Learning community organizers hope second year is as successful as the first

If the second year of the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology's new learning community is as successful as the first one, then Jennifer Clair will be very pleased.
        
Clair, academic adviser in the department, is the coordinator of "Secret of Life," a learning community for entering freshmen. Clair says the group was created because of a common complaint of freshmen genetics majors at Iowa State.
        
"The students say they weren't able to get involved with genetics as a freshman," she said. "We wanted to develop a course that would hold them over until they started taking the classes they came to campus for.
        
"And, at least for the first year, we think it worked really well."
        
"Secret of Life" gave the freshmen an opportunity to explore genetics more thoroughly. The students also discussed examples of genetics research being done at Iowa State, in a way they could understand it, without needing a degree.
        
Highlights of the learning community included a field trip to the University of Iowa to visit that school's genetic counseling program, learning about current Iowa State research programs from graduate students, an international food festival and a movie night featuring the film "Gataca."
        
But Clair says the most popular feature of the learning community was the Genetics Book Club. The students read Matt Ridley's Genome. The students initially got together every three weeks last fall but that soon expanded into lunch and social activities.
        
Students choose their own topics to discuss and presented their chapters to the class in groups. Each group answered questions and shared the research they did on the topic through articles, short films and other resources.
        
"We wanted to instill a sense of curiosity and adventure in our students and we think the book club was an important way we did that in this learning community," Clair said.
        
The learning community also allowed students the opportunity to take many of the same classes together including a general chemistry course and lab, Biology 211 and the accompanying lab, and Calculus I.
        
Because the students were together often, Clair says a special bond developed between them that she hasn't seen before with genetics majors.
        
"It was like they knew each other all their lives," she said. "Everyone had each other's cell numbers and schedules. They were all best friends."
        
And the experience didn't end when the class ended.
        
"They're all still very enthusiastic," Clair said. "Many of them hoped we would continue the learning community into the sophomore year.
        
"We're toying with that idea. We'll see if such a class evolves from this group."
        
A total of 19 students majoring in genetics in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences participated in 2007. This fall, Clair is expecting 23 students.
        
"I think in addition to genetics, we're teaching them how to deal with the stresses of college life," Clair says. "It is our responsibility to teach them that it is a privilege to be educated.
        
"I think that is what this learning community can show our students."