By Michele Richinick
Learning communities could significantly improve students’ academic performances and other college endeavors, according to a recent study by research organization MDRC.
Learning communities, where students take several courses together, are being expanded at Northeastern to support students’ interests, said Philomena Mantella, senior vice president for enrollment and student life. Each year, the university decides which communities to maintain, and recently, the number of freshman interest groups has increased, she said.
“[The administration] recognizes that the learning communities do have an advantage in academic performance and retention,” she said. “[The administration] is increasing them in numbers because they increase students’ performance levels, but also because students are asking for them.”
Some students, like Ashleigh Karp, a middler psychology major, said these communities could benefit the students’ academic performances.
“It would help you get to know people in your classes,” she said. “This would be good because if you need help there would be someone you would feel comfortable going to.”
The university is conscious about what students are interested in, Mantella said. Representatives have studied the communities’ benefits by comparing students in learning communities with students who aren’t, but who are committed to the same major and have the same academic and demographic profiles.
“They found that students did better in learning communities,” Mantella said. “The level of engagement is better overall. They get to know the school, faculty and resources better, and they can meet friends easily who have common interests.”
The learning community group in the survey took more courses on average, passed more classes, earned more credits and had a larger share of students passing all courses, the study showed.
Northeastern’s music department has learning communities in music technology, said Douglas Durant, a music lecturer. Students in the same year tend to take required offerings during the same time slots, he said.
“The benefits of this, to my mind, are the community of mutual support and friendship, which builds up within any group of people involved in the same situation working toward the same goals,” he said. “In a creative community … the focus on personal development can be extremely intense, threatening and anxiety-producing. The highs are extremely high; the lows, extremely low. This is where the community provides a buffering effect that takes one out of his self-enclosed world.”
Ann Galligan, associate professor and co-op coordinator in the College of Arts and Sciences, said colleges around the country are using the learning communities because it breaks students out of the traditional solitary model of studying alone.
Some of Northeastern’s living-learning communities, where students in a residence hall share a common theme or academic interest, are included in the College of Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Honors, Leadership and Wellness. These communities are in residence halls like West Village F, Speare and Stetson West.
The staff of the Honors Program has worked to establish a living-learning community with links between traditional academic experiences and opportunities beyond a classroom setting, said Maureen Kelleher, associate professor and director of the Honors Program.
The Honors’ “First Year Welcome Week” brings students together before classes begin, and Honors representatives encourage experiences, like team-building, community service and academic initiatives through the “First Year Reading Project,” Kelleher said.
“We believe these opportunities to maximize campus connections can contribute to the overall undergraduate learning experience, making it exciting and engaging,” Kelleher said.
