Freshman Interest Groups

An Invitation to Participate in a
General Education Learning Community

Incoming freshman at the University of North Florida have an opportunity to begin their collegiate experience by enrolling in a Freshman Interest Group (FIG) Learning Community. FIGs offer general education courses in thematically linked small-sized class settings.

What’s a FIG?
A Freshman Interest Group is a learning community of students registered for two or three courses linked to a common theme. Students must sign up for all courses in the FIG; they will be the only ones allowed to register for the courses. FIGs provide a special opportunity for students to develop social and academic relationships with other students in their FIG. Students in FIGs also have greater levels of interaction with faculty members. The only entry requirement for a FIG is freshman status. Few of the courses in a FIG have pre-requisites. The enrollment for each FIG is limited to 27 students.

Why a FIG?
Learning communities are an especially effective way to ease the transition from high school and college. They establish a cohort of students who share interests and experiences, and involve students in the UNF community and in their courses. Courses in a FIG typically provide more student interaction than do other sections of the same course. Students in learning communities elsewhere have found that they enjoy college more and do better in all their courses, both inside and outside the FIG. Typically, FIGs produce higher course attendance, greater learning, better student retention, and a more positive attitude toward courses and the university. The faculty teaching FIGs also report high levels of satisfaction with the learning community teaching environment and the opportunity to plan and coordinate their courses with other faculty teaching in their FIGs.

What characterizes a FIG cluster of courses?
The courses in a FIG cluster are primarily those required for general education drawn from two or three different disciplines. The specific general education requirements that would be completed in each FIG. Faculty will cooperate in planning the courses so that major assignments, tests, and so on are coordinated. The courses will share common content based on the FIG's theme. Most FIG faculty will also employ active learning techniques in addition to lectures. Some FIGs may provide opportunities for experiential learning through off-campus activities.

Will the courses all be on the same topic?
Since almost all FIG courses are special sections of our regular general education courses, they will cover those specific content areas unique to that course. The Introduction to Sociology, for example, will cover those concepts necessary to prepare student for further study in Sociology while also serving the objectives of general education and addressing the theme of the FIG.

What is the cost?
FIGs cost no more than other courses.

How do I get into one?
Every entering freshman is eligible to register for a FIG. You register for your chosen FIG in a block of two or three courses. As a block of interrelated courses, students will be encouraged to remain enrolled in all three courses within the cluster. Once the semester begins, you will need approval of the instructor and the chair of the General Education Council to drop a course within the cluster.

For additional information contact: Dr. David Jaffee, Associate Dean, College of Arts and Sciences, at (904) 620-2560 or djaffee@unf.edu. or look at the listing of Fall 2005 FIG course offerings (in pdf format).