Michele Welkener

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Advancing Intentional Learning Through Strategic
Partnerships LIVING LEARNING COMMUNITIES AT
MIAMI UNIVERSITY

Michele Welkener Coordinator, Living Learning
Community Programs Office of Residence Life and
New Student Programs
http//www.muohio.edu/reslife
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Presentation Goals

• What are Learning Communities? (national
  perspective)
• What are Miamis Living Learning Communities
  (LLCs)? (local perspective)
• Roles related to LLCs at Miami
• Benefits for students/faculty/institution
• ConversationHow might LLCs advance intentional
  learning?

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Characteristics of Learning Communities

• Learning Communities often involve
• Cohorts of students taking the same classes
• Interdisciplinary faculty teaching courses with a
  common theme
• Students forming study groups, spending time
  socializing outside of class, and/or sharing
  strategies for success
• Collaborative activities and assignments that
  require students to work together and practice
  skills
• Source Goodsell Love, A., Tokuno, K.A. (1999).
  Learning community models. In J. Levine, (Ed.),
  Learning communities New structures, new
  partnerships for learning (pp. 9-17). Columbia,
  SC National Resource Center for The First-Year
  Experience and Students in Transition, University
  of South Carolina.

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Learning Community Models

• Students in large classes (Freshman Interest
  GroupsFIGSan example)small groups of students
  from large classes often linked by a seminar
• Paired or clustered courses 2 or more courses
  are paired or linked together and taken by same
  group of students (often a common theme)
• Team-taught coursesfaculty develop a common
  theme that fits the disciplines of the courses
• Residence hall-based learning communitiessingle
  course, paired or clustered courses, or
  team-taught courses includes collaboration with
  Residence Life staff
• Source Hurd, S.N., Federman Stein, R. (2004).
  Building and sustaining learning communities The
  Syracuse University experience. Bolton, MA Anker
  Publishing.

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Mission of LLCs at Miami University

• The mission of Living Learning Communities at
  Miami University is to create and extend student
  learning opportunities outside of the classroom
  that heighten student intellectual and personal
  growth. Living Learning Communities are
  purposeful attempts to integrate curricular with
  co-curricular experiences that complement and
  extend classroom learning. These communities
  foster faculty and resident interaction that
  enhances both intellectual and personal growth of
  the residents. Each community is built around a
  specific field of study or area of interest and
  is structured so students have a high degree of
  involvement in its formation.

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Mission of Student Affairs at Miami University

• The mission of the Division of Student Affairs
  is to provide a supportive environment and create
  and extend student learning opportunities outside
  the classroom that heighten student intellectual
  and personal growth and produce citizen leaders
  who make substantive contributions to their
  communities.

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Miami Plan for Liberal EducationGoals

• Students should exercise skills related to
• Thinking Critically
• Understanding Contexts
• Engaging with Other Learners
• Reflecting and Acting
• Source http//www.units.muohio.edu/led/index.htm

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Living Learning Communities2004-2005

• Celebrate the Arts
• Environmental Awareness Program
• French Language Floors
• German Language Floors
• Health Enhancement Lifestyle Management
• Honors and Scholars Program
• International Living Learning Community
• Leadership, Excellence Community

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Living Learning Communities2004-2005, continued

• Mosaic
• Residential Service Learning
• Scholar Leader Program
• Scholastic Enhancement Program
• Student Created Programming
• Technology and Society
• Western College Program
• Women in Math, Science Engineering

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Living Learning CommunitySummary2004-2005

• Student Participation
• 63 of first-year students in a theme LLC
• 75 of first-year students selected a theme LLC
  as first choice
• 11 LLC courses
• 43 sections, 781 seats
• 8 English Composition courses
• 32 sections, 704 seats

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Living Learning Community Faculty/Professional
Roles

• Faculty/Professional Learning Community for
  Enhancing Living Learning Communities
• WHO Senior LLC faculty professional staff
  who have responsibilities for coordinating
  instructors curricula
• PURPOSE support programs by developing LLC
  curricula and pedagogical strategies for teaching
  and learning in this unique environment

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Living Learning Community Faculty/Professional
Roles

• Advisory Councils
• WHO Faculty, advisory staff and student
  representatives involved in a Living Learning
  Community
• PURPOSE support program by collaborating to
  determine vision and mission and carry out vision
  and mission for specific communityresponsible
  for guiding and managing curricular and
  co-curricular efforts

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Living Learning Community Faculty/Professional
Roles

• LLC Course Instructors
• WHO Faculty, professional and graduate staff
• PURPOSE support program by facilitating LLC
  course(s), meeting with other instructors, and
  collaborating with hall staff to promote related
  programming

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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.

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LLC Benefits for Faculty

• Offers a means for faculty rejuvenation
• Provides an opportunity for faculty development
  (content and pedagogy)
• Creates faculty mentoring opportunities
• Helps faculty 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.

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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.

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Discussion

• Based on your understanding of Living Learning
  Communities, how might they be designed to
  promote intentional learning?
• Curricular strategies
• Co-curricular strategies
• Pedagogical strategies
• Structural strategies
• Other strategies
• What challenges would you anticipate why?
• How could these challenges be lessened/overcome?
• How might you apply some of these ideas on your
  campus?