Learning Communities & Developmental Education
Learning Communities and Developmental Education: A Case Study
A learning community linking a reading and sociology course along with a Supplemental Instruction (SI) group has been implemented successfully at Bristol Community College (BCC) for the last four semesters, and is now in its fifth semester. The classes have identical rosters and are made up of students who have not met the required college reading criteria upon registration. Each class meets for the standard three lectures per week. A peer tutor or SI leader also attends these classes, modeling appropriate and effective student behavior. In addition to the class time students meet for two additional class periods per week and discussions are held on the subject led by the SI leader.
Consistently, many of the students initially resist this design, but soon discover its benefits and become enthusiastic about the arrangement. Attendance at these sessions is almost universal. As the students discover that they are able to master the material and do well on quizzes and tests, they come to see the value of developing appropriate learning skills and the necessity for ongoing review of the material. There have been three SI leaders and all of them have thoroughly enjoyed the experience. They have played an important role in its success through their creativity in assisting the students in mastering the learning skills necessary to succeed. At the same time they have derived benefits through developing a greater understanding of the courses, as well as learning about group dynamics and the learning process.
The sociology instructor, Dana Mahew, reports that: "The common roster between the reading and sociology classes allow the students to get to know each other better, thus enhancing the sense of community. The students actually bond to the point where they are assisting each other beyond the confines of the classroom, and are engaging on a social level. The reading and sociology classes also engage in joint assignments, furthering the connnection between the two subjects. For example, students utilize sociological concepts as the vocabulary words in the reading class. This, in turn, aids with the understanding and recognition of those terms in the sociological class. The withdrawal percentage in the sociology learning community classes is much lower than in the standard introductory sections. There has also been a drop in the number of failing grades. Overall, the experience with this type of learning community has been valuable, academically and personally".
Beth Whitehead the reading instructor is also enthusiastic in reporting the results of her experience. She says that: “There are certain predictable challenges in the process of enhancing reading comprehension for college students. Linking a reading course to a content course, specifically Introduction to Sociology, has allowed both instructor and students to meet these challenges more fully". The arrangement, she points out greatly enhances vocabulary development, and "the process of moving from literal to critical thinking. By exploring the sociology text as a reading tool, students are exposed to the concept that there may be more than one correct answer". She also points out that “the ultimate aim of a college reading course is the transfer of skill from isolated practice to other academic situations". This learning community makes this connection explicit to the students. She concludes that: "the aims of this learning community have been realized. Students involved have earned higher grades and testing scores than students in unlinked classes. Retention has been better...Students have achieved a level of social cohesion which is often unavailable in a commuter school. The whole is apparently greater than the whole. The outcomes continue to gratify, surprise and motivate all involved".
--submitted by Ron Weisberger, LAANE President