Southeast Technical Institute January 3, 2012 1. Mission: To educate individuals for employment...
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Supporting Student Success through Learning Communities Southeast Technical Institute January 3, 2012 1
Southeast Technical Institute January 3, 2012 1. Mission: To educate individuals for employment opportunities, professional growth and life long learning
How do you define student success at SETI? How do you know if a
student is successful or not? Do faculty, staff and students define
success differently? 4
Slide 5
Student-to-student interaction Student-to-faculty interaction
Student-oriented faculty Discussing racial/ethnic issues with other
students Hours studying Tutoring other students Socializing with
diverse students Faculty positive about general education From:
Astin, A. W. 5
Slide 6
Hours spent watching television/playing video games
Institutional size Use of teaching assistants Full-time employment
Lack of community among students Living at home Peers oriented
toward materialism Astin, A. W. 6
Slide 7
Student and learning centered approach Inclusion
Multi-disciplinary perspectives Variety of ways to construct and
demonstrate meaning and understanding Collaborative learning
environments Active and collaborative learning Civic and service
components in educational agenda Access, affordability 7
Slide 8
Largest enrollment in SETI history: Fall 2011 at 2507 Gender:
49% male (1218) and 51% female (1289) Ethnicity: 92% White; 2%
Black; 2% Hispanic; 1.6% American Indian; 1% Asian/Pacific
Islander; 1.4% two or more races Age: almost 70% 17-25 years of
age; 11% 26-29; 13.2% 30-39 Transfer: 35-40% from another college
or university 8
Slide 9
Students persist in their studies if the learning they
experience is meaningful, deeply engaging, and relevant to their
lives. How can we use learning communities to support this goal?
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Slide 10
Theoretical/philosophical foundation John Dewey- Meet students
where they are at; student-centered learning; active learning
models Paulo Freire-both teachers and students have experiences and
knowledge to share Communities of practice-Jean Lave and Etienne
Wenger 10
Slide 11
Alexander Meikeljohn (Brown University; Amherst College;
University of Wisconsin)- started the experimental college at UW in
1927; started LCs to focus on helping students develop skills in
how to think, instead of what to think through integrated learning
The Evergreen State College and the Washington Center for Improving
the Quality of Undergraduate Education (early 80s) 11
Slide 12
Learning Communities A method to deliver curricula to students
and forge closer bonds between students, among students, and
faculty and between students and the institution (Price, 2005)
Strategies for enrolling cohort groups of students in a common set
of classes (Learning Communities Monograph Series) 12
Slide 13
Small sub-groups of studentscharacterized by a common sense of
purposethat can be used to build a strong sense of group identity,
cohesiveness, and uniqueness that encourage continuity and the
integration of diverse curricular and co-curricular experiences
(Astin, 1985, 1994) A variety of approaches that link or cluster
classes during a given term that enroll a common cohort of
students. This represents an intentional restructuring of students
time, credit and learning experiences to build community, and to
foster more explicit connections among students, their teachers and
among disciplines (content). 13
Slide 14
A set of separate courses in (seemingly) unrelated fragments.
Instructors teach separate courses to different and separate groups
of students. Learning communities pair/cluster courses into a more
coherent and enriched teaching and learning environment. 14
Slide 15
Linked or paired courses-simplest form; each course is taught
separately, but there may be joint assignments, projects,
discussions First-Year Interest Groups (FIG)-a cohort of the
first-year students enrolls in a small group in three, in-place
topically related courses; no faculty co-planning; student in the
FIG met regularly with a peer advisor. Learning Clusters-a cluster
of 2-4 courses linked by common themes, historical periods, issues
or problems; extent of co-planning varies; some common
assignments/projects; students co-enroll in the courses, but there
are other students in the courses who are not co-enrolled. 15
Slide 16
Federated Learning Communities (FLC)-a cohort of students and a
Master Learner enroll in three federated, in-place courses; also
participate in a content-synthesizing seminar. Coordinated Studies
Programs-considered the most seamless of all of the LC models; a
multidisciplinary program of study involving a cohort of students
and faculty drawn from different disciplines; faculty plan and
participate in all parts of the program; courses are integrated
around a central theme. 16
Slide 17
Community: Focus on learning to learn in community May also
include participation in wider community through engagement in
community-based volunteering, service-learning Collaboration
Curricular connections and integration of ideas across disciplines,
connected knowing Linking theory with practice Reflective practice
and synthesis 17
Slide 18
To students Learn more Stay at the institution More satisfied
with integrated courses than with traditional courses Enjoy a sense
of community Learn to think more critically Able to synthesize
material from different disciplines Interact closely with other
students and learn from them 18
