Take an in depth look at discipline-centered learning communities. Using psychology as an example, this issue provides prescriptive advice for those interested in developing a learning community in any academic discipline or program. Learning communities are a powerful vehicle for creating and sustaining connections among students, faculty, and the curriculum, but creating one can be a challenge. By providing resources, practical case studies, and theoretical grounding, this volume can both inspire and guide faculty, staff, and administrators in meeting their pedagogical and curricular goals. Learn how the five types of learning communities—based curricularly, residentially, in the classroom, on the students themselves, and even virtually—can be used to enhance student engagement and learning. Illustrating the versatility of the practice across a wide range of settings, student populations, and institutional types, this issue also contains an extensive listing of resources that go beyond disciplinary boundaries and open possibilities for all in higher education. This is the 132nd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.

Learning communities are curricular structures that link different disciplines around a common theme or question. They give greater coherence to the curriculum and provide students and faculty with a vital sense of shared inquiry. This volume of New Directions for Teaching and Learning places learning communities within the framework of twentieth-century educational theory and reform. The authors provide comprehensive, detailed descriptions of how to design, maintain, and evaluate learning communities and include firsthand accounts from students and faculty in learning communities across the nation. At a time when higher education seeks a sense of shared purpose, learning communities offer an approach that balances the demands of individualism with those of contributing to the common good. Solutions to the problems we confront require multiple points of view, a variety of competencies, and an acknowledgment of interdepAndence and mutual respect. Learning communities are one way we may build the commonalities and connections so essential to our education and our society. This is the 41st issue of the quarterly journal New Directions for Teaching and Learning. For more information on the series, please see the Journals and Periodicals page.

Take an in depth look at discipline-centered learning communities. Using psychology as an example, this issue provides prescriptive advice for those interested in developing a learning community in any academic discipline or program. Learning communities are a powerful vehicle for creating and sustaining connections among students, faculty, and the curriculum, but creating one can be a challenge. By providing resources, practical case studies, and theoretical grounding, this volume can both inspire and guide faculty, staff, and administrators in meeting their pedagogical and curricular goals. Learn how the five types of learning communities—based curricularly, residentially, in the classroom, on the students themselves, and even virtually—can be used to enhance student engagement and learning. Illustrating the versatility of the practice across a wide range of settings, student populations, and institutional types, this issue also contains an extensive listing of resources that go beyond disciplinary boundaries and open possibilities for all in higher education. This is the 132nd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.

The complexities of 21st-century life—personal, social, cultural, and environmental—demand thoughtful responses, responses fostered and enhanced through contemplative experience. Contemplative education includes studies of the history, psychology, and socialcultural context of such experience, as well as the development of experiential knowledge through one or more personal practices. Contemplative education has recently emerged in the academy. Although there has been significant published discussion of postsecondary courses and programs that incorporate contemplative views and practices, there have been few studies of relevant curricula and pedagogy. This volume integrates research, theory, and practice through a fusion of perspectives and approaches, giving readers the opportunity to review contemplative educational concepts and applications in academic, social, and institutional domains. This is the 134th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.

With pedagogical philosophy and practice changing significantly, faculty development has become much more important. Each chapter in this volume identifies particular areas of opportunity, and although the authors recognize that not every initiative suggested can be implemented by all institutions—circumstances such as institutional mission, available resources, and governance issues will dictate that—it is their hope that every reader will be able to glean details that might provide a spark or fan a flame on campus. As educators themselves, McKee, Johnson, Ritchie, and Tew invite you to consider the challenges, explore the possibilities, and join them on the journey. This is the 133rd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education series. New Directions for Teaching and Learning offers a comprehensive range of ideas and techniques for improving college teaching based on the experience of seasoned instructors and the latest findings of educational and psychological researchers.

While the phrase “learning communities” has various definitions, at the heart of all programs is the goal of enhancing the student learning experience in the community of others. This volume provides valuable information about learning communities--from start to finish--including: • historical and theoretical foundations that guide these programs, • structures of learning communities that provide varied opportunities for student participation, with a focus on specific student populations who may benefit from learning community experiences, and • elements of staffing and assessment, as well as an annotated bibliography of recent learning community literature. The authors consider critical elements of learning community programs and offer recommendations and options for faculty and staff who work with, or hope to work with, this particular curricular and cocurricular learning structure. This the 149th volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly series. An indispensable resource for vice presidents of student affairs, deans of students, student counselors, and other student services professionals, New Directions for Student Services offers guidelines and programs for aiding students in their total development: emotional, social, physical, and intellectual.

Add value to the student experience with purposeful residential programs Grounded in current research and practical experience, Student Learning in College Residence Halls: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why shows how to structure the peer environment in residence halls to advance student learning. Focusing on the application of student learning principles, the book examines how neurobiological and psychosocial development influences how students learn in residence halls. The book is filled with examples, useful strategies, practical advice, and best practices for building community and shaping residential environments that produce measureable learning outcomes. Readers will find models for a curriculum-based approach to programming and for developing student staff competencies, as well as an analysis of what types of residential experiences influence student learning. An examination of how to assess student learning in residence halls and of the challenges residence halls face provide readers with insight into how to strategically plan for the future of residence halls as learning centers. The lack of recent literature on student learning in college residence halls belies the changes that have taken place. More traditional-age students are enrolled in college than ever before, and universities are building more residence halls to meet the increased demand for student housing. This book addresses these developments, reviews contemporary research, and provides up-to-date advice for creating residence hall environments that achieve educationally purposeful outcomes. Discover which educational benefits are associated with living in residence halls Learn how residential environments influence student behavior Create residence hall environments that produce measureable learning outcomes Monitor effectiveness with a process of systematic assessment Residence halls are an integral part of the college experience; with the right programs in place they can become dynamic centers of student learning. Student Learning in College Residence Halls is a comprehensive resource for residence hall professionals and others interested in improving students' learning experience.