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LEI

FAQs

1. What is the LEI?
The LEI (Learning Excellence Initiative) is a combination of linked courses and guided learning experiences designed to boost the academic and personal success of first-time college students. The knowledge, values, skills, and behaviors developed or enhanced through the LEI give students the "learning capacity" to reach their personal and educational goals and to be high academic achievers.

The LEI is also designed to help students become part of the campus community in ways that make the learning experience meaningful, fun, and rewarding.

2. What is "learning capacity"?
Learning capacity is like having a mental "tool box" that enables you to navigate the environment, anticipate challenges and respond with workable solutions, and use resources in order to achieve specific results. A dimension of learning capacity also involves assuming personal responsibility for your own learning and decisions. As you sharpen your learning capacity, you increase your level of success-here at Tri-County and wherever life takes you.

3. What types of students will be participating in the LEI?
First-time postsecondary students who meet specific criteria are eligible to participate in the LEI. (The criteria are linked with various LEI components and include factors such as major and placement test scores.) Currently the LEI is only available to students taking day classes on the Pendleton Campus. A first-time postsecondary student is someone who has not previously attended college after high school, regardless of age.

4. How is the LEI structured?
The LEI has 3 parts: Smart Start, Freshman Seminar, and a learning community.

5. What is Smart Start?
Smart Start is orientation program designed specifically for LEI students. It provides structured learning experiences that purposefully link to Freshman Seminar and the learning communities.

Unlike traditional orientation programs, Smart Start integrates essential information with active learning exercises (many using campus email and technology resources) and includes community-building exercises as well as an introduction to learning communities.

During the Smart Start session, students will receive academic advising and will register for their first semester classes (including an appropriate learning community). LEI students who attend Smart Start do not need to attend one of Tri-County's regular new student orientation sessions.

6. What is Freshman Seminar (COL 105)?
Freshman Seminar is a three-semester hour course designed specifically for the LEI. It focuses on content such as 1) study and test-taking skills for different academic content; 2) understanding and applying learning styles; 3) developing basic critical thinking skills; 4) applying communication skills; 5) enhancing personal responsibility (following the principles and strategies of Downing's On Course model); 6) developing a personal education and career plan; 7) using time-management skills; 8) developing working relationships with instructors and advisors; 9) developing/enhancing an appreciation for diversity; 10) promoting personal health and wellness; and 11) connecting with the campus community.

Freshman Seminar also includes learning experiences that link with the paired courses in each learning community, as developed by participating faculty. Sometimes the learning experiences reach out into the campus community and may include specific co-curricular activities.

7. Will COL 105 transfer?
The Freshman Seminar course (COL 105) transfers to Clemson University as CU 101, provided a satisfactory final grade is earned and all other applicable transfer requirements are met. Students transferring to other senior institutions should talk with their academic advisor for more information regarding the specific college to which they plan to transfer.

8. How is Freshman Seminar Different from College Skills (COL 103)?
Freshman Seminar will include some content that parallels the content of COL 103, but it will differ significantly from the College Skills course overall. Freshman Seminar is a challenging academic course that integrates "learning-to-learn" principles, stresses group interaction in ways that promote individual achievement, and requires students to be actively engaged in their own learning process. In addition, Freshman Seminar is the "hub" for learning communities, providing opportunities for synthesis, reflection, and the application of personal responsibility in learning.

9. What is a Learning Community?
A learning community is broadly defined as a linking of two or more courses where faculty jointly plan "points of intersection." Throughout the semester students are able to see meaningful connections in what they are learning. They also benefit from enhanced interaction with faculty and peers. Learning communities help students integrate knowledge and skills across courses and disciplines. They also help make the learning a deeper, richer experience, especially for first-semester students who can sometimes feel overwhelmed when making the transition to a college learning environment.

In the LEI, a cohort or group of students enroll together in a learning community that involves Freshman Seminar and two other courses.

LEI students in a learning community share the same experiences, form study groups, and engage in a variety of specially designed learning activities. LEI students also typically take 2 or more traditional classes that are not part of a learning community.

10. What is an Example of a "Point of Intersection?"
A point of intersection is a connection made across courses in a learning community that enhances student learning through practice, reflection, analysis or other means as identified by the instructor(s). The connection point might involve content taught within the course(s) or could even include learning experiences that occur outside the classroom. Here are two examples:

  • Study skills for science/technical content might be taught in Freshman Seminar and then faculty in BIO 100 and CHM 100 might have students practice those techniques using specific science content and discuss the results.
  • Students in ENG 101 and SOC 101 might write about complementary themes and then attend a related co-curricular activity on campus in association with their Freshman Seminar class, which would then include additional in-class reflection, group work, or discussion.

11. When Does the LEI Start?
The LEI begins with Smart Start orientation, which gets underway in June. The learning communities will begin when the fall semester starts in August. Courses in the learning communities follow the same academic calendar as do all other Tri-County courses. (See the Academic Calendar for specific dates.)

12. What Courses Are Involved in Learning Communities for Fall 2008?
During the fall of 2008, there will be 11 learning communities-ENG 101/SOC 101/COL 105; ENG 032/COL 105; BIO 100/CHM 100/COL 105; ENG 101/COL 105; BIO 101/MAT 120/COL 105; AHS 104/AHS 117/COL 105; ACC 101/CPT 170/COL 105; and ENG 103/COL105. In future semesters additional learning communities will be added.

13. What if I Have Questions?
If you have questions about the LEI, please feel free to contact one of our LEI Team members:

  • Smart Start Questions: Call Croslena Johnson, Director of Student Life and Counseling Services, at (864) 646-1568, or email cjohnso5@tctc.edu.
  • Freshman Seminar Questions: Call Katy Goforth, Coordinator of Instructional Activities for the Comprehensive Studies Department, at (864) 646-1391, or email kgoforth@tctc.edu.
  • LEI (general) or learning community courses: Galen DeHay, LEI Director and Science Department Head, at (864) 646-1301, or email gdehay@tctc.edu.
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