Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Math: Impact Studies at Queensborough and Houston Community Colleges

“I don’t think that word means what you think it means”: A proposed framework for defining learning communities

“…Many researchers are adjusting traditional concepts of community boundaries as being physical in order to accommodate modern virtual communities. However, many scholars and practitioners still continue to discuss communities as being bounded by geographic locations and spaces, such as community college math classrooms (Weissman et al 2011), preservice teachers' professional experiences (Cavanagh and Garvey 2012), and music educator PhD cohorts (Shin 2013). More important is the question of how significant physical or virtual access truly is.…”

Unlocking the Gate: What We Know About Improving Developmental Education

“…13 Visher, Schneider, Wathington, and Collado (2010); ; ; . 14 Scrivener et al (2008); Weissman et al (2011). ic achievement. Popular strategies include tutoring --which can be provided by faculty, staff, or student peers or through computer-assisted instruction with tutorial software packages -and supplemental instruction, a more structured tutoring model that is connected directly with a particular course.…”

“…19 Weiss, Visher, and Wathington (2010). 20 Weissman et al (2011). ized learning --at least, as implemented in Washington State's I-BEST program --appears to offer the most encouraging results, as such programs quickly move basic skills students into college-level courses and help them graduate in a compressed amount of time with a certificate or degree. It should be noted, however, that many of the vocational contextualized learning programs worked with adult basic education and ESL students, rather than with those entering college and placing into developmental education programs.…”

“…The program also had large, positive effects on getting these 32 Weiss, Visher, and Wathington (2010);Scrivener et al (2008);Weissman et al (2011). 33 Zachry and Orr (2009).…”

Faculty as Learners: Developing Thinking Communities

“…Often, student learning communities target struggling students using a structured support network. Recent research on the learning outcomes of students participating in a learning community for developmental math, for instance, found that students in a learning community attempted and passed their classes at higher rates than those not participating but that the positive effect of participation in the learning community did not result in persistence or completion (Weissman et al 2011). Similarly, Russ (2010) discovered that underprepared students involved in a student learning community obtained significantly higher achievement rates, reported higher levels of social and academic integration, and declared their intentions to persist.…”