Building Living Learning Communities that Support Honors Students: A Miami University Exemplar. Promising Practice. American College Personnel Association National Convention, Indianapolis, IN, March 2006. [with, L. Luckers and J. Onuska].

1. Building Living Learning
Communities that Support
Honors Students
A Miami University Exemplar

2. Paul Brown
Assistant Director for Academic
and Living Learning Support
Honors and Scholars Program
Miami University
ACPA Candidate #3210

3. Lynette Luckers
First Year Adviser
Tappan Hall - Honors and Scholars
Community
Office of Residence Life and New
Student Programs
Miami University

4. Jennifer Onuska
Assistant First Year Adviser
Tappan Hall - Honors and Scholars
Community
Office of Residence Life and New
Student Programs
Miami University

5. At a glance...
• Oxford, Ohio
• Founded 1809
• 4-year, Public
• ~15,000 undergraduates
• ~1,500 graduates
• ~ 7000 live on-campus

6. Presentation Overview
• Living Learning Communities at MU
• The MU Honors & Scholars Program
• Honors and Scholars Living Learning Communities
• Curricular & Co-Curricular
• Assessment
• Challenges and Opportunities
• Discussion

7. Characteristics of
Learning Communities
• Cohorts of students taking the same classes
• Interdisciplinary faculty teaching courses with a
common theme
• Students forming study groups, spending time
socializing outside of class, and/or sharing strategies
for success
• Collaborative activities and assignments that require
students to work together and practice skills
Source: Goodsell Love, A., & Tokuno, K.A. (1999). Learning community models. In J. Levine, (Ed.), Learning
communities: New structures, new partnerships for learning (pp. 9-17). Columbia, SC: National Resource Center
for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition, University of South Carolina.

8. LLCs at Miami University
Mission
• Build around specific
field or interest
• Extend student
learning outside
classroom
• Integrate curricular
& co-curricular
• Foster student-
faculty interaction

9. Faculty/Professional
LLC Roles
• Advisory Councils
Collaborates to determine and carry
out vision and mission—responsible for
guiding and managing curricular and
co-curricular efforts
• Academic Advising
• Course Instructors
• Programming

10. The
Honors & Scholars
Program
Miami University

11. University Honors and
Scholars Program
• Oxford Scholars (~300 each year)
•Admitted automatically based on scores
•No Curricular requirements
• Honors Students (~200 each year)
•Separate Application Process required
•Curricular Requirements
• Harrison Scholars (~30 each year)
•By invitation, Highest Honors
•Admitted into Honors Program

12. Learning Outcomes
Developmental Foundations
• Knowledge of Learning Outcomes
Construction
• Critical
Understanding of
Diversity
• Communication
• Reflection
• Collaboration
• Responsible
Citizenship
Magolda, M. B., and King, P. M. (2004). Learning partnerships: Theory and
models of practice to educate for self-authorship. Jossey-Bass: San
Francisco.

13. Multi-Dimensional Learning
Epistemological Intrapersonal
Self
Authorship
Interpersonal

14. Three Tenets
Scholarship Leadership
Citizen
Scholars
Service

15. Developmental Sequence
of H&S LLCs
First Year
First Year
LLC: Introduction to Scholarship, Leadership, and280
HON Service
LLC: Intro to Scholarship,
Leadership, and Service
Second/Third Year
LLC: Scholars in Service HON 281
Second/Third/Fourth Year
LLC: Scholar Leader
Third/Fourth Year
LLC: Scholars for Change HON 282

16. Honors & Scholars
Living Learning Communities
Introduction to Scholarship,
Leadership and Service
Tappan Hall
first year students
Scholars in Service
Wells Hall
upper-class students
Scholars for Change
Bishop Hall
upper-class students

17. First Year LLC
Introduction to Scholarship, Leadership and Service
Tappan Hall
Scholarship Leadership
Service
• Initiated in 2001
• Targets: First Year Students
• 8 RAs, 1 Masters-Level Staff Member, 2 graduate
assistants, ~300 residents
• Hall director is live-in academic adviser, judicial
officer, instructor, counselor, and crisis-
responder

18. HON 280: Introduction to
Scholarship, Leadership, & Service
• 1 credit hour seminar
• Provides foundational information
about all three tenets
• Each section is themed
• Peer-programming in the hall
• Entry-level service learning activities
• Students develop holistic 4 year
learning goals educational plan

19. Co-Curricular Programming
Scholarship, Leadership and Service
• One-day leadership retreat
• Workshop on starting in research
• Volunteer “One Shot Deals”
• Pizza and Prof Series
• University Lecture Series speaker receptions
held in-hall
– Special seminars for H&S students
• Peer-Lead Programs
– Developed during in-hall courses
– H&S Advisory Board

20. What our students say...
In describing the first-year Honors and Scholars residence hall, one student stated:
“The atmosphere was very supportive. Most
students understood when I needed to study
and when I could hang out. Also, the
availability of help in any area was
wonderful. Because many students in my
honors classes also lived in the hall I could easily
go to them with questions… The combined
environment of learning and studying
yet being able to have fun at the same
time was just wonderful.”

