why learning networks?

Cooperating Across the Curriculum: Creating

Powerful Alternatives to Learning Communities at

Lone Star College-Montgomery

Presenters: Jared D. Cootz, Simone Rieck, &David Zimmermann

Why Learning Networks? 1. A New Way of Teaching 2. Purposes 3. CCSSE

Simone Rieck

Research about Learning Communities

2 Dimensions of learning communities Membership Interaction

5 major learning community Models Linked Clusters Freshman Interest

Groups (FIG) Federated groups Coordinated Studies

Simone Rieck

Activities Movie Afternoons Classes/Syllabi/

SLOs Plays

Panel Discussions Poster Session Workshops

Jared Cootz

More Activities Service Learning

Can Drive Organ Drive Blood Drive Capture the Flag

Jared Cootz

Even More Activities T-Shirts Distributed Cram Sessions LASSI Testing Guest Speakers Panel Discussions

Jared Cootz

Problems with Themed Classes 1. Recruiting

2. Marketing 3. Work 4. Support

Simone Rieck

Examples of Our Success

Simone Rieck

Spring 2012 LASSI Highlights Students improved across the board. Highlights: Overall anxiety dropped by 10.96 points. Overall concentration improved by 9.75

points. Overall motivation increased by 7.1 points. Overall selecting main idea increased by

12.85 points. Overall time management increased by 5.49

points. Overall test strategies increased by 9.68

points.Simone Rieck

Learning Networks Snapshot

Learning Networks Snapshot of Completion and Success SP 2012 (Rieck and Cootz)

Subject CourseSpring 2012

Enrolled Completion Success# # % # %

ENGL LN Instructor: Rieck 1302 24 23 96% 23 100%ENGL LSC-M 1302 1,812 1,611 89% 1,403 87%ENGL LSCS 1302 9,348 8,318 89% 6,900 83%



SOCI LN Instructor: Cootz 1301 28 27 96% 22 81%SOCI LSC-M 1301 723 672 93% 501 75%SOCI LSCS 1301 3,181 2,797 88% 2,034 73%

Information retrieved from LSCS ORIE 9/11/2012

Simone Rieck

Assignments (Highlights) Students did some fantastic work. Highlights: English: Creating their own urban legend Sociology: Handbook – Planning for an alien invasion English: Bestiary for a Literature Class We didn’t expect it to work this well!

Jared Cootz

Jared Cootz

Brief Example of a Class Project

Integrating Sci-Fi with Sociology 1301

Winner of the Fall 2012 Learning Networks Poster Session Contest

Jared Cootz

Goal Three: Student projects involving collaboration, group work, and in-depth application of key concepts.

SuccessesConcernsLessons Learned

Jared CootzJared Cootz

YOU MAY BE THINKING…“Projects are pretty.

Pictures are nice.Yes, you have a flashy presentation.

What about the data?”

Jared Cootz

LN LASSI Results—2012Area Spring FallAnxiety -10.96 -9.49Concentration +9.75 +6.39Motivation +7.1 -1.67Selecting Main Idea +12.85 +6.62Time Management +5.49 +.43Test Strategies +9.68 +7.75Information Processing

+2.59 +7.73

Jared Cootz

LN Courses, Spring 2012 Anthropology 2301 & 2351 Criminal Justice 1307 English 1302 English 2332 Philosophy 2306 Psychology 2301 Sociology 1301

Simone Rieck

Learning Networks Snapshot 1 SP 12

Subject Course

Spring 2012

Enrolled Completion Success

# # % # %

ANTH LN Instructor(s) 2301 26 23 88% 21 91%

ANTH LSC-M 2301 25 22 88% 17 77%

ANTH LSCS 2301 79 70 89% 52 74%

Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %

ANTH LN Instructor(s) 2351 32 30 94% 26 87%

ANTH LSC-M 2351 31 30 97% 27 90%

ANTH LSCS 2351 117 112 96% 96 86%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %

CRIJ LN Instructor(s) 1307 33 33 100% 28 85%

CRIJ LSC-M 1307 63 58 91% 44 76%

CRIJ LSCS 1307 125 115 92% 87 76%

Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %

ENGL LN Instructor(s) 1302 24 23 96% 23 100%

ENGL LSC-M 1302 1,836 1,634 89% 1,426 87%

ENGL LSCS 1302 9,372 8,341 89% 6,923 83%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %ENGL LN Instructor(s) 2332 27 24 89% 20 83%

ENGL LSC-M 2332 134 125 93% 121 97%

ENGL LSCS 2332 316 272 86% 222 82%



# # % # %

PHIL LN Instructor(s) 2306 31 30 97% 26 87%

PHIL LSC-M 2306 151 130 86% 111 85%

PHIL LSCS 2306 596 519 87% 419 81%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %

