Students learn together at the Jacobs School.

Develop bonds in learning communities that connect your studies today with your practice tomorrow. 

Learning Communities

Want to learn in a supportive environment where you can grow and thrive — both personally and professionally? We have you covered with learning communities, which are built into our curriculum.

Students study together.

A learning community is an intentionally formed group of students and faculty who are actively engaged in learning from and with one another.

Research has shown that students learn more effectively in comfortable environments where they feel a sense of connectedness and belonging to a community, school, peers and faculty. That’s why we’ve found a way to leverage this concept for our students’ benefit.

As a Jacobs School medical student, you’ll find that being immersed in a learning community affords you opportunities to:

  • develop long-term relationships with faculty and fellow students
  • gain valuable opportunities for coaching, advising and feedback across all phases of the curriculum
  • practice and master essential clinical skills with regular and consistent feedback from faculty and your peers
  • develop your leadership skills through formal and informal teamwork experiences
  • benefit from mentoring by faculty coaches who are eager to provide academic guidance and career advice

Structured for Success

Learning communities provide the infrastructure you need for meaningful educational experiences across our curriculum. These communities enable you to deeply absorb critical content and develop the knowledge and skills necessary for success in residency and beyond.

So, how are learning communities structured?

  • Groups of six students per year will each have one faculty coach. The benefit? You’ll experience powerful faculty mentoring in a close-knit group.
  • Students stay within the same group — and additional students are added each subsequent academic year. The advantage? You’ll cultivate strong relationships and fruitful connections.
  • There are five neighborhoods. Each neighborhood brings together six faculty coaches and their students. This means you’ll have plenty of opportunities to form gratifying collaborations outside of your immediate group.

Learning communities also serve as the infrastructure for the clinical skills and Phase 1 “doctoring” course in our revised curriculum. So, you’ll be in a supportive teamwork environment that bolsters your training as you learn about essentials of patient-centered care.

Supportive Faculty Coaches

Zoom image: Learning community coaches work with your same small group of students throughout all four years of medical school. Learning community coaches work with your same small group of students throughout all four years of medical school.
Zoom image: Your faculty coach will be there to encourage group participation and provide a framework for constructing models of understanding. Your faculty coach will be there to encourage group participation and provide a framework for constructing models of understanding.
Zoom image: Our Well Beyond curriculum promotes student-centered, self-directed learning — all with the backing of a coach. Your coach will provide guidance to your student group while you collaborate to address real-life patient scenarios. Our Well Beyond curriculum promotes student-centered, self-directed learning — all with the backing of a coach. Your coach will provide guidance to your student group while you collaborate to address real-life patient scenarios.
Zoom image: Faculty coaches are committed to ensuring you receive optimal training. They participate in monthly meetings with one another to provide feedback on cases, student concerns and structure. Plus, they receive instruction for continuous quality improvement of our program. Faculty coaches are committed to ensuring you receive optimal training. They participate in monthly meetings with one another to provide feedback on cases, student concerns and structure. Plus, they receive instruction for continuous quality improvement of our program.

A major benefit of our Well Beyond curriculum? You’ll find yourself supported by faculty coaches who will be there to offer helpful feedback while you learn core doctoring skills and contextualize medical knowledge within real-life clinical scenarios. 

Learning community coaches work with your same small group of students throughout all four years of medical school. They foster an inviting, stimulating learning environment.

Get acquainted with our faculty coaches