Learning Lab Courses

Learning Lab (LLAB) courses meet students where they are and provide practice, mentoring, feedback, and encouragement for building academic skills.

Students earn curricular credit in first- and second-module half courses. The Learning Lab is designed for incoming and returning students alike to ensure that they strengthen their skills, build confidence, and thrive in their studies.

Fall and Spring Courses

LLAB 101: Academic Writing Through Transition

  • Spring 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023, first and second module
  • Capped at 20

Writing and reading at the college level entail a transition for all. Academic Writing Through Transition helps students gain fluency in active reading and writing skills to support their success with college-level work. Designed with attention to developing critical thinking and analysis, this course integrates academic readiness strategies. Readings will engage with questions of identity and communication in an academic environment. Students will practice skills such as reading comprehension, composition, revision, and documentation and will benefit from the opportunity to practice these skills in a collaborative learning environment.

LLAB 102: Quantitative Thinking

  • Spring 2022, Fall 2022, and Spring 2023, first and second module
  • Capped at 25
  • QFR

Quantitative thinking begins where you are and develops your skills through project-based learning. You will learn to apply quantitative methods to find, describe, and interpret data from local and global sources and choose analytical models to draw conclusions and make predictions. Using real-life applications of mathematical tools, you will gain confidence in your ability to solve quantitative problems and make an argument with empirical evidence. This course is particularly appropriate for students who will be taking introductory courses in the quantitative natural and social sciences, including economics and statistics.

Prerequisites and Notes

No prerequisites. Open to students who have not completed the QFR requirement. If you have already studied calculus in high school or at Oberlin, please speak with the instructor and your advisor to determine whether this is the right course for you. 

LLAB Faculty

If you have any questions about LLAB courses, please contact Elizabeth Hamilton.