Next-Generation Education

The Chronicle of Higher Education and University of Phoenix presented a Webinar viewed by a small group in the CTL yesterday: “Next-Generation Education for Next-Generation Students.”

The webinar was not really about the advertised topic, but rather about University of Phoenix’s approach to developmental education. In a nutshell, they have revised their developmental approach to be a “just-in-time” format, where they will ensure that students have full college-level skills by the time they graduate. Their idea is that students can gradually increase their skills in combination with taking college-level courses. This is very similar to the program Louise H. has brought in “College Experience,” where gateway courses are combined with one-credit life and study skills companion courses to assist students coming out of the developmental track.

University of Phoenix does have interesting data for community colleges, since they also have an open admissions policy. With a student body of 400,000, U of P has a large and diverse group from which to draw out trends. At the same time, as an online-only institution, it may be hard to do direct comparisons to a more classroom-based college.

One-Minute Paper

A very concise version for quick classroom feedback:

minutepaper

BCC Faculty Survey – Prelim Results

Here are some preliminary results of the Fall 09 faculty survey, more details to come. Thanks to all who contributed!

Total respondents: 64 (Full time: 33; Part time: 31) = 33% sample

Length of service (Over 10 years: 35; 2-10 years: 21; under 2 years: 9)

• Over the past five years, what have you found to be the most effective TEACHING & LEARNING METHODS?

Top Three: Class discussion, Group work, Presentations/demos (lecture was #4)

• Over the past five years, what have you found to be the most effective ASSESSMENT METHODS?

Top Three: Essays, Exams, Research papers

• Over the past five years, which TECHNOLOGIES have you found to be the most effective?

Top Three: Powerpoint, Video/DVDs, Blackboard

Professional Day Sep 09 Evaluation

This evaluation showed quite an interesting mixture of opinions.

• Most attendees liked the presentations by colleagues, but a significant minority would have preferred an outside speaker.
• Many noted the small turnout, which may have been due to a variety of factors: timing, topic, other?
• There was general agreement that holding the morning session in K111 was helpful and more comfortable.

The full report is here: profdaysep09eval, comments are always welcome!

The Case of the Inflated Graduation Rates

The Case of the Inflated Graduation Rates

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Research Methods Resource

Stacy Evans, Sociology Professor, will present today at the Summer Institute, and has provided this link for everyone. It’s a great online resource to deepen understanding of research and survey methods, so that you can get the answers you are seeking by asking the right questions:

http://www.socialresearchmethods.net/kb/questype.php

Student Choices

“Currently, 40 percent of all first-time freshmen begin their postsecondary
careers in community colleges, the great majority of them intending eventually to complete a bachelor’s degree. But along the way something
happens, and for most of them that ambition is thwarted. The question is,
to what extent does this pattern reflect students’ choices, and to what extent is it

Adjunct Academy is Coming – November 1st

The CTL is piloting a half-day Saturday program for adjuncts next month. The program will be focused on classroom assessment, and include time for networking and lunch. Starts at 8:30am, wraps at 1pm. This program is intended to meet Adjuncts’ need for professional development at a time that minimally interferes with other work they are involved with.  A follow-up post will be placed following the meeting to see how this format worked for the participants.

Faculty Development Day, Aug 28

Last Wednesday a day-long Professional Development event was held in the BCC Dining Area, with about 75 faculty and staff in attendance. The theme for the day was on Assessment, and each session explored an aspect of that topic. The day began with remarks by Dean Feinerman outlining exciting changes that occurred over the summer, and a preview of what’s coming for the Fall. New faculty and staff were introduced next, including Ed Wierzbicki (Theater), Chuck Prescott (English – now FT), Lois Cooper (Languages – now FT), Mary Parkman (Service Learning Coordinator), Scott Richards (Facilities Coordinator), and Mark Bushey (Criminal Justice – now FT).

Next was our plenary session on “Making Assessment Sensible and Useful” with Dr. Barbara Walvoort. Barbara began the session by defining assessment as “Assessment of student learning is the systematic gathering of information about student learning and the factors that affect learning, undertaken with the resources, time, and expertise available, for the purpose of improving the learning.”

She continued by letting us all know that some perceive that higher ed has not been “accountable” and now must be accountable with a capital A. She acknowledged that assessment is always taking place in the classroom, program, and institutional levels, but it is often “stealth,” and we can do ti better and in a way that will be sensible, helpful and acceptable. Barbara led us though a flow chart indicating how data about student learning makes its way through all levels of the college, and how we can augment the collection of classroom, program, and institution-wide data.

Session II with Barbara focused on applying a department/program assessment model in three stages. Stage one involves creating clear and measurable student outcomes; Stage two involves designing direct and indirect student measures of how students are doing: focusing on their strengths and weaknesses; and Stage three involves sharing that data on a department/program level and devising areas for improvement.

Throughout the morning session, faculty raised questions that ranged from time issues to student preparadeness for college, to the role of adjuncts in the process. Faculty reactions included “direct application to our work,” “recognizes issue of limited resources,” “very helpful,” “clear, well-presented, and practical,” “could have been tailored to program needs,” “deepened my understanding of and stimulated new appreciation for assessment,” “positive and clear,”"most assessment strategies are currently used, but got me thinking of program level.”

After lunch, there were four breakout sessions offered:

What’s All The Hype? Using Rubrics As A Viable Means Of Performance-Based Assessment

Putting the Wheels On Eportfolio

Beyond the Survey: Running A Student Focus Group

Program Review Clinic

Everyone came back together at 2:45pm for evaluations and raffle. It was a great day altogether, and thanks to everyone who made it successful!!

Stephen Brookfield at BCC, Sep 24, 2008

A Seminar with

Dr. Stephen Brookfield

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Koussevitzky Arts Center Room 111

3:00 – 5:30pm, followed by a reception

“Opening Minds: The Role of Discussion in Fostering Critical Thinking”

The development of critical thinking ability in our students has become a central focus in the quest to make a college education relevant and meaningful. When learners think critically they become actively responsible for their own learning, and that ability to analyze, reflect, and synthesize will serve them in myriad future endeavors. How do we as instructors help students develop that capability? Join special guest speaker Dr. Stephen Brookfield in an exploration of how we can use discussion as a method to develop and enhance critical thinking in the classroom. This is a unique opportunity to listen and interact with one of today’s leading thinkers in the field of adult education and critical reflection.

Since beginning his teaching career in 1970, Stephen Brookfield has worked in England, Canada, Australia and the United States, teaching in a variety of college settings. He has written and edited nine books on adult learning, teaching and critical thinking, four of which have won the World Award for Literature in Adult Education. In 1991 he was awarded an honorary doctor of letters degree from the University System of New Hampshire for his contributions to understanding adult learning. During 2002 he was Visiting Professor at Harvard University, and taught for 10 years at Columbia University. He now holds the title of Distinguished University Professor at the University of St. Thomas in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

This seminar is funded under a Title III Strengthening Institutions grant.