Development of Learning Communities at BU

Background Context

During the interval between my BGS and my MRD programs at BU, a significant shift in demographics and economic conditions had taken place with major effects on he dynamics of the University as a learning community.

When I attended in 1985-7, one could not get a seat most days in the "Down-Under" general purpose/eating area on most weekdays. Now one could shoot a cannon through the room and not hit anyone. The University does not have general assembling of the student body, and few people remain around between classes.

I have come to believe this change is due to the demands on student's time owing t higher costs and lower revenues in this agriculture-based area. Whatever the reason or reasons, there is a problem I feel in that the context for interchange of ideas , so critical for a university experience of any quality is virtually absent. Students go to class, go home and go to work. As one professor reportedly said during a staff meeting as he went to the theatre door, "Listen, they're not there!"

I came to believe that there was a need to pioneer out a rule-set for a new learning-environment paradigm which took the current conditions into account, such that students' "university experience" would be enriched thereby.

Approach Used

I have been alert to the problem during my MRD degree and wondering how it could be addressed. The material on the formation of community being considered in our coursework blended with my own tendency to animate communities by providing the missing ingredients until such a time as the community resumes functioning and starts to produce what only a community can produce.

When a position in Student Services came open, I approached the Dean about submitting a proposal to use that learning-skills professional position as a platform to facilitate the university community in addressing the issue.

I spent five weeks updating my information on learning styles and gathered further information about learning community problems and current attempted solutions.

I submitted an application for the position based on the concept as one of the key dimensions of my approach to the learning skills position if I were to undertake it.

Current Status

Though the Unit showed considerable interest in the concept, they decided to move in a different direction at that time. The issue remains to be addressed so far as I am aware.

Findings To Date

I believe that a new forum for the mixing of ideas in the learning community must evolve, or the larger University here in Brandon will suffer a great loss. It must dovetail with current demographic and economic realities, but somehow facilitate this larger dialogue amongst students.

This work will not likely be the work of one person, and will likely take some time to evolve. However, I believe that the use of deliberately stimulated "learning communities" (glorified study groups of various types) which is currently sweeping many campuses across the continent holds some promise of meeting at least part of this need. I believe if we promote this sort of activity, it could provide insights into further ways we could address this larger issue of the demise of the "Down-Under" in appropriate ways.

I believe that just such an initiative could form the catalyst for the community conversation about the larger issue, from within which might well emerge a locally-made solution.

I believe that the Learning Skills Specialist is one logical person to head up such an initiative because the existence of a forum for the interchange of ideas is so critical to the learning process. It is a vital task which I believe to be central to the field of learning assistance.

Lateral Connections

Required for Completion

Somebody has to pick up that issue and work with it.

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