Learning Communities is a groundbreaking book that shows how learning communities (LCs) can be a flexible and effective approach to enhancing student learning, promoting curricular coherence, and revitalizing faculty. Written by Barbara Leigh Smith, Jean MacGregor, Roberta S. Matthews, and Faith Gabelnick¾acclaimed national leaders in the learning communities movement¾this important book provides the historical, conceptual, and philosophical context for LCs and clearly demonstrates that they can be a key element in institutional transformation.

Barbara Leigh Smith is a Senior Scholar at the Washington Centerfor Improving the Quality of Undergraduate Education, an emeritusmember of the faculty, and former provost and vice president foracademic affairs at The Evergreen State College. Smith and JeanMacGregor are founders of the Washington Center for Improving theQuality of Undergraduate Education which has led learning communitydevelopment for twenty years.

Jean MacGregor is a Senior Scholar at the Washington Center forImproving the Quality of Undergraduate Education and teaches in themaster of environmental studies program at The Evergreen StateCollege.

Roberta S. Matthews is provost and vice president for academicaffairs and professor of English at Brooklyn College.

Faith Gabelnick was president emerita of Pacific University,Forest Grove, Oregon, and president of Gabelnick ConsultingInstitute.