Assessing Learning in Learning Communities

Learning Communities
Assessing Learning in Learning Communities

How best to assess students' learning in learning communities has been one of the least-researched dimensions of learning communities. To address this need we initiated a two-year participatory research project in 2006, Washington Center's National Assessment Project. The Washington Center, along with twenty-two campus teams, reached fresh understandings about the central importance of intentionally designing integrative learning.

The Washington Center continues to work on learning community assessment and integrative assignment design. Currently, the Washington Center is working with learning community practitioners to develop an online assessment survey to assess students' experiences of learning in learning communities.

To learn more about the findings of the National Project and see integrative assignments developed as part of this project, click here.

A New Era in Learning Community Work
This Change magazine article describes a significant shift in emphasis in learning community practice over the past decade: from a focus on models and organizational structures to a focus on intentionally designed integrative learning for students.

Emily Lardner and Gillies Malnarich.
2008. July-Aug.

Assessing Student Work at Disciplinary Crossroads
This article, also published in Change magazine, explores what "interdisciplinary understanding" means and describes a framework for assessing student interdisciplinary work.

Veronica Boix-Mansilla. 2005. Jan-Feb.

Learning Community Research and Assessment: What We Know Now, Executive Summary
This executive summary highlights major findings from an extensive sampling of research studies and assessment reports on learning communities. As the authors acknowledge, like most assessment studies in higher education, the nature and quality of student learning is rarely examined. The complete monograph can be ordered here.
Kathe Taylor et al. 2003.

More Resources

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