Slide 19
To Faculty Find LCs as challenging and stimulating Opportunity
to look at the curriculum in different ways Opportunity to
collaborate with other faculty Fosters a sense of community 19
Slide 20
Goals for students Improve retention Increase student learning
and achievement Increase time on task both in and out of class
Promote active learning and teamwork skills Develop student
leadership Increase the success rate of under-represented students
Increase entry and completion in certain majors 20
Slide 21
Goals for Faculty Increase experimentation within curriculum
Broaden pedagogical repertoire of faculty Increase faculty
engagement with one another Promote deeper interaction among
faculty and students Promote interaction between junior and senior
faculty Promote stronger relationships among faculty and student
affairs staff 21
Slide 22
Goals for Student Affairs staff: Promote deeper interaction
between student affairs and faculty Create meaningful opportunities
for student leadership development Broaden pedagogical repertoire
and deeper interaction among student affairs professionals and
students. 22
Slide 23
Goals for Curriculum Increase coherence of general education
program. Make curriculum more interdisciplinary Infuse skills such
as writing and speaking across the curriculum Create more engaging
points of entry for certain majors 23
Slide 24
Goals for the Institution Enhance the quality of undergraduate
education Foster a climate of innovation Increase the sense of
community within the institution Promote meaningful collaboration
between faculty and staff, faculty and administration Promote a
culture of assessment, of learning about student learning 24
Slide 25
For students: May require a greater commitment than the student
is ready for Decreases flexibility in students schedule Potential
for cliques to form (student-to-student interaction) Group members
do not contribute equally to assignments 25
Slide 26
For faculty: Working together is time-consuming! Many
experience loss of autonomy as decisions are shared Close
connections to students can be draining Can perceive that one
instructor is being played against the other/competing for students
attention Difficult to assure all courses are treated equally
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Slide 27
Learning Communities have a broad reach in higher education in
the U.S. Much more research is needed in the following areas: How
do LCs effect faculty, student affairs staff, librarians, etc?
Institutional and leadership issues related to LCs? Why are
learning communities successful? Most of the research reveals
promising results: Strengthen student retention Strengthen academic
achievement Learning Community experience is positive 27
Slide 28
History of Block Scheduling at SDSU Initial charge Links to
implementation of the SDSU Student Success Plan Fall 2010 - Pilot
Fall 2011 - All students 28
Slide 29
18 LCs in place ~ 300 students All Pre-Pharmacy (7)*
Pre-Nursing (4)* Pre-Vet (2) Health Profession LLC *2 Pre-Pharm/2
Pre-Nursing included in college numbers Represents 15% first-year
class 6 of 7 colleges represented Ag Bio LLC (2) AA General Studies
(1) Ag Engineering (1) Nutrition Food Science (1) 29
Slide 30
Blocks of 22-25 students 2 to 3 courses (6-9 credit hours)
Courses typically used: Introductory course in department: VET 103,
PHA 101, EHS 140 BIO 151/151L General Biology CHEM 112/112L General
Chemistry GS 100 University Experience GS 143 Mastering Lifetime
Learning Skills SPCM 101 Fundamentals of Speech 30
Slide 31
Operating Guidelines All FT/FT UG students at the Brookings
campus will be a member of a LC for Fall 2011 Groups of ~25
students by academic program (may have to combine majors) Link
minimum 2 courses/labs with course caps of ~25 Try to avoid courses
with placement concerns (i.e. math, ENGL 101) Review conflicts with
athletics, music and other practice schedules Possible opt out for
Honors programs, etc. 31
Slide 32
104 Learning Communities ~1,800 students anticipated Examples
of # of sections used: 32 ENGL 10124Composition I GS 14322Mastering
Lifetime Learning SPCM 10120Fundamentals of Speech GS
10019University Experience CHEM 112L19General Chemistry I Lab BIO
101L12Biology Survey I Lab BIO 151L8General Biology I Lab
Slide 33
College Learning Communities Arts and Sciences15 Agricultural
and Biological Sciences24 Engineering14 University College14
Pharmacy6 Nursing6 Education and Human Sciences11 33
Slide 34
Faculty collaboration: Co-Planningdegree of co-planning will
vary; link one assignment in separate community. Co-Teachingvisit
each others classes; swap courses; team-teach Co-Assessmentgrade
assignments separately or together; faculty can offer comments; all
assignments graded by all faculty Co-Learning 34
Slide 35
Linked activitiesattend a SETI event; service- learning or
volunteer activity; guest speaker discussion on a topic which spans
the 2-3 courses Linked assignmentsprojects; presentations; written
assignments Linked syllabishared student learning outcomes Linked
curriculatopics; skills & knowledge; applications; coordination
of calendars 35
Slide 36
In-Class Online Out-of-Class Formal Informal 36
Slide 37
Collaborative and cooperative learning provide teams of
students the opportunity to learn actively through shared discovery
of knowledge Peer teaching students serve as co-instructors with
faculty. Can serve as mentors or tutors as well. Discussion groups
and seminars share experiences Labs and field trips allow students
to enact the intellectual concepts and skills learned in class.
