This report examines lessons learned at six community colleges that have adopted the strategy of using “learning communities” – defined as groups of students who enroll together in two or more courses so that they all experience the same coursework, which is often thematically linked. These learning communities are seen as a way to help students get to know each other better and foster stronger relationships with faculty. Among other things, the report found that a paid coordinator and committed leaders were essential to managing and scaling up learning communities, but that curricular integration was hard to accomplish on a meaningful, large-scale basis. Free, 153 pages. www.postsecondaryresearch.org/i/a/document/12887_LCfullreport.pdf.
