Building Learning Communities
Building Learning Communities: Infrastructure, Program and Faculty Development
(MCC Carnegie Summer Institute Session III – B.)
This session dealt with administrative issues in starting and sustaining a learning community program in a college. The presenters, Jack Minot of Holyoke Community College and Judith Kamber of Northern Essex Community College shared their experiences in taking leadership roles in the development of this approach to teaching and learning at their institutions. They addressed crucial questions concerning the costs (top administrative support), faculty participation, marketing, and integrating learning communities into the overall structure of a college. Prof. Minot, who directs a maturing program (ten years +), represented a situation in which grant funding from Title III and FIPSE was used to initiate an LC program that was an innovative way to strengthen retention and instruction of underrepresented groups in the college. Prof. Kamber, Director of Faculty Development, on the other hand, represented a program in its beginning stages (six years), that started with an individual faculty’s sabbatical project and was able to continue and develop with the support of the Academic Vice President in the form of faculty stipends to study LC’s and release time to team teach fully integrated six credit courses.
Faculty who teach in LC’s encourage other faculty involvement by testifying to the professional development and rejuvenating experience of this approach, and participating students promote LC’s through word of mouth. Improvements in retention and student learning help promote LC’s with top administrators. Tying LC’s purpose and results to institutional mission is essential for sustaining this instructional approach. NECC has a faculty steering committee to promote and recommend LC’s to the college’s Curriculum committee. They also have a Web site that publicizes the program http://www.necc.mass.edu/learningcommunities/test.html.
The learning community approach to instruction is specified in HCC’s mission statement. Assessment should be an essential part of any initiation of LC’s. It’s also recommended to start small and build on successes. Prof. Minot has development many materials for assessing an institutions readiness to try LC’s and faculty compatibility for team teaching. (The link to the site for LC’s on HCC’s Web site is: http://www.hcc.mass.edu/html/Learning_at_HCC/Learning.html#. English Composition or developmental writing courses are recommended as excellent courses to pair with other disciplines to develop integrated learning communities.
A resource on developing LC’s and making them an essential part of a college is the National Learning Communities Project at Evergreen State College (http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/). Participation in its Summer Institute is highly recommended for those wishing to start LC’s at their colleges.
Thanks to Stan Hitron of MCC for submitting this session summary.