Symposium 2017

Student diversity is rising rapidly in post-secondary programs and students who come from non-traditional backgrounds (ESL, Indigenous, learning disabilities, mental health issues etc.) often face greater barriers to educational success than more traditional student groups.  Research suggests that using Universal Design Principles and Indigenous talking circles will help to establish strong ties between students, instructors and their institutions. This results in a supportive social and educational environment, which in turn, leads to better student retention and improved educational outcomes for all students. 

In this presentation, the research done for the Master's thesis "Together We Stand: Exploring Learning Communities in Trades Programs" will illustrate to what degree learning communities were present in trades programs at Vancouver Island University and what students thought about being a part of these communities.  Suggestions are offered for rapidly establishing healthy, constructive learning communities that will quickly draw all students into a vibrant cohort that will support each member to experience educational success.