Dr. Jason Harville (far left) and his First Year Experience class visit Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union. Photo by Angela Foster.
From exploring Chattanooga through community service to discussing true crime, students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga can find a learning community that connects their interests with their first-year college experience.
A Moc’s First Year learning communities give students unique opportunities to experience community outreach and build connections as they adjust to campus life. Each learning community allows students to explore interests related to their majors.
Dr. Jason Harville, assistant director of academic initiatives, leads the Mocology learning community, introducing students to UTC history and traditions.
Mocology, he explained, is a crash course in the Mocs experience.
“You’re studying what it means to be a Moc,” Harville said. “That looks different for every student.”
This is the first year Mocology has been offered. Harville has centered his course on UTC partners and alumni. He has connected with the Athletics department, Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, and other on- and off-campus organizations.
These connections allow students to build networks throughout the Chattanooga community and discover what being a Moc means to them personally. Harville also teaches UTC’s history and encourages students to become involved in campus and community life.
“We can all find our place,” Harville said, “but we must study about it and figure out what that looks like.”
Harville said an important part of helping students feel comfortable and connected through learning communities is building relationships with one another. He encourages students to find familiar faces in their shared English 1011 course and connect outside of the classroom and learning community.
“When we walk into a room and see at least one other person we know, it’s helpful,” he said.
Students dance in Lisa Bellino’s First Year Experience Ballet class in the ARC.
Lisa Bellino, a visiting lecturer in the Department of English, combines her personal interests with UTC’s first-year program. Bellino leads the Tiptoeing through College and Life learning community, merging ballet with community engagement.
A lifelong dancer, Bellino created the learning community to introduce students to ballet while helping them develop skills they can carry into college and beyond. Through dance, she encourages students to step outside their comfort zones, support one another and work through challenges.
“I just wanted to bring that to people because it’s such an elite, high-class thing that we all have these perceptions of,” Bellino said. “I just wanted to share that with people.”
Students take a weekly ballet class, giving them a chance to try something new while stepping away from the pressures of college coursework. The class also incorporates discussions about well-being, including study habits, sleep schedules and self-care during stressful periods.
Students participate in community experiences such as attending local ballet performances, viewing ballet films and connecting with dancers in Chattanooga. By sharing these experiences, Bellino said these experiences help students build relationships with classmates while discovering interests they might not have explored otherwise.
According to Bellino, one of the biggest challenges first-year students face is loneliness, even when surrounded by thousands of other students. The learning community provides a more relaxed environment where students can talk openly about their struggles and learn that they are not alone in navigating college.
“I always joke that college is your time to find your weirdos,” Bellino said. “I’m constantly telling them to go to some random event that you have a mild interest in attending and just show up.”
Through ballet, shared experiences and conversations about student well-being, Bellino hopes to help students build confidence and find a sense of belonging at UTC.
“You’re a new college student and you want to be in it for the long haul,” Bellino said. “You must figure out how to take care of yourself in the process.”
Bryant Fairley’s Mocs in the City learning community offers unique interior design and architecture opportunities for students to partner with organizations such as the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Children’s Kennedy Outpatient Center and the Chattanooga Fire Department.
For the third academic year, Bryant Fairley, the director of engagement for the Division of Access and Engagement, has led the Mocs in the City learning community. Mocs in the City helps students build local connections and networks by involving them in projects throughout Chattanooga.
Fairley encourages students to explore their career interests and passions through volunteering, merging service with coursework and community engagement.
“You can make all these meaningful contributions,” Fairley said. “You can also be very intentional about trying out your major at the same time.”
According to Fairley, Mocs in the City began with mostly undeclared students but has focused more on interior design and architecture opportunities over the past two years.
The program offers unique interior design and architecture opportunities for students to partner with organizations such as the Austin Hatcher Foundation, Children’s Kennedy Outpatient Center and the Chattanooga Fire Department.
“It has given us the opportunity to be so much more intentional about how we find that intersection for the students between community engagement and design,” Fairley said. “When you take programs like these, it gives you a chance to be in a learning community where you can test things out before you get locked into a major.”
Terrence Banks’ First Year Experience class on its way to take the Mocs Express.
Associate Director of Recruitment and two-time UTC alum Terrence Banks leads the T. Bank’s Classified College Survival Guide learning community. Banks focuses on helping first-year students build healthy habits and make sound choices as they navigate new responsibilities.
Drawing on his own time as a student after coming to Chattanooga from Memphis, Banks centers much of his work on what he wishes he’d known as a first-year student. He builds assignments around life skills such as public speaking, navigating the Chattanooga transit system and building connections among peers.
“We do different assignments that are based on my previous college experience that I felt really helped me be successful,” Banks said.
According to Banks, his goal is to help students develop positive behaviors and build skills to navigate college.
“I want you to learn to be your best advocate,” he said. “That makes the college experience a whole lot more manageable.”
He encourages students to use the resources that UTC offers and ask for help when needed. College, he said, is a time for exploration, allowing students to find what works for them both collectively and individually.
“Doing college the right way means you’ve made mistakes and changed your mind,” Banks said. “You’ve been able to pivot and still were able to be successful.”
Students in Dr. Cindy Williamson’s True Crime Conversations, Student Success Techniques and Navigating College learning community.
Dr. Cindy Williamson, director of assessment in the Office of Planning, Evaluation and Institutional Research, uses true crime discussions to engage students in meaningful conversations about navigating college and student success. She has led the True Crime Conversations, Student Success Techniques and Navigating College learning community for two years.
The learning community has run for four years, with students paired in the Criminal Justice 1100 course. Williamson connects activities to law enforcement or investigative work.
According to Williamson, students compare information with detectives and investigators, develop research skills and connect with professionals in the field. Students also analyze data—such as victim support services—across campus, the state and the country.
“We compare information literacy for a student with a detective or an investigator trying to figure out what sources to use when investigating a crime,” she said.
Williamson also connects criminal justice students with lecturers and guest speakers and offers opportunities for off-campus activities. Students will soon take part in a murder-mystery history tour in Chattanooga.
“It’s just really fun to be able to tie the first-year experience in with something that they’re interested in that relates to their major,” she said.
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