Bringing Learning Communi.es to Scale: Strengthening the Heart of Equity-Minded Liberal Educaon Phyllis Worthy Dawkins, BenneE College Jillian Kinzie, NSSE Emily Lardner, Washington Center @ Evergreen State College David Schoem, University of Michigan Introduc.ons Please briefly introduce yourself, your school, and your interest in this session. Making ins.tu.ons more equity- minded • What we know about ins.tu.onal change: – Change requires a shiP of perspec.ve – Change must be systemic – Change requires people to relearn their roles – Change requires conscious and consistent leadership – Change requires systemac assessment – Change requires a visible “triggering” opportunity Peter Ewell, 1997“Organizing for Learning” in the AAHE Bullen LC’s & organizaonal change Relearn roles: Learning communi.es serve as ‘revitalizing agents’ on campus—requiring students, teachers, administrators, & student affairs staff to work together. (Gabelnick, MacGregor, Mahews & Smith, 1990) Moment of opportunity: Campus change agents can use learning communi.es as “levers” for connec.ng people interested in similar ideas (Kezar, 2014) LC’s as an equity minded prac.ce: Texas A&M Corpus Chris. Undergraduate student body: 9100+ 79% full .me, 21% part .me 42% have family incomes < 40K and receive PELL grants 46% Hispanic 40% White 5% Black Moment of opportunity • Mexican American Legal Defense and Educaonal Fund suit led TX Legislature to pass the South Texas Ini.ave in 1993, expanding the UT and the A&M systems into south Texas • 1994: TAMU-Corpus admits first and second year students • 1994: First Year Learning Community program begins • Currently, all incoming 1st year students enroll in LCs for their first two semesters (around 2000) • Fall semester student symposium—two days where students present their work to the public • Instructors for student success course have been regularized LC’s as an equity minded prac.ce: New Mexico Highlands University Undergraduate student body: 1700 + 73% full .me, 27% part .me 57% have family incomes <40K & receive PELL grants 55% Hispanic 20% white 8% American Indian/Alaska Nave 7% Black Moment of opportunity • New senior administrators; restructured organizaon • Faculty & staff developed a new Freshmen Experience Program with LC’s • New center for teaching and learning • Campus focused on increasing student engagement • Goal: create invi.ng, engaging program for all 1st years through faculty/staff collaboraon • NSILC elevator speech: hEps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7h- tvBD6As LC’s as an equity minded prac.ce: University of Hawaii West Oahu Undergraduate student body: 2600+ 47% full .me, 53% part .me 35% have family incomes <40K & receive PELL grants 38% Asian 29% two or more races 11% white 11% Hispanic 8% Nave Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Moment of opportunity • In 2007, added first and second year students • Highest density of Nave Hawaiian people live in west Oahu—desire to increase Nave Hawaiian access and success • Successful Title III proposal to launch LC/FYE project incorporang Nave Hawaiian ‘ike (knowledge) and values into the curriculum and the co-curriculum—pilo.ng larger ini.ave • Strong faculty/staff collaboraon; PD key Join us at the Naonal Summer Ins.tute on Learning Communi.es July 11-July 15 The Naonal Resource Center for Learning Communi.es www.evergreen.edu/washcenter to apply High-Impact Prac/ces Educa/onal experiences that make a significant difference to student persistence, learning outcomes, and student success. HIPs= Pedagogies and Prac0ces that Challenge and Stretch Students High-Impact Educa0onal Pracces (2008) AAC&U One High Impact Pracce...Learning Communies • Curricular structures that link several courses--or restructure the curricular material enrely--so students have opportunies for deeper understanding and integraon of what they are learning, and more interac/on with one another and educators in the learning enterprise. • Structure encourages integraon across courses and involves students with “big quesons”; many LCs explore a common topic and/or common readings through different disciplines. -- AAC&U defini0ons Features That Make HIPs Magical • Significant me on purposeful task • Substanve interac/on with faculty & peers • Frequent feedback • Engagement with difference • Engage higher-order learning skills, in challenging context - Analysis - Synthesis - Evalua/on - Applica/on • Capacity to be “life-changing”, opportunity for students to reflect on who they are becoming Popular LC Features • Living-learning • Integrave courses or discussion group • Required out-of-class ac/vi/es • Courses only for LC cohort, or related to major • Undergraduate peer mentors NSSE Findings on Learning Communies w Even “modest” structures (co-enrolled, linked) have posive impact on social