The Learner-Centered Classroom: An Overview (Wednesday, January 22/Thursday, January 23)

(Wednesday, Jan. 22; 3:00-4:00 p.m.; Media Services-Studio C & Thursday, Jan. 23; 3:00-4:00 p.m.; Media Services-Studio B)

This workshop will introduce the concept of a learner-centered classroom. Specifically, you will: Learn how a learner-centered class differs from a more traditional teacher-centered class--specifically in the areas of power, content, the role of the teacher, the responsibility for learning, and evaluation. Discuss the benefits and obstacles to developing a learner-centered class. Brainstorm ways to incorporate these ideas into your teaching. (Note: Material taken verbatim from cited sources.) A good learner is someone who (responses from UO GTFs and faculty) -actively participates. -always tries. -analyzes new information and contrasts it with what they already know. -asks questions, any questions. -begins with being present--physically, mentally. Knows how he/she learns best and is creative. -cares about the material. -cares about what they are learning. -comes prepared. -could think critically. -doesn't just study for an exam or for a grade. -enjoys learning. -has "academic empathy." -has a personal interest in the subject matter. -has active listening, thinks and responds. -has frustrations and asks a lot of questions. -incorporates new knowledge into daily life, activities, and other courses. -interacts with other students. -is a good listener, loves what he/she is learning. -is a listener, really listens--retains what is being said and is wiling to ask questions. -is able to access resources--in and out of the classroom. -is able to question their own beliefs. -is an active listener, comes up with a question beyond what they have learned in class. -is aware of when they don't understand and able to communicate that to the teacher. -is creative--able to challenge assumed knowledge. -is curious. -is enthusiastic about learning. You don't have to be smart. -is interested in the material and motivated to learn as much as they can about it. -is motivated and willing to learn always more. -is not afraid to ask questions and question the teacher. -is open to new and different ideas. -is open to taking risks, exploring, playing. It's more about the process than the product. -is open-minded. -is proactive and responsible for their own learning. Finds out what they need to know and how it fits into their life. -is respectful and tolerant of new ideas and information. -is willing to be taught. -is willing to put in the effort to learn. -is willing to take a risk. -is willing to work hard. -knows what she/he is looking for in the chosen course--something in particular that attracts him/her. -listens carefully. -listens intently and can make the material interesting for themselves. -listens to information and figures out what it means in your life and respects what it means to others. -listens, even if they disagree. -makes full use of class time. -never stops learning. -remembers to do the homework and asks for help when they don't understand. -reviews class notes regularly. -should be very curious, aware and focused on his/her mission. -tries to apply what they are learning. -tries to cultivate "beginner's mind".
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DEFINITIONS, REASONS, & PREMISES Definition of "Learner Centered" (McCombs & Whisler, 1997) The perspective that couples a focus on individual learners (their heredity, experiences, perspectives, backgrounds, talents, interests, capacities, and needs) with a focus on learning (the best available knowledge about learning and how it occurs and about teaching practices that are most effective in promoting the highest levels of motivation, learning, and achievement for all learners). This dual focus then informs and drives educational decision making. The learner-centered perspective is a reflection of the twelve learner-centered psychological principles in the programs, practices, policies, and people that support learning for all. Definition of Learner-Centered Education (Arizona Faculties Council (AFC)) http://www.abor.asu.edu/4_special_programs/lce/afc-defined_lce.htm Learner-centered education places the student at the center of education. It begins with understanding the educational contexts from which a student comes. It continues with the instructor evaluating the student's progress towards learning objectives. By helping the student acquire the basic skills to learn, it ultimately provides a basis for learning throughout life. It therefore places the responsibility for learning on the student, while the instructor assumes responsibility for facilitating the students education. This approach strives to be individualistic, flexible, competency-based, varied in methodology and not always constrained by time or place. What is the Difference between "Student Centered" and Learner Centered"? http://ag.arizona.edu/azlearners/learner-whatisit.html It depends -- on perspective and timing. Both terms have been used during the 1990s but there seems to be a shift to "learner" from "student." We are all learners (student, faculty, citizen) and the term is more inclusive. Some say student centered focuses more on the support services (e.g., getting enrolled, getting advised) and learner centered focuses