1. What Makes Good Teaching?
Learning Communities
What Makes Good Teaching?

2. Why I Should Not be Giving This Talk
I came to the LC orientation for the wrong reason.
It took me awhile to get it.
Initially I stayed for only some of the right reasons.
Moral: Stick around long enough and you’ll be doing the talk!!

3. What Makes LC’s Good for Universities?
Increased retention
Increased “persistence to graduation”
Generally, higher GPA’s
Foster early identification with the academy
Positive peer networks build early competency
Models the academy at its best

4. What makes LC’s Good for Students?
Scheduling and registration concerns are minimized
Smaller classes lead to more individualized attention
Continuity and reinforcement of learning across domains
Increased exposure to diversity at all levels
Problems are caught earlier and dealt with multi-modally
Faculty cross-talk models appropriate intellectual discourse

5. What makes LC’s Good for Faculty
“What is overwhelming to one faculty member is doable within a community of faculty”
Increased expertise
Structuring process
Collegiality vs. isolationism
Holistic approach to students
Problems are addressable and fixable
It’s a lot of fun

6. Why I Would Do it Again in a Minute
teaching in an LC reminds me of why I became a teacher
communication between professors and across LC’s
LC’s teach meta-skills as part of the process
Rare opportunity
to kick students out of bed!!

7. Why Does CTE Take a Keen Interest in LC’s?
LC’s by their nature foster improvement in pedagogy
LC’s allow faculty easy access to other perspective in teaching.
LC’s foster a culture of collegiality and support
LC’s encourage diversity