Learning Communities (LC) at UConn allow students with similar majors and interests to live together in a residence hall and actively engage with the campus community. LC opportunities in the College are anchored by Engineering House Learning Community (EHLC), which is the primary program facilitated by CoE, although there are other related programs that offer similar living and learning experiences. Students in learning communities participate in:

• One-credit seminar courses for first-year education & university assimilation
• Service-learning and experiential courses for sophomores
• Student leadership positions/programs within the communities
• Social and cultural events

• Study groups
• Volunteer work in areas of interest
• Pre-professional opportunities (i.e. internships and co-ops)
• Access to faculty, staff, and peer advisors

• Guest speakers
• Off-campus experiences and community/industry engagement
  

First Year Introductory Course in Engineering Education (UNIV 1810)

EHLC’s first-year experiential course designed to help engineering students assimilate to university life, build community, and ignite and enhance students’ passion for engineering education. This course provides students a space to develop their own engineering identity, and help establish themselves at UConn. The course spans the entire academic year, with the first semester focusing on engineering-specific resources and assignments that will give them access to spaces and opportunities within the College and the university at-large. During the second semester, the focus shifts to a collaborative hands-on project based on the first semester’s work and presentations, coupled with a project that connects students with industry, which helps them to build their own network and personal brand as an engineer. The course provides students with the skills, knowledge and understanding of the diverse career paths available in their field, and provides access to many of the College’s resources by bringing them directly to the classroom.

Sophomore Year Experiential/Service-Learning Course (UNIV 3820)

For students that apply to come back the LC in the sophomore year, students participate in an experiential and service-learning course designed to apply engineering principles to real-world community challenges, as well as provide advanced insight on what they will experience in their tenure as a CoE student. Like UNIV 1810, this course spans the entire academic year, providing more in-depth training and resources applicable to the student experience at this point in their academic career. The two year-long projects that students develop the skills for come in the form of experiential and service-learning, which incorporates group dynamics, team-building and creative expression – all of which requires a basic engineering background.  

The experiential project connects the sophomore with a Senior Design Team in their academic major, where the sophomore serves as an intern on the SD team, supporting the project in various capacities. More specific information on the Senior Design Shadow project can be found on the senior design website.

The service-learning initiative splits our sophomores into small groups to connect with a regional family in the community to build a modified ride-on toy car for children with physical disabilities. Students are provided with build instructions and all necessary tools and information to modify to the necessary specifications provided by our community partners. More specific information on the Go Baby Go initiative can be found on their website, or review the video above.