KCC Faculty Resources

Sharing Our Work on Learning Communities

Kingsborough faculty and administrators have shared best practices and lessons learned through publications, conference presentations, and through our work with other campuses interested in creating and/or developing learning communities (through workshops offered at Kingsborough as well as at other institutions). A sample appears below.

Publications on Learning Communities by KCC Authors

Babbitt, M. & Mlynarczyk, R.W. (2000). Keys to successful content-based programs: Administrative perspectives. In L. Kasper (Ed.), Content-based college ESL instruction, (pp. 26-47). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Babbitt, M. (2001). Making writing count in an ESL learning community. In I. Leki (Ed.), Academic writing programs, (pp. 49-60). Alexandria, VA: TESOL.

Babbitt, M. (2006) Strength in community: Effectiveness of community in building college success. In M. Spaventa (Ed.), Pedagogy, programs, curricula, and assessment of the perspectives on community ESL series (Vol.I), (pp. 61-76). Alexandria, VA: TESOL. 

Farrelly, D. (2021).  Building Community During a Pandemic Through Course Support Groups . Learning Communities Research and Practice, 9(1), Article 8.

Garland, L. & Kolkmeyer, K. (2011). A culture of conversation: Faculty talk as meaningful assessment of learning communities. Teaching English in the Two-Year College, 38(3), 231-243.

Graziano, J. & Kahn, G. (2013). Sustained faculty development in learning communities. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 1(2), Article 5.

Graziano, J. , Schlesinger, M. R. , Kahn, G. , & Singer, R. (2016). A Workbook for Designing, Building, and Sustaining Learning Communities. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 4(1), Article 6. 

Graziano-King, J., & Kahn, G. (2008/9) Exploring voice as integration: A direction for assessing student work in learning communities with composition. Journal of Learning Communities Research, 3(3), 74-88.

Greenberg, C. (2008). Developing adult ESL speech through a civic engagement learning community. As We Speak, 5(1). TESOL Journals.    

Hill, G. J. & Risolo, P. L. (2018). An Analysis of Learning Outcomes in a Freshman Seminar Learning Community that Utilizes Peer Mentoring at a Community College. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 6(2), Article 2. 

Mastrianni, T. M. (2015). When the due date is not the “do” date! Learning Communities Research and Practice, 3(2), Article 4. 

Mlynarczyk, R.W., & Babbitt, M.  (2002). The power of academic learning communities.  Journal of Basic Writing 21(1), 71-89.

Parisi, H., & Graziano-King, J. (2011). Integrating best practices: Learning communities and the writing center. Community College Enterprise, 17(1), 22-38.

Schmidt, L.C., & Graziano, J. (Eds.). (2016). Building synergy for high-impact educational initiatives: First year seminars and learning communities. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina, National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience & Students in Transition.

Smyth, T. J. (2016). Value Added: LearningCommunities, Experiential Process and Student engagement in life long learning in the Culinary Arts. Learning Communities Research and Practice, 4(2), Article 4. 

Song, Bailin. (2006). Content-based ESL instruction: Long-term effects and outcomes. English for Specific Purposes 25, 420-437. 

VanOra, J. P. (2019).  The Impact of Learning Communities on the Experiences of Developmental Students in Community College: A Qualitative Study.  Learning Communities Research and Practice, 7(1), Article 2.

Conference Presentations

In addition to conference presentations listed below, a number of KCC faculty and administrators have presented and served as resource faculty at the annual National Summer Institute on Learning Communities at Evergreen State College, Olympia, WA.

Collaborative Teaching and Learning Communities: Using Graphic Novels and Comics. Tara Thompson (Multilingual Illustrated Thoughts: Visual Literacies in an ESL Learning Community), Donna-lyn Washington (Utilizing Theatrical Elements through Narrative in Graphic Novels in an English/Theater Link), and Ben Villarreal (Understanding Comics to Understand Art: Reading Comics in an Art History Learning Community). Transitions and Transactions III, Borough of Manhattan Community College, New York, NY, April, 2016.

Fostering Introspection: Building College Skills Through Collaboration. Margot DeSalvo and Lindsay Dembner. Long Island Council of Student Personnel Administrators, Garden City, NY, April, 2016.

A Vygotskian Learning Community Promoting Conscientious and Conscious Communication. Cindy Greenberg, Gordon Young, Tara Thompson, and John Keller. Southern States Communication Association, Austin, TX, April, 2016.

Learning without Shame: Teaching self-awareness as linked curriculum. Margot DeSalvo and Lindsay Dembner National Association for Developmental Education, Anaheim, CA, March, 2016.

