Learning Communities
Iowa State University
International Conference on The First-Year
Experience
Doug Gruenewald
www.iastate.edu/~learncommunity
June 14-17, 2004
Overview of Program
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History and Vision
Organizational Structure
Data
Challenges
Future Directions
Question/Answer
History of LCs at Iowa State
• 1994 - Grass-roots LC effort begun
• 1995 - First LCs implemented
• 1998 - $1.5 million allocated for LCs
over a 3-year period
• 2001 - Baseline LC funding in ISU
budget, formalize co-director positions
• 2004 – 50 Learning Communities
Learning Communities
Vision
• To support Iowa State University’s
commitment to student learning,
the Learning Community initiative seeks
to enhance our undergraduates’
experience by providing all interested
students dynamic, focused
communities in which students, staff,
and faculty can learn and grow together.
Typical Learning Community
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Two or three connected courses
Peer and/or faculty mentors
Career exploration
Service learning or community service
Co-curricular activities
Social activities
May be residential
Primarily first year students
Organization of Learning
Communities at ISU
Academic Affairs
Student Affairs
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Programs
Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
Howard Shapiro
Todd Holcomb
Co-Director of Learning Communities
Co-Director of Learning Communities
Associate Vice Provost for
Undergraduate Programs
Assistant Director of Residence
for Academic Services
Corly Brooke
Doug Gruenewald
Co-Directors of
Learning Communities
Academic Affairs/Student Affairs
Administrative
Graduate Assistant
Learning Community
Advisory Committee
(21)
Assessment
Subcommittee
(16)
Research
Graduate Assistants (2)
Curriculum
Development &
Enhancement
Subcommittee
(14)
LC Institute
Peer Mentor
LC Coordinators
Subcommittee
(8)
Subcommittee
(10)
(One or more for
each LC)
Peer Mentors
(139)
Learning Communities
Growth
Year
Group
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
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LCsa
23
36
41
47
49
50
Participantsb 1114 1780 1838 2103 2139 2175
a Total number of learning communities by academic year
b Total number of participants, fall semester only
Percent of Freshmen in LCs
Retention Rates
Cohor
t Year
1-Yr
Retention
2-Yr
3-Yr
4-Yr
Retention Retention/ Retention/
Graduation Graduatio
n
5-Yr
Retention/
Graduatio
n
199
8
LC 9.1%
Greater
LC
12.7%
Greater
LC 12.3%
Greater
LC
13.7%
Greater
LC
13.1%
Greater
199
9
LC 8.3%
Greater
LC
12.1%
Greater
LC 11.0%
Greater
LC
12.2%
Greater
200
0
LC 9.3%
Greater
LC
12.3%
Greater
LC 13.2%
Greater
200
1
LC 7.4%
Greater
LC 9.7%
Greater
200
LC 9.4%
4-Year Graduation Rate
5-Year Graduation Rate
Other Data
• LC students have higher gpa (.36)
• LC students report greater
satisfaction with overall quality of
instruction and overall experience at
Iowa State
• LC students report more knowledge of
university services, their discipline,
and career options
Learning Community
Scholarship
• Since 1999, Iowa State faculty and staff have
published 26 articles and chapters in
publications ranging from the Journal of
Natural Resource and Life Science Education
to the Journal of Technology Studies.
• Iowa State faculty and staff have made over
70 professional conference presentations
—regional, national, and international—on
issues related to learning communities.
• 15 theses and dissertations on learning
communities have originated at Iowa State.
http://www.iastate.edu/~learncommunity/papers.html
Financial Benefit of LCs
• $2.5 million tuition savings on a $1.5
million initial investment during the first 3
years of the program
• Now that the program is fully in place, the
yield is about $1.6 million per year
(Epperson, 2003)
Challenges
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Faculty involvement
Individual program assessment
Sustaining programs
Developing new programs
“Weeding” the garden
Involving new people in committees
Recruitment and marketing
Future
• Increase participation to 50-60%
• Attempt new models: Freshmen
Interest Groups in College of LAS?
• More residential programs
• President’s Entrepreneurial LC
• More “diversity” focused programs
Questions and
Comments??