Faculty are not expected to coordinate syllabi or activities. Students also meet weekly with a peer advisor to discuss class activities and issues related to life on campus and campus resources, to form study groups, or just to spend time informally. The peer advisor receives upper-division credit for leadership. Three courses are connected around a common theme, but remain autonomous. Students register for all courses and go from class to class as a small group within the larger courses.
Discrete credit is given for each course.
Students are also required to participate in, and receive credit for, a content-synthesizing seminar that aims at integrating the common and opposing points of view presented in the courses. The faculty involved in teaching the federated courses may choose to do collaborative planning or plan on their own. A unique component of the Federated Learning Communities is the Master Learner-a faculty member from a discipline other than the ones included in the federated community. The faculty member is relieved of all teaching assignments to become a learner with the students and to fulfill all the academic responsibilities of a student in each course. The Master Learner is expected to assist students in synthesizing the material and clarifying issues and to provide the content faculty with feedback about the effectiveness of their teaching.