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Summer 2012 Freshman Connection

Strong Start (all majors)

Fall 2012 Freshman Connection

Pre-Accountancy

Business & Economics

Child and Adolescent Development

Family & Consumer Sciences

Health Careers (College of Health and Human Development)

Humanities Learning Community

Kinesiology Learning Community

Science & Math

Social & Behavioral Sciences

Undecided

General questions

About the Freshman Connection

Freshman Connection students at the USU.

What is it?

How does it work?

What is a cohort?

How do cohorts help students succeed?

What is a learning community?

What can a Freshman Connection learning community do for you as a student?

Plenty!

  1. You can interact with other students and teachers as part of a close-knit, supportive community of learners.
  2. You can work with other students on learning community activities and projects across disciplinary boundaries.
  3. You will experience a variety of teaching and learning approaches, including discussions, projects, field trips, other activities, and lectures.
  4. You'll make friends.
  5. You'll learn collaboratively. (After all, learning is a social and interactive process.)
  6. You'll increase your sense of belonging to the CSUN community.
  7. You'll get to take an active role in learning.
  8. You will be exposed to diverse ways of thinking, teaching, and problem-solving.
  9. You'll get to see teachers as learners.
  10. You'll be more likely to see the connections between disciplines and courses instead of seeing them as separate entities.

What are some benefits for faculty?

  1. Setting up a learning community builds community and often bridges the gaps between otherwise disparate parts of the university.
  2. Participating can renew faculty's commitment to the teaching/learning process.
  3. The learning community allows faculty to engage their disciplines in new ways.
  4. The opportunity to be a learner can expand and improve teaching.
  5. Faculty are motivated when they see increased engagement in their students.
  6. The new approaches faculty develop by participating in a Freshman Connection learning community are transferable: they have positive effects on teaching and learning even in traditional (stand-alone) classes faculty may be teaching.

Who Is Eligible?

Summer 2012

Eligibility for the Strong Start Summer Freshman Connection is determined by your score on the Entry Level Math (ELM) test. First-time freshmen only; no restriction by major.

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Fall 2012

Eligibility for the Fall 2012 Freshman Connection is determined by your major. Check the majors here to see if yours is listed. Not sure? Ask your advisor for help.