Learning Communities at Reynolds: Applications of a High-Impact Educational Practice

Learning Communities (LCs) are identified as one of the leading educational activities that have the greatest impact upon contemporary students in Professor George Kuh’s 2008 report prepared for the Association of American Colleges and Universities.  While a number of pedagogical strategies are frequently identified with and applied in LCs, at the basic level a LC occurs with the enrollment of the same group of students in two (or more) courses which are coordinated by the professors.  

With expert assistance from the Washington Center at The Evergreen State College, Reynolds launched six of these interdisciplinary linkages in Fall 2007. One of the more available how-are-we-doing measures is the number of students who are co-enrolled in all course sections comprising a particular LC.  In Fall ‘07, approximately 40 students were co-enrolled in Reynolds LCs.  Over the following semesters the LC initiative has expanded the number of students served as well as increased the number of faculty teaching LCs. 

In Fall 2010, twenty-two LCs were offered which co-enrolled more than 400 students in a dozen disciplines.  

Learning Communities and their Impact on Students

LCs are important because they increase students’ retention, persistence and engagement.  We have assessed Reynolds LCs in these measures and find that our local experience is similar to national findings. Whether or not LCs improve grades is a little more difficult to determine, one of the factors being that persistence is improved with all levels of academic achievers.  Many LC faculty contend that their LC-affiliated students are making greater headway in terms of intellectual gain and academic engagement than their non-LC-affiliated students. 

Faculty Engagement

Faculty also find very rewarding moments when a student who has heretofore just been “along for the ride,” transitions into an active, engaged learner.   Such transformations fit well with the College’s emphasis through our QEP on student success, One Student & One Instructor at a Time. Most LC faculty also enjoy the camaraderie and professional development that occurs when working with a faculty member from another discipline. 

For More Information

Faculty engaged in LC teaching (or who just wish to explore LC-related pedagogies) are invited to become active members of the Reynolds Faculty Learning Community (RFLC).  RFLC membership includes membership in the Blackboard organization of the same name, a rich resource organized and maintained by Dr. Miles McCrimmon who also serves a RFLC facilitator.  More than 250 faculty are RFLC members, including faculty from sister community colleges, universities and the VCCS.   Reynolds is recognized as a leader in LCs throughout the VCCS and beyond.  

--Charlie Peterson

Assistant Dean, Educational Support Services & Director of Learning Communities

The Millennials Arrive

The Millennial generation comprises the majority of students currently enrolled in college and has a strong influence among learners down through elementary education.  A variety of differences can been seen between the Millennial student population and previous student populations by describing and analyzing who the Millennials are and why they are the way they are (Dobozy & Pospisil, 2009).  One of the main issues is that the Millennial generation does not respond well to the traditional teaching methods, such as the lecture, that is so prevalent in today’s classroom (Pratt & Pratt, 2009).  As society must adapt and make changes for those who are aging the younger generations cannot be forgotten and society, specifically educators, must adapt and transform their methods for new learners as they emerge and engage the world around them (Abram, 2006).  According to Hoover (2009) society must agree to two large assumptions:  The first being that the Millennial generation is fundamentally different than any other generation and that the Millennial generation shares many similarities among themselves.

The Millennial generation refers to those individuals who were born between 1982 and 2004 (Hoover, 2009).  This generation is described by Wilson and Gerber (2008) as willing to participate in team or group activities, identifying with their parents and their parent’s values, being culturally, racially, and ethnically diverse, having a preference to multitask, engaging, connected, and community based.  These characteristic also flow over to those Millennials who attend, or will attend, institutions of higher education.  To help understand the differences between the Millennials and previous generations a comparison between the characteristics of the Millennials and previous college learners is needed. 

Over the next few weeks, The Reynolds Ripple will provide further research and information about this new generation of college students.

--CJ Bracken

Instructional Designer, Center for Distance Learning

Works Cited

Abram, S. (2006). Millennials: Deal with them. Texas Library Journal, 82 (3), 1-9.

Dobozy, E., & Pospisil, R. (2009). Exploring flexible and low-cost alternatives to face-to-face academic support. Teaching English with Technology, 9 (2), 73-92.

Hoover, E. (2009). The millennial muddle. Retrieved December 13, 2010, from http://chronicle.com/article/The-Millennial-Muddle-How/48772/

Pratt, D., & Pratt, D. (2009). Managing millennial students in the college classroom. Proceedings of the ATE annual meeting, Dallas, TX.  Retrieved from http://www.allacademic.com//meta/p_mla_apa_research_citation/2/7/7/7/4/pages277745/p277745-1.php

Wilson, M., & Gerber, L. E. (2008). How generational theory can improve teaching: Strategies for working with the "millennials". Currents in Teaching and Learning, 1 (1), 29-44.



Fostering Undergraduate Research: A Model of a High-Impact Educational Practice

The primary mission of the Virginia Community College System (VCCS) is to teach, not to conduct research. However, across the United States community colleges are beginning to realize the benefits of independent research opportunities for their students. Numerous studies and articles have recognized that student research benefits the students by improving their knowledge in the chosen discipline, their writing and verbal skills, and self-confidence; and it enhances their problem-solving abilities and critical thinking skills.

Implementation of undergraduate research programs at Virginia’s community colleges will stimulate curriculum improvements. Students transferring to four-year colleges and universities will have transcripts showing their enrollment in more rigorous courses and their involvement in research-related classes and activities, which advances their knowledge and experience. Further, students can establish important relationships with transfer institutions through community college research activities.

Development and implementation of undergraduate research also leads to better use of the college’s resources (e.g., labs and libraries) as students engaged in research spend more time using these facilities. Independent research can open opportunities for outside funding. It also opens new doors for community connections and support of the college.

Undergraduate research at community colleges also impacts faculty. Faculty involved in student research are more engaged in the college. Faculty indicated they would participate in research conducted by students if they were encouraged to do so by the administration.  Every discipline can be considered for undergraduate student research experiences. The faculty are more likely to engage in independent student research projects if they have a Model to follow. 

A Model for the Implementation and Engagement of Independent Research by Community College Students  has been developed and can help to achieve the VCCS and the College’s goals. This Model provides the suggestions and processes for faculty and administrators to follow for successful implementation of such independent student research.

Contact Richard Groover for a copy of the Model for the Implementation and Engagement of Independent Research by Community College Students. 

--Richard Groover

Assistant Dean, School of Mathematics and Science