January 2008, Volume 2, Number 3

| Greeting | Conference Corner | Membership Corner | NISODcast |
Publications Corner | CCLP Corner | Spotlight |
Friends of NISOD | Partnership Corner | The Learning Edge

GREETING

Welcome back after the holiday break! There is always so much to do before a new semester begins. We hope that before the break you took the time to submit a proposal to present at NISOD’s upcoming conference. If not, the deadline has been extended until January 25, so please put this date on this week’s “To-Do” list. We have included detailed information regarding our general sessions, precons, special sessions, and unique conference offerings below. Registration will begin January 18! Excellence Awards deadlines are fast approaching—read on for reminders and submission information. 

We are pleased to present this month’s NISODCast, featuring Dr. Pat Stanley, U.S. Department of Education’s Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges, and Dr. Evelyn Waiwaiole. At this year’s NISOD conference, the DoEd will host a Career and Technical Education strand that you will not want to miss! 

This issue is full of innovative activities in which NISOD members and partners are paving the way. We welcome Jason Kovac, our newest Hook’Em Up editor.  Many of you may be familiar with Jason because he has served as NISOD’s Membership Liaison since June.

Hoping your spring semester is the best,

CONFERENCE CORNER

The National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD) invites all higher education faculty, staff, and administrators to attend NISOD's 30th annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, to be held May 25-28, 2008, in Austin, Texas. Participants will be invited to enjoy general sessions, 250+ breakout and roundtable sessions, and networking opportunities with over 2,300+ representatives from the global higher education community and immerse themselves in the vibrant culture of the "Live Music Capital of the World!" 
 
Do not miss our general session keynote presentations:

• Sunday, May 25: Kurt Landgraf, President & CEO, Educational Testing Service (ETS)
• Monday, May 26: Vincent Tinto, Chair of the Higher Education Program, Syracuse University (NY)
• Tuesday, May 27: Larry Gatlin, Singer/Songwriter/Actor
• Wednesday, May 25: Excellence Awards Ceremony

NISOD offers pre-conference workshops on Sunday, May 25, for conference participants seeking to explore ideas, programs, and initiatives in greater depth. Topics include:

• Women in Leadership
• Middle Colleges and Dual Enrollment
• Achieving the Dream
• Leadership Development Institutes
• Workforce/Entrepreneurial Initiatives
• P-20 Programs
• Fundamentals of Good Assessment
• Factors Affecting Student Performance

Special sessions with leading educators in the field are scheduled throughout the conference and will focus on the Netgeneration; Making Good on the Promise of the Open Door; MetLife Foundation's Starting Right Initiative; Guilford Technical Community College's Larry Gatlin School of Music, the Creative Community College; Blackboard's newest technology offerings; Sustainability and Renewable Energies, and a Diversity panel discussing issues related to the African-American male.
 
Other conference highlights include:

• Career and Technical Education Strand with the U.S. Department of Education
• Achieving the Dream Summit
• CCSSE Workshop
• NSF Grant Writing Workshop
• Advocacy Workshop: Communicating the Community College Mission
• Hands-On Adobe Training Lab
• Exhibit Hall showcasing 100 + NISOD partners

Registration will open on January 18, 2008. Join the other 2,300+ participants who made last year's NISOD conference the largest international conference to focus on community college issues.
 
Visit our website for conference information. For more information about NISOD, call Dr. Coral Noonan-Terry, Associate Director, at 512.232.1430. We look forward to seeing you in Austin, in May!

MEMBERSHIP CORNER

Do Not Miss Your Last Chance to Participate in the 2008 NISOD Excellence Awards.
Year after year, recipients of the NISOD Excellence Awards express great pride and fulfillment in receiving this honor. Now a cherished conference tradition, the NISOD Excellence Awards are an opportunity for NISOD-member institutions to recognize those faculty, staff, and administrators at their colleges or universities who demonstrate outstanding contributions to student learning. The Excellence Awards provide NISOD with the distinct privilege of honoring so many of the world’s best in higher education. 

The deadline for submitting names for the 2008 NISOD Excellence Awards was December 14, 2007—but we do not want your college to miss this opportunity to participate! If you are the Excellence Awards contact at your college and have not submitted the Excellence Awards recipients’ names for 2008, please do so immediately in order to ensure that their names are listed in the Excellence Awards Booklet. To contribute names from your organization, please access the award submission website. 

All 2008 Excellence Award recipients are encouraged to submit a photo and 50-word statement that will be displayed on the kiosks throughout the conference and on our website. In addition, they may wish to submit a video to be considered for inclusion in the 2008 Excellence Awards DVD —always a popular entertainment feature that showcases recipients’ responses to questions about their teaching and their students. It is always one of the most memorable features of Wednesday’s celebration. The deadline to submit these three items is fast approaching! To participate, please submit these materials by February 1, 2008.

Organizations seeking a more active role in helping NISOD realize the success of this tradition are invited to contribute ads for the Excellence Awards booklet, listing the names of all recipients and distributed to all conference participants. For more information about reserving ad space, contact Sheryl Powell.   

