Learning Communities: Promoting Retention and Persistence
in College
RESEARCH TO PRACTICE BRIEF
Issue 6 – November/December 2005
By Deepa Rao
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“Good learning, like good work, is collaborative
and social, not competitive and isolated.” (Chickering & Gamson,
1987)
What are “learning communities” and
why are they important?
GED recipients and other nontraditional adult learners have very
low retention and persistence rates in college. Often,
this is because they lack connections to other students and support
services on campus. Research has shown that “the
more students are involved in the social and academic life of
an institution, the more likely they are to learn and persist” (Tinto,
1998, p. 2). Learning communities offer students the social
glue and academic support necessary to stay and succeed in college.
The
basic idea of the learning community is that a cohort of students
takes one or two courses together. Often a common theme
links these courses (Cross, 1998). This arrangement offers
students a deeper understanding and integration of the material
they are learning as well as more time for interactions between
students and with teachers. Learning communities also provide
more opportunities for students to interact with their peers
because they frequently require work in groups. “The
best learning communities are classrooms where students are connected
through meaningful conversations in cooperative groups with each
other and their teachers” (Hess & Mason, 2005, p. 30).
Social
support may be crucial in successful transition to college (Hays & Oxley,
1986). “In smaller environments, students seem to
gain a feeling of belonging from the personal relationships they
are able to develop with teachers, administrators, and their
cohort of students” (Jones, 2004, p. 1). Teachers
are seen as fellow participants in the learning process, not
necessarily as the ones who have or know all the right answers
(Kellogg, 1999). Learning communities thrive because they
give learners an opportunity to make sense of their personal
experience, something adult learners find worthwhile (Merriam
and Caffarelle, 1999).
Learning
communities are gaining momentum at two- and four-year colleges
as a method to increase retention, persistence, and passing rates.
Transition programs may find it helpful to steer their graduates
toward learning communities or to develop learning communities
in their own programs.
What are the models of learning communities?
There are at least five models of learning communities. According
to Tinto (undated manuscript), despite their different designs,
each model has three things in common:
- shared knowledge,
- shared knowing, and
- shared responsibility.
By linking courses, students can share, “as a community
of learners, a body of knowledge that is itself connected” (Tinto,
1998, p. 4). Through shared knowing, students enrolled
in the same courses get to know each other because they are together
more often. As members of the community, students are asked
to depend on each other, work together, and share responsibility
for getting the work done.
Linked Courses -- Two courses are linked
together; one is content-based and the other is usually application
or skills-based. The cohort of students takes both courses
(Kerka, 1999). For example, LaGuardia Community College
in Queens, NY, has a First Year Business Academy learning community. As
part of this Academy, Introduction to Business is linked with
the Basic Writing course. The courses have been designed
to complement each other.
Learning Clusters -- A cohort of students
takes a semester load of up to four courses that link together.
Typically, there is a theme to the courses and the faculty generally
work together to create common syllabi, joint/overlapping assignments,
and/or team-teach, although it is not the same at every postsecondary
institution (Kerka, 1999). The Westside Technical Institute
at Daley Community College in Chicago uses this model to address
the needs of their students who would like to enroll in a vocational
program but are not academically prepared for the program. The
Career Bridge Program “offers an integrated set of courses
in Reading/Employment, Mathematics, and TABE Test-Taking Strategies” (Mazzeo,
Rab, & Alssid, 2003).
Coordinated Studies Program (CSP) – Courses
are integrated into a “block” of time around a specific
theme. The staff plan and participate in all parts of the
program and, generally, there is no distinction between one course
and another. Depending on the college’s grading policy,
students may receive one grade for the block or they may receive
individual grades for each subject within the block (Sullivan,
2001). At South Seattle Community College, students can
enroll in a CSP called, “The Communication Connection,” which
integrates two courses, English and Communications, into one
seamless course.
Freshman Interest Group (FIGS) -- At least three freshman
courses are linked together, usually by academic majors. There
is also a weekly peer advising component for students to discuss
aspects of their first year of study, such as coursework, professors,
and adjusting to college life. This situation works best
at large universities with large freshman classes because many
freshman interest groups can exist at the same time (Kerka, 1999)
providing students with several options. At the University
of New Mexico, freshmen can participate in a math-focused FIG
called, “It all Adds Up.” Students must register
for the entire block of courses: Intermediate Algebra,
University 101, and What is Critical Thinking? Once students
join the FIG they cannot drop out of any one of the FIG-related
course.
Federated Learning Communities (FLC) -- A cohort of students
takes three theme-based courses as well as a seminar conducted
by a master learner. The master learner is a professor from a
different academic area, who is also in the three theme-based
courses with the students. The professor then leads the
seminar and helps the students get a better understanding of
the material that is covered (Kerka, 1999). The State University
of New York at Stonybrook recently ran a Federated Learning Communities
called, “Issues in Health and Society.” This
FLC linked courses such as the History of AIDS, the Social History
of Medicine, Medicine and Society, and Medical Anthropology.
