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Learning College Principles
The Learning College
The evolving world we live in has seen a multitude of changes in the last few years. In order to meet the challenges of today, colleges must change. We must transform our learning environments to be "relevant, competitive, accessible, and accountable" (Flynn). To be successful in the future, colleges must be able to address the needs of business and industry by preparing an ever-changing workforce. In the Learning Paradigm, the mission of the college is to produce learning and for students to become responsible for their own learning (Barr and Tagg). This paradigm focuses on measurable learning outcomes, active learning strategies to engage students, and alternative assessments. Skills for the today's workforce require more than just a memorization of facts. "The current and future health of America's 21st Century Economy depends directly on how broadly and deeply Americans reach a new level of literacy-'21st Century Literacy'-that includes strong academic skills, thinking, reasoning, teamwork skills, and proficiency in using technology" (North Central Regional Education Laboratory).
Terry O'Banion's six principles of the learning college:
- Creates substantive change in individual learners.
- Engages learners as full partners in the learning process, requiring them to assume primary responsibility for their own choices.
- Creates and offers as many options for learning as possible.
- Assists learners to form and participate in collaborative learning activities.
- Defines the roles of learning facilitators by the needs of the learners.
- Succeeds when its learning facilitators can document improved and expanded learning for students.
MediaSite Presentations:
Sanford C. "Sandy" Shugart currently serves as president of Valencia Community College in Orlando, Florida, one of the nation's largest and most celebrated community colleges. Valencia is widely known for its academic excellence, its Learning Centered Initiative, high rates of graduation, and outstanding services to business.
Dr. John Johnson serves as president of Alabama Southern Community College. Alabama Southern was the first college or university in the nation to assess individual learning styles of all students and build teaching strategies to match them, creating customized learning as the new standard for the 21st century.
Contact Jesse Cobb for access to this presentation
Library Resources:
O'Banion, T. A learning college for the 21st century.
McPhail, C. Establishing and sustaining learning-centered community colleges.
Online Learning College Resources:
Barr, R. and Tagg, J. (1995). A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education. Retrieved from http://critical.tamucc.edu/~blalock/readings/tch2learn.htm
Boggs, George (1999). What The Learning Paradigm Means For Faculty. Retrieved from http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs0699.html
Flynn, W. (2003). The Learning Decade. Retrieved from http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs0301.htm
O'Banion, T. (1999). The Learning College: Both Learner And Learning Centered. Retrieved from http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs0399.html
Bleed, Ronald D. Learner-centered strategy for investments in technology in community colleges. New Directions for Community Colleges 101(Spring 1988): 35-42. Also available in the Chesapeake, Portsmouth and Virginia Beach LRCs.
Brown, David M. Learner-centered conditions that ensure students' success in learning. Education (Chula Vista, Calif.) 124. (Fall 2003): 99-104, 107. PDF version
Brown, Kathy Laboard. From teacher-centered to learner-centered curriculum: improving learning in diverse classrooms. Education (Chula Vista, Calif.) 124. (Fall 2003): 49-54. PDF version
McPhail, I. Transformation of a college: From teaching to learning. The Presidency (Fall 2004).
