Standing Alone No More: Linking Research to a Writing Course in a Learning Community

• Published in: Portal (Baltimore, Md.) Vol. 15; no. 4; pp. 661 - 675
• Main Authors: Rapchak, Marcia, Cipri, Ava
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore Johns Hopkins University Press 01.10.2015
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Academic libraries; Collaboration; College Curriculum; College Faculty; College Freshmen; College students; Colleges & universities; Education reform; Educational Practices; Freshman Composition; Information Literacy; Information Skills; Instructional Effectiveness; Learning outcomes; Learning Processes; Librarian Teacher Cooperation; Librarians; Library Instruction; Literacy; Pennsylvania; Research Skills; Retention (Psychology); School Holding Power; Teachers; Teaching Methods; Theme; Writing; Writing Across the Curriculum; Writing Instruction; Pennsylvania; United States > US; Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
• ISSN: 1531-2542; 1530-7131; 1530-7131
• DOI: 10.1353/pla.2015.0054

Collaborating with teaching faculty is a well-established method of making library instruction more meaningful and engaging to students, and learning communities provide an excellent opportunity to work closely with both teaching faculty and a cohort of students. A typical learning community brings students together around a similar discipline or theme. The students take some of the same courses and may live together on campus. At Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, the authors of this article, one a librarian and the other a writing instructor, worked together in a learning community to support students as they mastered research skills across two courses, an information literacy course and a first-year writing course. The results of this collaboration show improved achievement in student learning outcomes and increased retention of valuable research skills in writing.