more on the actual learning processes and class activities. Both cover all aspects and allow for much broader definitions of the learning environment. Why learner centered? (McCombs & Whisler, 1997) The evidence is abundant and accumulating that motivation, learning, and achievement are enhanced where learnercentered principles and practices are in placepractices that address the personal domain, which is often ignored. The benefits of learner-centered practice extend to students, teachers, administrators, parents, and all other participants in the educational system. The changes in our society necessitate a change in the role and function of schools so that they better meet the needs of the learner as a whole person, whether that person is a student, teacher, administrator, or parent. Change itself requires a transformation in thinking (and thus a process of learning); this transformation can be facilitated by an understanding of basic principles about learning and learners. Premises of the Learner-Centered Model (McCombs & Whisler, 1997) 1. Learners are distinct and unique. Their distinctiveness and uniqueness must be attended to and taken into account if learners are to engage in and take responsibility for their own learning. 2. Learners' unique differences include their emotional states of mind, learning rates, learning styles, stages of development, abilities, talents, feelings of efficacy, and other academic and nonacademic attributes and needs. These must be taken into account if all learners are to be provided with the necessary challenges and opportunities for learning and self-development. 3. Learning is a constructive process that occurs best when what is being learned is relevant and meaningful to the learner and when the learner is actively engaged in creating his or her own knowledge and understanding by connecting what is being learned with prior knowledge and experience. 4. Learning occurs best in a positive environment, one that contains positive interpersonal relationships and interactions, that contains comfort and order, and in which the learner feels appreciated, acknowledged, respected, and validated. 5. Learning is a fundamentally natural process; learners are naturally curious and basically interested in learning about and mastering their world. Although negative thoughts and feelings sometimes interfere with this natural inclination and must be dealt with, the learner does not require "fixing."

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LEARNER-CENTERED PSYCHOLOGICAL PRINCIPLES (American Psychological Association) http://www.apa.org/ed/lcp2/lcp14.html The following 14 psychological principles pertain to the learner and the learning process*. They focus on psychological factors that are primarily internal to and under the control of the learner rather than conditioned habits or physiological factors. However, the principles also attempt to acknowledge external environment or contextual factors that interact with these internal factorsFinally, the principles are intended to apply to all learners -- from children, to teachers, to administrators, to parents, and to community members involved in our educational system. Cognitive and Metacognitive Factors 1. Nature of the learning process. The learning of complex subject matter is most effective when it is an intentional process of constructing meaning from information and experience. 2. Goals of the learning process. The successful learner, over time and with support and instructional guidance, can create meaningful, coherent representations of knowledge. 3. Construction of knowledge. The successful learner can link new information with existing knowledge in meaningful ways. 4. Strategic thinking. The successful learner can create and use a repertoire of thinking and reasoning strategies to achieve complex learning goals. 5. Thinking about thinking. Higher order strategies for selecting and monitoring mental operations facilitate creative and critical thinking. 6. Context of learning. Learning is influenced by environmental factors, including culture, technology, and instructional practices. Motivational and Affective Factors 7. Motivational and emotional influences on learning. What and how much is learned is influenced by the learner's motivation. Motivation to learn, in turn, is influenced by the individual's emotional states, beliefs, interests and goals, and habits of thinking. 8. Intrinsic motivation to learn. The learner's creativity, higher order thinking, and natural curiosity all contribute to motivation to learn. Intrinsic motivation is stimulated by tasks of optimal novelty and difficulty, relevant to personal interests, and providing for personal choice and control. 9. Effects of motivation on effort. Acquisition of complex knowledge and skills requires extended learner effort and guided practice. Without learners' motivation to learn, the willingness to exert this effort is unlikely without coercion. Developmental and Social Factors 10. Developmental influences on learning. As individuals develop, there are different opportunities and constraints for learning. Learning is most effective when differential development within and across physical, intellectual, emotional, and social domains is taken into account. 