What Does The Research Say About Learning Communities?

The design of the learning community brings together the "best known engagement indicators including student-faculty contact, cooperation among students, active learning, prompt feedback, time on task, high expectations, and respect for diverse talents and diverse ways of learning" (Kuh, Schuh, Whitt and Associates, 2005, p. 8).

Engstrom and Tinto (2008) find, "participating in a learning community improves students confidence in their abilities to learn as well as in their motivation to succeed by creating a safe, supportive learning space" (p. 12), "helps students feel validated and a sense of belonging" (p. 19), and helps students "gain the confidence they need to improve language skills, thereby allowing them to participate more fully in their classes" (p. 13).