Learning Communities | New Students | Saint John | UNB
New Students

Learning communities

Any student can participate in a Learning Community. Professors who are interested in having their course participate are asked to email dave.decker@unb.ca.

How to participate

The Winter Learning Community program is right around the corner and will be brought to you face-to-face on campus! Should we need to, Microsoft Teams will be used to connect with our students.

The Winter program will have four modules delivered over 8 weeks. Each module will be delivered three times—you only need to attend one session for each module to be considered as attended the module.

Over the term, if you wish to change from one time slot to another, you are free to do so. Attendance is tracked and combined for all four sessions for each module.

Modules and times

Sometimes knowing where to start can be the hardest part. Get off on the right foot when you begin the writing process – begin by knowing what the professor is looking for in the assignment, how to get the most from a brainstorming session, and how does a thesis statement help you focus.

  • Tuesday, Feb 15, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 225
  • Wednesday, Feb 16, 9:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 127
  • Thursday, Feb 17, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 232

Many students in high school never have really had to work that hard--But suddenly things are different. This module will give students some tips on how to approach academic learning. Notetaking, study skills, test taking strategies are all skills that can help you both in school and in life.

  • Tuesday, March 1, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 225
  • Wednesday, March 2, 9:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 127
  • Thursday, March 3, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 232

Have you ever found yourself in a test situation where you are staring at a question, knowing that you know the answer, but just cannot recall it? Have you been in this situation and been upset because you studied it but still cannot recall the answer? Then this is a great session. The Method of Loci memorization strategy can help you learn how to retrieve things from your longer term memory through a simple technique you can add to your study routine.

  • Tuesday, March 15. 8, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 225
  • Wednesday, March 16, 9:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 137
  • Thursday, March 17, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 232

Undergraduate research comes in many forms. For some it is tied to experimentation and statistical analysis, for others it is all about deep reading of critical text. But what does this have to do with you? Undergraduate research can open doors to graduate programs, help prepare you for the careers later in life, and can help provide a deeper understanding of the material your learning.

  • Tuesday, March 29, 10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 225
  • Wednesday, March 30, 9:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 137
  • Thursday, March. 31, 9-10:30 a.m. | Hazen Hall 232

How to join a Learning Community

Show up! No registration is required just attend one (or more if you wish) of the meetings at the posted times. Should we be forced to use Teams – Meeting links will be available on the day of the session in the appropriate “day” channel – but the time and day of the week will NOT change.

Teams will only be used if we need to go online and students will be able to join a meeting posted in the channel appropriate to the day of the week.

There are three different time slots per week. These session have the same topic but may vary in approach.

Sticking to one time slot throughout the program increases your chances of making deeper connections with other students, while attending different time slots can make it easier to meet more people — the choice is yours!

Bonus points

You can get up to 4% added to your final grade in a participating course based on your attendance:

  • 4 different modules: 4 bonus points
  • 3 different modules: 3 bonus points
  • Fewer than 3 mandatory modules: no bonus points

Points must be applied to a single participating course. You cannot divide your bonus points between two or more courses. They cannot be used to move from a failing grade to a passing grade.

If you are uncertain about your attendance it is your responsibility to check with the Learning Community Leaders outside the normal tutorial time. Decisions regarding attendance are final. Instructors and advisors are not involved in any way with the day-to-day running of the Learning Community and will not be involved in attendance or tutorial procedures.

Participating courses

This list is subject to change. Confirm with your professor that the course is participating in this program.

Faculty of Arts

  • ENGL 1001 | Jones, M.
  • HIST 1101 | Spinney, E.
  • PHIL 1002 | Eldridge, P.
  • PHIL 1053 | Littlejohn, M.
  • POLS 1201 | Lewis, J.P.
  • SPAN 1204 | Serrano, P.
  • UNIV 1003 | Craft, K.
  • UNIV 1003 | Kek, B.

Faculty of Business

  • BA 1216 | Zadeh, M.
  • BA 1501 | Wegener, M.

Faculty of Science, Applied Science & Engineering

  • BIOL 1205 | Dowding, B.
  • BIOL 1302 | Samways, K.
  • BIOL 1412 | D’Souza, K.
  • BIOL 1442 | D’Souza, K.
  • CHEM 1077 Lab | Xiao, S.
  • CHEM 1872 | Xiao, S.
  • CMPE 1023 | Abujayyab, S.
  • GEOL 1074 | Wilson, L.
  • NURS 2011 | Gregg, E.