Learning College 101
Learning College Summit
June 10, 2012
Phoenix, Arizona
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Who are you?
What do you know about the Learning
College?
A little history….
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1983 A Nation at Risk (rising tide of mediocrity
1993 An American Imperative (new architecture for
higher education)
1995 “From Teaching to Learning: A New Paradigm
for Higher Education”
1997 A Learning College for the 21st Century
League Learning College Project, Learning
Outcomes Project, Learning Abstracts
The Learning College
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The Learning College places learning
first and provides educational
experiences for learners any way, any
place, and any time.
-Terry O’Banion
O’Banion’s Core Principles
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Create substantive change in individual
learners.
Engage learners as full partners in learning.
Offer many options for learning.
Offer collaborative learning activities.
Define employee roles by student needs.
Document improved and expanded learning.
Substantive Change
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Define it: Establish learning outcomes.
Assess it: Ensure that achievement of
learning outcomes is measurable or
otherwise meaningfully assessable.
Provide opportunities for it: Offer
multiple options, environments, and leaders
for learning.
Document it: Expand beyond traditional
grades and course credits.
The Two Big Questions
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Does this action improve and expand
student learning?
How do we know?
Another big question…
What does it take
to do this?
Commitment
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To learning
To innovation
– The role of trust
– The role of pilot programs
– The role of resources
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Of leadership
Self-examination
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As a real possibility
Facing the results
A matter of integrity
Collaboration
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College teams
Conversations about learning
Common language of learning
Collaborative learning
Learning and Evidence
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The data factor
– “We’re good at capturing data, but not so good at using it.”
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Learning outcomes
– Cascadia’s 4 Learning Outcomes: Think, Learn, Interact,
Communicate
– Waukesha’s 23 Critical Life Skills
www.wctc.edu/programs_&_courses/general_education/critical_li
fe_skills/index.php
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Nontraditional documentation
Collective responsibility for learning
– Waukesha’s Student Growth & Development Plan
– Valencia’s LifeMap
A Few Resources
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Terry O’Banion, A Learning College for the 21st Century.
Phoenix: Oryx Press (1997).
Ruth Stiehl, The Outcomes Primer. Corvallis, OR: The Learning
Organization (2002). www.outcomesnet.com
Learning Abstracts,
http://www.league.org/publication/learning/
Getting Results, www.league.org/gettingresults
Achieving the Dream, www.achievingthedream.org
Center for Community College Student Engagement,
www.ccsse.org
Innovation and Inquiry for Student Learning,
http://iisl.alverno.edu
Greater Expectations, www.aacu.org/gex/index.cfm
Focus on Learning: A Learning College Reader,
www.league.org/store
Cynthia Wilson
wilson@league.org
www.league.org