Radford University Academic Learning Community Call for Proposals
Definition of Learning Communities
Learning communities (LC) are initiatives intentionally designed to bring together students with similar
interests or backgrounds so that they might participate with faculty and peers in academically-engaging
experiences. The overarching goal of LCs is to take advantage of the “power of the cohort.” That is,
significant research evidence indicates that students who interact with peers and faculty as part of LCs
support each other in achieving learning and programmatic outcomes. Summarizing numerous studies,
a monograph published in 2010 by the American Association of Colleges and Universities entitled “Five
High-Impact Practices: Research on Learning Outcomes, Completion, and Quality,” noted that
researchers have typically found that students in LCs have higher grades and retention rates than non-LC
students; that LCs designed for freshmen help ease their transition to college; that LCs help students,
especially those from underserved populations, find their voice as students; and that students in LCs
report gains in critical thinking skills.
Types of Learning Communities
Although LCs have been in existence on college campuses for nearly 100 years, they have grown
significantly in popularity since about 1990. Multiple types of LCs – ranging from loosely-organized to
very complex – have emerged. Some include only academic aspects, whereas others are residentiallybased “living learning communities”:
Academic Only:
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Linked Courses. Link two courses; one is usually based in a discipline (such as biology or history)
and the other is usually application- or skills-based (such as writing or transition to college). A
single cohort of students takes both courses.
Learning Clusters. Link three or four courses, with a single cohort of students taking all of them.
Typically, there is a common interdisciplinary theme to the courses and the faculty work
together to create common syllabi, coordinated or joint assignments, and/or opportunities for
team-teaching.
Freshmen Interest Groups (FIGs). Similar to learning clusters, but students share the same
major, and they often receive academic advising as part of the learning community. Students
are enrolled in one or two large lecture courses with other students and are also enrolled in a
smaller discussion class/seminar. FIGs typically also include enrollment in an “outside” shared
course such as writing.
Residentially-Based Programs:
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Residential College. Features substantial faculty involvement. In fact, a faculty member
typically lives in an apartment in the residence hall to facilitate out-of-class interaction with
student residents. Residential Colleges are usually open to any academic major, include students
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from freshmen to graduate students, and feature physical spaces intentionally designed to
facilitate learning.
Academic Major Learning Communities. Serve first-year students who are enrolled in a specific
academic major or discipline. Students are often enrolled in at least one common course in the
major. Students live together on the same floor or wing of a residence hall and floor-specific
programming aims to support the learning outcomes of the program.
Enhanced Learning Communities. Share a common academic discipline or interest area that is
interdisciplinary and open to any major. Students usually enroll in common academic courses
and live on the same floor or in the same building.
Themed Learning Communities. Consist of residential students with a common interest who live
on the same floor or in the same building. They do not necessarily connect to a specific
academic area. The floor/building-specific programming or facilities address the specific
interest.
Learning Communities at Radford University
The first LC at Radford University was the “Freshmen Connections” program of the early 1990s. This
program enabled 140 freshmen, who opted into the program on a first-come, first-served basis, to take
a linked set of three general education courses and live together in a pre-Honors Academy in Floyd Hall.
A common reader was utilized. Assignments were coordinated across disciplines, and Floyd provided
space for some courses and faculty office hours. (The Freshmen Connections program does not fit
neatly into the typology above; it was essentially a type of residential learning cluster.)
The complicated nature of Freshmen Connections was deconstructed in the late 1990s so that UNIV 100,
which was offered for the first time in 1995 and is now taken by the vast majority of RU students, could
become part of LCs in multiple residence halls. Numerous individual themes were linked to UNIV 100
sections, which were typically taught in the buildings in which students lived. While post-4/07 security
concerns made it difficult to sustain this model, recent renovations providing carefully-restricted access
to some residence halls have opened new possibilities. Thus, there are currently five LCs operating at
Radford University, four of which have a residential component:
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The Honors Academy recognizes academic excellence, provides high-achieving students with
opportunities for enhanced academic rigor, and promotes a community of distinction. Students
create plans of study that include honors courses and a capstone project; the completion of all
honors requirements enables them to graduate as “Highlander Scholars.” The Honors Academy
is largely residential, with freshmen required to live in Floyd Hall (most honors courses are
offered in classrooms in Floyd or the adjacent Peery Hall), but most older honors students live
elsewhere. (Enhanced Learning Community)
Accelerated Research Opportunities (ARO) offers entering freshmen with outstanding academic
credentials opportunities to begin engaging in research and scholarship very early in their
academic careers. Students live together in Floyd Hall; in the fall, they enroll in a section of
UNIV 100 designed to help them make the transition from high school students to scholars, and
they attend weekly research seminars. In the spring, students begin research activities under
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the mentorship of faculty mentors with mutual scholarly interests and present their work to
each other and the campus community at a symposium. (Enhanced Learning Community)
Biology Connections is a residential learning community designed for freshmen biology majors.
