Community & Student Learning

1. Community & Student Learning Susan Shadle Adjunct Appreciation Dinner February 2007

2. Community 1. a unified body of individuals (Merriam-Webster) http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/community • Classroom/course communities • The Boise State University community

3. Why is community important? Research indicates that community positively impacts student learning and retention

4. Student Academic Success Factors influencing educational outcomes: • Over 80 factors considered • > 27000 students, > 300 institutions • Top two influences on academic success and satisfaction: • Interaction among students • Interaction between faculty and students Astin, A.W. (1993). What Matters in College: Four Critical Years Revisited. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

5. Student Perceptions of Effective Classes For large classes to be successful, students indicated these instructor qualities were crucial: • Instructor competency • experienced or knowledgeable • Instructor concern for students • friendly, caring, and available instructor • Instructor energy level • enthusiastic and dynamic • Instructor speaking ability • easy to understand, interesting, and communicative Wulff, D., Nyquist, J., and Abbott, R.D. (1987, Winter). Students’ perceptions of large classes (pp. 17-31). In M. Weimer (Ed.), Teaching large classes well. New directions for Teaching and Learning, No. 32, San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

6. Effects of Student Learning Communities cohorts of students co-enrolled in a set of courses • Social networks created academic support systems • Members were more likely to • attend class • participate in campus life • see peers and faculty as welcoming and supportive • persist in college (to the 2nd year) • Members perceived • higher quality of learning and greater intellectual gains Tinto, V., Goodsell Love, A. & Russo, P. (1994) Building learning communities for new college students. The National Center on Postsecondary Teaching, Learning and Assessment. The Pennsylvania State University.

7. Pedagogy Cooperative Learning “structured, systematic instructional strategy in which small groups of students work together towards a common goal”.1 Numerous studies have shown2 • enhanced student learning • other positive outcomes, such as improved critical thinking skills and increased self esteem 1. Cooper, J.L., Robinson, P., and M. McKinney (1993). Cooperative Learning in the classroom. In Changing College Classrooms, edited by D.F. Halpern and associates. San Franscisco: Jossey-Bass. 2. Millis, B.J. and P.G. Cottell, Jr. (1998). Cooperative Learning for Higher Education Faculty, Westport, CT: American Council on Education Oryx Press.

8. How do you build community? “Academic culture is a curious and conflicted thing. On the one hand, it holds out the allure and occasionally the reality of being a “community of scholars”… On the other hand, it is a culture infamous for fragmentation, isolation, and competitive individualism – a culture in which community sometimes feels harder to come by than in any other institution on the face of the earth.” Parker Palmer, in “Creating Campus Community. William M. McDonald, Ed, Jossey-Bass, 2002 (p. 179).

9. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities a unified body of individuals Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

10. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “Faculty & students share academic goals and work together to strengthen teaching and learning” (p. 9) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

11. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “Freedom of expression is uncompromisingly protected and…civility is powerfully affirmed” (p. 17) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

12. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “Sacredness of the person is honored and …diversity is aggressively pursued.” (p. 25) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

13. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “Individuals accept their obligations to the group and… well-defined governance …guide(s) behavior for the common good.” (p. 37) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

14. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “The well-being of each member is sensitively supported and… service to others is encouraged.” (p. 47) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

15. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities “Rituals affirming both tradition and change are widely shared.” (p. 55) Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

16. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Healthy Campus Communities Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

17. Purposeful, Celebrative, Disciplined… Bronco Nation

18. What is our role? Recognize that our interactions with students (and the ones we facilitate them having with each other) have a profound impact on their learning and integration into our community

19. Celebrative Purposeful Community Caring Open Disciplined Just Teachers supporting community Boyer, E.L. (1990). Campus Life: In search of community. San Francisco: The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching

20. Teachers supporting community Community Purposeful • Help students to understand course goals • Work to create environments in which students see us as partners in their learning • Use pedagogical strategies that facilitate student learning and creation of community

21. Teachers supporting community • Treat students as individuals • Learn/use their names • Find out something about them • Learn about their prior knowledge • Consider learning styles Community Open Just Caring • Create an intentionally inclusive classroom environment • Be responsive and respectful to students

22. Teachers supporting community Community Disciplined • Use our power in the classroom responsibly • Balance authority and approachability

23. Why is community important? Community positively impacts faculty job satisfaction and retention Teaching and learning are enhanced by a community of teachers Enables challenges, strategies, and ideas about teaching to be shared Supports innovation

24. Creating Communities of Teachers The mission of the Center for Teaching and Learning is to support, promote and enhance teaching effectiveness and to facilitate engagement in student learning. … Nurture a culture of commitment to student learning, stimulate dialogue and reflection about teaching, and foster a sense of community among faculty.

25. Center for Teaching and Learning Services and Programs • Workshops • Consulting Services • Syllabus and course design • Teaching observation • Video consultation • Small group instructional diagnosis (SGID) • Student evaluations consultation • Faculty Learning Communities

26. A final idea about community and teaching… “To teach is to create a space in which the community of truth is practiced.” (p. 90) “Truth is an eternal conversation about things that matter, conducted with passion and discipline.” (p. 104) Palmer, P.J. (1998) The Courage to Teach. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.