Seminar XL is a structured study group program based on Dr. Uri Treisman’s Challenge Calculus Workshops. They provide 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, students are grouped by the MIT math and science courses they are taking during the academic year. While these sessions do not focus on specific class assignments or projects, students meet twice a week for 90 minutes to undertake work that supplements their current courses. Each group member is expected to identify questions and/or problems from their regular courses to discuss among the group, which functions as a safe haven for students to explore topics 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, who are freshmen, earn three units of academic credit for each group completed. In addition, they learn to problem solve more efficiently through teamwork and acquired analytical skills that are useful in almost any academic or professional realm. By working closely together as a group, Seminar XL students develop key skills that benefit their years at MIT as well as their graduate studies and professional lives.