Learning Communities for faculty and other professionals interested in supporting the growth, learning, and development of students have a distinguished history, a dynamic presence today, and an exciting – imaginative future. It is an imaginative future because the communication and resources available to us are beyond anything we might have projected even a few years ago. With current research from neuroscience on the brain and learning and the electronic media that makes the world and its resources our classroom, new forms of educational experience are making the dreams of John Dewey and Alexander Meiklejohn and others come to life.
In the 1920s and 1930s Dewey’s reasoned call for active learning, community, and engagement in the world beyond the physical classroom, and Meiklejohn’s persuasive argument for communities of study to bring curricular coherence across disciplines, are finding scientific bases in current research. The general principles of “starting where the student is,” “collaboration,” and “learning together” unite in learning communities where members focus on a topic of mutual interest. The topic can be a cohort, as in the pre-tenure faculty members who comprise the Teaching Scholars for Early Career Faculty Learning Community, or the topic can be an area for study such as Collaborative Technologies, Learning and Teaching in Large Classes, or First Year Experience. Members usually number between 6 and 14.
The first faculty learning community at Kent State began in 2001 with the Teaching Scholars for Early Career Faculty as part of an Ohio Board of Regents grant administered at Miami University by Milton Cox, a leader in the development of learning communities. Since then, learning communities have flourished at KSU and across Ohio. Although each learning community is unique, there are several elements common to most: a topic of focus, regular meetings (most are bi-weekly), a group facilitator (often co-facilitators), projects (individual and/or group), seminars or workshops, learning institute and or conference participation (learning with other learning communities), refreshment (from brown bags to pot lucks to lemonade or coffee and cookies), and sharing their work in professional venues (meetings, conferences, publications, websites).
Consultation: Support for design of frameworks; networking, planning, and organization and maintenance of learning communities.
Learning Community Activities:
September Kickoff
Spring Learning Institute (January)
April Celebration of Learning
OLN Learning Community Expo
These are also Campus Conversations (designed to support learning related to various topics such as service learning, collaborative learning, and biological bases for learning etc.) throughout the year.
Office Support:
Scheduling, Rooms, Food
Staff support:
Material preparation
Event preparation
Website and Pictures:
General space and maintenance access
LC updates
LC member pictures and bios
Communication:
Access to OLN (Ohio Learning Network) and LCI (Learning Communities Initiative)
Listserv set up / maintenance
Meeting scheduling / preparation / planning
Website presence to larger community outside of the University
Materials & Resources:
Books / Articles
Conferences / Workshops
Publications in various avenues of literature
LC Documentation / Evaluations:
Grant review and follow through
Financial Support & Management:
Grant monitoring
Small expenses / mini-grants
Links / Connections to interested colleagues:
Facilitator seminars
Consultations for SOTLE
fpdc staff:
Jane Richardson, Administrative Secretary
Nicole Delahanty, OLN Regional Program Coordinator
Harsh Joshi, Studio Educational Consultant
Anthony Garrison, Professional Development Specialist
Mary Tipton, OLN NE Regional Center Co-director
Mary Louise Holly, fpdc Director
Jeffrey L. Pellegrino, fpdc Assistant Director
We have archived some of the works of KSU F/PLCs and you can find others at www.units.muohio.edu/flc
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