Learning Communities

Learning Communities at Other Universities

A recent trend in university education involves the creation of Learning Communities that link students in various ways: by major, by related general education courses, by residence hall, etc. Learning Communities are so popular, in part, because research suggests that students in such communities are more likely to stay in college. Likewise, students grades are often higher in these communities and the students are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors. The links below offer the basics of what Learning Communities are, the more theoretical/research-based work that led to using LCs at college, and links to Learning Communities at other universities.

About Learning Communities

Dynamic Learning Communities (Brent Wilson & Martin Ryder): Wilson & Ryder suggest learning communities as an alternative to more traditional instructional paradigms; they explain the positives and negatives, as well.
Learning Communities: Getting Started (Geri Rasmussen & Elizabeth Skinner): An extensive examination of how two community colleges started using learning communities; the authors also offer explanations of student-needs-based and common-skills-based learning communities.

Theories of Learning Communities

Communities of Practice: Learning as a Social System (Etienne Wenger): Wenger contends that even in large organizations, individuals "learn through their participation in more specific communities made up of people with whom they interact on a regular basis."
Learning Communities + Technology = Connectedness? (Labyrinth): An issue of Labyrinth devoted to the role of technologies in learning communities.
Organizational Learning & Communities-of-Practice (John S. Brown & Paul Duguid): An investigation of how groups actually function in organizations, suggesting that college learning communities that function in similar ways might be more productive for helping students prepare for possible futures as collaborative workers.
Professional Learning Communities: What Are They and Why Are They Important (Southwest Ed. Development Lab)

Learning Communities at Other Universities

Iowa State
Purdue University
Temple University
U of Illinois
U of Nebraska
U of South Florida

Other Resources

Annotated Bibliography on Learning Communities
Building Learning Communities
Creating Learning Communities
Developing Faculty Learning Communities (M. Cox)
Global Learning Communities
Learning Communities Network
National Learning Communities Project Online