Learning Communities

What are they?

Learning Communities are double the fun! Our LCs include two courses–sometimes three!– that are linked together (gotta sign up for both!). The professors tag team to deliver an experience that goes beyond the classroom with interdisciplinary themes, shared assignments, and a fun field trip. But the best part of all is the bonds you make with your classmates from spending all that quality time together.

We’ve got all sorts of combos to choose from. We’ve got LCs paired with College Success, LCs with First Year Seminars, LCs with cool Core classes, LCs for Criminal Justice majors, and one just for Engineering students!

 

Why should you join one?

Learning Communities are identified as high impact practices that are designed to increase student success and persistence in college. CU Denver LCs have five goals.

  • Maximize academic success of student participants
  • Foster a sense of community and connection among students, peer mentors, faculty, and staff
  • Provide an opportunity for students to meaningfully engage with faculty
  • Offer support to students during key transitional moments, including starting college for the first time, transferring to CU Denver, and choosing new majors
  • Boost both engagement on campus and satisfaction with the CU Denver student experience


How do you sign up?

Registration for Learning Communities occurs during New Student Orientation. After the academic advising session is complete, you will visit the registration labs. Simply choose both courses for your selected learning community and register for them at the same time.​

Fall 2025 Learning Community Options Coming March 2025

Please review the Fall 2024 course options below to understand the types of learning communities we traditionally offer.

Open to All Majors

AANAPISI Learning Community

Celebrating the University of Colorado Denver's designation as an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institution (AANAPISI), this community is open to anyone who identifies as part of the Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander community and/or is interested in learning more about the community. Students are recommended to take the two courses below together. 

As a reminder, UNIV courses are tuition-free courses that count as one-credit hour towards students' General Elective degree requirements. The ETST 1111 course will satisfy a three-credit hour Social Sciences class that counts towards students' Social Sciences Core Area degree requirement. 

CourseDayTime
ETST 1111-002: Food Culture and AAPI IdentityFriday9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. 

UNIV 1110-021: College Success

AANAPISI Community Section

Thursday11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. 

 

Major Based

Criminal Justice

Calling all Criminal Justice majors! This LC offers many opportunities to connect to your classmates, professors, and professionals in the community. In your CRJU course, you will explore the world of criminology and criminal justice. You will also have the opportunity to connect with your classmates through the UNIV course, where you will learn together about how to engage and succeed in college. Workshops will boost your study skills, connect you to campus and offer guidance for getting along with faculty.

Course
Day
Time
CRJU 1000-003: Criminology and Criminal Justice: An Overview (Social Sciences)
Tuesday and Thursday 
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.
UNIV 1110-006: College Success
Tuesday11:00 a.m. -12:15 p.m.


The Curious Teacher

Curiosity is the heart of great teaching and that's the focus of this major-based Learning Community. See the world through the eyes of a learner and nurture a curiosity about children, adolescents, families and communities. This learning community is for EDHD majors.

Course
Day
Time

CLDE 2000-H02: : Foundations of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Education (Hybrid course)

Monday
2:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
UNIV 1110-007: College Success (First-Year and Transfer EDHD Students) Wednesday
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Business Learning Community 

First-year business majors are required to take a UNIV 1110 Business section in their first fall semester. Many of our first-year business majors also tend to still need their MATH 1060 class requirement. We recommend this Learning Community to anyone  This learning community is for Business majors. 

Course
Day
Time

MATH 1060-001: Finite Mathematics

Monday and Wednesday
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
UNIV 1110-011: Business College Success Wednesday
9:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m.

 

 

Biology and Pre-Health

Open to Biology and Pre-Health majors, these communities allow you to take a paired Biology lab, lecture, and UNIV 1110 course with the same group of students. This is a great way to get some required courses completed while getting to know more folks in your major! Please note some communities are only open to Biology majors and others are only open to Pre-Health majors. 


Entering Biology Learning Community (1) Open to Biology Majors only.

Course
Day
Time
BIOL 2010 -111: Biology
Tuesday and Thursday
12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
BIOL 2011-111: Lab Monday2:00 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.
UNIV 1110-111: College Success  Thursday11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.


Entering Biology Learning Community (2) Open to Pre-Health Majors only.

Course
Day
Time
BIOL 2010-113: Biology 
Monday and Wednesday
9:30am-10:45am
BIOL 2011-113: Lab Tuesday2:00pm-4:45pm
UNIV 1110-113: College Success  Monday11:00 a.m - 12:15 p.m.


Entering Biology Learning Community (3) Open to Pre-Health Majors only.

Course
Day
Time
BIOL 2010-114: Biology 
Tuesday and Thursday
11:00am-12:15pm
BIOL 2011-114: Lab Wednesday8:00am-10:45am
UNIV 1110-114 : College Success  Thursday12:30 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.
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