Learning Communities "Tri-Syllabus" PROJECT SUMMARY My Carnegie Scholars project has evolved into a three-stage study of interdisciplinary teaching and learning in Learning Communities (LC). The first stage, a correlational study, pilot-tested the Structure of the Observed Learning Outcome or SOLO Taxonomy as a course-level assessment rubric and confirmed what I already knew - there is a strong relationship between LC instruction and interdisciplinary learning. Stage two, the heart of the project and the focus of this project snapshot, involved a qualitative study of LC student writing to identify the "precise mechanisms of integration" students used to make connections across disciplines. Thus far, 12 different linking mechanisms have been identified with most students using more than one in their writing. Finally, in the third stage of the project I hope to translate the Link Aloud methodology into a "pedagogy of guided reflection" to capture classroom conversations of connection and thus provide a multi-dimensional view of interdisciplinary learning in LCs. Article: "Assessing Student Work at Disciplinary Crossroads" (Boix-Mansilla, 2004) The author examines samples of exemplary interdisciplinary writing and identifies three generic assessment criteria: disciplinary grounding, integrative leverage, and a critical stance. Article: "Integrative Learning and Assessment" (Ross Miller, 2005) A very informative and concise survey of interdisciplinary assessment approaches, including an overview of the work of Boix-Mansilla and Wolfe and Haynes. Article: "Interdisciplinary Writing Assessment Profiles" (Wolfe & Haynes, 2005) In operationalizing the scoring rubric for the assessment of expository, research-based interdisciplinary writing, Wolfe and Haynes identify four dimensions of interdisciplinary writing: (1) disciplinary sources, (2) critical argumentation, (3) multidisciplinary perspectives, and (4) interdisciplinary integration.

LC Scholars at the 2006 LC Program Retreat PROJECT CONTEXT Like the Sidney Harris cartoon depicting a complex mathematical proof punctuated by the words, "Then a miracle occurs," much of the process of teaching and assessing interdisciplinary learning remained undefined, particularly as it occurred in developmental, college-level, and honors LCs. The goals of my project were to describe the interdisciplinary nature of the so-called "miracle," and to identify and correlate the conditions, i.e., course design, curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment, which allowed it to occur. How students integrated their learning in interdisciplinary LCs became my central research question but with a sharper focus on student writing. In particular, I hoped to identify the precise mechanisms by which LC students integrated their learning in three of my own interdisciplinary LCs: Identity Matters (developmental English), Bring the Noise: Teen Angst & Anthems (sophomore psychology and literature), and Seduction of Crime: Gender and Offender (honors psychology and literature). In sum, my project was an attempt to shed some light on how and in what contexts, students demonstrated interdisciplinary learning across LC course levels and how they developed integrative habits of mind. Article: "How Long is the Coastline of Holyoke Community College" (Dutcher, Singh & Mino, 1999) This is the "creation story" of HCC's Learning Communities Program told using the metaphor of chaos theory.

"Construct" by Joseph Carey METHOD & DESCRIPTION "LINK ALOUD" PROCEDURE: Consistent with the relational philosophy and practice of learning communities, I treated the "Link Aloud" as a conversation about an "interdisciplinary object" - a sample of LC student writing. In this way the Link Aloud is not just a data retrieval procedure but a collaborative reflection on interdisciplinary learning, and thus an opportunity for discovery. Using a simplified close reading method, I asked students to select a sample written assignment which demonstrated interdisciplinary learning, i.e., links or connections are made between disciplines, subject matters, and/or multiple sources of material. Students then read the assignment paragraph by paragraph, discussing what, where, and how they made connections between the subject matters. I then used their written work, e.g., specific word choices, operative phrases, interpretations, etc., to probe and sometimes provoke the student's thinking, particularly as it related to integration of material. In closing, I asked the students to consider what if any "new knowledge" or understanding did they discover, uncover, or construct as a result of doing this assignment. PROCEDURAL VARIATIONS: I worked with 12 LC students, i.e., LC Scholars, across three course levels for a total of 20 interviews. Some students participated in only one Link Aloud, while others participated in a sequence of Link Alouds (including both completed assignments and assignments in progress). I also connected faculty close reads with the student Link Alouds and created a kind of "talking back" opportunity for students. For example: first faculty close-read a student essay; second, the student did a Link Aloud of the same essay; third, the student "talks back" as they listened and responded to the audiotape of the faculty close read their essay. Finally, I asked students to reflect on their Link Aloud experience and discuss what they learned. Link Aloud Summary of Participants Sample Link Aloud (PDF file) This is how the Link Aloud was designed to be viewed and heard - simultaneously. It's a PDF file and will take a couple of minutes to download. Article Brief: Verbal Protocol Analysis An Updated and Extracted Version from Ericsson (2002), protocol analysis methods for eliciting and analyzing valid verbal reports on thinking. Website: Concept Mapping Resource Guide This page is the central resource guide for learning about structured conceptual mapping. It includes links to general introductory materials, research and case studies illustrating the use of the method.

