What are FIGs?
FIGs is short for Freshmen Interest Group or Focused Interest Group , either of which enrolls a common cohort of students in a small, personal "learning community" by linking general education or other undergraduate courses around a common theme or area of interest. Typically, a Focused Interest Group, designated as FIGS 200, consists of two or three courses taken in conjunction with each other, which examine a common theme in disciplines within or across the humanities, natural sciences, and social sciences. Students are enrolled automatically in each of the courses. Faculty members focus on the common theme while teaching their own courses as discrete classes.
Because students are automatically enrolled in related courses with students of similar interests, they all will have a chance to get to know fellow FIG participants more readily than in isolated classes. As a member of a FIG, each student is an active participant in a constant and stable group of peers taking classes together, so each member has greater intellectual interaction and more opportunity for collaborative learning. A FIG provides a wonderful opportunity to form study groups with students in a learning community who share common interests; and it is a great way to make friends.
Freshmen Interest Groups, designated as FIGS 100, on the other hand, link general education courses commonly taken by freshmen. These FIGs are identified under the general headings of Humanities and the Arts, Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and the like. While they typically link LA&S general education courses, they can also include courses from art, music, and theater, as well as courses from other NIU colleges.
Why should students consider enrolling in a FIG?
There are some compelling personal and academic reasons for doing so. Studies repeatedly have shown that participation in focused learning communities throughout the freshman and undergraduate years broadens students' college experience and contributes significantly to their success. By linking courses to a central theme or area of interest, a FIG integrates ideas across disciplinary boundaries and allows students to explore different intellectual perspectives, while synthesizing their own. At the same time, a FIG fulfills key university requirements.
What are the requirements to enroll in a FIG?
Registration for a FIG is not difficult at all. Students simply register in T.R.A.C.S. with a single reference number for the particular FIG they are interested in. Students who participate in a FIG are thus registered for each of the courses that comprise the FIG. In Focused Interest Groups, students also participate in some out-of-class activities, such as informal discussion groups, field trips, guest lectures, or films.
Focused and Freshmen Interest Groups will continue to be a priority in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. We believe that FIGs foster greater intellectual interaction among students and faculty, while also enhancing academic and social relations among students themselves. This means an enriched learning environment and a broader educational experience for everyone.