Enhancing Education Through Learning Communities

1. Learning Communities What Makes Good Teaching?

2. Why I Should Not be Giving This Talk • I came to the LC orientation for the wrong reason. • It took me awhile to get it. • Initially I stayed for only some of the right reasons. • Moral: Stick around long enough and you’ll be doing the talk!!

3. What Makes LC’s Good for Universities? • Increased retention • Increased “persistence to graduation” • Generally, higher GPA’s • Foster early identification with the academy • Positive peer networks build early competency • Models the academy at its best

4. What makes LC’s Good for Students? • Scheduling and registration concerns are minimized • Smaller classes lead to more individualized attention • Continuity and reinforcement of learning across domains • Increased exposure to diversity at all levels • Problems are caught earlier and dealt with multi-modally • Faculty cross-talk models appropriate intellectual discourse

5. What makes LC’s Good for Faculty • “What is overwhelming to one faculty member is doable within a community of faculty” • Increased expertise • Structuring process • Collegiality vs. isolationism • Holistic approach to students • Problems are addressable and fixable • It’s a lot of fun

6. Why I Would Do it Again in a Minute • teaching in an LC reminds me of why I became a teacher • communication between professors and across LC’s • LC’s teach meta-skills as part of the process • Rare opportunity to kick students out of bed!!

7. Why Does CTE Take a Keen Interest in LC’s? • LC’s by their nature foster improvement in pedagogy • LC’s allow faculty easy access to other perspective in teaching. • LC’s foster a culture of collegiality and support • LC’s encourage diversity