Overview

Broward Community College (BCC) is a multi-campus, urban, two-year community college, serving over 55,000 students annually. Similar to urban community colleges across the nation, our student population is very diverse, most coming from low social and economic backgrounds. Many of them are first-generation students or recent immigrants who speak another language other than English at home. In addition, over 83% incoming freshmen are tested below college level in college-level reading, writing and/or mathematics.

South Campus enrolls approximately 10,000 students. It is the most diverse campus, with 90% of new students testing below college-level. The campus faculty and staff initiated CLASS (Community of Learners Achieving Student Success) this fall, with a cohort of 24 developmental students with the lowest scores on the College Placement Tests.

As South Campus’s first Learning Community, CLASS has achieved its initial goal of improving developmental student persistence. All 24 of the original students are still enrolled at the College, with 20 still enrolled in CLASS. Initial data from the first semester grades indicated that CLASS students outperformed their non-CLASS counterparts in both remedial and college level courses. They earned higher grades, completed more credit hours and ended the term with higher cumulative GPAs.

Collaboration between faculty members, intrusive support systems and a required activity hour (emphasizing success skills, career and educational planning and navigating BCC systems) all appear to have contributed to improved academic and social integration of CLASS students. Most importantly, the peer support among CLASS members appears to be a major factor contributing to academic success.

Several paired course learning communities have been initiated this term and are in development for the new academic year. A new developmental “CLASS” cohort is being planned as well, with some minor revisions.

Central is the largest of the three BCC campuses, with over 16,000 students. The faculty and staff decided to pair college-level reading and writing with lower-level college courses. These LCs are proceeding well, with faculty members engaged in cross discipline discussions and collaboration. For spring, 2005, nine paired courses have been offered. Special tutoring sessions in our LRC as well as Counselors are assigned to each of these LCs, all are working together with the teaching faculty in this initiative. For the fall 2005 term over 15 pairings have been identified. The scope and interest has expanded across the disciplines that now include Mathematics, Computer Science and the Science departments. We are hoping in the future to create these pairs based on the declared major of the students. Last semester our “pre-nursing” LC which paired Reading with Study Skills lost only one student, which translates to a 95% success rate.

LCs are gaining momentum at BCC. There is a great deal of excitement and enthusiasm among faculty and staff for continuing and sustaining LCs. More and more faculty and staff members are talking about LCs and exploring pairing or clustering courses. The senior level administrators are fully behind the LC initiative. This year, resources were allocated for appointing a Campus Faculty Coordinator for each of the three campuses; funds for faculty development and student recognition are also set aside.

Most importantly, at both Central and South Campus, the linkages and collaboration between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs have been strengthened and the traditional “silos” are breaking down. Teaching faculty, faculty counselors, administrators and support staff have all been involved in this initiative.

Team Plans for Summer Institute

• To return to BCC nine experts of LCs, who together with the team from North Campus, will form a critical mass of LC champions, mentors and trainers for other faculty and staff in the college.
• To bring back to the campuses lessons from the LC movement and best practices on creating and sustaining viable LCs.
• To return to the College with designs and blue-prints for LC models that fit specific campus circumstances.
• To become connected with the national network of LC colleagues, and
• To lay the foundation for forming a LC consortium for community colleges in South Florida.