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 The Center for Teaching and Learning offers teaching support to faculty members interested in improving student learning by creating engaging learning environments. The center is staffed by Sandy Frey, the Director of Teaching and Learning, who assists and supports faculty members as they apply emerging theory and practice to their specific disciplines. In addition, the center provides a venue where faculty can meet to share strategies and perspectives. The Center for Teaching and Learning is located in the library, room 201. Please stop by to share effective strategies, use the available technology, check out books, and to ask questions.
IN THE NEWS:
Student Conduct and Academic Freedom
Have you ever objected to what students are saying about you? Read A Professor Sues His Students to learn about the possible ramifications of involving courts in matters of free expression on college campuses.
Keeping the Classroom Civil
Pier M. Forni, a professor of Italian literature, is the author of The Civility Solution: What to Do When People Are Rude, scheduled to be published this June. Learn about his approach to responding to rude students by reading the short Chronicle article, Civil Engineering. Forni’s book will be available for checkout from the Jefferson College library later this summer.
Global Education at Community Colleges
American community colleges are increasingly adding international components to courses. But, did you know that American Community Colleges serve as models of workforce development for developing countries? To learn more, read Community Colleges Take On Global Challenges or contact Lisa Hollander, Jefferson College Professor of Geography.
Underprepared College Freshmen
How can we help underprepared students succeed in college? Kingsborough Community College used learning communities “to significantly improve students’ performance in remedial courses and ability to advance to college-level work.” To learn more, consider reading the Inside Higher Ed article, Promising Path on Remediation.
In the Associated Press article, Southwest Missouri Students Having More Trouble Passing College Courses, dated 12-17-07, Missouri leaders in higher education comment on the epidemic of unprepared college freshman. Jim Kellerman, Executive Director of the Missouri Community College Association, comments on the connection between the A+ Program and the increase in unprepared students. Kent Farnsworth, author of several books on higher education and the UMSL Endowed Professor of Community College Leadership, suggests collaboration between high schools and colleges as a solution to the problem of unprepared students. Thanks to Lisa Hollander for sharing this article.
MDHE Curriculum Alignment
Over 350 Missouri postsecondary and secondary educators, have worked to discuss, debate, and articulate exit-level competencies in beginning general education coursework. Please comment on the Missouri Department of Higher Education’s Curriculum Alignment Initiative (CAI) drafts of exit-level competencies. "This work and the resulting competencies has the potential to impact higher education curriculum and instruction across the state of Missouri" (Hillary Fuhrman, Missouri Department of Higher Education). The public comment period will last until March 3rd, 2008. Exit-Level Course Draft Competencies are available for the following courses:
Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Theatre
Freshman Composition Sequence
Introduction to Communication
First Semester Foreign Language
College Algebra
General Geology
Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Biology
Introduction to Chemistry
Social Sciences
Introduction to Political Science
Introduction to Psychology
U.S. History to/from 1877
Renewal the Higher Education Act
The House of Representatives is preparing to address the renewal of the Higher Education Act. Read about it in the Inside Higher Ed article, "Higher Ed Act Gets Hairier."
Pressure on the HLC: The National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity is pushing accreditors, including The Higher Learning Commission, to demand evidence of student-performance assessments from colleges. To learn more, read the Chronicle article, U.S. Review of Accreditors May Produce a Showdown.
Frustrated with Assessment Mandates? Read Getting the Government’s Attention (in a Good Way) and faculty members' responses that follow. The article begins as follows, "College leaders and Education Department officials have spent much of the last two years talking past each other on the subject of measuring student learning. Critics have accused..."
The Odyssey Years
Is it hard for your students to get serious about school? Scott Holzer believes the article, The Odyssey Years, explains why. Read it to see if you recognize any of your students.
Senate Bill 389
A new Missouri law, SB 389, takes effect August 28th. The Missouri Department of Higher Education provides a summary of items requiring MDHE action. The bill requires Missouri public colleges and universities to put student reviews of instructors online. Will easy access to student ratings of faculty hurt or help the quality of higher education in Missouri? Read about it in the Columbia Daily Tribune.
Technology in the Classroom
"Most students (60.9 percent) believe it [technology in the classroom] improves their learning." What are the implications for the college classroom? Read more about Students’ ‘Evolving’ Use of Technology.
What Happened to Learning for Learning's Sake? “Although 'learning for learning’s sake' will still be possible, the greatest increase will come in arenas that are able to demonstrate clear, demonstrable learning objectives and outcomes.” According to the article, New Players, Different Game, public colleges and for-profits "will see sector differentiation where different institutional types will create a niche for themselves (or die).” Thanks to all the faculty and staff at Jefferson College who are working to create a niche for Jefferson College in this new postsecondary environment.