"Feedback Loop Link" by Kathy Daly FINDINGS: "PRECISE MECHANISMS OF INTEGRATION" The "Link Aloud" provides a visual and auditory representation of interdisciplinary learning - preserving the student voice in writing and conversation by combining two signature methods from cognitive psychology, concept mapping and verbal protocol analysis, e.g., Think Aloud. The Link Aloud not only provides an electronic document of interdisciplinary learning but also enables students and faculty to revisit writing assignments through close reading and even closer conversation. The result is a deep learning experience via guided reflection. Each student essay is represented using a concept map in an attempt to make visible what links students made between subject matters, i.e., content links, and how they made them, i.e., instrumental links. In addition, each concept map contains a number of highlighted words and phrases that activate relevant audio links, thus providing a more detailed explanation in the student's own voice. Each sample essay in the "Link Aloud Gallery" highlights one or more precise linking mechanisms LC students used to make connections between disciplines and/or different source materials. After a review of the completed Link Alouds with the LC Scholars, approximately 12 precise mechanisms of integration were discovered. What follows is a description of each with 8 samples available in the "Link Aloud Gallery" link below. Embedded Quotes- student writes a sentence and seamlessly integrates a quotation from the text. Metaphor- student uses or creates a metaphor to link disciplines or different sources. (See Dan Bouquillon's sample in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Personal Experience - student uses personal experience as a "critical incident" that links disciplines or different sources. (See Devri Kirkwood's sample in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Integrative Question- student poses a question that can only be addressed by a synthesis of different sources. Feedback Loop Link - student returns to the primary thesis or theme but with a variation or elaboration. (See Kathy Daly's sample in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Theory Application - student applies a theory from one discipline to describe, analyze, explain, and/or evaluate something in another discipline. Method of Inquiry - student uses a (field-based) research method to investigate a question and/or test a construct or theory. (See Joseph Carey's sample and Kamil Peter's variation in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Epigraph- student uses prose, poetry, and even song lyrics as a distillation of their thesis, a construct, or a theory. Epistemological Critique- student evaluates the validity of an element, concept, construct, or theory by identifying the epistemological constraints or limitations of the discipline. (See Candace Clement 's sample in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Personal Beliefs & Values- student uses personal beliefs and/or values to link between disciplines (or different sources). Using or Creating a Construct - student uses or creates a construct from one discipline (or source) to analyze or evaluate something in another discipline (or source). (See Joseph Carey's sample in the Link Aloud Gallery below.) Comparison & Contrast - student compares and/or contrasts different disciplines or different sources. "LINK ALOUD" GALLERY: A Collection of Eight Student Snapshots Featuring 7-Linking Mechanisms Highlighted Above

"Identity Matters" LC - Spring 2006 IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERDISCIPLINARY TEACHING & LEARNING Pedagogy of Guided Reflection: The Link Aloud procedure can be readily translated into a classroom context in a variety of ways. Using audio and/or videotaping of individual students via conferencing, small groups via team presentations, or the class via large group discussions, interdisciplinary conversations can be captured, documented, and then revisited through guided reflection. Students then become co-investigators as we inquire into the epistemology of the interdisciplinary classroom and ask: What constitutes collective interdisciplinary knowledge? What kinds of linking mechanisms do students use in interdisciplinary conversations? How does collective knowledge (of an interdisciplinary kind) develop? Backward Course Design: The Link Aloud Gallery can provide LC faculty with interdisciplinary models of student writing and thinking that they can use to design their own LC course, curriculum, instruction, and assignments. To Prompt or Not to Prompt: The short answer is...it depends. Initially I believed that direct and explicit prompting would provide students with the essential support they needed to make interdisciplinary connections between subject matters. I now think that explicit prompting depends on the course level (e.g., developmental courses-yes vs. honors courses-no), weight of the assignment (e.g., minor assignments-no vs. major assignments-yes),and timing during the semester (e.g., early semester-yes vs. late semester-no). Sample Paper Archive: The Link Aloud Gallery can also function as a resource for students, providing them with an electronic archive of sample papers to review. However, as one LC Scholar observed, going public with "model" student work can sometimes result in classroom rivalries, or worse, duplication without true understanding or mastery. The challenge for the instructor then is to build a classroom community that supports and affirms academic accomplishment as a collaborative achievement. In addition, the instructor needs to provide multiple but different samples of the same assignment. "Structuring and Delivering Interdisciplinary Courses: Approximating the Ideal" Davis (1995) examines interdisciplinary course designs and recommends Blooms Taxonomy as a suitable model for developing and assessing interdisciplinary learning outcomes. He claims that applying the taxonomy does not change the categories rather, the content of the tasks used become more complex in interdisciplinary courses.