PSYC LN Instructor(s) 2301 32 31 97% 25 81%

PSYC LSC-M 2301 1,062 967 91% 750 78%

PSYC LSCS 2301 4,544 3,999 88% 2,885 72%

Subject Course

Spring 2012


# # % # %

SOCI LN Instructor(s) 1301 28 27 96% 22 81%

SOCI LSC-M 1301 751 699 93% 523 75%

SOCI LSCS 1301 3,209 2,824 88% 2,056 73%

Simone Rieck

LN Courses, Fall 2012 Anthropology 2346 & 2351 BCIS 1405 Biology 1406 Criminal Justice 1307 Drama 1310 & 1351 English 1301, 1302, & 2307 History 2311 Philosophy 2306 Psychology 2301 & 2314 Sociology 1306

Simone Rieck

Learning Networks Snapshot 1 FA 12

Subject CourseFall 2012


ANTH Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2346 32 31 97% 25 81%

ANTH LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2346 NA NA NA NA NA

ANTH LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2346 90 80 89% 59 74%



ANTH Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2351 26 23 89% 21 91%

ANTH LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2351 NA NA NA NA NA

ANTH LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2351 101 86 85% 59 69%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Fall 2012


# # % # %

BCIS Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1405 16 21 76% 12 75%

BCIS LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1405 50 32 64% 24 75%

BCIS LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1405 622 528 85% 396 75%

Simone Rieck




BIOL Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1406 27 18 67% 15 83%

BIOL LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1406 276 176 64% 120 68%

BIOL LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1406 1,964 1,535 78% 1,115 73%



CRIJ Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1307 21 20 95% 19 95%

CRIJ LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1307 16 16 100% 12 75%

CRIJ LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1307 55 51 93% 40 78%

Simone Rieck




DRAM Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1310 21 20 95% 17 85%

DRAM LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1310 102 83 81% 64 77%

DRAM LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1310 530 498 94% 411 83%



DRAM Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1351 18 18 100% 16 89%

DRAM LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1351 35 34 97% 31 91%

DRAM LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1351 131 127 97% 120 94%

Simone Rieck




ENGL Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1301 72 68 94% 63 93%

ENGL LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1301 2,423 2,153 89% 1,668 78%

ENGL LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1301 12,926 11,370 88% 8,698 77%




ENGL LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1302 725 624 86% 468 75%

ENGL LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1302 4,518 3,877 86% 2,738 71%




ENGL LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2307 20 19 95% 16 84%

ENGL LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2307 182 166 91% 140 84%

Simone Rieck




HIST Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2311 31 30 97% 28 93%

HIST LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2311 21 18 86% 9 50%

HIST LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2311 79 67 85% 44 66%



PHIL Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2306 29 26 90% 24 92%

PHIL LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2306 96 87 91% 69 79%

PHIL LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2306 505 444 88% 371 78%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Fall 2012


# # % # %

PSYC Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2301 31 31 100% 18 58%

PSYC LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2301 1,200 1,077 90% 841 76%

PSYC LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2301 5,093 4,530 89% 3,333 74%

Subject Course

Fall 2012


# # % # %

PSYC Learning Networks Instructor(s) 2314 30 30 100% 30 100%

PSYC LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 2314 350 327 93% 284 87%

PSYC LSCS Non-Learning Networks 2314 1,225 1,112 91% 904 81%

Simone Rieck


Subject Course

Fall 2012


# # % # %

SOCI Learning Networks Instructor(s) 1306 27 26 96% 24 92%

SOCI LSC-M Non-Learning Networks 1306 32 30 94% 26 87%

SOCI LSCS Non-Learning Networks 1306 82 71 87% 47 66%

Simone Rieck

Learning Networks Success and Completion

LSC-M, SP 12

LSCS, SP 12 LSC-M, FA 12

LSCS, FA 12

Total students

233 18,358 602 28,092

Completers 221 16,252 563 24,542 percentage

95% 88% 95% 87%

Successful 191 12,740 464 18,475 percentage

82% 69% 77% 66%

Jared Cootz

What’s Coming?

Spring 2013/Fall 2013Zombie 5K (Food Drive)Movie Madness Days

Questions and Comments

Jared Cootz

References Kellogg, K. (1999). Learning

communities. ERIC Digest, ED430512. ERIC Publications: Washington, D.C.

Lenning, O.T. & Ebbers, L.H. (1999). The powerful potential of learning communities: Improving education for the future. ASHE-Digest Higher Education Report, 26, 6. ERIC Clearinghouse on

Higher Education: Washington, D.C. Senge, P. (1990). The fifth

discipline: The art and practice of the learning organization. Doubleday: New York.

Jared Cootz and Simone Rieck

why learning networks?

Documents

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group work

overall concentration

overall motivation

success simone rieck

overall anxiety

overall test strategies