11. Social influences on learning. Learning is influenced by social interactions, interpersonal relations, and communication with others. Individual Difference Factors 12. Individual differences in learning. Learners have different strategies, approaches, and capabilities for learning that are a function of prior experience and heredity. 13. Learning and diversity. Learning is most effective when differences in learners' linguistic, cultural, and social backgrounds are taken into account. 14. Standards and assessment. Setting appropriately high and challenging standards and assessing the learner as well as learning progress -- including diagnostic, process, and outcome assessment -- are integral parts of the learning process. * The development of each principle involved thorough discussions of the research supporting that principle. The multidisclinary research expertise of the Task Force and Work Group members facilitated an examination of each principle from a number of different research perspectives. AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CENTER FOR PSYCHOLOGY IN SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION EDUCATION DIRECTORATE (202) 336-6126 EDUCATION@APA.ORG
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From Teaching to LearningA New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education (excerpts) by Robert B. Barr & John Tagg. Change, November/December 1995, pp. 13-25. The Instruction ParadigmMission and Purposes Provide/deliver instruction Transfer knowledge from faculty to students Offer courses and programs Improve the quality of instruction Achieve access for diverse students The Instruction Paradigm Teaching/Learning Structures Atomistic; parts prior to whole Time held constant, learning varies 50 minute lecture, 3-unit course Classes start/end at same time One teacher, one classroom Independent disciplines, departments Covering material End-of-course assessment Grading within classes by instructors Private assessment Degree equals accumulated credit hours The Instruction ParadigmLearning Theory Knowledge exists out there Knowledge comes in chunks and bits delivered by instructors Learning is cumulative and linear Fits the storehouse of knowledge metaphor Learning is teacher centered and controlled Live teacher, live students required The classroom and learning are competitive and individualistic Talent and ability are rare The Instruction ParadigmNature of Roles Faculty are primarily lecturers Faculty and students act independently and in isolation Teachers classify and sort students Staff serve/support faculty and the process of instruction Any expert can teach Line governance; independent actors The Learning ParadigmMission and Purposes Produce learning Elicit student discovery and construction of knowledge Create powerful learning environments Improve the quality of learning Achieve success for diverse students The Learning Paradigm Teaching/Learning Structures Holistic; whole prior to parts Learning held constant, time varies Learning environments Environment ready when student is Whatever learning experience works Cross discipline/department collaboration Specific learning results Pre/during/post assessments External evaluations of learning Public assessment Degree equals demonstrated knowledge and skills The Learning ParadigmLearning Theory Knowledge exists in each persons mind and is shaped by individual experiences Knowledge is constructed, created, and gotten Learning is a nesting and interacting of frameworks Fits learning how to ride a bicycle metaphor Learning is student centered and controlled Active learner is required, but not live teacher Learning environments and learning are cooperative, collaborative, and supportive Talent and ability are abundant The Learning Paradigm Nature of Roles Faculty are primarily designers of learning methods and environments Faculty and students work in teams with each other and other staff Teachers develop every students competencies and talents All staff are educators who produce student learning and success Empowering learning is challenging and complex Shared governance; teamwork

Comparison of Conventional and Learner-Centered School Level Characteristics (McCombs & Whisler, 1997) Non-Learner-Centered (Conventional) Focus Learner-Centered Focus Relationships are hierarchical, blaming, controlling. Relationships are caring and promote positive expectations and participation. Curriculum is fragmented, nonexperiential, limited, and Curriculum is thematic, experiential, challenging, exclusive of multiple perspectives. comprehensive, and inclusive of multiple perspectives. Instruction focuses on a narrow range of learning styles, Instruction focuses on a broad range of learning styles; builds from perceptions of student deficits, and is builds from perceptions of student strengths, interests, and authoritarian. experiences; and is participatory and facilitative. Grouping is tracked by perceptions of ability; promotes Grouping is not tracked by perceptions of ability; promotes individual competition and a sense of alienation. cooperation, shared responsibility, and a sense of belonging. Evaluation focuses on a limited range of intelligences, Evaluation focuses on multiple intelligences, utilizes utilizes only standardized tests, and assumes only one authentic assessments, and fosters self-reflection. correct answer.
