NLCC 2021 Concurrent Sessions C
2:00 PM - 2:45 PM (All times ET)
Day One: Thursday, October 21, 2021
Room 1 - Informative/Panel Presentation
Jolyn Brand (Brand College Consulting)
Factors that help first-gen students succeed in a LLC
Many families and college-bound students are unaware of the options for residential living at universities. This is especially true for first-generation college students who may benefit from LLCs more than others. Without support from educational experts, they may miss opportunities to select to participate in a Living-Learning Community (LLC), which has been shown to increase student persistence and promote more positive social climates.
The presenter, Jolyn Brand, completed her dissertation on LLCs and the benefits to students, especially first-generation students or those at larger universities. Several factors that helped first-gen students succeed in persistence in college and through the LLC will be discussed, including advisors and peer mentors, family engagement, and subsequent coordinated coursework.
Room 2 - Facilitated Dialogue
Michelle Filling-Brown, PhD (Cabrini University)
Next Steps: Sustainability through Administrators Understanding and Advocating for LCs
At the conclusion of the 2019 NLCC, LCA leaders led a round table discussion for “next steps” in the LC movement, in which we discussed what is needed for sustainability for the future of LCs. We were collectively concerned by the closure of programs that had previously been national leaders and models. One of the identified needs was the support of administration in an era of limited resources, declining enrollment, and budget reductions at some institutions. Administrative advocacy is essential in order for LCs to sustain pressures such as financial cuts or the implementation of a new strategic plan that is absent of LC growth and development as an institutional priority. This facilitated dialogue will continue and extend the 2019 conversation to focus on the need for administrative support of LCs. We will discuss the current institutional support for LCs and how we can strengthen and sustain it. We will discuss how to advocate for resources from administrators. We will also consider questions such as: How do we advance current LC leaders into higher administrative roles within the academy? How do we ensure that leaders who sit on a President’s cabinet are advocates for LC initiatives? Is there value in promoting LC faculty into administrative roles such as Deans and Provosts? How do we create pathways for these LC practitioners to move from middle management to executive leadership roles? Simultaneously, how do we replace their energy within the LCs and keep the program sustainable? How do we ensure that LC work is valued through the tenure and promotion process? All participants will be encouraged to join the conversation and bring their experiences and expertise to the table. Through this facilitated dialogue, we hope to keep the momentum of the “next steps” conversation going in 2020 as we consider the role of administration in sustaining the LC movement.
Room 3 - Informative/Panel Presentation
Maria Kasparova, Mi Ahn, & Alice Heffner (Bergen Community College)
Paired for Success: Incorporating a Tutor in Learning Communities
Bergen Community College has enhanced the Learning Communities model by adding a dedicated tutor to the academic team. This workshop will examine the goals, structure, and role of the in-class tutor in this paired course. It will also present a case study illustrating this unique approach.
Room 4 - Facilitated Dialogue
Nathan Phelps (University of Wisconsin-Madison) & Chelsie Hawkinson (TAMU-CC)
LCA Community of Practice for LC Research
Join your colleagues in conversation about improving the quality of research and assessment of learning communities.
Room 5 - Informative/Panel Presentation
Kyle Holtman and Jen Leptien (Iowa State University)
Implementing a Professional Development Series for Learning Community Coordinators
How do you onboard new learning community faculty and staff into your program?
In fall 2019, the Iowa State University Learning Communities program embarked on an initiative to provide timely professional development support for our new faculty and staff coordinators. The series addressed topics for LCs of all types and sizes, including administration, assessment, coordination, curriculum, and peer mentors. Participants had the opportunity to learn exemplary practices from experienced coordinators, key campus partners, and the central Learning Communities staff. All new (0-3 years) coordinators were invited to attend the series, as well as established coordinators wanting to have a refresher on the various topics.
You are invited to join us as we share the professional development series structure, topics covered, feedback received by participants throughout the year, and considerations for the future of the series.
