ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the purpose and value of learning communities (LCs) as a high-impact practice (HIP) and describes mechanisms for adapting them to online education. It explains how outcomes and process assessment can be used as strategies to foster maximal benefits to students engaging in an LC. The chapter also provides an evolving “Themed Learning Communities High-Impact Practice Taxonomy” that has emerged from our work at Indiana University–Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and explores ways of adapting this taxonomy to ensure that LCs offered through online education are maximally effective at supporting student success. Online education provides heightened access to postsecondary credentials for many learners, and the creation of online LCs could be a particularly effective strategy for promoting successful transfer across two-and four-year institutions. Service-learning projects provide natural opportunities for students to apply their learning from multiple courses, and they can readily be incorporated into LCs and applied at a distance.
