The More Learning Communities, the Merrier

Last week, Accelerating Achievement featured learning communities: we talked about engagement, expansion, and evidence. But one week is never enough, so today we’ve got a quick snapshot of some of the outstanding technical assistance DEI colleges are receiving that’s helping them make their learning communities more successful.

• At Zane State College in Zanesville, Ohio, DEI technical assistance provider Emily Lardner met with student services staff and faculty to discuss the advantages of learning communities. Emily started by connecting with student services at a breakfast session to help them understand the benefits of learning communities. “When you’re trying to have a learning community on campus, [student services] are the first line to get people in the door and enrolled, so it’s crucial they understand the importance,” says Becky Ament, Associate Dean of Developmental Education and the First-year Experience at Zane State. Meeting with faculty on campus, Emily guided small groups in thinking about integrated learning assignments as an alternative to a full- scale learning community; such assignments can help students engage across courses, but without some of the logistical challenges of learning communities. Since Emily's technical assistance, Zane State has developed two college-level learning communities and four learning communities pairing developmental courses with college-level general education courses, including:
• Introduction to Psychology with English Composition (college-level)
• First-Year Experience Course with Introduction to Computer Applications (college-level)
• Introduction to Sociology with Developmental English
• Principles of Biology with Study Skills
• Consumer Economics with Pre-business Math
• Microeconomics with Beginning Algebra

• We talked to Ruth Silon, DEI Project Director at Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, about changes that the college made in their learning communities after bringing in technical assistance provider Julie Phelps. On Julie’s visit, she led a focus group with learning community faculty from various departments. From these conversations, the college learned there was a disconnect between what the faculty needed to form learning communities versus what was being offered. As a result, the Western campus took the lead and organized a Learning Community Summit; faculty from Valencia Community College provided learning community training. Since then, Julie has returned and met with this group of faculty and administrators to discuss progress.