Learning Communities
National Summer Institute | Teams
2004 Campus Teams
Left to right:
Karen Modrich, Counselor, Advisement Center
Kevin Keating, Department Chair for Social/Behavioral Science
Deborah Hefferin-Quianthy, Assistant Professor of Communications/Modern Foreign Languages
Martin Peres, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Faith Wong, Coordinator of Enrollment Services
Patricia Joyce, Assistant Professor of English
Peter Barbatis, Dean of Student Affairs
Sally Ann McDonnell, Honors Student
Hettie Williams, Dean of Academic Affairs
Part of our College’s Strategic Plan, in response to a concern raised during our recent reaffirmation of accreditation, included piloting a learning community initiative with a cohort of at-risk students enrolled in college preparatory courses. In Fall 2003 the North Campus Enrollment Management Committee designed and implemented an interactive/interdisciplinary learning community response to this issue – “FYE” (First Year Experience) – for students who tested into the lowest level of three developmental classes (English, Reading, Math). The goal was to increase retention and success for the participants. Initial first term outcome measures indicated higher course completion rates, higher grades/GPAs, and a higher retention rate as measured by next term enrollment in comparison with a control sample of peers.
This led to a series of campus meetings to expand interest and involvement with generating new learning communities. One initiative for our Honors Program students became known as the HELIX program – (Honors Experience Leadership In eXcellence). The theme for this learning community is “The Role of Politics in Contemporary American Society (classes in Political Science, Speech, Leadership, Social Problems, American Literature and an Interdisciplinary Seminar will be thematically linked across the Fall and Spring terms ). Participating students will as part of their service commitment, act as mentors and tutors for students who are enrolled in the “FYE” learning community. Another variant of the “FYE” learning community will also be developed, but this time with students who tested into the higher level developmental classes. Faculty are also working together to develop a learning community whose theme is along the lines of Technology and Ethics for our Engineering students (Philosophy of Ethics, Computer Science, Engineering classes).
As an appreciation and understanding of the role of learning communities on our campus continues to develop, participation in this Institute can lead to the refinement and dissemination of the North Campus initiative throughout our college. Publicized weekly meetings of interested individuals from the Student Body, Academic and Student Affairs has led to the drafting of the following vision and goals for North Campus learning communities:
- Creating an intellectual and social climate that fosters the willingness to put
learning into action through teamwork
- Integrating academics, service and leadership for all participants at all
academic levels
We are currently holding faculty meetings to discuss interdisciplinary plans
for classes, developing our Learning Community brochure, and targeting/recruiting students for enrollment. Hopefully participation in this Summer Institute will take our efforts “to the next level”.
Our goal this summer is to participate in the shared process of becoming a
learning community. Through participation with others engaged in the same
task, we hope to acquire the knowledge needed to apply the dynamics of
collective creativity to organize effective learning communities on our
campus. Through developing a supportive and shared set of values and vision
at the Institute, we aspire to transform ourselves from a “group” to a
“leadership” team for our campus. This will enable us to bring back plans for
collective action that will enable us to engage the campus - Academic
Affairs, Student Affairs and Students for the purpose of increasing learning
outcomes for all involved.
- Steps for moving from individual to collective approaches for developing learning communities
- Steps for engaging, mentoring, recognizing and rewarding as well as sustaining faculty interest in participating in learning communities
- Steps for engaging, advising, mentoring and sustaining students in learning communities
- Steps for creating the infrastructure for proposing, recruiting students, scheduling, and evaluating learning communities for our at-risk, general scheduling learning communities – Honors Students, At Risk Students, General Student population
- Steps and processes for evaluating learning community outcomes -
versus individual and cohort student learning outcomes
Classroom feedback/evaluation methods
Cost effectiveness, mixed method issues
- General Education Requirement Reforms and Learning
Communities
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