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Iowa State University

Learning Communities

It's Working

"It's Working" presentation prepared by Iowa State University for the
Academic Affairs - Student Affairs: Creating Synergy for Learning Conference
January 14-17, 1999

Overview

Randy Alexander

Introductions

Learning Community Working Group

Mark Chidister

  • Associate Provost Task Forces on Undergraduate Education
  • 12 Attend University of Miami Conference Transforming Campuses into Learning Communities
  • Learning Community Working Group

LCWG Membership

Informal Alliance Between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs

  • Directors
  • Assoc. & Assist. Deans
  • Faculty
  • Student Services
  • Research Analyst
  • Department of Residence
  • Registrar
  • Center for Teaching Excellence
  • All 8 Colleges

LCWG Activities

  • Weekly 2 hour meetings over lunch
  • Visited campuses with learning communities
  • Working retreat
  • Report
    • Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs
    • President's Council
  • Funding Proposals
  • Workshops and Presentations

LCWG Funding

  • Spring 1998 - $28,000 (end of year)
  • Fall 1998 - $1,500,000 (Presidential grant)
    • $500,000 annually for three years
    • Development of new learning communities
    • Peer mentors
    • Assessment
    • Communication

Evolution of the LCWG

Informal to Formal

Outcomes of the LCWG

Corly Petersen Brooke

  • Objectives
    • Promote student learning through positive engagement
    • Promote active and collaborative learning
    • Foster respect for and understanding of differences
    • Integrate students into the university community
    • Promote leadership skills
    • Foster an integrated curriculum
    • Model interdisciplinary collaboration
    • Promote faculty development
  • Desired Outcomes: Students
    • Higher academic achievement
    • Greater use of university resources
    • Increased interactions with faculty and staff
    • More readily achieve learner outcomes
    • Greater rate of persistence
    • Greater satisfaction with academic experience
  • Desired Outcomes: Faculty
    • Increase interactions with students, staff, and other faculty
    • Use active and collaborative teaching strategies
    • Increase scholarship, interdisciplinary teaching, research, and outreach
  • Common Characteristics of Learning Communities at ISU
    • Clearly defined goals
    • Clear assessment and evaluation procedures
    • A unifying theme
    • Intellectually stimulating and educationally purposeful environment
    • Builds collaboration and interactive learning
    • Extends learning beyond the classroom
    • Links academic programs / colleges
    • Integrates curriculum, academic services, and student support services
    • Clear identification of program administration and support structure

Learning Communities at ISU

Doug Gruenewald

Learning community models

  • History of participation
  • Participation by college

Course-based, non-residential - Agronomy

  • 12 first semester freshmen per team
  • one semester program
  • courses are required for degree in Agronomy
  • 14.5 credit course cluster: English, Biology, Library, and 3 Agronomy courses
  • Peer tutoring, faculty mentoring, social activities, seminars/workshops, career exploration, field trips

Course-based, residential - Computer Engineering

  • 24 freshmen majors clustered in residence hall
  • one year program
  • courses in common: chemistry, calculus, engineering
  • peer mentors (not live-in)
  • focus on team work and group skills
  • enhance student learning through group learning
  • faculty tutoring and mentoring

Residential - Design Exchange

  • 100 freshmen, two teams, four clusters of 25
  • open to all College of Design majors
  • one year program
  • studio and computer lab in residence hall
  • 4 peer mentors (live-in)
  • common design orientation courses (for credit)
  • social activities, study sessions, community service, field trips, career exploration

Ethnic Minority Focus - LEAD
Leadership through Engineering Academic Diversity

  • one year program for first year minority students in engineering
  • courses in common: chemistry and math
  • clustered in residence halls
  • live-in peer mentors
  • peer tutoring, social activities, study sessions

History of Participation

Year Students Communities Teams
1995 407 12 25
1996 759 15 41
1997 863 14 45
1998 1019 24 60

