What is Learning Where You Live?
Learning Where You Live is an academic, living-learning initiative, comprised of undergraduate courses that are taught on North and West Campuses. Created in 2013 by the Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education, the initiative was developed as a means of enhancing the intellectual content of programming in the North Campus residence halls. LWYL courses are small, carry only one-credit, and are taught on an S/U basis. The courses are designed to be highly interactive and open to all with no prerequisites. Since its inception, LWYL has continued to grow. Currently, there are approximately twenty LWYL courses with total annual enrollments averaging 350 students.
How are Learning Where You Live courses unique?
A defining and important feature of LWYL courses is that they are fundamentally different in both form and content from typical courses at Cornell. The courses are designed to bring faculty and undergraduate students together in comfortable, welcoming settings (often with food in North and West Campus residences) that eliminate the formal barriers of the traditional classroom, foster a sense of “home” and social belonging, encourage sustained interaction between students and faculty, provide students with opportunities to explore topics outside of their intended fields of study, and promote active participation of students in their learning experience. Imbued with a liberal education orientation, LWYL courses are meant to encourage intellectual curiosity, exchange, and exploration in and outside of the classroom as core features and values of a Cornell education. Courses that engage students around topics of diversity and equity are encouraged. Learning Where You Live courses also provide faculty with low-stakes opportunities to engage in innovative pedagogy and formats, explore new ideas, teach in teams, teach across disciplines, or offer immersive experiences in condensed time periods.
Interested in teaching a LWYL course?
We hope that you will consider teaching a LWYL course. Student evaluations have been extremely positive with students regularly noting the development of a strong relationship with the LWYL faculty member, dynamic learning environments, and a sense of belonging, all with little additional stress. Faculty who have taught LWYL courses have had very positive experiences, many teaching their course multiple times. Additional details to consider:
• Because this initiative seeks to provide faculty with opportunities to engage in innovative pedagogy and explore new ideas, faculty are encouraged to teach courses that are not offered in the formal curriculum, are team-taught, are cross-disciplinary, and offer immersive experiences in a condensed time period.
• Courses taught on North Campus are intended primarily for first-year students. Courses taught on West Campus are intended primarily for sophomores, juniors, and seniors.
• To foster a sense of community and interaction, course enrollments are generally limited to 20, but you are welcome to reduce that number even further.
• All LWYL courses will receive a UNILWYL subject code and course number. Faculty are welcome to cross-list the course if interested.
• We are also actively seeking Engaged LWYL courses, e.g. courses with a community engagement dimension. These courses are eligible for a grant of up to $2,000.
• Unfortunately, course relief to faculty is not available, but participating faculty receive a stipend.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Ethan Stephenson
Director of Faculty Living-Learning Programs
Office of the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education
Lori Leonard
Chair of LWYL Curriculum Committee,
House Professor-Dean Carl Becker House,
Professor, Global Development