Diversity, Educational Equity, and Learning Communities
This publication describes the powerful possibilities of intentionally integrating research on learning communities and the rich history of diversity work on campuses. Five campus stories illustrate the complexities and the benefits of turning classrooms and campuses into places where under-represented students experience academic success and all students develop the habits of mind necessary to help shape a more democratic society. Order online

Lardner, E., with others. 2005. Diversity, Educational Equity, and Learning Communities. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen State College, Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education.

The Pedagogy of Possibilities: Developmental Education, College-Level Studies, and Learning Communities
This monograph invites developmental educators and learning community practitioners to create challenging and supportive learning environments for academically underprepared students. Research-based best practices in developmental education provide a rationale for adopting an approach to learning communities for developmental students that intentionally targets high-risk curriculum. Order online

Malnarich, G., with others. 2003. The Pedagogy of Possibilities: Developmental Education, College-Level Studies, and Learning Communities. NLCP Monograph Series. Olympia, WA: The Evergreen State College.

Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color
The two-fold aim of this monograph is to assist educators in their work with a growing number of students of color in higher education, many of whom are first generation or low-income, and to provide a framework for transforming these student's first year experience.

Rendon, L. I., M. Garcia, and D. Person (Eds.). 2004. Transforming the First Year of College for Students of Color. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First Year Experience and Students in Transition. (38).

Approaching Diversity through Learning Communities
This Washington Center Occasional Paper (Winter 2003) describes how learning communities can be designed to invite students from under-represented groups into the academy, and to help them stay and be academically successful. Three campus stories illustrate the benefits to students when learning community practice is informed by the rich work that has been done around diversity issues.

Lardner, E. 2003.

National Survey of Student Engagement Results - 2007
Selected Results: Enriching High-Impact Experiences - Taken from the National Survey of Student Engagement Annual Report 2007. Full report available at http://nsse.iub.edu/NSSE%5F2007%5FAnnual%5FReport/

NSSE. 2007.

Assessment in and of Collaborative Learning
Published in December 1995, this handbook provides a set of assessment tools used by faculty, administrators, and researchers which treat assessment as an integral part of the teaching and learning process.

National Resource Center Listservs
The National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, housed at the University of South Carolina, hosts five listservs that discuss college transitions in the context of student success.

Learning Communities Growing in Historically Black Colleges and Universities
This article documents the efforts of faculty at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, involved in a number of faculty development activities as well as developing learning communities to strengthen student engagement and increase retention.

Phyllis Worthy Dawkins. 2006. Winter.

National Learning Communities Directory
This online database includes public and private institutions, from urban colleges to research universities. Entries highlight initiatives designed for diverse students in all areas of study.

Sustaining Learning Communities: Moving from Curricular to Educational Reform
This article, published in Perspectives, a publication of the Massachusetts Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, describes what is needed to move learning communities from isolated programs that benefit a comparatively small number of students to campus-wide initiatives that are clearly aligned with institutional goals and benefit large numbers of students, including at-risk students.

Emily Lardner and Gillies Malnarich. 2008.

The Rationale for Learning Communities
This transcript from a speech given by Patrick Hill in 1985, at Washington Center's first conference on learning communities offers a classic defense of "why learning communities?"

Patrick Hill. 1985.

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Engaging the Whole of Service-Learning, Diversity, and Learning Communities
The University of Michigan's Michigan Community Scholars Program integrates service-learning, diversity, and learning communities. Chapters in this book have been written by faculty, students, staff, and community partners involved in this living-learning program.

Galura, J., P. Pasque, D. Schoem, and J. Howard, (Eds). 2004. Engaging the Whole of Service-Learning, Diversity, and Learning Communities. The OCSL Press, University of Michigan.

Designing a Learning Community in an Hour
This Washington Center classic has been used across the country to illustrate how exciting learning and teaching can be when traditional curricular structures are set aside.

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Where are learning communities now? National leaders take stock
How might learning communities become more effective and sustainable over time? The perspectives of fifty-six campus leaders inform an article that identifies essential aspects of learning community work, from "vigilance about logistical considerations" to the realization that "the emotional side of change matters."

MacGregor, J., and B. L. Smith. 2005. "Where are learning communities now? National leaders take stock." About Campus. ACPA- College Student Educators International. 10, (2) May/June: 2-8.

Creating Learning Communities: A Practical Guide to Winning Support, Organizing for Change, and Implementing Programs
This guide presents a pragmatic blueprint for creating a learning community that can be adapted to almost any campus culture--including who should be placed on planning committees to samples of syllabi for interdisciplinary courses, sample clusters of classes, and lists of competencies and expected student outcomes.

Shapiro, N. S., and J. H. Levine. 1999. Creating Learning Communities: A Practical Guide to Winning Support, Organizing for Change, and Implementing Programs. Jossey-Bass.

The Challenge of Learning Communities as a Growing National Movement
This article identifies key challenges learning communities face from that of transition and succession as early adopters move on to the challenge of purpose.

Smith, B. L. 2001. "The Challenge of Learning Communities as a Growing National Movement." Peer Review. Association of American Colleges & Universities. 3/4, (4/1) Summer/Fall: 4-8.

Strengthening Learning Communities: Case Studies From the National Learning Communities Dissemination Project (FIPSE)
This report on a three-year FIPSE project (1996-99) includes an account of campus learning community initiatives, assessment results, and lessons learned by the 19 participating regional universities, research universities, and community colleges as well as a summary by the project evaluators of the six "vital elements" associated with learning community initiatives that are "being propelled forward."

MacGregor, J. (Comp.). 1999. Strengthening Learning Communities: Case Studies From the National Learning Communities Dissemination Project (FIPSE). Olympia: Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, The Evergreen State College.

Sustaining and Improving Learning Communities
This book explores how students in learning communities actively participate in their own education, and deepen and diversify their college experience.

Laufgraben, J. L. and Shapiro N. S. 2004. Sustaining and Improving Learning Communities. Jossey-Bass.

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Casebook on Collaborative Teaching and Learning
The cases featured in this December 1993 publication are based on the experience of collaborative learning faculty throughout Washington State. The cases invite extended conversations about the instructional, interpersonal, and administrative challenges associated with collaborative education.

The Washington Center. 1993.

Designing Integrated Learning for Students: A Heuristic for Teaching, Assessment and Curriculum Design
This Washington Center Occasional Paper (Winter 2003) addresses the "how to" of designing compelling, substantive, and integrative experiences of learning for students by focusing on assignments-that is, the learning students are invited to do. The heuristic has been written with faculty development workshops in mind.

Malnarich, G. and Lardner, E. 2003.

Perspectives on Faculty Development
These eight multi-media interviews with fellows from the National Learning Communities Project (2000-04) describe why a robust faculty development program is essential to learning community work.

Wicked Problems and Fragmentation
This paper by Jeff Conklin suggests why genuine collaboration is difficult to achieve. Wicked problems and social complexity often lurk behind the greatest barrier to collaboration -- that of fragmentation.

Learning Communities: Reforming Undergraduate Education
A comprehensive account of the contemporary and historical context of learning communities, structures and practices including the nuts and bolts of successful, sustainable learning communities across the country.

Smith, B. L., J. MacGregor, R. Matthews, and F. Gabelnick. 2004. Learning Communities: Reforming Undergraduate Education. Jossey-Bass.