Faculty Resources - Annual Report 2001-2002

June 5, 2002

Overall, another busy year for the Learning Community Project with the program continuing to grow with positive prospects for the future.

Summary of Activities

• 1311 students took part in Learning Community Courses during the 2001-2002 school year (up from 785 students last year). See enrollment report attached.
• 282 students participated in the Fall, 427 students in the Winter, and 602 students in the Spring.

Faculty/Department Participation

• 13 disciplines participated in Learning Communities during 2000-2001 including: Anthropology, Art, Biology, Culinary Arts, Economics, Ethnic Studies, History, Human Development, Psychology, Sociology, Theatre Arts, and Writing. New learning communities planned for 2002-2003 will expand participating disciplines to Career Development, Film Arts, Math, Study Skills, Women’s Studies
• 49 faculty participated in offering 21 Learning Communities during 2001-2002 (not including Women in Transition).

Learning Community Development

• Three new learning communities were offered in 2001-2002: BioBonds (fall, winter, spring), AfroBlue: W/RighTING The African American Experience (winter), Food for Thought (spring).
• 3 new learning communities were proposed and approved by the Learning Communities Project Team during the year (for 2002-2003): Through the Female Lens, which will combine a women’s studies/sociology course with a film arts course; Ecotrails: Stewardship and the Sacred Landscape, which will combine a global ecology course with a writing course; and, Guided Studies, which will link a study skills and a career development course.
• Beyond the three new learning communities for next year, the learning community leadership team has consulted with teams developing a learning community for Spanish speaking students and one for TRIO students.

Internal Marketing

• The Learning Communities Coordinator made presentations promoting Learning Communities at various faculty meetings and to advisors/counselors.
• A special advising worksheet was developed to help counselors and advisors quickly place students into learning communities.
• Learning Communities sponsored workshops during the fall and spring in-service days where ideas for new learning communities were developed.
• Promotional flyers developed for the entire year as well as for each term.Marketing to Students
• With the assistance of Roka Walsh, the Learning Communities Website is being overhauled to become more user-friendly and to provide more information for students and faculty.
• Over the summer of 2001 a large banner was produced that was used throughout the school year at public events.
• In September, during student orientation and registration, Learning Communities faculty volunteered to run an information booth over a five-day period of time. This year we plan to participate in EOAR as well.
• On February 20, 2002 representatives of Learning Communities met with prospective students at LCC Night.
• Learning Communities faculty continued their tradition of producing attractive flyers for their courses.
• New Learning Community brochures were developed in conjunction with Public Relations to help recruit students
• This year an internal project to produce a Learning Community promotion video was begun. A significant amount of footage was shot but the project will continue through next year.

Special Events

• On January 11, 2002 the Learning Community Go For Baroque! sponsored its second annual concert at Central Lutheran Church in Eugene. The event was well attended and brought tremendous publicity to the school and learning communities.
• On various occasions during the spring term, Windows to the Mind brought local photographers to present their work to the learning community including: James Cloutier, Sylvie Florendo, Matt Luke, Gary Tepfar, Edward Vlick.
• On April 16, Petal, Pen, Peck and Paw invited Ed Alverson, a wetland specialist with the Nature Conservancy to present to their learning community.
• On April 25, Petal Pen, Peck and Paw invited Kalapuya elder and storyteller Esther Stutzman to address their learning community.Program Coordination
• The Learning Community Leadership team welcomed new members this year: Karen Dickey, High School/Community Relations Coordinator; Deb Hupcey, Academic Advisor for Social Science and English, Foreign Language and Speech; and, Barbara Thorson, Administrative Coordinator in English, Foreign Language, and Speech. They brought a new vitality and insight to the team. Ongoing members include Margaret Bayless, Instructor, EFLS; Gail Baker, Instructor, Biology; Jill Bradley, Coordinator, Women’s Center; Ellen Cantor, Instructor, EFLS; Maurice Hamington, Instructor, Philosophy; Katie Morrison-Graham, Instructor, Anatomy and Physiology; and, Garry Oldham, Instructor, Social Science. The Learning Community Leadership Team is a very dedicated and cohesive unit.
• The Learning Community Project Team met monthly throughout the year and kept in constant contact via e-mail.
• On July 7, 2001, the Learning Community Project Team met for its annual daylong retreat where issues for the upcoming year were mapped out. The team will meet again on July 12, 2002 to discuss the program in advance of the 2002-2003 school year.
• Lane Community College entered a national competition and was selected as one of 20 institutions to participate in the Second Annual Summer Institute on Learning Communities sponsored by the Washington Center at Evergreen State College June 25 to 30, 2002. This will be an excellent opportunity to learn not only from the experienced staff at the Washington Center but also from the various institutions with learning community programs across the country. Eight Lane employees (7 members of the leadership team and 1 active faculty member) will participate.

Charter Goals for 2001-2002

1. Mainstream learning communities as a primary goal of the college.
2. Promote learning communities across the college and throughout the community.
3. Promote learning community opportunities for LCC students at all sites and times.

Success Measures

1. a) Include Learning Communities Program and project goal in strategic plan.
   b) Include learning communities concerns during hiring.
   c) Feature Learning Communities as a significant program in catalog and on Lane web site.
   d) Make participation in at least one learning community an LCC graduation requirement.
2. Establish multiple forms of promotion.
3. Involve outreach, community learning center, night, weekend, and non-credit faculty.

Results

1. 2001-2002 saw Learning Communities become further mainstreamed into the life of the college. Perhaps the primary example of this is the movement of the Learning Communities Coordinator into the reporting structure of the college. (1b) Learning Communities is mentioned in the posting for administrative positions including the current AVP of Instruction posting. (1c) Learning Communities has a visible position in the catalog and the website has been linked to Lane’s homepage listing of departments. The Leadership team has not lost sight of (1d) and continues to work toward it.
2. Learning Communities made some real strides in the area of promotion (see activities above). The addition of Karen Dickey to the Leadership Team has increased our connection with new student outreach (for example our participating in LCC Night). The addition of Deb Hupcey has increased our sensitivity and connection to Advising/Counseling. Future projects such as the video will facilitate promotion.
3. Learning Communities has made little progress in reaching out to sites outside of the main campus and to non-traditional times. There are a few Learning Communities offered in the summer and one at night. There have been some important efforts at increasing the offerings to “non-traditional” populations.

Goals for 2002-2003

1. Motivate existing Learning Communities to maintain the level of enthusiasm and energy evident in the early years of their creation.
2. Mainstream Learning Communities as a significant program with widespread benefits to the college.
3. Promote Learning Communities across the college and throughout the community.
4. Expand the number of Learning Communities offered on campus.

Measures of Success

1. Implementation of a reward system for Learning Communities faculty who create community through participating in one another’s classes. This is important to maintain energy in long-time learning communities.
2. Obtain office space and support for Learning Communities.
3. Utilize multiple forms of promotion. Complete Learning Community Video. Expand the Learning Community offerings.
4. Increased offerings.