{"id":4890,"date":"2026-10-14T11:43:31","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T15:43:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.queens.edu\/academics\/?page_id=4890"},"modified":"2026-10-23T14:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-23T18:47:15","slug":"concurrent-session-g","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.queens.edu\/academics\/nlcc-2026\/concurrent-session-g\/","title":{"rendered":"Concurrent Session G"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Friday, Nov. 13 – 10:45-11:45 a.m.<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Assigning for Success: Major-Based Residential Placement and First-Year Outcomes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Garrett Turr | Carolina D<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can institutions successfully map residential spaces to their academic missions? This session explores Ball State University’s highly scalable Living-Learning Community (LLC) model, which clusters 50-400 first-year students by shared majors. Aligning with the NLCC 2026 theme, “Mapping the Learning Communities Landscape,” presenters will chart the architectural evolution of this housing assignment practice from 1998 to today’s innovative, nested “Signature Experience” cohorts. Attendees will discover how this structural approach significantly boosts first-year retention, GPAs, and sense of belonging. Beyond sharing longitudinal data, this presentation equips participants with actionable strategies to navigate complex administrative landscapes. We will candidly discuss overcoming common hurdles\u2014such as course scheduling complexities, protecting LLC beds, and leveraging housing software like StarRez\u2014to build sustainable, cross-divisional partnerships between Academic and Student Affairs. Join us to learn how to assign for success!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OGLC: A learning community pilot serving online graduate students<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Leptien & Yiqi Liang | Carolina E<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spring 2024, Iowa State University Learning Communities piloted its first online graduate learning community (OGLC). The OGLC was designed to bring online graduate students together through online programming that addresses key topics to support a successful transition into graduate school and persistence in online graduate programs at Iowa State University. This session will describe the development, implementation, evaluation, and lessons learned from this pilot program, demonstrating how the OGLC serves as a practice-informed model for building academic connections and a graduate student network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putting on a show: How our capstone symposium let’s students shine<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Antoinnette Countryman & Shiela Venkataswamy | Mecklenburg 1<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At MCC our Super Twofer learning community classes \u2013 classes that offer two courses plus the first-year experience class \u2013 participate in a symposium at the end of the semester. The Capstone Showcase program offers students a chance to participate in an academically advanced and professional event to share what they have worked on throughout the semester. The showcase is an evening event on the final day of the semester. Friends, family, college and community people are invited. It is a celebration of their work; the event is social \u2013 refreshments are served, guests can view various sessions. There are research presentations, speeches, art displays, and plays. Our class produces short social justice plays that illustrate social problems and solutions for them. We will share research, details, and logistics for using a capstone project and putting on such an event. Come brainstorm and share ideas for your courses and develop a project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning Communities in Transition: A Conversation on Creating, Revising, and Sustaining Communities in Changing Times<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Jennifer Giangrego & Christine Grela | Mecklenburg 2<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this session, we bring together the perspective of someone totally new to the learning community process and a seasoned veteran LC instructor and will open a discussion with other instructors who share these two divergent perspectives. Together, we will explore how learning communities are created, revised, and how to make sure that they continue to thrive over time. Together, we will also consider how institutional contexts have shifted, including challenges such as enrollment barriers, the impact of dual credit programs, and a nationwide shift away from valuing liberal arts education to valuing CTE pathways. By bringing together novice and experienced voices, we hope to cultivate a place to share honest discussion and practical insight as well as engage in collective problem-solving about designing and sustaining learning communities in this rapidly changing world of higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sustaining Learning Community Practices Through Faculty Innovation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth Kehrli | Mecklenburg 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants will identify learning community practices that can persist despite reduced funding and the loss of formal program structures. Using examples from Anatomy and Physiology and other disciplines, this session explores how creative assignments (illustration, concept mapping, storytelling, or other forms of knowledge translation) can deepen conceptual understanding by asking students to communicate course content through a different lens. Participants will leave with adaptable assignment ideas, strategies for sustaining interdisciplinary teaching through informal faculty collaboration, and practical approaches for building cross-disciplinary partnerships that support emerging or evolving learning communities.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friday, Nov. 13 – 10:45-11:45 a.m. Assigning for Success: Major-Based Residential Placement and First-Year Outcomes Garrett Turr | Carolina D How can institutions successfully map residential spaces to their academic missions? This session explores Ball State University’s highly scalable Living-Learning Community (LLC) model, which clusters 50-400 first-year students by shared majors. Aligning with the NLCC […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":4559,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page_with-sidebar.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-4890","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t