A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: July 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Shawn Stewart, special contributor; Cody Lynch, special contributor; Dr. John Glass, special contributor; Amy Lenhart, special contributor; layout and photography by Nick Young.
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Learning Communities: A new classroom experience
By Cody Lynch
Special Contributor
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| Cody Lynch | Learning Communities was a foreign concept upon entering Collin County Community College District (Collin) in the fall 2005. But after completing my first semester, I knew Learning Communities were the most interesting, thought-provoking, academically-enriching classes.
When I was signing up for my first 12 hours of college classes, I felt like a deer in headlights. I had no idea what courses I needed to sign up for until the academic advisor recommended four courses to take including both history and sociology.
She informed me that I could take the classes separate or together in a Learning Communities class titled “What Does It Mean To Be an American?,” which combined the two-hour long courses into one two-hour course, and I would still receive six hours of credit. The idea sounded perfect and I immediately signed up for the course, LRCM 8605.C03. The first day of classes, I did not know what to anticipate, but within the first 30 minutes, I knew what to expect out of the course.
Two professors, two subjects, one grade
The course was taught by two professors working side by side integrating the two subjects into one unique class. Professor Pamela Gaiter, sociology, and professor Larry Collins, U.S. history, presided over the class. They informed the class that the workload would be high because it is a two-course class, and we would receive the same grade for both courses. They also gave us a brief outline of the work expected of us before the semester ends.
We would have to complete two group projects, a midterm, final, weekly quizzes, two field trips, a service learning paper or book critique and write four experiential learning papers on either the various speakers or field trips.
Immediately, I knew that the class would not be easy, and the work would be intensive, but it would be an amazing course. The course began with an outline of the readings we would be required to finish for each week.
After two weeks of classes, groups were chosen and our first group project was assigned. The assignment was to choose an ethnic group in U.S. history from a list including groups from the Ku Klux Klan to Vietnamese refugees, and then to create a presentation to inform the class about the particular ethnic group. In addition to the presentation, we had to type up a work-cited page and each member was required to write a process paper informing the professors how the other members in the group participated in the project.
The class had five weeks to complete the project and be ready to present their 15- to 25-minute presentation. Before the projects were due, we went on our first field trip to the Holocaust Museum, decided whether we were going to participate in a service-learning project or write a book review, and heard our first speaker, who was a Holocaust survivor.
The field trip to the museum was informative, emotional, and allowed the class to observe first hand a historical event we had been studying. In addition to touring the museum, we had lunch in downtown, which allowed the class to communicate outside of the classroom.
The class period after we went on the field trip, we had to decide between the service-learning project and the book review. The service-learning project required the student to participate in an organization whose goal is to help the community. Our choices included being a tutor at either Webb Elementary School or Caldwell Elementary School, being a Legal Aid, or being a conversation partner with an ESL student at Collin. If a student chose to participate in service-learning, that student would be required to attend the particular organization once a week for a set period of time followed by a written paper explaining their experience. If a student did not want to participate in service learning, they could write a three to five page book review about a book they selected from a list given by the professors.
A course with discourse
After giving our first group presentations, our first two experiential learning papers were due and we had another speaker attend the college. All of the speakers held lectures in Pike Hall at the Central Park Campus. This speaker was Ron Cowart, a Dallas police officer and a Vietnam veteran who is a major influence in Asian Americans experience in Dallas. All of our speakers related to the subjects we were studying out of our textbooks. The professors’ goal was to give us an out of the classroom experience to enhance our learning experience.
Following Cowart’s lecture, we took our midterm exam, which was one of two exams we took during the semester. In addition to the exam covering all the material from our textbooks, the exam also included questions from the first group presentations. Upon completing our midterm, we had another speaker, Victor Lewis, who spoke about the African American experience. Like the other speakers, Lewis spoke about a subject we were in the middle of studying in class.
The next week, we went on our second class field trip to the African American museum and the Latino Cultural Center at Fair Park. Each field trip was taken during class time and if the trip was to last longer than the time allowed for the class, the professors would write a letter for a student to whom ever they needed. Although this field trip was not as emotional as the Holocaust museum, it did touch close to home because it explained the African American and Latino experiences in North Texas. The African American museum had an amazing amount of historical artifacts, paintings, and photography exhibit that left a profound impact on me upon leaving the museum.
The next class period, the second group presentations were assigned, and the professors allowed the class to choose their groups. The presentations were over culturally ethnic minority groups in America including Mexican, Cuban, Asian and African Americans. This project had the same requirements, as the first project except the project required us to integrate new terms and ideas we had learned since our last project. When the project was assigned, we were studying Native Americans experience, and we had a Native American flutist, William Gutierrez, as our next speaker. Gutierrez’s flute playing was a highlight of the class because it was extremely emotional and soothing at the same time.
After Gutierrez came to speak and play his flute, our last two experiential learning papers were due. At this point, we were in the final stretch of the class. Two weeks later, following Thanksgiving break, our second group presentation was due. These presentations were enjoyable because in addition to the presentation, groups brought food, music and clothing from the particular group they chose for their project.
One class period we had a culturally infused feast including Saudi Arabian, Mexican and Asian food. After our feast, we went back to work when the professors handed out the final exam take home essay and our final exam review.
The final exam essay required us to explain the five different groups we had studied over the semester. This paper allowed me to reflect back on what I had learned about the American experience for African, Hispanic, Asian, European and Native Americans. The in-class portion of the final included all the material from the mid-term to the final, instead of it being comprehensive.
Final thoughts
On the first day of class, the professors asked us to write a paragraph on why we took the course and what we thought it meant to be an American. My answer to the first part of the question was I took the class because I received six hours of credit in one class and as for what it means to be an American, I simply stated that “Being an American, is being free.”
After completing this course, my answers have drastically changed. Even though I signed up for the class because the courses were required, I learned more about myself, our country, and the importance of an education. It is often the belief of students that the professor makes a course, and in this case, we were honored with two amazing professors who created an incredible class.
Whether a student is attending Collin for personal enrichment or to further their academic career, Learning Communities are an essential in enhancing their college experience.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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