life, quality of interac/on with peers & faculty, and persistence w More inten/onal, complex features (integrated experiences, peer advisors, requiring acvies outside of class – community service/community based projects, field trips, social events) make a greater difference to student learning Learning Community features linked to greatest learning benefits 1. Engaging pedagogies 2. Peer teaching, mentors 3. Out-of-classroom ac/vies 4. LC programs that integrate material across courses Learning Communi/es Invite an Array of Pedagogical Approaches & HIPs Collaborave Learning Research w/Faculty Lectures and First-Year Seminar Peer Teaching Demonstraons Experienal Learning Discussion Groups & Study away/abroad Seminars Service-Learning Ongoing Reflec/on, Metacogni/ve Integrave assignments/ Ac/vi/es, Self-evalua/on experiences Problem-Centered Learning Labs and Field Trips Common Intellectual Experiences Wring Intensive 10 Peer mentors/advisors in LCs • Peer learning is an effecve, engaging pedagogy for all students • Connects students to peers in ways that increases sense of belonging and retenon • Peer mentor, teacher, counselor, study group facilitator, makes /me for collaboraon Out-of-Class Ac/vi/es in LC • Out-of-class acvies associated with gains in self-understanding, deep learning, & enriched social life. • Helps students get to know each other, and to get to know faculty • Opportunity for applied learning & reflecon Integra/ve Ac/vi/es in LCs LC programs that integrate across courses are associated with higher student engagement & learning Ø Integrang content across courses Ø Integrang assignments, projects, and experiences outside of class (real world applicaons) Ø Integrave discussion group (bring the ideas together, make applicaon in seminar) Integrated Ac/vi/es Make a Difference, and more is be>er!!! • Higher the frequency of integrave ac/vies in LCs…. – the more students engage in higher-order learning, reflecve learning – more effort in academic pursuits & collaborang with peers in and outside class • Lack of impact for students in non-integrated LCs lends support to posion that intenonally structured integrave ac/vies are necessary to increase deep learning First-Year Student Parcipaon in LCs by Student Characteriscs Unlike Other HIPs, LC Par/cipa/on is Similar By Student Characterisc • First-genera/on, adults, and interna/onal students a lile less likely to par/cipate in LCs • Students of different racial-ethnic groups had an equal likelihood of par0cipa0on in LCs • Majors: biol. science, educaon, engineering, more likely be in LC; Physical sciences, undecideds less likely NSSE-FSSE Findings: First-Year Student LC Parcipaon by Faculty Importance • Instuons where faculty place greater importance on LCs have higher rates of FY par/cipa/on in LCs • Women, faculty of color, FT faculty, faculty in certain fields (biol. sciences; health professions, nursing) more likely to value HIPs Just pufng cohort of students together in learning communies does not in and of itself, guarantee engagement in effecve educaonal prac/ces or deep learning • If you’re aer deep learning, greater collaborave learning & academic effort then, LCs with intenonally structured integrave ac/vies are the way to go • LCs with integrated ac/vies are arac/ve opon for faculty who want students to become deep learners Pause for reflec.on • Take a minute to think about what you drew to our session—what are you wondering about now? Learning Communies and Living Learning Communies AT HISTORICALLY bLACK COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES Black Colleges and Black Universi.es hEp://www.hbcupages.com/ Historically black Colleges and Universies • The Higher Educaon Act of 1965 defines an historically Black college and university as: “…any black college or university that was established prior to 1964.” • Mission was, and is, the educaon of black Americans • While the 105 HBCUs represent 3% of the na/on's instuons of higher learning, they graduate nearly 20% of African Americans who earn undergraduate degrees. White House Ini.ave on HBCUs hEp://sites.ed.gov/whhbcu/ Historically Black Colleges and Universi.es with Learning Communi.es (32/105) • Benedict College • Norfolk State University • Benne College • Philander Smith College • Bethune-Cookman College • Prairie View A&M University • Central State University • Shaw University • Clark Atlanta University • Spelman College • Delaware State University • St. Augus.ne’s College • Dillard University • Southern University, NO • FayeEeville State University • Talladega College • Florida A&M University • Tennessee State University • Hampton University • Tougaloo College • Howard University • Winston Salem State University • Johnson C. Smith University • Xavier University, NO • Jackson State University • University of Central Arkansas-Pine Bluff