Seminar XL
Seminar XL is a structured study group program based on Dr. Uri Treisman’s Challenge Calculus Workshops. It provides first year students with a supportive venue for collective conceptual problem solving. Each semester, students in pursuit of the best possible grades join Seminar XL groups, where they work with a facilitator to deepen their understanding of the first-year core curriculum.
After registering for Seminar XL, the students are grouped according to the MIT math and science courses they are taking. The groups, which undertake work that supplements the MIT courses, meet twice a week for 90-minute sessions during the academic year. Although the groups do not focus on specific class assignments or projects, each member of the group is expected to identify questions and/or problems from their regular courses for the group to discuss. Often, the group functions as a safe haven where students can explore topics that are not raised in class. Graduate students and academically advanced upper-class undergraduates serve as facilitators for each group, guiding students through extensive discussions, board work, and collaborative thinking.
Seminar XL participants earn 3 units of academic credit for each group completed and learn to problem solve more efficiently through teamwork, the acquired analytical skills that are useful in almost any academic or professional realm. Our experience shows that nearly all of the students who successfully complete Seminar XL are also successful in their core curriculum, achieving higher academic levels than other first-year students. By working closely together as a group, Seminar XL students develop key skills that they will rely on throughout their MIT years as well as in their graduate studies and professional lives.
Working As A Team
Seminar XL is open to all first-year students enrolled in a math, physics, or science course at MIT. Participants may join up to two Seminar XL groups per semester and must also attend Strategies for Academic Success (SAS) seminars.
