The Learning Communities Institute (LCI) was founded in 2013 to advance medical education through the power of relationships between teachers and learners. The idea of learning communities has deep roots, beginning with Oxford and Cambridge in the 1300s, where students were grouped into faculty-led residential colleges to foster connection and support.¹ The model spread to U.S. higher education in the 20th century, with innovations such as the University of Wisconsin’s experimental learning community in the 1920s and Yale and Harvard’s residential colleges in the 1930s. Medical schools embraced the approach starting in 1971 at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, with rapid growth in the early 2000s as schools sought ways to enhance continuity, mentoring, and community. Today, LCI brings together institutions across the United States, Mexico, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland and Barbados to promote scholarship, professional development, and collaboration, all in service of training compassionate, patient-centered physicians and fostering the well-being of both learners and educators.

Reference

1. Fink JE, Inkelas KK. A History of Learning Communities Within American Higher Education. New Directions for Student Services. 2015;2015(149):5-15. doi:10.1002/ss.20113