Getting Freshmen To Make The Connection Between Courses Through Integrative Learning Blocks (Il Bs)

The College of Engineering faculty worked specifically on revising the freshman courses to include team-based problem solving and experience in design methodology. In 1997 the University of Hartford launched a pilot program that created seven Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs)-a pairing or clustering of courses in which a group of 20-plus students take two or three courses together. The goal was to get faculty to cooperate on the shared outcomes between the clustered (FIGed) courses, which are called “Integrative Learning Blocks (ILBs)”. The idea was very successful as far as students’ performance, interest, and their GPA. In 1998 the College of Engineering (COE) had a pilot FIG, involving an introductory engineering course and a writing course. Recently, the COE received a significant grant from the NSF for “Integrating Engineering Design with Humanities, Sciences and Social Sciences” where the experience gained from the pilot FIG comes in very handy. This paper is to explain the procedure of the FIG and the ILBs, assess their effectiveness, reflect on the experience and offer other institutions a picture of what goes on in such an environment.