Little attention has been given to the political, psychological, economic and cultural implications of such restructuring.
More research is needed about the emergence and functioning of such organizations.
While some research is available about several of these forms of learning communities, more is needed about their formation, functioning and impact. In summary, the literature is primarily theoretical, prescriptive and advocating. There has been an emerging local interest in learning communities at Portland State. These individuals know of the work currently underway at Portland State and are close colleagues with some of our faculty and staff. MacGregor, with federal funding, is currently directing a study of twenty learning communities in higher education.