Faculty Resources - Annual Report 2002-2003

Prepared for the Strategic Learning Initiative Leadership Team
By Maurice Hamington
June 10, 2003

This was a pivotal year in the overall development of Learning Communities at Lane.For the first time a department (Science) made a learning community a gateway educational experience.This raises new prospects and challenges for delivering quality educational opportunities.In the summer, leadership team members attended a National Learning Communities Project and in April there was a follow-up visit.We helped initiate a new campus-wide learning community in the Reading Together Project.Overall, it was a year where learning communities grew in visibility and activity on campus.

Summary of Activities

Student Participation

• 1611 students took part in Learning Community Courses during the 2002-2003 school year (up from 1311 last year and 785 students the prior year).See enrollment report attached.Student participation was up despite the loss of some key learning communities that we hope will return in the near future (Go For Baroque! And Petal, Pen, Peck and Paw).
• 494 students participated in the Fall, 458 students in the Winter, and 659 students in the Spring.
• Dozens of students participated in feedback sessions on their learning communitiesí experience as part of the National Learning Communities Project Site Visit (see attached report).

Faculty/Staff /Discipline Participation

• 17 disciplines participated in Learning Communities during 2002-2003 including: Anthropology, Art, Biology, Career Development, Culinary Arts, Economics, English, Ethnic Studies, Film Studies, History, Human Development, Math, Psychology, Sociology, Study Skills, Theatre Arts, Womenís Studies, and Writing.New learning communities planned for 2003-2004 will expand participating disciplines to Spanish, English Language Learners, and Skill Development.
• 67 faculty participated in offering 30 Learning Communities during 2002-2003 (not including Women in Transition).
• The Learning Community Leadership Team met twice monthly.This advocacy and coordinating body consists of faculty and staff from across campus including Gail Baker (Science), Margaret Bayless (EFLS), Jill Bradley (Womenís Center), Ellen Cantor (EFLS), Karen Dickey (Enrollment), Katie Morrison-Graham (Science), Maurice Hamington (Social Science), Deb Hupcey (Counseling), Garry Oldham (Social Science), Susan Swan (EFLS), Jennifer von Ammon (EFLS/Service Learning).The group approved and advised prospective learning community applicants, helped plan the Spring Conference and Site Visit, worked through Banner implementation issues, coordinated communication efforts, and helped launch the Reading Together Project among its many activities.

Learning Community Development

• Four new learning communities were offered in 2002-2003: Through the Female Lens (Spring), which combined a womenís studies/sociology course with a film arts course; Ecotrails: Stewardship and the Sacred Landscape (Fall) which combined a global ecology course with a writing course; Show Me the Money! (Winter) which linked a writing course with a scholarship research course in two sections-one for TRIO students and one for non-TRIO students; and, Guided Studies (Fall, Winter, Spring) that linked a study skills and a career development course.
• 1 new learning community was proposed and approved by the Learning Communities Project Team during the year (for 2003-2004):Puentes al futuro is perhaps the most ambitious learning community ever attempted at Lane.It links seven courses over the course of a year for an intended population of Spanish-speaking students in an effort to transition them into English speaking courses and hopefully further educational opportunities at Lane and elsewhere.
• Beyond the one new learning community approved for next year, the Learning Communities Leadership team approved a major expansion of AfroBlue to make it a yearlong endeavor.In addition, the Leadership Team has been in consultation with faculty from Business Technologies, Religion, and Counseling about potential learning communities.

Internal Marketing

• The Learning Communities Coordinator made presentations promoting Learning Communities at various faculty meetings and to advisors/counselors.
• Learning Communities sponsored workshops during the fall in-service days where ideas for new learning communities were developed.
• Learning Communities was very visible at the Spring Conference where the three guest speakers had ties to learning communities and made reference to them often.
• 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 (http://teach.lanecc.edu/lc/ was overhauled at the beginning of the year to include more features.Beginning Summer 2003, Banner registration will link directly to the learning communities website.
• In September, during student orientation and registration, Learning Communities faculty volunteered to run an information booth over a five-day period of time and presentations were made at EOAR sessions as well.
• Learning Communities faculty continued their tradition of producing attractive flyers for their courses.

Special Events

• Voices and Visions sponsored two speakers during Winter term: The first one was a Chumush woman and her drumming group from Brownsville.They told stories, played, and sang.the other one was Esther Stutzman a kalapooya storyteller.
• In Margaret Baylessí section of Fat Cats and Underdogs, Bill Woolum came into my Fat Cats Course and read his Needing Richard Hugo essay.It had a profound effect on the students, their journals and what they chose to do for final projects.
• Margaret also had David Leung talk about Chinese language and culture in relation to the novel China Men and two speakers from the Farm worker Justice Coalition in relation to the film Justice on the Table and literature by Mexican immigrants.

Program Coordination

On July 12, 2002, 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 June 27, 2003 to discuss the program in advance of the 2003-2004 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 was 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.Cheryl Roberts, Jennifer vonAmmon, Ellen Cantor, Deb Hupcey, Jill Bradley, and Maurice Hamington participated.As follow-up to the institute Jean MacGregor and Rita Smilkstein visited Lane April 24 and 25.They produced a detailed report on our program that we plan to review at our Summer Retreat.

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 anotherís 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.
4. Increased offerings

Results

1. Because of budgetary insecurities stipend program was not begun in 2002-2003.
2. Meetings were held throughout the year to explore the possibility of space and support in 2003-2004.
3. Internal effort to create learning community video hit a dead end for a variety of reasons.However, the Learning Communities website expanded and improved.
4. Four new learning communities were added during the year bringing the total to 30 up from 21 last year (some learning communities expanded their sections which accounts for odd arithmetic here).

Goals for 2003-2004

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.
5. Support the Reading Together Project.
6. Develop Training Materials for LC faculty

Measures of Success

1. Implementation of a reward system for Learning Communities faculty who create community through participating in one anotherís 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.
4. Increased offerings.
5. Successful rollout of Reading Together.
6. Training materials and a training program