Faculty Leadership in KCC Learning Communities. Janine Graziano. Plenary: Teaching and Learning: Faculty-Led Reform. Panel moderated by Nikki Edgecombe, Achieving the Dream’s Annual Institute on Student Success, Atlanta, GA, February, 2016.

Students' Communal Reflections as a Tool for Assessing a Learning Community Program. Gabrielle Kahn, Chris Calienes, Tara Thompson, and John Keller. National Learning Communities Conference, Kansas City, MO, November, 2015.

Building Introspection and Change: Student Development as Course Content for Basic Writers. Margot DeSalvo and Lindsay Dembner. Poster Presentation. Atlantic Center for Learning Communities. West Hartford, CT, October, 2015.

Learning Communities 101: Developing and Implementing Learning Communities. George Hill, Anne Love, and Terry Novak. The Atlantic Center for Learning Communities, West Hartford, CN, October, 2015.

The Students Demanded It, So We Built It: What We’ve Learned Building the Opening Doors Learning Community Peer Mentoring Program. George Hill. New Jersey Association of New Student Advocates 5th Biennial State Conference, Atlantic City, NJ, October, 2015.

Divided We Fall, United We Rise: Optimizing Chances for Black Male & Latino Success through Academic Community Building. Stephanie Akunvabey and Marissa Schlesinger. Eleventh Annual CUNY CUE Conference, New York, NY, May, 2015.

Evidence-Based Learning Community Program Redesign in a Community College. Gabrielle Kahn and Chris Calienes. National Learning Communities Conference. Bay City, MI, November, 2014.

How to Develop a Student Success Model. Stephanie Akunvabey, Marissa Schlesinger, and Heidi Lopez. New York State Financial Aid Administrators Annual Conference, Lake Placid, NY, 2014.

To Form a More Perfect Union: Successful Developmental Learning Communities. Stephanie Akunvabey, Marissa Schlesinger ,and Cheryl Smith. National Association of Development Education’s Annual Conference, Dallas, TX, 2014.

Extending the Learning Community Experience: An Assessment of a Year-Long Program for English as a Second Language Students. Gabrielle Kahn and Chris Calienes. National Learning Communities Conference. Corpus Christi, TX, November, 2013. 

The Crux of the Problem: A Fully-Integrated Basic Writing/Art History/Student Affairs Learning Community as a Means for Student Success. Stephanie Akunvaey, Maya Jimenez, and Cheryl Smith. Twelfth Annual Atlantic Center for Learning Communities Retreat, West Hartford, CT, 2012.

Strategies for Sustainable Pedagogy and Ecology in ESL/Developmental Learning Communities. Gabrielle Kahn and Marcia Babbitt. National Learning Communities Conference. Chicago, November, 2011.

The Art of Learning Together.  Stephanie Akunvabey, Maya Jimenez, and Cheryl Smith. Annual CUNY General Education Conference, Jamaica, NY, 2011.

Learning Communities- Increasing Academic and Social Engagement in Community Colleges: Intention, Implementation, and Investigation. Janine Graziano-King and Marissa Schlesinger. 2013 Kentucky Student Success Summit, Louisville, KY, April, 2013.

Using a Decision Tree to Improve Integrative Assignments: Yes or No? Janine Graziano-King and Gabrielle Kahn. National Learning Communities Conference, Indianapolis, IN, November, 2012.

Successfully Integrating Student Affairs with Learning Communities. George Hill. The Atlantic Center for Learning Communities, West Hartford, CN, October, 2012.

Integrative Assignments: Assessment and Redesign. Janine Graziano-King, Chris Calienes, and Richard Fox.  A CUNYverse of Innovations: The 8th Annual CUE Conference, Staten Island, NY, May, 2012.

Experiential and Reflective Learning in First Year Learning Communities. George Hill and Patricia Tooker. Atlantic Center for Learning Communities Retreat on Learning Communities and the First Year Student, West Hartford, CN, October, 2011.

Strategies for Sustainable Pedagogy and Ecology in ESL/Developmental Learning Communities. Gabrielle Kahn and Marcia Babbitt. National Learning Communities Conference, Kansas City, MO, November, 2011.

The Art of Learning Together. Marissa Schlesinger and Cheryl Smith. In How small teacher communities foster effective teaching and integrative learning in the basic writing classroom, E. Ferretti, Chair. NCTE Conference on College Composition and Communication, Atlanta GA, April, 2011.

Building & Sustaining Learning Community Programs (Keynote). Rachel Singer. Consortium for Illinois Learning Communities, Best Practices Symposium, Palatine, IL, May, 2011.

Persistence in High School and College: Tools to Help Increase Persistence and Degree Attainment—Creative Ways to Deal with Remedial/Developmental Education. Rachel Singer. Princeton University—Education Research Section, Princeton, NJ, April, 2010.