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Learning Principles and Collaborative Action Powerful Partnerships: A Shared Responsibility for Learning--A joint report by the American Association for Higher Education, the American College Personnel Association, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators http://www.aahe.org/teaching/tsk_frce.htm 1. Learning is fundamentally about making and maintaining connections: biologically through neural networks; mentally among concepts, ideas, and meanings; and experientially through interaction between the mind and the environment, self and other, generality and context, deliberation and action. 2. Learning is enhanced by taking place in the context of a compelling situation that balances challenge and opportunity, stimulating and utilizing the brain's ability to conceptualize quickly and its capacity and need for contemplation and reflection upon experiences. 3. Learning is an active search for meaning by the learner -- constructing knowledge rather than passively receiving it, shaping as well as being shaped by experiences. 4. Learning is developmental, a cumulative process involving the whole person, relating past and present, integrating the new with the old, starting from but transcending personal concerns and interests. 5. Learning is done by individuals who are intrinsically tied to others as social beings, interacting as competitors or collaborators, constraining or supporting the learning process, and able to enhance learning through cooperation and sharing. 6. Learning is strongly affected by the educational climate in which it takes place: the settings and surroundings, the influences of others, and the values accorded to the life of the mind and to learning achievements. 7. Learning requires frequent feedback if it is to be sustained, practice if it is to be nourished, and opportunities to use what has been learned. 8. Much learning takes place informally and incidentally, beyond explicit teaching or the classroom, in casual contacts with faculty and staff, peers, campus life, active social and community involvements, and unplanned but fertile and complex situations. 9. Learning is grounded in particular contexts and individual experiences, requiring effort to transfer specific knowledge and skills to other circumstances or to more general understandings and to unlearn personal views and approaches when confronted by new information. 10. Learning involves the ability of individuals to monitor their own learning, to understand how knowledge is acquired, to develop strategies for learning based on discerning their capacities and limitations, and to be aware of their own ways of knowing in approaching new bodies of knowledge and disciplinary frameworks. The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education Developed by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson. http://ag.arizona.edu/azlearners/aahe-7principles.html 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Good practice encourages student-faculty contact. Good practice encourages cooperation among students. Good practice encourages active learning. Good practice gives prompt feedback. Good practice emphasizes time on task. Good practice communicates high expectations. Good practice respects diverse talents and ways of learning.

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FIVE KEY CHANGES TO PRACTICE (Weimer, 2002) The Balance of Power Radical and feminist pedagogues and those who study self-directed learners posit that to be truly learner-centered, we must begin with greater insight into the role of power in our classrooms: who exerts it, why, and with what effects and what benefits. With a more explicit understanding of the power dynamic, we are ready to explore how the balance of power changes in a learner-centered environment. And then we can ascertain whether involvement in the decision making associated with learning has a positive impact on students' educational experiences. Do the benefits justify their involvement? Questions that emerge when the balance of power changes. How much power is enough? How much freedom can they handle? When do teachers compromise professional responsibilities? The Function of Content Strong allegiance to content blocks the road to more learner-centered teaching. Unlike power, where the influence is largely unrecognized, the content barrier explicitly impedes faculty. Most of us have no trouble acknowledging that the need to cover content strongly influences, if not dictates, most instructional decisions. Our thinking about content has long been dominated by one assumption: more is better. The time has come to challenge that assumptionnot with content-free courses but with new thinking about the function of content. Learner-centered objectives allow us to do just that. Questions that emerge when the function of content changes. How much content is enough? How do we change attitudes about the role of content? What about students at different skill levels? How do I adapt generic learning activities to fit the content I teach? The Role of the Teacher Widespread interest in active, collaborative, and cooperative learning and other inquiry-based approaches has raised indirectly the issue of the teachers role. Indeed, the effectiveness of these more learner-centered methods depends on faculty being able to step aside and let