Learning Communities: Enhancing IUP's Summer Program

Sally A. Lipsky

Learning communities are a means of restructuring curricula and programming with the goal of creating a collegiate community, a community that promotes: collaboration among faculty and between students, daily contacts which reinforce classroom learning, and a curriculum focused on active learning "organized around common purposes" (Gabelnick, MacGregor, Matthews, and Smith, 1990, p. 9). As an effective means for the enhancement of student learning, satisfaction, and retention, learning communities are therefore increasingly "institutionalized at many college and universities" (Love and Love, 1995, p. 84). Learning communities link groups of students, faculty, and staff within an academically supportive environment.

Gabelnick et al (1990), Love and Love (1995), and Matthews (1995) define the common models of learning communities formed by college and university personnel:

1) The Coordinated Studies model involves learning around themes with a mixture of integrated courses, workshops, seminars, and/or labs.

2) The Freshman Interest Group (FIG) model links courses with a peer advising or peer tutoring component.

3) The Federated Learning Community (FLC) model has a "Master Learner" (a faculty member) assisting students' learning within integrated courses.

4) The Living-Learning Community model links learning through the social element of the residence halls. Academic tutoring, workshops, or study areas are some of the ways to integrate the living environment with the learning environment.

For the past decade the Learning Center/Act 101 faculty at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) have been developing adaptations of these models to enhance academic support services for freshman developmental students in the five-week summer program. Current programming exemplifies the four types of learning communities.

The summer program is a complex plan of academic coursework and supplemental activities. It illustrates the Coordinated Studies model in that an entire program is part of a learning community in conjunction with other departments or offices. Entering Learning Center/Act 101 freshmen (approximately 300-350) all take seven or eight academic credits: either two three-credit courses or one three-credit and one four-credit course, plus a one-credit introductory freshman seminar course, Educational Planning, taught by Act 101 educational counselors. Based on placement test results, some students are placed into remedial math and remedial reading classes--all carrying three institutional credits (that is, credits counted toward full-time status and financial aid, but not toward graduation). Under the direction of the Act 101 Math Specialist, 4-6 faculty members from IUP's Math Department are contracted to teach sections of these math courses. Likewise, the Act 101 Reading/Study Skills Specialist oversees nine sections of the reading course, most of which are taught by faculty from IUP's College of Education. Many Act 101 freshmen also take graduation credit-bearing courses in English, history, and fine arts during this summer session. The Act 101 Director and departmental chairs designate Act 101 sections which are taught by faculty in which the courses are housed.

In addition, Act 101 students are expected to participate in supplemental programming. In coordination with Writing Center personnel, students participate in workshops focusing on word processing and e-mail. Also, in conjunction with library staff, students participate in an introductory tour of the campus library. Students enrolled in theater and dance classes are required to attend performing-art productions by touring professional groups or student theater majors. Furthermore, a representative from the Financial Aid Office presents information to groups of students on managing personal finances. Faculty link in-class assignments to these supplemental programs--such as writing and e-mail assignments for math classes and library assignments for reading classes.

Another component of the summer program is individual and small-group tutoring. Student are urged to participate in study skills workshops offered four nights per week, covering topics such as "Preparing for College Exams," "When and How to Talk to Your Professors," and "Balancing Academic and Social Demands." Various supplemental instruction sessions in content subjects are available weekdays. These tutorial opportunities, along with courses, seminars, and workshops, create a Coordinated Studies model of learning.

Furthermore, in conjunction with the summer courses, trained paraprofessional peer helpers (advisors and tutors) guide students through the academic and social/personal challenges facing freshmen during their first intensive university experience. This use of peer leaders is an example of the Freshman Interest Groups model which focuses on student-to-student learning communities. Trained peer advisors, who themselves are often former Act 101 students, work extensively with the freshmen in the Educational Planning classes. Besides in-class work, peer advisors meet with students out of class, covering such topics as course scheduling and adjustments to university life. These same peer advisors continue working with the Act 101 freshmen in two other freshman seminar courses during the fall and spring terms.

Peer tutors are placed in all sections of the remedial math courses and are valuable in facilitating the individual, self-paced format of the two courses. The tutors also lead supplemental out-of-class math sessions and homework helper sessions. In addition, peer tutors are used in the remedial reading course to help with individual and small-group work.

The peer tutors and peer advisors are thoroughly trained before tackling their summer responsibilities. This training process is an illustration of the Federated Learning Community, in which faculty members are used to facilitate small groups of students (faculty-student learning community). All selected peer tutors and peer advisors are required to complete successfully the three-credit course, Counseling in School Settings, during the previous spring term as a condition for employment within the program. Learning Center/Act 101 faculty teach two-thirds of the course, covering the role and impact of peer helpers on students' cognitive and psycho-social development. Faculty from other departments are contracted for the remaining one-third of the course which centers on content training; that is, a faculty member from another discipline works with prospective tutors on materials and strategies specific to that discipline. After successful completion of the course, peer tutors and advisors are ready to work during the Act 101 summer program, as well as during the academic year.

Finally, another aspect of the five-week summer program is the "living and learning" environment established in the residence halls--an example of the Living-Learning Communities model. Staff and resident assistants from the Office of Housing and Residence Life work with Act 101 faculty to create a living situation that truly supports the academic goals of the summer program. Examples include: separating living quarters for males and females, restricting noise and outside visitors, sharing of information with the Office of Housing and Residence Life staff about behavior and judicial concerns, organizing in-house tutoring and discussion sessions, and placing graduate students in the residence halls to monitor the behaviors of Act 101 freshmen. This coordinated effort between the Act 101 Program and the Office of Housing and Residence Life requires much advanced planning and on-going communication throughout the summer session. Commuting students (about 20 percent of the summer freshmen) are invited to join in residence hall programs.

In conclusion, the challenges of developing, maintaining and fine-tuning these learning communities cannot be overstated, nor can their value to IUP's summer program. Learning communities have become an essential component of the Act 101 summer program, a component that enhances the work of faculty and staff and, ultimately, the intellectual and social development of students.

References

Gabelnick, F., MacGregor, J., Matthews, R.S., and Smith, B.L. (1990). Learning Communities: Creating Connections Among Students, Faculty, and Disciplines. New Directions for Teaching and learning, No. 41. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Love, P.G., and Love, A.G. (1995). Enhancing Student Learning: Intellectual, Social, and Emotional Integration. ASHE-ERIC- Higher Educational Report No. 4. Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development.

Matthews R.S. (1995). Learning communities: A structure that serves students and faculty. Teaching and Learning 1(2): 1-2, 6.

Sally Lipsky is the Reading/Study Skills Coordinator in the Learning Center/Act 101 Program at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

This article was originally published in The ACT 101 Journal, Fall 1997, Volume 5, Issue 1, Peter T. Kyper, editor. It is a publication of the ACT 101 Directors' Association and is printed at West Chester University, West Chester, PA 19383.