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What do a raven and a writing desk have in common, asked Lewis Carroll. UMass Lowell students who sign up for one of this spring’s advanced learning communities may find out.
Advanced learning communities (ALCs), new on campus for spring 2010, are pairs of courses linked by theme and content but approached from different perspectives. Students must register for both courses.
Examples of the two-course offerings include Ireland: History and Politics; American Vistas: Early America in History and Literature; and Civil War, Reconstruction, and the Creation of Regional Identities.
“Learning communities are beneficial to our students,” says Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Charlotte Mandell. “Research has shown that when they're in a cohort, students make friends, so they're more likely to spend more time together. That means more of everything from study groups to enhanced social opportunities. That spills over to their academics.”
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Learning communities at UMass Lowell respond to two driving forces: the goal of improving student success as measured in retention and graduation rates, and the initiative to increase interdisciplinary learning.
“We think that the best way to understand the complex problems of today’s world is to examine the problem from different points of view,” says Mandell.
This fall, all incoming freshmen were assigned to a learning community, in which groups of fewer than 25 students sharing a major or area of interest were enrolled together in three classes. Each group has a faculty mentor from the major area.
“All learning communities help students connect with the campus, with each other and with a faculty member in their intended major,” says Provost Ahmed Abdelal. “Each of those connections increases students’ chances for academic success.”
Advanced learning communities are distinguished from freshman communities by the choice they offer to both students and faculty. Faculty can take up the creative challenge of finding a partner and developing a topic or theme. For example, Assoc. Prof. Chad Montrie of History and Asst. Prof. Jonathan Silverman of English developed an ALC called Studies in American Life, for which Silverman will teach a section of Values in American Culture and Montrie will teach American Social History.
“From our perspective as faculty,” says Montrie, “we’re hoping to show students how fruitful multi-disciplinary investigation of topics can be, taking them beyond the sometimes narrow confines of one particular approach.”
The provost and vice provost hope to increase the number of ALCs offered in the future.
“I already know of one possibility that looks at criminal justice and the media,” says Mandell. “As the idea catches on and we all see that this works, more people will jump on the band wagon.”
The list of advanced learning communities being offer for this spring can be found on the Registrar’s website.