8 Cultivating Belonging: Living Leadership in Communities of Learning
8 Cultivating Belonging: Living Leadership in Communities of Learning
Beth Page
Associate Faculty
School of Communication and Culture
Royal Roads University
Catherine Etmanski
Associate Professor
Leadership Studies
Royal Roads University
Niels Agger-Gupta
Associate Professor
Leadership Studies
Royal Roads University
Abstract
Learning Communities are an important element of the Royal Roads University (RRU) Learning and Teaching Model. Cohort members in Royal Roads University’s Master’s of Arts in Leadership (MAL) program remain connected and continue to support one another’s career development years after they have graduated. In this chapter, we explore the intentional design in MAL that serves to build multiple opportunities for belonging, giving rise to these long-standing relationships. After a brief review of the adult learning literature and the concept of Learning Communities, we present several examples of students accomplishing their learning needs through their cohort. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the implications of these activities for the student, the cohort, and for faculty and staff members. We identify activities that support the cohort as a learning community and offer examples of learner-focused approaches.
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Introduction
The idea of a Learning Community is a key element of the Royal Roads University Learning and Teaching Model (RRU LTM). As a Learning Community, individuals learn and “work together as a cohort for the duration of the program” (Royal Roads University, 2003, pp. 15-16). Specifically, according to the RRU LTM, a Learning Community:
- allows students to experience a strong sense of connectedness, collegial support, and shared experiences;
- increases access to the professional knowledge of colleagues and peers;
- exposes students to a diversity of views, experiences, perspectives, and scholarship; and
- creates a broad base of readily available learning resources. (Royal Roads University, 2003, p. 16).
We frequently find that cohort members remain connected for years after they have graduated, which means that these relationships extend well beyond the duration of the program. Often, students continue to support one another as they develop in their professional careers.
In the MA-Leadership (MAL) program in the School of Leadership Studies (SoLS), these Learning Communities do not happen by accident. Rather, they are the result of intentional processes and structures that we explore below. These processes and structures serve as the foundation for the cohort model and support the belief that learning happens in relationship (Short, 1998).
Written by a First Residency Team Lead (Beth) as well as two former Program Heads for MAL (Catherine and Niels), the purpose of this chapter is to identify and explore the multiple Learning Communities that support the cohort model. The case we are exploring here, specifically the MAL program in SoLS, is significant in that it explores the sense of belonging that resul