LinC
What is LinC?
Learning in Community, also known as LinC, is a learning community model at Valencia College that seeks to provide a supportive and collaborative environment for students to learn and grow together. LinC offers a unique experience for students to take two of the courses they need for graduation alongside the same group of students and have their learning centered around a common academic theme. Most LinC offerings also include two faculty that team teach throughout the term, which allows the formation of a tight-knit circle of learning that supports each learner at their needed level.
In general, learning communities are regarded as a high impact educational practice, and have shown to increase student retention and success in college. Students often build stronger bonds with their peers, classmates, faculty, and staff at the college, which increases academic success and retention. The following distinguishes LinC from other learning communities offered at the college:
- Same cohort of students in two courses
- Integrated curriculum throughout the semester
- Team-taught courses generally with two faculty members
- Success Coach (optional) to provide academic and non-academic support through the Learning Support and Student Affairs offices
Why get involved in LinC?
Students
LinC offers a great opportunity for you to learn with a community of students. LinC has been shown to strengthen your success in your classes, increase the likelihood that you will take additional courses towards your academic goals, and increase the likelihood of graduation ( AIR Report, LinC). By developing an environment where you and your colleagues create meaningful connections among yourselves, your professor(s), and your courses, you can help create a lasting impact on your personal, academic, and professional life.
Faculty
As a faculty member, you will benefit by developing your professional skills, enjoying peer to peer connections across academic disciplines and student affairs, developing engagement strategies to support students of varying levels of academic preparedness, and engaging with academic and non-academic resources. In addition to these benefits, you will also receive supplemental monetary compensation for teaching a LinC course with a faculty partner and design learning across disciplines that center around a common theme of your choosing.
How to get involved
Students
The best way to discover what options exist in each semester to participate in LinC courses is to use the Course Schedule Search (see Registration Guide below). Please keep in mind that registration in one of the linked courses will automatically register you for the other linked course, and you’ll want to check that both courses are able to be used towards your graduation requirements.
Faculty
If you are interested in team-teaching a course with a fellow faculty member or linking two of your courses to create a learning community, please email Engaged Learning to get started. After a conversation with an Office of Engaged Learning team member, you and your dean will be able to complete the LinC Schedule Request Form. You can also indicate interest through the EDGE in learning about upcoming offerings of INDV3259 Integrating a High Impact Practice, which is a Faculty Development course in which you learn strategies for building community in the classroom, create integrated learning experiences between two or more joined courses, design a joint syllabus with your faculty partner, and connect with a Success Coach (optional) to support student learning.
Registration Guide
- Go to the Valencia Course Schedule Search
- Select the term you would like to search for
- Under the Class Type section, select the box that says ‘Linked’
- Click ‘Search’
- View courses
- Contact engagedlearning@valenciacollege.edu for more information