Room 6 - Informative/Panel Presentation
James Fortune (Wayne State University), Olivia Kimes (student, Wayne State University)
How to be a RAFT: A Model for Relationship-Building & Leadership Culture
As leaders of the Theatre and Dance Learning Community at Wayne State University, we provide academic support to a diverse student body. In establishing a sense of community within our department, we empower students to create a unique path in their education. By participating in this interactive lecture, our audience will take away the approach used for our Learning Community, and how it can be tailored to any program.
In this presentation, we will show that the approach we use with our Learning Community members impacts their academic career positively, allows them to feel a sense of belonging, and effectively connects them with their fellow peers and faculty.
We approach every interaction in our work with the following guidelines: build a RAFT for our students by developing Rapport, Approachability, Familiarity, and Trust, and to create a leadership culture that sets high expectations for our Community.
Peer mentors demonstrate RAFT through academic outreach, tutoring, assisting with scheduling, providing campus resources, giving academic advising presentations, and by establishing an early integration into the community. We also coordinate numerous events including Friendsgiving, cultural field trips, and the 10 Minute Play & Dance Festival; all of which enhance learning within the classroom and building relationships with peers.
We frequently seek constructive feedback from our students to make sure the Learning Community is effectively supporting their needs. Student surveys show that 95% of our students agree that the Learning Community has impacted their academic career positively, and 87% of students say they feel a sense of belonging because of Learning Community. It is because of this feedback that we know our approach is successful in providing our students with a rewarding college experience
With this presentation, we will address how any Learning Community can adopt and tailor RAFT and our leadership culture to fit the dynamics of their community.
Room 7 - Interactive Session
Nancy L. Watterson (Cabrini University)
Embodied Leadership: Using Body Mindfulness to Observe Self and Connect with Others
“It is imperative for the human condition that we try to understand what we know with our moving bodies—how we move in space, make space, and make space inhabitable” (Foster, 2011). This exhortation captures beautifully the spirit of this interactive session and its direct application to innovative and integrative pedagogies for learning community development. Because how one learns affects what one learns, this session immerses participants tangibly in observing one’s own body through interoception or mindfulness of body mechanics, specifically of what it feels like to be physically neutral, mentally relaxed, balanced yet alert. What makes this session distinctive are the simple activities that help develop whole-body “listening” skills. It begins with a brief framing of some key-terms and common assumptions about “balance,” and “center” as well as our references for “knowing the moment in the moment.” Participants are then guided through short experiential, body-centered activities which explore the core epistemological questions: What is knowing and How do we know?
By exploring what we already “know” with our bodies, we develop confidence rooted in mindful movement. This base understanding provides firm footing on which to develop other capacities for leadership. It is a truly integrative approach to learning; after all, we start from the ground up—with our own bodies, our own awareness, and a nuanced understanding of how we occupy space with those around us. Standing on our own two feet, we feel our way into alignment, into balance, ease, attentiveness, intention, meta-cognition: all dimensions that affect the very processes of learning about learning.
This session will appeal to anyone curious for a taste of how movement-based learning can connect directly to first-year learning communities and their connect to arts and humanities, inter-disciplinary understanding, values, philosophy, history, psychology or health-promotion. Such embodied learning has been the core of the Balance Learning Community the past 2 years, and part of Cabrini’s core curriculum for 8 semesters. These exercises translate readily into embodied leadership—for students, faculty, staff and administrators: anyone curious to develop the feel of self-awareness, and train basic skills in improving clarity and equanimity. (Quach 2018)
Room 8 - Facilitated Dialogue
Dr. Rishi Raj (Prairie View A&M University)
Using Critical Thinking-Based, Non-Traditional, Engaging Instruction to Empower Students in Seminar Courses
Not all first-year college students realize the value and purpose of learning communities and seminar courses, and one of the biggest reasons is that they are not able to find a sense of belonging in their academic community. This can successfully be changed by creating a classroom where instructors cross traditional borders and move from solely lecturing to students and empowering them to be co-creators and/or co-facilitator of knowledge with the professor. Aligned with Freire’s (2000) critique of the banking concept of education, this session facilitates dialogue about utilizing critical thinking-based instruction strategies such as philosophical chairs, devil’s advocate, and concept connect to make students vested into their learning communities’ curriculum and instruction.