What does current research say about learning
communities?
In the mid-1990s, Vincent Tinto, an expert on the social dimensions
of student learning, conducted a longitudinal study on the effects
of learning communities on the academic and social experiences
of beginning college students. Tinto looked at the Coordinated
Studies Programs (CSP) at Seattle Central Community College. In
these programs, students enrolled together in several courses
that had a theme. Students met between 11 to18 hours each
week, in four to six hour blocks, for two to four days. In
general, all of the instructors were present at all of the class
meetings. Students shared a curriculum as well as the experience
of learning together (Tinto, 1997).
Tinto
and his fellow researchers compared the results of first year
students in the CSPs with students that signed up for courses
in the typical fashion. Through a series of questionnaires,
classroom observations, interviews, and document review, the
researchers found that beginning students in the CSPs were more
involved in course activities and activities with other students
outside of the classroom than other beginning students who did
not participate in the CSPs. Students had a more positive
view of all aspects of their college experience, such as the
campus climate, other students, and the faculty. Also,
CSP students had higher persistence rates than students enrolled
in regular courses. Almost 84 percent of CSP students,
compared with 80.9 percent of regular students, persisted to
the following spring semester. The persistence rate was
even greater for the following fall semester. Almost 67
percent of CSP students persisted to the following fall semester
as compared with only 52 percent of the regular students (Tinto,
1997).
The
qualitative portion of the study of the CSPs at Seattle Central
found that participating in a first year learning community gave
students the opportunity to develop a network of peers that helped
them to persist in postsecondary education. The students
also gained knowledge in how to construct their own knowledge. The
professors challenged students' assumptions of learning and in
the end, helped them to take ownership over their own learning
process. The students in the CSPs were also exposed to
a range of diversity in classmates’ backgrounds, traditions,
views, and experiences and found this to be very helpful in developing
an understanding of different points of view (Tinto, 1997).
A
more recent study by MDRC (Bloom & Sommo, 2005), the Opening
Doors Learning Communities Project, began in fall 2003 at the
Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn, New York. The
program served over 750 students who tested at below-college
level in reading writing, and/or math. Using a lottery
system as part of the study design, students were assigned to
a learning community or control group. The learning community
cohort took three first-semester courses together: English,
a course in an academic subject, and a one-credit freshman-orientation
course. The instructors included a counselor who helped
students integrate the courses, address obstacles to success,
and arrange extra tutoring and book vouchers. The first
evaluation of the program showed that:
- Opening Doors students substantially outperformed control
group students during their first semester at Kingsborough,
achieving higher course passing rates, particularly in English.
- One year after enrollment, Opening Doors students were more
likely to have completed their remedial English requirements
(Bloom & Sommo, 2005, p. iii).
How could your students benefit from learning
communities?
It may not be feasible for a college transition program to develop
and implement one of the five learning communities model because
cost, staffing, time, and communication can pose challenges. However,
it is possible to make changes or add components to your current
program in the spirit of learning communities to help your students
succeed once they have transitioned into postsecondary education.
At your transition program:
- Intentionally integrate subjects to make content more meaningful.
Example 1: Link or pair a writing class with a computer
class. In the writing class, the instructor can teach about
writing research papers. In the computer class, the instructor
can reinforce the research principles taught in the writing class. Student
can conduct online research and use a word processing program
to write the paper.
Example 2: Link or pair a basic computer class with career
planning. In the computer class, students can spend the
semester learning to navigate a word processing program and the
internet while doing career development. They can learn
to navigate multiple Web sites devoted to career planning, take
online career inventories, research specific requirements, write
resumes and cover letters, and/or write a mini-research paper
on the career(s) of their choice. Example: Coordinate pre-Algebra
with writing. In the pre-Algebra class, students can be
asked to write down their thoughts in a journal or notebook on
working through specific math problems or specific math skills
throughout the semester. Instructors can respond to students
in writing as well.
At your local college:
- If your local college offers a learning community for beginning
students, encourage your students to enroll in it.
- If your local college does not have the learning community
option, encourage two or more of students to enroll in one
course together such as a developmental math course or a
Psychology course. They can provide each other with that
support all beginning college students need for persistence.
- If your college transition program or ABE program is located
on a college campus, find out if the college offers learning
communities. Invite the Learning Community Coordinator
or instructor to speak with your students. You should
also arrange to have some of your students experience the
learning community for a day. Request that the college
extend the learning community continuum to include the adult
education component.
Where can I learn more?
