The Learning Community

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse offers the ME-PD Learning Community graduate degree program throughout the state based on requests from educators. The degree is designed for school professionals, educators or others who want to develop educational competencies for professional growth. The ME-PD Learning Community program does not grant teacher cerftification/licensure.

As a Learning Community student, you will come together with 20-40 others for two years to complete an integrated and spiraled curriculum over four semesters. The innovative format, one weekend a month, Saturday 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. provides an opportunity to earn a master's degree while maintaining a career and personal life.

In addition to the face-to-face time spent with your Learning Community, you can expect to spend time outside of class completing online activities, required readings, written work and applying what you have learned to your work setting.

You will develop an individualized Professional Development Plan (PDP) which will guide you through your two-year program. From your PDP you will develop a portfolio that will serve as evidence of your growth and application to practice. As you move through the two-year program, you will choose an area of emphasis for your action research project, which will culminate in a scholarly journal article.

This 30-credit graduate program will influence how you think about learning, teaching and assessment while allowing for constant improvement for you and your students. You will learn practical skills that will be immediately applicable to your work setting and may be tied to your district's goals.