Problem-based learning work through real or simulated issues
related to the learning goals of a course. Underscores the
interdisciplinary nature of most problems. 37
Slide 38
Demonstrations delivered by students, peer or primary
instructors; see concepts come to life Writing and speaking across
the curriculum ( along with quantitative reasoning) -- help focus
on the critical nature of communication skills across the
curriculum Ongoing reflection students examine what they have
learned, how they learned it and how that learning might apply to
other situations 38
Slide 39
Self-evaluation what worked, what did not work, what next?
Also, can include portfolios of student work. Service-learning key
component of a course plus community service Experiential learning
includes a variety of approaches for allowing student opportunities
outside the classroom to apply concepts learned internship,
practicum, study abroad, other community service, etc. 39
Automotive Technology AT 110 Manual Transmission Theory AT 111
Manual Transmission Theory Lab AT 112 Automatic Transmission Theory
AT 113 Automatic Transmission Theory Lab AT 122 Brake Systems AT
123 Brake Systems Lab ENGL 101 Composition SSS 100 Student Success
Seminar 41
Slide 42
A minimum percentage of the students will earn a 2.0 + GPA and
will return to SETI for their second semester. (92%-93% return
FA-SP each yr.) Survey questions : Identify two benefits of
collaborative learning Articulate a sense of belonging at SETI
Participate in discipline-based organizations and events 42
Slide 43
Comprehensive listing of institutions with LCs
http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/Directory. asp
http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/Directory. asp Amazon.com 453
listings for university learning communities 43
Slide 44
References Gabelnick, F., MacGregor, J. Matthews, R.S., &
Smith, B.L. (1990). Learning communities: Creating Connections
among students, faculty and disciplines. New Directions for
Teaching and Learning, 41. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Inc.
Laufgraben, J.L. and Shapiro, N.S. (2004). Sustaining and Improving
Learning Communities. San Francisco: Jossey Bass, Inc. Price, D.V.
(2005). Learning Communities and Student Success in Postsecondary
Education: A Background Paper. MDRC: New York. Shapiro, N.S. and
Levine, J.J. (1999). Creating Learning Communities: A Practical
Guide to Winning Support, Organizing Change, and Implementing
Programs. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Smith, B.L. (1993). Creating
Learning Communities. Liberal Education, 32-39. Tinto, V. (2003).
Learning Better Together: The Impact of Learning Communities on
Student Success. In Promoting Student Success in College, Higher
Education Monograph Series (pp. 1-8). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse
University. 44
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1. What is your initial reaction to the idea of learning
communities for SETI? 2. How might learning communities fit within
the SETI environment? How might learning communities fit with
initiatives already underway or soon to be launched? Will learning
communities be seen as furthering these other initiatives? 3. Who
is the student audience we want to involve in learning communities
at SETI? How will we identify these students? 4. What learning
community approach (or model) seems most appropriate and doable for
us at SETI? 46
Slide 47
5. Who needs to be involved with implementing learning
communities? Which administrative and support service people should
be brought together to discuss implementing the learning
communities? 6. Which faculty members will be involved? 7. What
might be some of the obstacles to learning communities? 8. Will the
learning communities be organized by major or by theme? 9. If by
theme, what might be some relevant themes to identify to provide
focus for the learning communities? 10. How will the learning
communities be assessed/evaluated? 47
Slide 48
Identify a recorder and spokesperson for each group. Be
prepared to report on the highlights of the discussion at your
table. What did your group identify as the key positives of the LC
concept? What concerns were identified and how might these be
addressed? What are the groups initial thoughts on how to approach
LCs at SETI? 48
Slide 49
An impetus for change Administrative support A leadership team
that includes both academic and student affairs A shared vision and
comprehensive view A strategic plan and yearly planning calendar
Inclusive planning Student-focused goals Faculty involvement An
evaluation and assessment plan Information and resource networks
Budget and space Incentives and rewards 49
