Initiated by Meiklejohn's call for a new approach to education in the 1920s, and more recently popularized by Peter Senge's Fifth Discipline in the early 1990s, the concept of the Learning Organization/Learning Community is based on a systems theory model of organization. This view suggests that, rather than organizations and communities simply being mechanistic structures of tasks or people, they are truly living organisms that evolve and adapt to their changing environment. In addition, the primary process by which they adapt and thrive is the learning process. This site is designed as a gateway for more information on the Learning Community, Learning Organization, and Systems Theory (the background of the LO) . Since the LC is the most current emphasis in higher education, this page will highlight those links, while secondarily linking to LO and ST resources. Finally, creating and promoting a LC involves a change in organizational culture, and a compilation of links on Reflective practice, organization development and culture change round out the resources.

  

It is virtually impossible to create and sustain over time conditions for productive learning for students when they do not exist for teachers [and administrators].              -- Seymour Sarason (The Predictable Failure of                 Education Reform, 1990, 144-145)

Learning Community (LC)

The Learning Community is an interdisciplinary and theme-centered organization of students, faculty and staff (and often the larger civic community) who collaborate and share knowledge toward a common learning vision.

• From learning organizations to learning communities to learning societies-- ERIC paper in pdf format.
• Brief history of the LC.
• An overview of LCs-- two articles for starters
• Forces driving the change toward higher education LCs.
• FIPSE Gateway to LC's.
• Developing more productive LC's.
• National Teaching & Learning Forum. Online articles on innovation.
• LC's: Gateway to student success-- speech by Vincent Tinto on principles & types of LCs.
• Seven shifts and levers for the LC.
• LCs in higher education-- definitions, models, and sample discussion questions for faculty workshop
• Dynamic learning communities: alternative to designed instruction-- article
• LC Annotated Bibliography-- from UW-Madison conference
• Higher Education Listservs-- huge list of online discussion forums for networking
• Sample campus reports & models
• Iowa State LC end of year report.
• Temple University.

Organizations are products of the ways that people in them think and interact…To change organizations for the better, you must give people the opportunity to change the ways they think and act.                 -- Peter Senge et al. (The Dance of Change: The challenges to                    sustaining momentum in learning organizations, p 33.)

Learning Organization (LO)

• The Learning Organization Gateway.

Systems Theory

• Systems Theory for the Rest of US. Introduction with key links and articles.
• Systems Theory Resources. Huge list of links--more than you ever wanted to know

Reflective Practitioner

• Reflective Practitioner Summary.
• Current agendas and priorities in higher education-- reflective practitioner

Organization Development and Culture Change

• Organizational culture change--
• Dimensions of culture (international and organizational)

Critiques

• Critique of "learning this and that" fads.
• Management fads--
• From both sides now--the LO.