Welcome to the Global Connections Learning Comm

Welcome to the Global Connections ENG 111/HIS 111 Learning Community.  Over the next sixteen weeks, Tom de Mayo and I will have the pleasure of working with each of you, and you'll have the pleasure of building an academic and social community.

In our learning community, you'll take both your first semester Freshman Writing and Rhetoric (ENG 111) and your World History (HIS 111) together with the same students.  The LC--learning community--provide you with a number of opportunities.  You'll have a built in group of fellow students who can help you learn by discussing assignments, visiting about the classes outside of class, and friendships will develop.  Tom and I see it happen every year.  As a whole, we've found students in LC make better grades and are almost 10% more likely to make it through their freshman semester and be here for the fall.  Many end up signing up for the Tom's and my spring ENG 111/HIS 111 LC.

You'll learn every bit as much as those outside of LCs, but they won't have the advantage of the social learning you'll enjoy.  Plus, much of the work you do for History will apply to your grade in English and vice versa.  Just to be clear, these are two difference courses (and you'll be getting three credit hours for each and a grade from each professor), but Tom and I plan many assignments so that the work in my class helps you in his and the work you do for him helps you in English.

Welcome, and make sure to get in touch with any questions.

Steve Brandon (aka Dr. B)