Teaching Success
Thanks to all the instructors of COL 101 who are working to ensure Jefferson College students succeed. Do your efforts really make a difference? Read "Teaching Success" which documents the effectiveness of student success courses.
Ranking Community Colleges
Should community colleges be ranked? "George Boggs, president of the American Association of Community Colleges, said that while it was 'good that people are paying attention to community colleges,' he did not see the need for rankings and questioned the use of graduation rates for comparisons." Read more in the article, New Rankings Controversy — Over Community Colleges.
What can the CTL do for me?
What is a CTL and why should I spend my time there? Read Support Your Local Teaching Center to learn about five categories of services for both new faculty and more experienced professors who want to continue their growth as teachers.
Does business have a legitimate role in higher education? Do you agree with Henry A. Giroux? He states: "As universities adopt the ideology of the corporation and become subordinated to the needs of capital they are less concerned about how they might educate students in the ideology and practice of governance, the political importance of democratic values, and the necessity of using knowledge to address the challenges of public life, focusing instead on increasing profits and market values, identities, and social relations.” Read The University in Chains to learn more.
Addressing the Crisis: Limits on Drops
In an effort to better use tax dollars, limits are being placed on the number of courses that a student can drop. It is hoped the limits will also encourage students to take their courses more seriously. Read Discouraging ‘Course Fishing’ to learn more about the new Texas policy.
Is the crisis real? In the book, Leadership As Service, Kent Farnsworth states that colleges are either failing to hear society’s plea for change or are choosing to ignore it. What are the consequences? Dr. Farnsworth quotes George H. Copa and William Ammentorp:"Change is not an option – it is an inevitability…As presently organized and delivered, higher education is no longer sustainable, technologically or pedagogically." Do you agree? Please vote in the Hot Topic poll.
Camaraderie Among Colleagues
Collegiality is alive and well at Jefferson College. Dedric Lee and Blake Carroll share a friendly moment in AS110. Collegiality vs. Autonomy; What’s more important to you?
Research “results suggest that today's young professors differ markedly from previous generations, whose single most important concern was autonomy in the workplace.” To learn more, read the article: Young Ph.D.'s Say Collegiality Matters More Than Salary.
Decrease in Lecture Time
Craig Bell, chair of the business management department at BYU-Idaho, believes “teachers reading from PowerPoint to students is ineffective, and that the quicker we can get away from that the better.” He believes the “case-study method shouldn’t be limited to students in top graduate schools — that freshmen and sophomores are capable of high-level discussions.” Read “A Case Study in Case Studies” to learn more.
Narcissistic Generation
Are your students a "bundle of contradictions?" Lisa Hollander, Professor of Geography, found the following article interesting:“New Study Finds 'Most Narcissistic Generation' on Campuses, Watching YouTube.” What do you think?
Students' Use of Wikipedia
Should students be allowed to use Wikipedia as a source? If so, do limits need to be placed on how students use Wikipedia? Some professors believe so. To learn more, read, "Middlebury College History Department Limits Students' Use of Wikipedia."
Retention of Underprepared Students
Did you know...? "Students who participate in collaborative learning and educational activities outside the classroom and who interact more with faculty members get better grades, are more satisfied with their education, and are more likely to remain in college. But the gains from those practices are even greater for students from underrepresented racial and ethnic backgrounds, or who come to college less prepared than their peers." Read more in the Chronicle article, Underrepresented Students Benefit Most From 'Engagement'
Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP)
Click on the following link to learn about your students. The Higher Education Research Institute provides a picture of college freshmen.
For more information on college students, explore the CIRP website.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)
What are the key findings of the 2005 CCSSE survey? CCSSE identifies five benchmarks of effective educational practice in community colleges; active and collaborative learning, student effort, academic challenge, student-faculty interaction, and support for learners. Click on the above link to learn more.
Spellings Report
The Commission on the Future of Higher Education, appointed by Secretary of Education, Margaret Spellings, states that some college students “never complete their degrees at all, at least in part because most colleges and universities don’t accept responsibility for making sure that those they admit actually succeed.” The commission wants higher education to “adapt to a world altered by technology, changing demographics and globalization…” Are you up to the challenge? Do you agree with the commission’s findings? Click on the following link to read the report: A Test of Leadership: Charting the Future of U.S. Higher Education
One of the most controversial recommendations in the report is the creation of a federal database that would track “individual students' academic, enrollment, and financial-aid information.” Read "Lengthy Fights Are Expected Over Measures on Accountability" to learn more.
What should community colleges do to adress the concerns outlined in the Spellings Report?
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