Stimulating Integrative Learning: Teaching Biology and Psychology with a Linked Seminar to Second Semester Community College Students. Petra Symister and Sarwar Jahngir. National Association of Biology Teachers Annual Professional Development Conference, Minneapolis, MN, November, 2010.

Programs Supporting College and Career Readiness. Rachel Singer. American Youth Policy Forum, Washington, DC, February, 2010.

You Get What You Ask For: Connecting Assessment of Integrative Thinking to Improvement of Assignment Design. Chris Calienes, Janine Graziano-King, and Marissa Schlesinger. Association of American Colleges and Universities Conference: Integrative Learning: Addressing the Complexities, Atlanta GA, October, 2009.

Learning Communities: Impacting Process, Policy, & Pedagogy. Rachel Singer, Janine Graziano-King, and Stuart Suss. American Association of Community Colleges, Phoenix, AZ, April, 2009.

Learning Communities for Students in Developmental Education: Research and Practice. Rachel Singer and Janine Graziano-King. Florida Developmental Education Association Conference, Orlando, FL, October, 2008.

What Students Have to Say: The Role of Reflection in Learning Communities. Marcia Babbitt, Gabrielle Kahn, Martha Clark Cummings, and Vanessa Santaga. National Learning Communities Conference. Kansas City, MO, November, 2008. 

Learning communities at Kingsborough Community College: Research and Practice. Rachel Singer, Janine Graziano-King, and Mary Visher. Achieving the Dream Strategy Institute, Atlanta, GA, February, 2008.

Findings from Learning Communities at Kingsborough Community College. Rachel Singer, Janine Graziano-King, Stuart Suss, and Mary Visher. Strengthening Student Success, San Jose, CA, October, 2007. 

Engaging Students in Collaborative Pedagogies: The Role of Learning Communities. Marcia Babbitt, Rebecca Mlynarczyk, Janine Graziano-King, and Kate Garretson. American Association of Colleges and Universities Conference: Pedagogies of Engagement, Bethesda, MD, April, 2005.

Content, Credit, and Collaboration: A Model Intensive ESL Program. Marcia Babbitt and Cindy Greenberg. Teachers of English to Students of Other Languages International Convention, Orlando, FL, 1997.

A Viable Model. Marcia Babbitt. Northeast Modern Language Association Conference, Montreal, Canada, April, 1996.

A Successful Model for Accelerating Incoming ESL Students:  The Kingsborough Intensive ESL Program. Marcia Babbitt, Rebecca Mlynarczk, Jared Pratt, and Bailin Song. CUNY ESL Council Annual Conference, La Guardia Community College, Queens, New York, March, 1996.

Working with Other Campuses

Kingsborough has worked with the following colleges to provide professional development and support in initiating or developing learning communities:

Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute, Albuquerque, NM 
Bergen Community College, Paramus, NJ
Berkeley College, New York, NY
Bristol Community College, Fall River, MA
Bronx Community College, Bronx NY
Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ
Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, NY
Broward Community College, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Bunker Hill Community College, Boston, MA
Community College of Baltimore County, Rosedale, MD
Century College, White Bear Lake, MN
Chaffey College, Fontana, CA
City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, OH
Delaware Tech. & Community College, Dover, DE
Delgado Community College, New Orleans, LA
Eastfield College, Mesquite, TX
Goodwin College, East Hartford, CT
Grossmont College, El Cajon, CA
Hillsborough Community College, Plant City, FL
Hostos Community College, CUNY, Bronx, NY
Houston Community College, Houston TX
Indianapolis University Purdue and University of Indiana, Indianapolis, IN  
Inver Hills Community College, Inver Grove Heights, MN
Lehigh Carbon Community College, Schnecksville, PA
Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY
Malcolm X City College, Chicago, IL
Maricopa Community Colleges, Chandler, AZ
Merced Community College, Merced, CA
Middlesex Community College, Bedford, MA
Mission College, Santa Clara, CA
Mohawk Valley Community College, Utica, NY
Mt. San Antonio College, Walnut, CA
Nassau Community College, Garden City, NY
Naugatuck Valley Community College, Waterbury, CT
New Community College, CUNY, New York, NY
New York City Technical College, Brooklyn, NY
Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale, VA
Norwalk Community College, Norwalk, CT
Orange County Community College, SUNY, Middletown, NY
Passaic County Community College, Paterson, NJ
Prairie State College, Chicago Heights, IL
Queensborough Community College, CUNY, Queens, NY
San Francisco State U., San Francisco, CA
Sinclair Community College, Dayton, OH
Tidewater Community College, Norfolk, VA
University of Wisconsin, Eau-Claire, WI
Wayne County Community College, Detroit, MI