What is a Learning Community?

A Learning Community (LC) is a small group of first-year students that take shared classes together. Learning Communities help to ease the transition to university for new students by providing opportunities for meeting new people, getting to know campus and its resources, and developing skills to succeed as a student in a university environment. Success looks different to everyone: learning communities are a way for students to explore what success means to them, whether that involves doing well in classes, discovering new interests, building friendship circles, or getting involved locally in the university community and beyond. Being in an LC gives you the special opportunity to meet upper year students, alumni, and advisors through a variety of informative, fun, interactive, and helpful LC hours in a collaborative setting led by student Peer Mentors.
Edwards Learning communities are built on three pillars: 

1. Building community: Through learning communities, students build connections to people and places across campus that will help support them on their academic journey.

2. Making connections and exploring careers: University is a great place to come and improve what you know, but who you know counts too. Learning communities will help introduce students to programs and activities across campus that are related to their interests and connect them to professionals who turned similar interests into exciting careers.

3. Enriching academics: University is a whole different ballgame than high school. Learning communities will connect peer mentors—our team of expert learners—to first-year students to help them build on and improve their academic skills to successfully navigate their way through the first year.

Benefits

The benefits of joining a Learning Community are countless. The initial benefit is the help with selecting and registering in six core classes in your first year.

Attending your Learning Community Hour will help you to:

• Connect with students, alumni and professors who share common interests and/or goals – your academic social network!
• Benefit from mentorship and support by successful, senior students (i.e., Peer Mentors) and recent graduates from USask
• Adapt to university expectations and campus life
• Develop the skills to succeed in your new academic environment

Who can sign up?

Students who are starting their first year of university at USask in Edwards School of Business are eligible to sign up for an Edwards Learning Community.

Sign up early – space is limited, and spots fill on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Learning Community Class Listing and Sign Up

• Class Listings

  Sign up will OPEN May 1st, 2023 at NOON (CST)

  View the Edwards LC course combinations and sign up details. 

• Sign Up
  Sign up details can be found on the Learning Community Option Webpage. 

FAQ's

• When can I sign up for LC's?

  Edwards Learning Communities sign-up opens, May 1, 2023 at Noon.

• How do I sign up for LC's?

  Go to our website —  Edwards Learning Community Options — and choose an LC group for Term 1 and Term 2 LCs. Sign up is done through PAWS (once you choose your schedule for both terms, click on the link to sign up at the bottom of the page to sign up.)

• Can I drop my LC classes? Can I take only two of the three?

  You can drop LC courses through PAWS just like any other course after August 28^th, 2023 (students should be aware of drop deadlines throughout the term). If you do not take all the courses attached to an LC, you will not get the full benefit.

• Which LC should I sign-up for?

  Each Edwards LC has the same required first year courses, but at different time/day combinations to give you some schedule flexibility. If you have any questions about which schedule to choose, you should email us at undergrad@edwards.usask.ca  and we would be happy to chat with you about the LC that meets your needs.

• Do I need to sign up for a Term 2 Learning Community?
  Yes!  Once you have signed up for your Term 1 LC, you will have to go back in the system and sign up for your Term 2 LC.
• Do I need to register in my LC classes?

  YES, after you sign up for an LC you will have to register, you will be sent information from the LC Team regarding the date of the LC Registration Window – the time where LC students will be allowed to register in their Block of LC classes and then can also (if desired) add their electives after they successfully register in the Block of LC classes.

  NOTE: The NEW LC Window for registration will be BEFORE Edwards First Year Student Registration Window.

   

• Can I register in courses outside of my LC?

  Absolutely! You can add more classes to your schedule when the LC Registration Window opens for LC students in June. You need to ensure these courses fit within your LC schedule (LC classes in your Block will have to be registered for first before you can add more courses to the LC). Five courses per term is the maximum for first year students.

• Do I have to attend the LC hour?

  Attendance is taken at each LC hour. There are no academic consequences for missing LC hours, but students who do not attend the LC hour will be missing almost all the benefits of the program.

• Will I have time for my LC Hour?

  Yes, you will! We understand the demands on your time as a university student. You should consider the time you dedicate to your Edwards Learning Community as an investment, by attending the weekly 50 minute sessions you will learn the academic skills necessary to successfully navigate your courses; the developmental skills to establish a healthy school-life balance; and, the personal skills to create meaningful friendships that will continue well beyond your time in class.

• Is my Peer Mentor a tutor for my course?

  No. Your Peer Mentors are students in their second-, third- and fourth-year of study. They facilitate your weekly sessions, some of which will focus on developing academic and learning skills such as note-taking, study skills, exam preparation and making connections . In addition, your Peer Mentors act as a resource for you as you navigate your way through your first year.

• Are there any assignments for the LC Hour? Am I graded?

  The LC hour is not for credit and will not have any assignments. It is purely for students’ benefit. Courses attached to LC’s are the same as any other Arts and Science course for grading.

• Can I sign up for more than one LC per Term?

  No. Due to the structure of the B.Comm first year course requirements, students are restricted to one LC per Term.

• Can I change LC's?

  Students are encouraged to choose the LC that is right for them. Our team of advisors is happy to help with LC selection. Once you register for an LC the only way to switch to another LC is to contact the LC team at undergrad@edwards.usask.ca. There is no guarantee that the LC you want to switch to will have space, so choose wisely!

• Will an LC get me into a specific B.Comm major?

  Not directly, no. We hope that the interaction LC students have with academic advisors, staff from other colleges, upper year students, professionals, and faculty members will improve their chances of reaching their academic and career goals. However, registration in an LC does not guarantee enrollment in any B.Comm major, or special consideration when applying.

• What happens when an LC is full?

  Once an LC is full, registration for that particular LC is closed.

• What buildings/rooms are my LC classes in?

  Finalizing room scheduling usually happens later than LC signup. Therefore, room numbers will not be posted on your LC schedule. You will be able to check your detailed student schedule (with room numbers) after the first year registration window opens in June through PAWS. To do this, log into PAWS and select “Academics” (on the left of the screen), then “My Courses”. From here you can select either “Class schedule” or “Class locations” to view the room numbers of your courses. First year COMM courses in Edwards are normally scheduled in the Edwards college, all of which are located in a relatively small area. However, any electives you choose may be scheduled in different colleges and buildings. The good news is getting from class to class (or lab) on time is very rarely a problem.

• Will I have enough time to get to classes that are scheduled back-to-back?

  Yes, you will have time! Classes at the University of Saskatchewan are scheduled to allow for 10 minutes for class change movement, this leaves you ten minutes to travel between classes.

• Is there a fee for Learning Communities?

  There are no extra fees for the Learning Communities. The LC Hour with the Peer Mentors is a free non-credit course however, when you sign-up for a Learning Community you are responsible for the fees and tuition associated with the classes within that Learning Community.

• What if I Sign-up for a Learning Community and then change my mind?

  When you sign-up for a Learning Community you are responsible for the fees and tuition associated with the classes within that Learning Community. If you change or mind or say you get accepted at a different university or college at USask, then you MUST email our team at undergrad@edwards.usask.ca so we can remove you from the LC(s) that you signed up for PRIOR to registration into the classes.