Technology & Learning
Community
From the Field
June 1999
Learning Communities
at Cerritos College:
Exploringand Understanding Diverse Perspectives
by JoAnn Smartt-Gaither
Since August 1995,
Cerritos College, located in Norwalk, CA, has developed and implemented
the Learning Communities (LC) approach to instruction in order to
strengthen student academic success. For the past four years as
part of the Title III Grant to Hispanic-serving institutions, the
Activity 1 project has implemented more than 30 LC clusters of 70
classes and impacted the lives of over 500 students.
The innovative, future-oriented,
and technologically- advanced interdisciplinary LC model organized
at Cerritos College is firmly established on brain research-based
curriculum development, classroom technology, and cultural awareness
sensitivity.
In developing the
core concepts of the LC approach for the students of Cerritos College,
the development committee embraced finding ways of teaching to the
new biological discoveries of how the human brain functions an
learns. Based on this brain research, respected specialists and
researchers of student learning and assessment wer invited
to the campus to aid in designing a new integrated curriculum. Faculty
members interested in integrating into this new teaching dynamic
were invited to participate in workshops; seminars and training
sessions designed to integrate curriculum with the new learning
technologies and highlighting computing, multimedia, and telecommunications.
What is a Cerritos
College Learning Community?
The learning community concept is not new. It is has been called
many things in the past, from interdisciplinary projects to blended
curriculum, but the basic format is the same. Faculty members
are paired or grouped to bring a cross-discipline approach to instruction
and learning. What makes the Cerritos College model unique is that
the design is not just focused on student academic impact via faculty-to-student
interaction, but it creates a strong premise for student-to-student
and faculty-to-faculty interactions.
Under the leadership
of Ana Torres-Bower, Director of Title III Activity 1, the faculty
is encouraged to learn more about he process of transforming
their classrooms into communities for active learning. Torres-Bower
provides a forum for the exchange of ideas and approaches, while
also promoting individual professionalism and growth. In peer-led
sessions known as “Best Practices,” faculty groupings discuss and
exchange innovative methods for improving student retention, performance,
learning, and success. Under the Cerritos College Title
III Activity 1 proposed framework for “Strengthening Student Academic
Success,” each year the LC clusters highlight a featured theme for
enhancing student skills. In years one through four, course modules
infused college readiness, communication, critical thinking, and
teamwork into the curriculum and teaching strategies. Year Five,
1999 – 2000, will feature multimedia technology and is a perfect
backdrop to the self-proclaimed status of the college, which heralds
itself as “the most technologically- advanced community college
in the state.”
Cerritos Collegehas
experimented with clusters of two, three, and even four classes.
It has been demonstrated by satisfaction surveys and attrition rates
that the dya format is the most successful. Participants,
once enrolled, know that dropping any one course of the community
is an automatic drop from all the courses. To aid in the total success
of those enrolled in Cerritos College Learning Communities, orientations
are given to both faculty and students and a wealth of resources
and support services benefit retention efforts.
Outcomes
At the onset of the Learning Community course, students complete
a Time 1 survey to identify their level of exposure, comfort, and
familiarity with key college success tools and self-reported current
skill levels (e.g., study skills, vocabulary, and computer knowledge).
They provide information on perceived importance of various instructional
delivery methods (e.g., lecture or discussion), and indicate why
they chose to enroll in a Learning Community. The Time 1 Survey
serves as a collection point for baseline data. A Time 2 Survey,
administered at the end of the semester, provides a point of comparison
for “before and after” snapshots of student perceptions of the interdisciplinary
teaching strategies.
The Time 2 responses,
when compared to the Time 1 responses, afford Cerritos College the
opportunity to examine behavioral changes that might have occurred
as a result of Learning Community involvement. In both surveys,
students are also asked to provide open-ended information about
their Learning Community experiences, providing qualitative as well
as quantitative feedback.
Based on the Fall1998-1999
combined qualitative and quantitative data, the following observations
are made:
Learning Community
Course Enrollment
Why do students enroll in Learning Communities? Over half of
the students surveyed cited the following reasons (most often cited
listed first):
- The learning community concept
seemed interesting (57%)
- The learning community unit load
met my needs (57%)
- Taking the combination of courses
would be beneficial (51%)
- Interested in the combination
of classes offered (44%)
- Thought the learning community
would be convenient (42%)
Faculty Involvement
Research indicates that there will be profound changes in the
roles of faculty and their relationships to students and to one
another. The traditional model of the lone faculty member lecturing
to students sitting in rows in an isolated classroom was never particularly
effective educationally. The wave of the future shows faculty deeply
involved in mentoring, serving as managers of an array of learning
resources, and using technology to deliver essential information,
leaving them freer to interact with student. This is the Cerritos
College Learning Community concept. In examining student
responses to questions designed to assess content, delivery, and
feedback, it appears that the vast majority of students surveyed
perceived the learning community format as beneficial for understanding
and retaining content. Students felt course material was easier
to retain if presented in a practical context. Respondents found
course material easier to learn and retain when the instructor presented
the information in a number of different ways.
Critical thinking
formats indicate that teacher evaluation and immediate feedback
are instrumental in student success. Learning Community students
surveyed indicated that it was easier to learn course material when
they had immediate feedback about their performance in the course.
Cooperative Learning
Environment Research indicates that collaboration is beneficial
to both faster and slower students, helping students gain mastery
of course material and learn from peer role models. Learning Community
students surveyed indicated that they enjoyed working in groups
with other students . When asked to evaluate their current skill
level -“networking with other students” increased substantially
from Time 1 to Time 2.
One notable finding
is that, while students felt they entered Cerritos College with
the necessary basic skills to succeed in most courses, the
motivation to succeed in their courses decreased by almost 10% from
Time 1 to Time 2. This could possibly be explained by the fact that
many felt overwhelmed with work and time management issues surfaced
often.
Instructional
Delivery Methods
During the Learning Community course, students still appear
to be most comfortable with traditional instructional delivery methods.
However, students reported that while classroom participation was
important or very important to learning, they believed that lectures
were becoming less important. Guest speakers seemed a welcomed addition
to classroom instruction.
Concluding Observations
The students who participate in Learning Communities feel the overall
experience is a very positive one, especially from the aspects of
shared learning experiences, faculty and peer support, increased
personal interaction with faculty, and the ability to express themselves
in the small group setting.
Though few, disadvantages
are similar among the respondents in that they are overwhelmed with
work and feel obligated to remain in the community. Under the guidelines
established to help with retention, a drop from one class is an
automatic drop from the other linked course(s) Many self-diagnose
that proper or improved time management skills would alleviate many
of their stresses.
From both a quantitative
and qualitative slant, the Learning Community concept is a very
viable and well received teaching-learning model, which shows a
promising future as part of the Cerritos College framework
for academic success for students.
In their own words,
students state that participating in a Cerritos College Learning
Community is like…
“being in a family. You have to
cooperate with others and believe in yourself to be successful.”
“building a house; if many people cooperate the product will be
of a better quality and would be finished sooner.”
“a big cleaning project, it seems like a formidable and unattainable
task at first, but if you take it piece by piece, you will eventually
complete it successfully.”
“putting together a puzzle; once all of the work of putting the
pieces in order is complete, the end result is what you expected.
Information on student
satisfaction shows that although 79% had never enrolled in the Learning
Communities before, they would again if suitable classes are offered.
Ninety-two percent express that they would recommend the format
to a
friend.
Complete program format,
survey statistical data, course offerings, and faculty assignments
are available on the web site at http://www3.cerritos.edu/title-iii/learning.htm
copyright
1999 JoAnn Smartt-Gaither
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