Are you interested in experiencing a unique living opportunity your first year at Minot State University? If so, then check out our new Residential Learning Communities coming fall 2010!
What is a Residential Learning Community?
These are floors, sections or entire residence halls where students request to live near others and share a particular interest in academics, social, and cultural issues and activities. These communities help students create a strong link between their lives in the residence hall and learning experiences in the classroom; provide an environment that is conducive to building a strong, cohesive peer support system that will serve the students throughout their academic and professional careers. Students who reside in a Residential Learning Community enjoy all the same amenities as other residents, yet benefit from a unique living experience. These communities foster faculty and resident interaction that enhances both intellectual and personal growth of the residents.
Although each Residential Learning Community is unique, benefits may include providing students with a mutual support network, evening events about interesting topics of specific interest to an academic discipline, group dinner meetings, and in-residence wellness programs designed to increase retention and overall academic performance. Some other benefits for the students are:
- To have a network of friends
- To improve grades
- To meet people who have a common goal
- To participate in social activities related to their academic major
- To find help and encouragement informally through networking with peers
- To transform a residential setting into an active, supportive and exciting place to live and learn
- To maximize each student's academic program's effectiveness with in-hall faculty interaction
The benefits from faculty involvement are
- Supports and challenges the students.
- Faculty interaction outside of the classroom is directly linked to student retention, enhanced learning, and increased social and intellectual development.
- Inspires active learning communities.
- Creates innovative teaching/mentoring opportunities.
- Provides an opportunity to try new ways to engage students in their learning. The integration of diverse experiences from within and outside of the classroom can be a powerful teaching tool.