Part V of the Fifth-Year Interim Report - VCU SACS/COC Tenth Year ...

SACS/COC Fifth-Year Interim Report, Part V
collection of programs and courses taught and led by faculty representatives. First-Semester Learning Communities are
small groups of approximately 22 students enrolled in three courses: Introduction to VCU, Focused Inquiry I, and a Core
Curriculum course.
Since the 2006-07 academic year, VCU has increased the number of First-Semester Learning Communities from 33
learning communities in fall 2006 to 48 learning communities in fall 2007, 79 learning communities in fall 2008 and 87 in
fall 2009. University College was able to accommodate 425 students in fall 2006, 825 students in fall 2007, 1,716 students
in fall 2008 and will be able to accommodate 1,818 students fall 2009 into some type of learning community.
Additionally, VCU has developed the Residential Village program to work cooperatively with a learning community
structure. In fall 2006, VCU had 10 Residential Villages (RVs), in fall 2007 11 RVs, in fall 2008 11 RVs and fall 2009 12 RVs
and three commuter learning communities. In fall 2006 some of the RVs had linked courses, while 2007 and 2008 RVs
had no linked courses. In fall 2009 all Residential Villages will have a curriculum including Introduction to the University,
Focused Inquiry I and a Core Curriculum course. VCU has moved some First-Semester Learning Communities to the status
of Residential Villages in order to provide a more comprehensive model of living-learning. The original goal for the
Residential Villages was to have 80 students in each village. Attempting to enroll this many students together posed
many problems. Students were not in a small cohort any more, but instead in a microcosm of their own interests. After
reviewing the needs for these student populations, a decision was made to decrease the size to 44 students and increase
the effectiveness of the VCU Residential Village program. A total of 528 students may participate in the Residential Village
program in fall 2009 and 66 may enroll in a commuter learning community.
An additional benefit of the Residential Village Program is the increasing collaboration between the Division of Student
Affairs, University College, and various academic departments. The programming for fall 2009 is enhanced with the use of
the Core Curriculum, including Focused Inquiry. As plans for fall 2009 began, New Student Programs and Residential Life
have developed a comprehensive plan for University-wide collaboration by meeting with students’ advisors, faculty,
R.A.’s, and Coordinators of Residential Education. Additionally, the plan incorporates educational activities that enhance
student achievement, learning and development. These programs include a regular speaker series, advising
opportunities, local and regional trips that may include the Holocaust Museum in coordination with VCU’s Summer
Reading Program, career programs, discussion groups, village meetings, study groups and supplementary activities for
first-year students. The goal for the Residential Village program is one of a holistic education incorporating one’s learning
with their living environment.
Conclusions
# RVs Curriculum Learning Communities LC Participants
2006-2007 10 Some linked courses 33 425
2007-2008 11 No linked courses 48 825
2008-2009 11 No linked courses 79 1716
2009-2010 12 All with linked courses 87 1818
We believe our Quality Enhancement Plan has been a success both in terms of institutional change and the impact that it
has had on students. However, there is much more work in front of us. The academic research and writing course,
formerly coordinated by the department of English through the use of adjuncts, part-time faculty and graduate students,
will now be taught by primarily full time faculty. This course will become the third in our university writing program and
will be coordinated out of University College. The Core Curriculum, although in place as of fall 2009, will not be fully
implemented until all the courses have been altered to meet the Core learning objectives. We have given the instructors
two years to make these changes in their curricula. All this will be reviewed and monitored by the University College
Academic Committee. We believe all the pieces are now in place to realize our goal of a world class university and a
world class learning experience for our students.
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