Ignite Program Engages Flagler's Freshmen

The results are in. After running our Pilot Program of Freshman Learning Communities during the 2008-2009 academic year, all the signs suggest that the program was a resounding success.

While only 40 freshman students participated in our first year, the results of Flagler’s National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) indicate that IGNITE met its goals of challenging students academically while also providing a supportive academic and social environment. On five measures of student engagement — level of academic challenge, active and collaborative learning, student-faculty interaction, enriching educational experience, and supportive campus environment — IGNITE students consistently indicated higher levels of satisfaction than the freshman class as a whole.

This year we hope to both build and improve upon this success. IGNITE has expanded for the 2009-2010 academic year, and we now have more than 120 freshmen in the program, with 30 full-time faculty members teaching in freshman learning community clusters, and seven of last year’s IGNITE students acting as mentors.

With six different course clusters running in each of the fall and spring semesters, we have course combinations that span our general education offerings and even include some foundational courses from our academic and professional majors. With themes ranging from “The Good Life,” “Identity,” and “Progress” to “Sport in Society” and “Visions of America,” this year’s learning communities have something for everyone and it seems that the students are really enjoying the program. Be sure to check out our events page and photo gallery as we will be updating them regularly throughout the year. Or you can follow us on Twitter.

Student Events

Students in the Learning Communities will take field trips together, work on special projects, meet at gatherings – overall, they’ll have a unique experience designed to get them involved with their education.

Visit this page for the Spring 2010 schedule.