learning@maricopa.edu / pubs / oct97 /
	Introduction
Faculty know there's a problem indeed with learning...and they know it will take more than a new mantra to turn that around. Ted Marchese, American Association of Higher Education A tradition of vigorous criticism and reflection is essential to successful organizations. Neither uncritical lovers nor unloving critics make for organizational renewal. John Gardener, Author Dialogue is a disciplined form of conversation leading to the generation of new knowledge and learning. William Isaacs, DIA-Logo, Inc. For those involved in, connected to, and served by higher education, there is no dialogue more important than the one focused on learning. It is an ongoing discussion that requires critical inquiry. It calls on us to reflect upon our profession and our fidelity to our personal mission and that of the Maricopa Community College District (MCCD). Ultimately, we may even question the authenticity of our work. Such dialogue challenges our own ability to learn and change within the context of the organizational cultures of our colleges and the MCCD. It calls on us to employ higher level skills -- analysis, synthesis, evaluation, imagination and systems thinking -- to achieve a deeper understanding of a complex process. This document is intended to serve as a starting point for such dialogue. It focuses on the following major themes that were abstracted from responses to the Maricopa Roundtable Policy Perspectives paper and the discussions that followed it: Dialogue about learning is important, given that changes are occurring in and around the learning process. A common understanding of learning as a complex process provides a valuable framework for dialogue. Learning is best understood from a systems perspective in which the various components of learning "hang together," and support holistic and cohesive opportunities for change. While we offer personal insights, descriptions and suggestions, we do not purport to have "answers." We believe that definitive, singular answers about learning invariably miss the mark because learning is far too complex to be subject to reductionism. It is the very complexity of the synergistic relationships between psychology, cognitive science, technology, biology, and organizational development that makes "learning about learning" such an exhilarating experience. We believe it is far more informing to explore learning as a dynamic and transformational process, and sharpen our understanding of the relationships that influence it. In the spirit of collegiality, we invite members of the Maricopa community to engage in an ongoing dialogue about learning. We encourage the use of this document, along with other resources, to expand the dialogue among MCCD Faculty, administrators, staff, governing board members, students and external constituencies. Readers are also encouraged to act on what they may learn during this process so that our classrooms, real and virtual, and the system that supports learning within MCCD may be transformed.
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