Northampton Community College's Math Science Learning Community is creating two Faculty Learning Communities (FLCs), one on NCC's Monroe Campus and one on NCC's Bethlehem Campus. Each FLC is developing a sustainable plan for increasing the use of evidence-based practices that have been proven in both the national literature and in NCC practice to positively impact student success. The FLCs are exploring inquiry-based learning, experiential learning, and modified STEM student learning communities in math and science gateway courses. FLCs are each developing a plan that reflects the unique institutional culture of each campus and presenting the plans to college administration for implementation. Each FLC member is working on an individual project to improve learning in a STEM gateway course that he or she is teaching, and the group members are collectively sharing their knowledge and accomplishments with the wider college and STEM community.
Community colleges face unique barriers to scaling up high impact strategies. Many have not yet adopted an institution-wide culture of evidence-based decision making. Moreover, the heavy teaching loads of community college faculty inhibit their ability to research and implement reforms, yet they are the very group who must implement the reforms. The change strategies being implemented include faculty learning communities and strategic planning. Lessons learned from this project are impacting the outcomes of nearly half the nation's STEM students by adding to the body of knowledge on the effect of increased use of inquiry based learning, experiential learning, and learning communities on student learning, especially for members of underrepresented groups.