Students live on the second floor of Stuart Hall and take two common courses: BIOL 131 and
UNIV 100. (Since they are guaranteed enrollment in BIOL 160, many also take this course.) All
students in the program are advised by the Advising Coordinator for the College of Science and
Technology, whose office is in Stuart. UNIV 100 is taught in the residence hall, and students
receive mentoring/tutoring in the building from successful upper-class biology majors. The
Residential Life staff offers evening hall programming that is biology-specific. (Academic Major
Learning Community)
Trinkle Hall is designated for majors in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. They do not
take courses in common, and there is no special programming for them in the building, but the
building includes facilities at which they can practice/rehearse. (Themed Learning Community)
Core Connections is a non-residential LC for new freshmen entering RU with Dual Enrollment
credit for RU’s CORE 101 and 102 courses. Core Connections students enroll in linked sections of
CORE 201 and UNIV 100; instructors utilize a common reader and shared in- and out-of class
experiences to engage students in learning and build community. (Linked Courses)
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Recently, collaborative efforts between Academic Affairs and Student Affairs have generated significant
interest in expanding LC initiatives at RU. Indeed, the University’s Strategic Plan for Retention includes
“Develop Additional Learning Communities” as one of seven recommended strategies to enhance
retention rates. We are therefore soliciting proposals for learning communities that will be initiated in
Fall 2016. Please see the attached proposal form to begin the process.
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Radford University Academic Learning Community Proposal Form
Radford University welcomes proposals for developing new academic learning communities for Fall
2016. Completed proposals will include a cover sheet (see below) and a narrative addressing the
following questions. Narratives should be no more than 4 double-spaced pages in length and should be
submitted electronically to the Office of High Impact Practices at jmekolic@radford.edu no later than
March 16, 2015. Proposals will be reviewed by a relevant team of faculty, staff, and administrators
given the target group, courses involved, and residential status of the program. Following a review of
the written proposal, the applicant may be asked to meet with the committee to answer questions. The
group will notify applicants of a decision no later than May 1, 2015.
Please follow the format below in your proposal.
Introduction
 Why do you want to develop a learning community?
 What is the issue/problem you are trying to address?
Description
Please provide a description of your learning community addressing the following items:
 What are the characteristics of the target group of students you plan to serve (such as GPA,
declared major, etc.)?
 How many students do you intend to serve per year (recommended minimum of 20)?
 Are you aligning with a theme? A discipline? Please describe.
 Are you linking multiple classes? What are they? How many? Will UNIV 100 be one of them?
How will the learning community classes work together? How will the faculty work together in
the planning and delivery of the classes?
 What types of additional programming do you plan to include?
 Is the vision for only the fall semester? Or both fall and spring?
Residential Status (if you have questions about planning the residential component of your program,
please contact Amber Mullen, Director of Residential Life, at amullen@radford.edu or 831.5375)
 Are you planning a residential or non-residential LC?
o If residential, will it be required?
o What types of programming are you planning in the residence hall?
o How will the residence hall staff work with the faculty?
Selection and Marketing
 How will the students be recruited for the learning community?
 How will recruited students be selected for the learning community? For example, will the
program include essays, interviews for entry? Will it be first come first served?
 Are there current LCs that are competing for the same students? How will this be negotiated?
Budget
Please provide an itemized listing and description of estimated costs associated with the learning
community and expectations for budget responsibility.
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Radford University Academic Learning Community Proposal Cover Page
Name:
Department:
Office phone:
Email:
Title of proposed learning community:
Brief description of learning community purpose:
Applicant Signature: _________________________________________
Date: ____________
Chair Signature: ____________________________________________
Date: ____________
Dean Signature:_____________________________________________
Date: ____________
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