REFLECTIONS Power of Guided Reflection: LC scholars reported that the "Link Aloud" experience itself was an integrative learning experience punctuated by significant moments of discovery. Here is one representative comment - "I think the best term for the [link aloud] experience was revelatory. I came to see my entire project in a new light and obtained a clearer understanding of what worked and did not work in my writing. Some of this came not from your responses, but just from the active rereading of the work." Three things stand out for me as I reflect on the quality of intellectual work submitted for review by the LC Scholars. First, their "intellectual playfulness" - For example, when applying the uncertainty principle to the social sciences, Candace reverses the "observer effect," i.e., the subject's behavior changes when observed, and asks, "are subatomic particles conscious then?" Similarly, Dan flips the "crucible" metaphor and suggests that perhaps the elements in a laboratory chemistry experiment, e.g., magnesium, are undergoing a "trial or test of their character." Second, "unconscious intentionality" - almost to the person, students claimed that they were unaware of the so-called "linking mechanisms" they used to make connections between disciplines. It's clear from even a cursory review of the Link Aloud Gallery that the integrative structure of these interdisciplinary essays is not unintentional. Third, a related "meta-finding" perhaps is the observation that a number of the LC Scholars integrated their learning across disciplines with little or no prompting or classroom instruction. This may indicate an unexpected predisposition for interdisciplinary learning or possibly a predisciplinary learning orientation (thanks to Trish Ferritt, my Carnegie Scholars work group colleague, for this insight). Gracious Time & Space: This project has been one of the most rewarding teaching experiences of my career because it has afforded me the "gracious time and space" (thanks to Mark Cladis, my Carnegie Scholars work group colleague, for this concept), to go deeply, one-on-one with my students. Challenges: The great power of this method is also its greatest challenge - that of time. Given the busy lives of community college students who are commuting between work, school, and family life, and the intense workload of community college faculty (e.g., 5 courses/semester, committee work, college service, and advising), it was a monumental task to schedule and complete a succession of related interviews.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I want to recognize the "LC Scholars" who volunteered to participate in this study. It was their intellectual curiosity and passion for learning that inspired me to create this project and for that I will be forever grateful: Dan Bouquillon, Kimberly Boyd, Joe Carey, Denise Champagne, Candace Clement, Jill Cunningham, Kathy Daly, Jessenia Garcia, Devri Kirkwood, Matt McMahon, Kamil Peters, and Erin Stathis. Second, I want to acknowledge my LC colleagues at HCC who opened up their classrooms and encouraged their most generous students to participate: Kim Hicks and Kelly O'Conner, Mark Clinton and Don Hanover, Diane Beers and Deb Fairman, Jim Dutcher and Ileana Vasu, Xian Liu and Kate Maiolatesi, Pat Kennedy, and Tom Scheiding. Third, I want to thank the adminstrators and professional staff at HCC that supported this project from conception to completion: David Entin, Lisa Wyatt, Kate Douglas, and techno-wizards extraordinaire Jack Scanlon and Ed Murch. Fourth, I want to acknowledge the "Magnificent Seven," my Carnegie Scholars work group, for their insight and support in helping me to focus my efforts on making LC student learning visible: Trish Ferritt, Joanne Stewart, Michael Smith, Rhona Halualani, Mary Huber, David Geelan, Mark Cladis, and Richard Gale. And last but not least, I am beholding to the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and to those interdisciplinary Carnegie Scholars that came before me, for without the support of the CASTL Program, this work would have never been realized. Deborah Vess (1999): "Explorations in Interdisciplinary Teaching and Learning." To shed some light on how and in what contexts interdisciplinarity produces the positive effects discussed in the literature, Vess constructed two electronic course portfolios: IDST 2310 The Fine and Applied Arts in Civilization and IDST 2205 Global Issues in Society. Her methodology was comprehensive, including videotaped classroom observations, transcriptions of course lectures, student surveys, interviews, and focus groups, and standardized assessment instruments. Sherry Linkon (1999): "Learning Interdisciplinarity." Sherry Linkon also constructed an electronic course portfolio featuring AMER 3701 Approaches to American Studies, and ENG 4864 Selected Topics in American Literature. Using observation, surveys and interviews of faculty and students, and analysis of student work, Linkon moved from asking general questions about how students understand interdisciplinarity, to identifying the obstacles students face in interdisciplinary courses, to exploring and testing strategies for helping them understand interdisciplinary theory and practice. Jim Harnish (2003): "Student Learning in a Collaborative Classroom." This is an assessment tour de force of the Coordinated Studies Program at North Seattle Community College. Jim analyzed more than 600 student questionnaires from 23 different courses taught by 27 faculty from 11 disciplines over three years. In addition, he conducted two student focus groups with 15 students from seven different Coordinated Studies and reviewed 5 years of institutional data related to student success indicators of retention, persistence and graduation rates.