students take the lead. However, having been at the center so long, we are finding it tough to leave that spot, even briefly. As a result, what happens in most college classrooms continues to be very teacher centered, despite the interest in, support for, and some use of these more learner-centered methods. How the Role of the Teacher Changes (Guiding Learners) Principle 1: Teachers Do Learning Tasks Principle 2: Teachers Do Less Telling; Students Do More Discovering Principle 3: Teachers Do More Design Work Principle 4: Faculty Do More Modeling Principle 5: Faculty Do More To Get Students Learning from and with Each Other Principle 6: Faculty Work to Create Climates for Learning Principle 7: Faculty Do More with Feedback Questions that emerge when the teaching role changes. Do you intervene, and if so, when? What do you do when you intervene? The Responsibility for Learning With this chapter, the locus of the change shifts to action required of students. They must accept the responsibility for learning. This involves developing the intellectual maturity, learning skills, and awareness necessary to function as independent, autonomous learners. The faculty contribution to this process is creating and maintaining conditions that promote student growth and movement toward autonomy. To date, faculty have not accomplished these goals with much success. Climates that build student autonomy and responsibility Principle 1: Its All About Who Is Responsible for What in the Teaching-Learning Process Principle 2: Its About Logical Consequences, Not Discipline. Principle 3: It Is About Consistency in Word and Deed

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Evaluation Purpose and Processes Currently, when faculty consider evaluation, what typically comes to mind first are grades. In fact, students, parents, society, and faculty regularly focus on grades more than learning. The learning is assumed; it occurs automatically, an all but inevitable outcome of the evaluation process. Learner-centered teaching abandons tacit assumptions about automatic learning. Evaluation is used to generate grades and to promote learning. The new purpose is larger and better balanced. Elements of Evaluation That Promote Learning Focus on learning processes Reduce the stress and anxiety of evaluation experiences Do not use evaluate to accomplish hidden agendas Incorporate more formative feedback mechanisms Questions that arise when the purpose and processes of evaluation change. Should students have any involvement in the actual grading process?

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33 Ways to Make Your Classroom More Learner-Centered (Weimer, 2002) The KEY questions to ask yourself: What is it my students need to know and be able to do during their professional lives? What skills and knowledge will stand the test of time, given the dynamic nature of knowledge and information? The Syllabus Allow students to have input into entire syllabus. Students interview each other about what they want to learn and teacher puts that information on the board/newsprint. Teacher brings a DRAFT syllabus to the class and distributes. Given all this, how should the course be revised? Give a quiz on the syllabus, individually and then in pairs and then the whole class. Don't count the quiz. Introduce assignments by having students get out syllabus and read it. The First Day & Week of Class Discuss classroom climate the first day of class. Have students talk about a class in which they learned a lot and one where they didn't learn much. Have them free write on the conditions that could create a good learning climate. Have students complete sentence stems relating to climate written on newsprint and placed around the room. Revisit whatever principles are developed and assess their presence, absence, and quality of the condition. Have students decide which assignments they will complete--teacher may make some mandatory, provides specifics about the assignments, including due dates. Have students write a short paper at the beginning of the term/semester outlining why they are taking the course and what they want to learn and the content that might help them accomplish these learning goals. Share in small groups and then prioritize a list of topics. Develop and prioritize a list of skills and awarenesses that students need to be successful with the content of this course. Class Structure Use the class content to cover learning skills and to promote a self-awareness of learning. Use short activities routinely. Utilize learning center staff. Use supplementary materials--note taking, learning style inventories, etc. Teach students how to read the texts. Let students learn how to summarize--don't do it for them--by writing short summaries or possible test questions at the end of class. With small groups, have them think and write about successful/unsuccessful groups of which they've been members. Best and worst experiences studying in groups. What gifts and liabilities do they bring to a group? Use an inventory to assess students' attitudes about working in a group. Have students provide the illustrations/examples, not the teacher. Write concepts on the board that arise during discussion and have students make connections while you draw arrows between. Use matrices and concept mapping. You'll need to take the time to teach students how to do both of these. Assignments Have students discuss the details of an assignment. Have students self assess own work before submitting it. Allow time for students to discuss how their projects are going, while they are in the midst of doing them. Allow time for students to debrief their experiences--exams, projects, and papers--and write their own suggestions for next time. Assessments Have students determine the content of the review sessions--topics and specific questions. Have students develop a plan for studying for the upcoming exam--with a time-line and list of activities. Leave one question blank on the exam. Have students write a question that was anticipated but not asked and answer it. Have students process "what can I learn from my exam results?"