Creating Learning Communities Online Resources
This online resource center was originally a book. It has
been uploaded to the Web and is regularly updated. It is
geared more towards the K-12 school system.
http://www.creatinglearningcommunities.org
Electronic Learning Communities (ELG)
The ELC Group in the College of Computing at the Georgia Institute
of Technology is led by Assistant Professor Amy Bruckman. Her
research focuses on the design of communities on the Internet,
through a constructivist theorectical framework that is based
on the idea that people learn best when they are making something
that is personally meaningful to themselves.
http://www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/
Learning Communities: Getting Started
This Maricopa County Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI)
Monograph by Geri Rasmussen and Elizabeth Skinner at Maricopa’s
GateWay Community College, provides information on types
of learning communities and steps for developing a learning
community. The entire monograph is available for downloading
and printing.
http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/ilc/monograph/
Learning Communities Common/National Learning Communities
Project
This site is the Washington Center for Improving the Quality
of Undergraduate Education at Evergreen State College. In
1996, the Center widened its mission to include learning communities
beyond the college from around the nation.
http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/
Opening Doors Project at Kingsborough Community College
One of the strategies that has shown promise for retaining nontraditional
students is a learning community project at Kingsborough
Community College. To read more see,
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/410/overview.html
and
http://www.luminafoundation.org/newsroom/
newsletter/May2004/MDRC.html
West Hills College Bridge Program
This Web site provides Learning Community resources for students
and faculty.
http://whcbridge.com/lc100.html
References
Bloom, D. & Sommo, C. (2005). Building learning
communities: Early results from the Opening Doors Demonstration
at Kingsborough Community College. [Electronic version.] New
York, NY: MDRC. Retrieved on December 21, 2005, from
http://www.mdrc.org/publications/410/overview.html.
Chickering, A.W. & Gamson, Z.F. (1987). Seven principles
for good practice in undergraduate education. [Electronic
version retrieved on December 21, 2005, from http://learningcommons.evergreen.edu/pdf/fall1987.pdf]. Reprint
from AAHE Bulletin, (March), 1987.
Cross, K.P. (1998). Why learning communities? Why now? About
Campus, 3(3), 4-11.
Hays, R.B. & Oxley, D. (1986). Social network development
and function during life transition. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology, 50, 305-313.
Hess, M. & Mason, M. (2005). The case for learning communities. Community
College Journal, 76(1), Aug/Sep, 30-35.
Jones, T. (2004). Smaller learning communities: Give
them a little TLC.” Connections, 14(4). Waco,
TX: National Tech Prep Network.
Kellogg, K. (1999). Learning communities. ERIC
Digest. Washington, DC: ERIC Clearninghouse
on Higher Education, George Washington University. Retrieved
December 16, 2005, from http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/
ericdocs2/content_storage_01/0000000b/80/2a/2d/ae.pdf. (ERIC
Document Reproduction Service No. ED430512).
Kerka, S. (1995). Adult learner retention revisited. ERIC
Digest. Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational
Education. Retrieved December 16, 2005, from http://www.cete.org/acve/docgen.asp?tbl=archive&ID=A002. (ERIC
Document Reporduction Service No. ED389879).
Mazzeo, C., Rab, S. & Alssid, J. (2003). Building
bridges to colleges and careers: Contextualized basic
skills programs at community colleges. Brooklyn,
NY: Workforce Strategy Center. Retrieved November
30, 2005, from http://www.workforcestrategy.org/publications/
Contextualized_basic_ed_report.pdf.
Merriam, S. & Caffarelle, R. (1999). Learning in
adulthood: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed.). San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Sullivan, Linda. (2001). Five models of integrated learning
communities. Retrieved
November 29, 2005, from http://www.mcli.dist.maricopa.edu/
ilc/models.html.
Tinto, V. (1997). Classrooms as communities: Exploring
the educational character of student persistence. The
Journal of Higher Education, 68(6), 599-623.
Tinto, V. (1998). Learning communities and the reconstruction
of remedial education in higher education. Retrieved November
29, 2005, from Syracuse University Faculty Web site: http://www.doso.wayne.edu/SASS/Tinto%20Articles/
Learning%20Communities%20&%20Remedial%20Education.pdf.
Tinto, V. (undated). Learning better together: The
impact of learning communities on student success. Retrieved
December 21, 2005, from http://www.doso.wayne.edu/SASS/Tinto%20Articles/
Learning%20Better%20Together.pdf.
About the Author
Deepa Rao coordinates the New England ABE-to-College
Transition Project, a project of the New England Literacy Resource
Center at World Education in Boston, since April, 2002. She provides
technical assistance to the 25 adult learning programs participating
in the project through trainings, site visits, phone conferences,
and email exchanges. She also participated in designing the evaluation,
evaluation tools, and data collection system for the project. Deepa
recently completed her Masters of Education in Policy, Planning,
and Administration for Community Education at Boston University’s
School of Education. She can be reached for comments at drao@worlded.org.
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