Participation by College

College
 1995 1996 1997 1998
Agriculture 42 72 142 234
Business 35 205 198 177
Design 0 0 50 100
Education 20 28 44 48
Engineering 62 46 12 71
Family and Consumer Sciences 15 13 10 0
Liberal Arts and Sciences 64 135 96 101

Other Participation

Campus Wide/Multi College
 1995 1996 1997 1998
Cross Cultural 0 0 0 13
Food Science and Human Nutrition 0 10 6 0
Honors 50 125 130 125
Women in Science and Engineering 50 125 175 150
General Core Curriculum 69 0 0 0

Faculty and Staff Development

Charie Thralls

Some Basic Requirements

Mechanisms that:

  • Educate about learning communities
  • Facilitate networks and collaborative partnerships
  • Sustain participation, motivation, and improvement

Barriers Prior to LCGW

Defusing Some Barriers: The Academic/Student Affairs Partnership

  1. Workshop
    • Half-day general information session
    • Full-day workshop for learning community coordinators - Spring 1998
    • Full-day, follow-up workshop for learning community coordinators - Fall 1998
    • Workshop Supported Faculty and Staff Development
      • Enabled education about learning communities
        • Break out sessions on linked courses, peer mentoring, residence halls, etc.
        • Updates on available resources (centralized assessment instruments)
        • Discussion and problem-solving oriented
        • Strategically timed
      • Facilitated networking and partnership
        • Brought coordinators together for the 1st time
        • Defused isolation
        • Opened channels of communication and support
      • Sustained participation, motivation, and improvement
        • Sparked esprit de corps
        • Generated and renewed commitment
        • Identified on-going support and resource needs
        • Cemented community links among LCWG members
  2. Funding for Supporting Writing Links
    • $10,000 Grant Supported Faculty & Staff Development
      • Enabled growth in coordinated course initiatives
      • Allowed meaningful coordination
      • Promoted a sense of community across departments and across faculty and student affairs
      • Generated good will
      • Allowed assessment of pilot before large-scale expansion
      • Provided mentoring for Tas
      • Provided opportunities for intellectual development for faculty and staff
      • Galvanized faculty - motivation and creative ideas for future LCs

Increase in LC's able to coordinate disciplinary curriculum with writing courses

Year # of Programs Programs
1995-96 1 Biology
1996-97 0  
1997-98 2 Biology
Animal Science
1998-99 6
10 sections
225 students		 Biology
Business
Journalism
Animal Science
Horticulture
Cross Cultural (LA & S)

Unresolved Issues and Ongoing Challenges

  1. What kind of infrastructure that will best enable continued faculty and staff development
    • Informal groups?
    • Centralized, formal infrastructure?
    • Balance of the two?
  2. What forums and formats are most effective for continuing education needs of faculty and staff
  3. What resources and rewards are needed to sustain faculty and staff participation and commitment?

LCWG's Role in Assessment

Laura Doering

  • Philosophy: Assessment is essential
  • Campus-wide leadership
  • Assessment design
    • Academic Environment Survey I & II (instruments, methodology)
  • Assessment funding
    • Academic Environment Survey I & II
    • CSEQ
    • Graduate assistant for assessment
    • Professional development workshops

Partners in Assessment: Academic and Student Affairs

Outcomes First! Learning Community Design Second

Campus-wide Assessment

Specific Examples of LC Assessment

Political Issues

J.D. Beatty & Larry Ebbers

  • Enhanced Learning
  • Money
  • Student Affairs - Academic Affairs
  • Voluntary?
  • Mandatory?
  • Access?
  • Scope
    • 1st Semester
    • 1st Year
    • Baccalaureate Experience
  • Obligations
    • Short-term / mid-term / long-term
  • Organization
    • Informal / Formal
  • Staffing
    • FTE / Training / Incentives
  • Facilities
    • Quality of Space
  • Assessment
    • Autonomy issues
  • Marketing
    • Under oath or not?
  • Costs
    • Human
    • Fiscal
    • Curricular
    • Cultural
  • Administrative - Faculty Culture
  • Partnership - Independence

Q & A

Randy Alexander