--What questions from lecture, book, etc.; which ones did they miss; why? Do a free write for themselves about what they should remember when preparing for the next exam. Begin the review session for the next test by having them read what they've written. Ask students to meet individually with you if they do poorly on the exam. Use the meeting to have students do selfanalysis about what worked and didn't work. Debrief the exam in ways that promote learning--"show me why you think that answer was correct"--discusss/debate it; maybe give some points. Have students self-assess their level of participation in the class.

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Feedback Solicit feedback early and often. Don't wait until the end of the term. Have students complete a "start", "stop", "and continue" feedback sheet on the class. Use questions like "talk to me about how much and how well you learned from this activity?" not "did you like this activity?" Ask students, "what do you remember from this course?" (or from yesterday's or last week's class) Ask students: "how did this activity affect your learning?" "What about it needs to change so that if we do it again, you will learn more?" The Balance of Power (Weimer, 2002) Students have input into selection of textbook--for example, teacher selects five possibilities from which a group of students makes a recommendation. Students decide which assignments they will complete--teacher may make some mandatory, provides specifics about the assignments, including due dates. Students set due dates and deadlines for major group projects. Students identify the major steps that need to be completed and when they need to be done in order to complete the assignment. They also include the parts of the assignment about which they would like formal feedback with associated dates. Students identify penalties if deadlines are missed. Students, at first working in small groups, establish participation policy for the course. Students determine the content of the review sessions--topics and specific questions. Teacher does not lecture on content covered in the text--uses class as a discussion section. Students make significant decisions about what content will be covered in the class--teacher provides a list of possible topics from which students select. Students write a short paper at the beginning of the term/semester outlining why they are taking the course and what they want to learn and the content that might help them accomplish these learning goals. Share in small groups and then prioritize a list of topics. Students have input into entire syllabus. Students interview each other about what they want to learn and teacher puts that information on the board/newsprint. Teacher brings a DRAFT syllabus to the class and distributes. Given all this, how should the course be revised? Students develop a plan for studying for the upcoming exam--with a time-line and list of activities. Students grade each other's work using templates. Implementing the Learner-Centered Approach (Weimer, 2002) Talk about why you are teaching this way. Focus on how the teacher and students want the same thing--a course worth the money they've paid for it. Use questions like "talk to me about how much and how well you learned from this activity?" not "did you like this activity?" Be encouraging--this approach will cause students (and teachers) to be frustrated. Allow time for students to discuss how their projects are going, while they are in the midst of doing them. Allow time for students to debrief their experiences--exams, projects, and papers--and write their own suggestions for next time. Be willing to make changes if/when things don't go well. Ask, "what do you remember from this course?" Sequence educational activities in an order that facilitates growth. Use matrices and concept mapping. You'll need to take the time to teach students how to do both of these. Use matrices to help students break large tasks into steps, sequence the steps (with approximate time needed to complete the step), and assign to individuals with specifics about what is to be done (if it's a small group project). Be aware--write a one page paper describing how you teach--try to make be sure that is neutral and self-descriptive. You will find that you can't separate out the emotional aspect of teaching. Devise your own feedback mechanisms. Solicit feedback early and often. Don't wait until the end of the term. Ask students: "how did this activity affect your learning?" "What about it needs to change so that if we do it again, you will learn more?" Pick your instructional peer collaborators carefully.

