Students learn best when they are actively engaged in the learning process. The process begins at recruitment, not simply in the classroom, according to the League of Innovation. In the recruitment process, students can learn how to enroll themselves in classes, how to secure financial aid and how to access college resources. In the classroom, faculty members encourage active, collaborative learning; they also involve students in service learning experiences within the community, according to the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC).
Our academic culture has traditionally focused on instruction, rather than learning, according to AACC. To change this focus within community colleges, faculty members become facilitators of learning, rather than just lecturers. To improve their effectiveness, facilitators may compare student performance on shared assignments. After assessing the results, they can modify their approaches to achieve greater learning outcomes, according to the League of Innovation. Interdisciplinary teams may focus on common goals, such as improved communication skills.
Community colleges can expand learning opportunities for students through technology. Online or hybrid classes may encourage learning through group projects, chat rooms and discussion boards. In the traditional classroom, handheld devices or "clickers" can engage students and facilitate learning, according to the New York Times. Students use clickers to indicate answers to informal, often ungraded quizzes, providing immediate feedback about their understanding. In addition, staff members can improve admissions and financial aid processes by providing technological training for new students, according to the League.
Administrators, staff and faculty must firmly support the underlying principles of the learning-centered college for the concept to work. All must operate under the assumption that students, regardless of their learning style, can learn. Diversity also emerges as a key component to improving learning. A learning-centered college assumes that students with clear goals--often called life plans--learn more effectively, according to the League.
As the organizational culture spreads, human resources personnel will focus on selecting staff, administrators and faculty who share the learning-centered philosophy. In the ideal environment, a learning-centered college will focus upon shared staff and faculty development; everyone will learn strategies to engage and empower students, according to the League for Innovation. As a community college unites under this philosophy, students become active learners, involved in both their education and their communities.