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What Instructors Say About Learning Communities
About living together:
"Most of the students who live together have commented that the residential component is one of the strongest aspects of being in the LC and that they wouldn't want it any other way. Although most of the LC students have bonded very well, the residential group has become very close."
About the transition to Purdue:
"An LC allows for a dimension of trust when beginning to study at a university that students and teachers need. With such trust comes the ability to challenge in constructive ways, a necessary component of learning."
"Since they are in the same classes and get the opportunity to participate in outside activities with each other as well, these students have been able to create a very comfortable and supportive learning environment for each other. Such bonding and support among the students make it likely that they will adapt more easily to life on this campus."
"The students form an amazing bond with each other that serves as a support system. They work together on assignments (when allowed) and frequently study together, which seems to support academic success."
About student/instructor relationships:
"We [instructors] know them and they know us, which helps since many students are afraid that they will just be a number at a big school like Purdue. Knowing a smaller group of students helps us to know specific situations, which allow us to do a better job with them, plus they are more comfortable coming in to ask questions since we have already built that rapport."
"The LC experience has seemed to allow students to become more comfortable with each other, their instructor, and their advisor. They also seem to have a better opportunity to form study groups and friendships. Plus, they have a lot of fun!"
"The students also get to know their teachers better, to see them as real people (at least I hope they do), and they come to realize it's okay to ask questions. I think all students in the first-year should be part of some sort of learning community."
About friendships:
"One of the most obvious differences between a regular [section of the] class and the Learning Community [section] is the fact that at the start of every single class, the Learning Community students are always enthusiastically talking to each other. Many of them come from the same class before showing up for mine, so their days are in sync with each other. They are especially chatty and energetic before our class starts and they discuss homework assignments, upcoming tests and other course-related topics."
"I definitely think learning communities help to foster intra-major friendships that will be vital to retaining people within the major and helping different levels of students to generally improve."
"Since [engineering] is focused on teaming, we have found that there is a big difference in the LC teams compared to the non-LC teams. They work well together, have established friendships faster and seem to have a lot of fun. On their latest projects, I noted that the LC teams seemed to be more creative and had more fun than the non-LC teams. Plus, living together has made it more convenient for them to exchange ideas."
"Students in a learning community find it easy to build community at Purdue without needing to invest extra time and money in expensive club memberships. They have a feeling of belonging here much sooner than students who try to make their way alone among unfamiliar faces semester after semester."
Support for Students:
"I can tell from their communication with each other that they have a strong bond, care about each other, and benefit from being in a Community."
"Because they see each other often in the same classes, they can assist each with test prep, homework questions, and so on. I've heard them speak often about their classes and assignments and they've assisted each other often."
"I think the emotional support these students are able to give and receive from their group is perhaps most important of all. In a Learning Community, they have "built-in" friends they seem closely connected to and can lean on if they're struggling with homesickness, etc."