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Learner Centered Education Links Background Reading Learner-Centered Psychological Principles: A Framework for School Reform and Redesign Website created by the American Psychological Association. http://www.apa.org/ed/lcp2/ The Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education Developed by Arthur W. Chickering and Zelda F. Gamson. http://ag.arizona.edu/azlearners/aahe-7principles.html Powerful Partnerships: A Shared Responsibility for Learning A joint report by the American Association for Higher Education, the American College Personnel Association, and the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators http://www.aahe.org/teaching/tsk_frce.htm Navigating the Bumpy Road to Student-Centered Instruction Richard M. Felder, Department of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State University Rebecca Brent, School of Education, East Carolina University http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/users/f/felder/public/Papers/Resist.html "Guiding" Students to Learning from ACADEMIC PROGRAMS by the Office of the Associate Dean Vol. 5 No. 3 http://w3.aces.uiuc.edu/Acad-Prog/mar01.shtml How Much Content? Are We Asking The Wrong Question? by Mary L. Beaudry, Director, Faculty Teaching Center, University of Massachusetts Lowell from the National Teaching & Learning Forum Vol 9, no. 4 http://ctl.stanford.edu/teach/NTLF/v9n4/content.htm Examples from Other Institutions Arizona Learner Centered Education http://ag.arizona.edu/azlearners/ Comprehensive site with links to what the three public universities in Arizona are doing with learner centered education. Toward Becoming a Learner-Centered College System Article by Paul A. Elsner describing the transformation of the Maricopa Community College District to a learning organization. http://www.dist.maricopa.edu/users/elsner/Chapter.html Transforming Higher Education: Excellence Within a Culture of Innovation Article by Kathryn Holleque describing reform efforts at Valley City State University. http://community.vcsu.edu/facultypages/kathryn_holleque/LS99_files/LSR.htm The Seven Principles of Good Practice What is being done at Winona State University to make the Seven Principles happen. http://www.winona.msus.edu/president/seven.htm Learner-Centered Teaching from the Instructional Guide for University Faculty at Northern Illinois University http://www3.niu.edu/facdev/resources/guide/GuideC.pdf (downloads as a PDF) Learner-Centered Education and Technology Implementing the Seven Principles: Technology as Lever Article by Arthur W. Chickering and Stephen C. Ehrmann. http://www.tltgroup.org/programs/seven.html Learner-Centered Teaching Practices Online by Noel LeJeune of the University of Colorado at Denver http://ouray.cudenver.edu/~nflejeun/doctoralweb/Portfolio3-Final/Products/synthesis_paper_lc_online.htm

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Good Stuff from the Community Colleges The Learning College: Both Learner and Learning Centered Article by Terry O'Banion, who was then President and CEO of the League for Innovation in the Community College. http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs0399.html Practical Suggestions Applying the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education Putting the Seven Principles into practice by Dr. Joseph Codde, Director, Educational Technology Programs, College of Education at Michigan State University. http://www.msu.edu/user/coddejos/seven.htm Books Grunert, J. (2000). The course syllabus: A learning-centered approach. Bolton, MA: Anchor Publishing. Huba, M. E. & Freed, J. (2000). Learner-centered assessment on college campuses: Shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. McCombs, B. L., & Whisler, J. S. (1997). The learner-centered classroom and school: Strategies for increasing student motivation and achievement. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. st O'Banion, T. (1997). A learning college for the 21 Century. Phoenix: ACE/Oryx Press. Weimer, M. G. (2002). Learner-centered teaching: Five key changes to practice. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Articles Barr, R. B., & Tagg, J. (1995). From teaching to learningA new paradigm for undergraduate education. Change, 27 (6), 13-25. (Abridged version available in Learning from Change: Landmarks in teaching and learning in higher education from Change magazine 1969-1999 edited by Deborah DeZure)

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