Building a Successful Learning Community Program: Colleges Learning From Each Other

1. Building a Successful Learning Community Program: Colleges Learning From Each Other NISOD 2009

2. Maureen Pettitt Skagit Valley Liz Dewey Delta Jeanine Lewis Aims

3. Session Topics • Skagit Valley’s Counseling-Enhanced Developmental Learning Communities • Mentoring Project Overview • Activities, Challenges and Lessons • Aims • Delta • Closing Thoughts • Questions

4. Learning Communities at SVC • Curricular Learning Communities have been offered at Skagit since 1986 and required for the transfer degree since 1993 • Approximately 40 LCs are offered at SVC each year • Learning Community proposals focus on collaborative learning, community-building, and integrative outcomes • Our CCSSE data suggests positive results

5. CCSSE Benchmarks

6. Counseling-Enhanced Developmental Learning Communities

7. “Students need to develop the abilities associated with ‘learning how to learn’ in multiple and varied contexts—a key learning goal of curriculum aimed at preparing students for college-level work” Malnarich, G., et al. (2003). “The Pedagogy of Possibilities: Developmental Education, College-Level Studies, and Learning Communities,” p.27.

8. Imperatives • Approximately half of students new to the college test into developmental English • Nearly 90% test into developmental math • The “C or better” pass rate in developmental math (as a percent of students enrolled the 10th day) averages 65%.

9. Goals • Expand our developmental Learning Community offerings to improve student success in Mathematics and English • Integrate student services with instruction to increase collaboration and to enhance faculty advising skills • Use a research model to inform project planning and measure success

10. Example C-E Developmental Learning Community:“Reading Between the Numbers” • Counselor covers 5 topics: • Time Management • Note-taking • Test preparation/test anxiety • Educational Planning • College Resources MATH 96 Common discussions/ assignments READ 97

11. Fall 2007 Data:Percent of Students Enrolled at 10th-day Who Earned a C or Better Counseling-Enhanced Developmental LCs Developmental LC Stand Alone Courses

12. Fall 2007-Winter 2008 Retention

13. Fall 2008 Data

14. Faculty Feedback Strengths • Having the counselor in the classroom really enhanced the connections made in the classroom and improved the interaction and dynamic for discussions and lectures Challenges • Finding time (or the right time) to fit in the counseling modules

15. Student Feedback – LC Survey • CodeX (Math 96 & English 97) • I liked having 2 classes at once rather than only have 1 at a time. I feel I learned more too. • Was fun. Very intriguing. • I think combined classes are a great way to learn. • I like having these two classes together because it makes me feel more connected -- knowing the same people and teachers are working together.

16. Student Voices – Counseling-Enhanced Dev LCs Vanessa, Antonio, Kyle, Danielle & Alexsey • “Having a counselor in the class helped a lot.” • The counselor “taught us how to be successful,” “how to help ourselves;” “be here now;” “drink mint tea” • “I take the strategies I learned [from the teachers and the counselor] and use them in my other classes.”

17. Some Keys to our Successful LC program at SVC • The program is faculty-driven • It is student-focused • Course integration is intentional and tied to learning outcomes • We systematically assess LC outcomes • The program is supported by the administration

18. College Mentoring Program

19. Overview • Initiative funded by the Dept. of Ed and administered by JBL Associates • Six mentoring communities, each with a different focus relevant to community colleges • Goals • Encourage the exchange of ideas and knowledge • Use existing successful strategies to advance “mentee” college initiatives

20. Aims Community College

21. Aims’ New Learning Communities • “Reading, Mathematics and Study Skills: A Successful Combination” • REA 090, MAT 030, MAT 060, AAA 101 • “Paving Your Way to Success” • ENG 121, MAT 090, AAA 101 • “Math to Build On” • MAT 030, MAT 060, AAA 101 • “Success in Writing Through Psychology” • PSY 101, ENG 090, AAA 101

22. Challenges of Implementing Learning Communities • Historical “baggage” of learning communities not supported by the college • Contentious relationship between student services personnel and faculty • Faculty compensation (teaching load, release time, monetary compensation)

23. What Aims Learned • Many of the struggles to implement learning communities are similar across the nation • A huge part of the success of learning communities is the support given and received by the entire college toward learning communities • There is an overwhelming feeling of a “safe zone” at Skagit Valley College with regard to their learning communities

24. Delta College

25. Delta’s New Learning Communities • “The Science of Success”– 12 credits • ENG090, MTH092, SCI099, LW220 • “Start Here, Go Anywhere!”– 12 credits • ENG090, MTH092, COM112, LW220, CST091

26. Delta’s Process Good history of Learning Communities since 1992 AQUIP project to coordinate developmental education 2007 Idea to create dev ed learning community with orientation-type content and activities 2008 Received Endowed Chair to create counselor-enhanced dev ed learning communities Oct. 2008 Heard about, applied for, and received the College Mentor Grant Oct. 2008 (!)

27. What Delta Learned To base communities on what students need How counselors function in communities Benefits to all of counselor presence Importance of follow-up communities Ways to assess impact of communities

28. What we’ve done based on what we learned • Shared planning and assessment info with our Learning Communities Director and Advisory Board • Met several times with counseling staff • Sent counseling staff to visit Skagit Valley • Brought LC faculty and staff together • Started planning Winter 2010 communities

29. Closing Thoughts or: Where our ambitions took us

30. What We Learned Collectively • The value of learning communities for ALL students • The substantial pay-off from the sharing and collaboration that has occurred in our mentoring community • The importance of adapting strategies to fit the specific institutional culture

31. Thanks for your attention! Questions?

32. "You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self." Richard Bach, novelist