Integrative Assignments in Learning Communities
Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education
http://www.evergreen.edu/washcenter/

The Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education has partnered with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, Washington Association for Developmental Educators, and Northwest College Reading and Learning Assistance on quality curriculum initiatives for developmental education students since 2000. The partnership's emphasis is on curriculum and assignment design that integrates skills with content, reading with writing, reasoning with quantitative literacy, and school learning that is relevant and meaningful to people's lives. As part of the Reaching College Readiness project, the Washington Center worked with faculty at five community colleges in 2009-2010 to demonstrate and document the effectiveness of integrative learning as a strategy for improving student success. Faculty teams designed integrative assignments a tool for enhancing student learning and success, which is measured through a comparison of course completion and GPA among students in integrative courses and those in similar courses at the same institution. An online survey is used to determine students' assessment of their experience.