 |
|
 |
|
 |
    |
|
Learning Communities:
An Overview |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learning Communities:
An Overview |
|
|
|
|
© Copyright 2000 by Ashley Williams. The right to make additional exact copies, including this notice, for personal and classroom use, is hereby granted. All other forms of distribution and copying require permission of the author. |
The Upper Levels After the first year, students take a combination of upper division learning communities (typically taught by two or more faculty) and courses from other departments in the University. With the careful assistance of faculty advisors, Integrative Studies students craft interdisciplinary concentrations. Completion of 12 credits of experiential learning is required for graduation. A number of upper division LCs include experiential learning components; students may also fulfill this requirement through study abroad, service learning, independent research or internships. Candidates for graduation in Integrative Studies take a senior capstone course and construct extensive portfolios of their work in nine competency areas, accompanied by self-assessment, for faculty review. They also present senior expositions to an audience of faculty and peers. In 2000, New Century became a part of the College of Arts and Sciences. At the time of its creation, NCC was distinctive nationally in combining an all-LC curriculum with competency- or ability-based learning, notes John O'Connor, founding dean and currently Visiting Scholar at the American Association of Higher Education (personal communication). Adapted in part from Alverno College, New Century's competencies now include critical thinking, communication, problem-solving, group-collaboration, valuing, effective citizenship, global awareness, aesthetic response, and information technology. Now in its sixth year, the LC curriculum of New Century College is still relatively new. However, some insights about its students are offered by Patricia Carretta, Director of University Career Services, and members of her staff who write that NCC seniors they have counseled possess "an unusual amount of experiential and career-related experience, and they are able to articulate its academic relevance." University Career Consultants describe these students as "self-motivated," "reflective," and in fact, "exceptional." Other staff members report enthusiastically on NCC students' skill sets, including technology-related skills (Carretta, personal communication).
|
