The Connected Courses Program

[music playing] The First Year Learning Communities Program is a program here at Grand Valley for freshmen students to have more than one class of the same population. So the students are going to two classes where they have the same cohort of students with them. When students get to know each other, the walls come down a little bit, they're a little more comfortable and so it just really enhances the learning experience. The idea is that we will be able to make them feel a sense of belonging, give them opportunities to establish relationships with one another, and also with their professors. I feel like it helped me transition from high school into college really well. They have more ability to build relationships that are both personal, as well as influence their studying. Now I have so many connections around school with other kids, and then I have connections with two great professors who I'm pretty good friends with now, I would say. I found that they were really surprised to see how friendly other students were, how it wasn't kind of a competitive environment and they wanted everybody to do well in both of the class settings. They are able to feel that they have a home in Grand Valley from the start. They feel part of something from the beginning and they're not just one person in a big campus full of a lot of individuals, but they're part of a cohort. It just is a great experience overall, and everyone I know who took it had a really great time. And I think that, that helps to tie them into the larger campus community, which can benefit them from the very beginning all the way until graduation. [music playing]