21. Stephanie Spoelstra
Tappan Hall RA
2nd Year Harrison Student

22. Upper-Class LLC
Scholars for Service
Wells Hall
Scholarship
Service
• Piloted in 2005
• On Academic Quad
• Targets: Sophomores and Juniors
• 4 RAs, 1 Masters-Level Staff
Member, ~150 residents

23. HON 281: Introduction to
Community Service & Learning
• 2 credit hour seminar
• Based on “Social Change Model of
Leadership” (HERI, 1996)
• Students use research for service-site
program development
• Participation in on-site service learning
• Research, reflection, journaling and
dialogue

24. Co-Curricular Programming
Scholars for Service
• Oxford Tea Time
• Intensive weekend-plunge service
experiences or ongoing service
opportunities
• Community forums
• Internship search workshops, study
abroad workshops
• Joint programming with the staff of the
Office of Service Learning

25. Wes Highley
Bishop Hall RA
5th year Harrison Scholar

26. Upper-Class LLC
Scholars for Change
Bishop Hall
Scholarship Leadership
• Initiated in 80s
• Targets: Juniors and Seniors
• 2 RAs, 1 Masters-Level Staff Member, ~90
residents
• H&S Assistant Director for Academic & Living
Learning Support is hall director

27. HON 282: Intro to Leadership
and Research-Based Change
• 2 credit hour seminar
• Based on “Social Change Model of
Leadership” (HERI, 1996)
• Students research and propose solutions
to campus issues
• Develop personal leadership philosophy
and sense of stewardship
• Engage student in University governance
and prepare for life as scholar

28. Co-Curricular Programming
Scholars for Change
• University Lecture Series seminars
• Career planning workshops
• Resume workshops
• Workshops on stewardship and alumni
relations
• “Preparing for life in your 20s”
workshop
• Joint programming with Miami’s
Leadership Programs

29. What our students say...
In describing the upper-class Honors and Scholars residence hall, one student stated:
“Because the [hall] is so small and the residents are
so active, the hall was a wonderful environment. But
living there also helped a lot with
communication with honors, especially being
able to see [the Honors Academic Support
Coordinator] in the hall once in a while. Also,
people tended to be in the same classes
which helped for study groups. But really it was the
people and especially the RAs that made all the
difference in the world.”

30. Developmental Sequence
of H&S LLCs
First Year
First Year
LLC: Intro to Scholarship,
LLC: Introduction to Scholarship, Leadership, and Service
Leadership, and Service
Second/Third Year
LLC: Scholars in Service
Second/Third/Fourth Year
LLC: Scholar Leader
Third/Fourth Year
LLC: Scholars for Change

31. Means of Assessment
How do we track data and collect it?
• Yearly surveys tracking student satisfaction
and learning outcomes (academic program &
residence life)
• Year-end reports:
• Heads-of-Hall, H&S Staff
• Use of CSP program courses:
• Student Development
• Program Evaluation

32. Assessment Data
What is collected?
• Student demographic information
• Satisfaction, return-rate
• Community involvement
• Programming (types, frequency, traditions)
• Qualitative assessments of student
development
• Participation in special programs and
academic pursuits

33. First Year Honors Students Choosing
to Live in the H&S LLC
80%
60%
40%
01-02
02-03 20%
03-04
04-05
05-06

34. UC H&S students living
in an H&S LLC
110
80
For 06-07, UC
H&S LLCs were at
wait-list capacity
50
01-02 20
02-03
03-04
04-05
05-06

35. 04-05 Honors GPA by
Living Arrangement
Lived in LLC
Lived Elsewhere
• 0.18 difference in 3.8
average FY Honors
student GPA 3.6
• 0.04 difference in 3.4
average UC Honors 3.2
student GPA First Years
Upper-Class

36. Opportunities &
Challenges
• Developing upper-class communities
• Encouraging students to remain on-campus 3-4 years
• Develop seamless learning experience across all years
• Providing consistent staffing and LLC instructors
• Additional first-year H&S residence hall in 2006
• Assessment efforts directly linking LLCs to outcomes

37. References
Haynes, C. (2006, January-February). The integrated student: Fostering
holistic development to advance learning. About Campus, 10(6), 17-23.
Baxter Magolda, M., and King, P. M. (2004). Learning partnerships:Theory
and models of practice to educate for self-authorship. Jossey-Bass: San
Francisco.
Higher Education Research Institute. Boyer, Ernest L. (1990). Campus Life:
(1996). Guidebook for a Social Change In Search of Community. The Carnegie
Model for Leadership Development. Los Foundation for the Advancement of
Angeles, CA: Graduate School of Teaching: Princeton, New Jersey.
Education and Information Studies,
University of California.

38. Questions? Discussion.

39. Conclusion & Thank You
We hope this session has been informative and engaging
—thanks for your participation!
• Thanks to our supporters and contributors:
• Carolyn Haynes and the H&S Staff
• Office of Residence Life and New Student
Programs
• Michele Welkener