• Introduction
• Definitions and Models
• The Five Models
• Currents and Causes
• Creating Learning Communities at GMU: Institutional Climate
• The Precursors
• Two Early LC Versions: BA/SIC and Core
• The Mason Topics Program
• New Century College: Coordinated Studies Model
• The Upper Levels
• Faculty Challenges: The Need for Faculty Development
• Outcomes and Benefits: Students
• Outcomes and Benefits: Faculty and the Scholarship of Pedagogy
• Conclusion
• Endnotes and References
• Printable Text of Article

© Copyright 2000 by Ashley Williams. The right to make additional exact copies, including this notice, for personal and classroom use, is hereby granted. All other forms of distribution and copying require permission of the author.

Introduction

During the past decade, the term "learning community" has come to be widely used in higher education. Across the country, at small private colleges, research one universities, community colleges and urban institutions alike, Learning Communities (LCs) have emerged as a significant curricular option. Various models, including residential, virtual, and Freshman Interest Groups (FIGs), constitute a "growth industry," particularly in general education curricula.

This development has led to regional and national conferences and the creation of a clearinghouse for the exchange and dissemination of information at the National Learning Communities Project, co-directed by Jean MacGregor and Barbara Leigh Smith and funded in part by a grant from Pew Charitable Trusts, located at the Washington Center for Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education. At George Mason University, we have a rich history of learning community initiatives, reaching back for more than a decade and including programs launched prior to a widespread awareness on this campus of the term "learning community."

These pedagogical and curricular innovations include BA/SIC (B.A./B.S., Integrated Curriculum, a general education cluster course program from 1987-89) and also a linked course component of a core curriculum pilot (1990-2). Current LC programs at George Mason University include the Integrative Studies program of New Century College (NCC), the Mason Topics Program of linked courses (The Mason Topics Program) and the Honors Program in General Education (Honors).

Given these developments, a number of questions arise for consideration. First, what does what does the term "learning community" mean today? How are various models of LC programs structured, at George Mason University and elsewhere? What factors have contributed to this movement, both nationally and locally? What is the history of learning community initiatives at George Mason? Because what has been called "the learning community movement" continues to grow, with new programs emerging each year, it is impossible to say definitively what impact of this new technology of teaching is making nationally. However, what outcomes are indicated at this time, locally and nationally?

This article represents an attempt to provide some answers to these questions in the context of a general overview of the learning community movement across the country and on this campus. While I include a brief summary of student outcomes and assessment results, a full discussion of this important issue is beyond the scope of this writing.

Definitions and Models