The Collaborative Learning Project findings showed greater involvement, persistence, and learning from students involved in programs that employ learning communities. Learning and persistence are further enhanced when students in learning communities learn in collaborative groups, and there is often collaborative teaching in these institutions.
Students learn from each other and develop a sense of responsibility for the learning of others.
Learning and persistence are enhanced when students experience the curriculum as an integrated body of knowledge by taking courses together. Summary of Selected Findings Participation in a first year learning community enables students to develop a network of supportive peers that aids students in their transition to college. These peer groups also help students meet and learn from others from a greater diversity of backgrounds and traditions. Learning communities bridge the gap between the social and academic lives of students. Because of a feeling of obligation to peers, members of learning communities were more likely to attend classes regularly than students not in these communities.