Guiding Principles of the Learning Communities

The Learning Communities - also known as the "houses" - within the MD Program at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison are governed by a set of guiding principles. These include:

• Represent defined student groups composed of students from all four classes, but are not intended to replace student identification with his/her own class, or to disrupt the cohesion of each individual class
  
  
• Learning communities are not intended to displace or compete with the activities and purposes of medical student organizations. Learning communities are structures to promote, support and facilitate the efforts of existing medical student organizations, and to sponsor new initiatives based on identified needs
  
  
• The involvement of faculty directors or advisors for each community will supplement the current class mentor program
  
  
• The use of the term "learning" as it refers to communities does not imply any relationship to the formal medical school curriculum. At the present time, classroom and small group assignments will not be based on learning community membership
  
  
• The learning communities will focus on four key areas of mission:
  • Mentoring and career development
  • Professionalism
  • Community support and self care
  • Interdisciplinary learning and interaction
    
    
• The term "learning communities" is academic and somewhat formal. Students would like to informally refer to each community as a "house"

Developed by the Learning Communities Steering Committee, 2003