Living Learning Communities Overview

1. Living Learning Communities Overview Jerry Olson Director of Residence Life Andrew Beckett Assistant Dean of Students July 18, 2006

2. Outline • What are Living Learning Communities (LLC’s)? • Origins and Philosophical Foundations • History at Miami • Benefits • Challenges • Reflection Questions

3. What are Living Learning Communities?

4. Structures • Curricular • Coordinated Studies (Evergreen St.) • FIGs (U of Oregon) & Linked Courses (Iowa St.) • Federated/Block Courses (Seattle Comm. Coll) • FYE (USC)

5. Structures • Residential • Theme housing (e.g. Substance Free Floors) • Academic (Interdisciplinary or major focused) • Student Created (Miami University) • Residential & Curricular • Residential colleges (Rice, Harvard, MSU) • FIGs (Iowa State) • Connections (Ball St.)

6. Philosophical underpinnings • Holistic/integrated approach • Peer to peer interaction • Faculty-student interaction • Highly differentiated environments (a.k.a. commonality of purpose) • Involvement

7. Core Practices • Community • Diversity • Integration • Active Learning • Reflection and Assessment • Smith, B., et. al. (2004). Learning Communities: Reforming undergraduate education.

8. Origins • Meiklejohn • Experimental College • UW Madison 1927-32 • Harvard Houses (1929) and Yale Colleges (1931); Edward Harkness • Tussman • Experiment at Berkeley • Berkeley 1965-69 • Evergreen State (early 70s) • University of Oregon FIGs (1982) • Adopted by many institutions in the early nineties

9. Student Learning Imperative(ACPA, 1993) “The concepts of ‘learning,’ ‘personal development’ and ‘student development’ are inextricably intertwined and inseparable. Higher education traditionally has organized its activities into ‘academic’ affairs (cognitive development) and ‘student affairs’ (affective or personal development).

10. However this dichotomy has little relevance to post-college life, where the quality of one’s job performance, family life and community activities are all highly dependent on cognitiveandaffective skills.”

11. History at Miami 1929 — Live-in faculty begin to conduct academic advising in the residence halls 1974 — The Western College Program was established 1983 — The beginning of Focused Learning Communities (FLC), precursor to Theme Learning Communities, in conjunction with the Honors Department 1983-1992 — International Living Learning Center and Health Enhancement & Lifestyle Management Programs were established 1993 — German Language Floor, Residential Service Learning, Academic Excellence Floor (precursor to the Scholastic Enhancement Program), Fine Arts Interest Floor (precursor to the Celebrate the Arts Program), Cooperative Living/Learning Center (no longer in existence), and the Business Floor (no longer in existence), were all established 1995 — Women in Math, Science, & Engineering was established 1996 — Scholar Leader Program and Leadership, Excellence, & Community were established

12. History at Miami 1997 — Mosaic: Individuality and Diversity was established in conjunction with the College of Arts and Science 1998 — Celebrate the Arts was established in conjunction with the School of Fine Arts 1999 — Courses in Common was established (first known as Federated Learning Community) 2001 — Record 53% of first-year students and 12% of upperclass students chose to participate in Theme Learning Communities 2001 — Addition of the French Language Floors 2003 — Addition of the Environmental Awareness Program and the Technology and Society Program 2004 — Addition of the Chinese Language Floors 2006– Addition of the Spanish Language Floors

13. Miami University—Context of LLCs • Public, residential institution with a strong academic reputation • Approximately 16,000 students on Oxford campus • Undergraduate liberal arts focus on principles of: thinking critically, understanding contexts, engaging with other learners, and reflecting and acting (Miami Plan Principles) • Six divisions—Arts & Science, Business, Education & Allied Professions, Engineering & Applied Science, Fine Arts, Interdisciplinary Studies • Mission of LLCs at Miami • create and extend student learning opportunities outside of the classroom • integrate curricular with co-curricular experiences • foster faculty and resident interaction • enhance both intellectual and personal growth of the residents

14. Miami’s LLCs 2006-2007 • Celebrate the Arts • Chinese Language Floors • Communities of Inquiry (Honors and Scholars) • Environmental Awareness Program • French Language Floors • German Language Floors • Health Enhancement & Lifestyle Management (HELM) • International Living Learning Community

15. Miami’s LLCs 2006-2007 • Leadership, Excellence & Community • Mosaic • Scholastic Enhancement Program • Spanish Language Floors • Student Created Programming • Technology and Society • Western College Program • Women in Science Disciplines, Engineering, and Mathematics (WiSDEM)

16. Why LLCs? • Who benefits and how?

17. LLC Benefits for Faculty/Staff • Offers a means for professional rejuvenation • Provides an opportunity for faculty development (content and pedagogy) • Creates mentoring opportunities • Helps faculty/staff better understand students via interactions Source: Goodsell Love, A. (1999). What are learning communities? In J. Levine, (Ed.), Learning communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (pp. 1-8). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.

18. LLC Benefits for Students • Deepens learning through active approach— collaborative learning, reflection (explicitly making links among disciplines), service and experiential learning, interdisciplinary inquiry • Raises expectations for learning • Assists students in making connections to the campus and surrounding community • Aids in student transition to college and retention • Increases interaction between students and faculty Source: Goodsell Love, A. (1999). What are learning communities? In J. Levine, (Ed.), Learning communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (pp. 1-8). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.

19. LLC Benefits for Institution • Helps institution make a paradigm shift (move from teacher-centered to learning-centered; strengthens teaching) • Sparks greater intellectual interaction between students and instructor and between/among instructors • Provides alternative to traditional approaches to general education • Is generally cost effective • Aids student retention, motivation, and progress toward degree Source: Goodsell Love, A. (1999). What are learning communities? In J. Levine, (Ed.), Learning communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (pp. 1-8). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.

20. Challenges • Partnerships (giving up some control of decision-making) • Motivating staff (programming won’t always be “fun”; community is viewed as a process and not an outcome) • Facility limitations • Priorities of faculty and student affairs • Sense of accomplishment • How do you know you were successful?

21. How do our halls become Living Learning Communities? • How would a visitor know that your hall is an LLC? • What opportunities will students have to learn and grow in their LLC? • How are these opportunities different from students living in a “traditional” residence hall?

24. What makes a LLC • How would a visitor know that your hall is an LLC? • Visual Indicators • Door decs, bulletin boards, etc. • Students • Who are they? • What are they doing? • Staff • What are they/you doing? • What opportunities will students have to learn and grow in your LLC? How are these opportunities different from students living in a traditional residence hall?