a relation with spatial sciences or another academic field. These activities are called course-transcendent activities.
3. At the end of semester 2a, all Learning Community members reflect on the cohesion of the above described activities in a reflection report that is part of the IAR course.

All Learning Communities have the opportunity to decide on their own learning agenda by choosing a specific focus for their course-based or course-transcendent activities. The combination of the three activities make that students are prepared for choices which they need to make later in their academic or labour market career. Next to that, the Learning Communities contribute to enhance social cohesion with group members, which helps them to succeed the first year. To facilitate these processes,the Learning Communities can use the Atelier which has flexible workspaces.

Contact persons:
Chris Diederiks (Coordinator/lecturer)

Email: learningcommunitiesfss rug.nl