NISODcast

Dr. Pat Stanley, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Community Colleges, U.S. Department of Education (DoEd), speaks to Evelyn Waiwaiole, NISOD Director, about projects and initiatives related to community colleges, conducted by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education at the USDOE. The impact of the Spellings Report and current legislation on higher education will be discussed, including strategies and programs in development that look to bring new opportunities to community colleges across the country.

Listen to the podcast.

PUBLICATIONS CORNER

Innovation Abstracts Archives Now Available to Members
The new year is the perfect opportunity to catch up on archived editions of Innovation Abstracts. In our recent webpage redesign, we made the archives available online. NISOD members can search the archives for learning resources of their choice.  Visit the searchable archives here.

Publish Your Good Ideas in Innovation Abstracts
Would you like to share your best practices and innovative strategies with your peers? Check out the guidelines for tips and strategies on how to write and submit an article for consideration as an Innovation Abstracts .

Submit articles and/or ideas for Innovation Abstracts to:
Suanne D. Roueche
Editor, NISOD Publications
The University of Texas at Austin
1 University Station D5600
Austin, TX 78712-0378

Or email your submissions to abstracts@nisod.org.

We look forward to reading about your good work and ideas!

CCLP CORNER

Spring CCLP Block #63 Excited About 2008 Opportunities
Each fall, a new cohort or “Block” of doctoral students join the Community College Leadership Program (CCLP) at The University of Texas at Austin to learn, explore, and grow together. This year’s cohort, Block #63, completed a successful fall semester in December 2007, and is now looking forward to the spring semester with a full slate of educational and networking opportunities with guest lecturers as well as at conferences and college site-visits. 

Block members have expressed interested in connecting with as many NISOD members as possible over the coming semester. To locate CCLP students at the events listed below, just look for their Texas longhorn nametags!

• January 6 – 9, 2008
  National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship 5th Annual Conference, “Building Bridges Through Entrepreneurship” in San Antonio, TX.  NISOD presented and exhibited at this conference.
• February 18 – 20, 2008
  2008 World Congress and International Association of Colleges Conference, “Developing Global Partnerships” in New York City, NY. NISOD and the CCLP are co-sponsoring this conference. NISOD is presenting and exhibiting at this conference.
• April 5 – 8, 2008
  American Association of Community Colleges 88th Annual Convention, in Philadelphia, PA. NISOD is exhibiting at this conference and hosting a Presidents Breakfast for all NISOD-member presidents.

The 2007 Block Guide and details about the full CCLP program are available on the CCLP website. For more information about the Community College Leadership Program, contact Ruth Thompson.

SPOTLIGHT

San Jacinto College (TX) Awarded Grants for Aerospace Academy
The San Jacinto College Aerospace Academy was recently awarded a $5.6 million contract by NASA. Under this 5-year contract, called Strategic Education Alliance (SEA), the Aerospace Academy will assist NASA in encouraging students to consider careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) through implementing various educational projects. Major educational activities include student programs such as the Texas Aerospace Scholars, Reduced Gravity Flight Programs, Graduate Student Researcher Program, Undergraduate Student Research Program, Space Grant, Faculty Fellows, and NASA Post-Doctoral Program. The programs provide employment and educational opportunities that seek to attract and prepare students and faculty for STEM-related careers, enhancing the pipeline to future opportunities in the workforce. 

To date, the Aerospace Academy has trained approximately 20,000 aerospace workers for more than 50 employers, and 2,000+ STEM teachers from 100 school districts in eight states. NISOD joins San Jacinto in celebrating its diligent effort towards addressing the urgent calls for resource and workforce development in these areas. 

The NASA contract brings the total resources brought to San Jacinto College District through the Aerospace Academy to $16.5 million since 2001. These funds have helped the Academy increase the number of graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; increase the quality and number of educators teaching science, technology, engineering, and mathematics; and increase the skill levels of the high-technology workforce.

Also contributing to the total received through the Aerospace Academy is a $1.5 million award from the Texas Workforce Commission, intended to help area industry develop mastery of the skills needed for Constellation, the newest program in America’s vision for Space Exploration, San Jacinto and the Aerospace Academy have partnered with the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, the University of Houston-Clear Lake, the University of Houston-College of Technology, the University of Houston-College of Engineering, and College of the Mainland in pursuit of these goals.

The Texas Workforce Commission granted $500K for partnerships with Galveston College and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in support of the Johnson Space Center’s efforts in biotechnology and astronautics contracts and UTMB’s biotechnology workforce. The goal is to train 500 technical and biotechnical employees to meet workforce demands.

The National Science Foundation also funded a $580K grant to enhance science instruction in 7th through graduate school classes, create innovative online science classes, and enhance the sci-tech workforce. The partners involved in this effort include the University of Houston-Clear Lake, San Jacinto College-Aerospace Academy, Texas Southern University, and The University of Texas Medical Branch.  

FRIENDS OF NISOD

NISOD and Valencia Community College Collaborate to Create a Unique Opportunity for Faculty Development
NISODs’ Learning Scenarios, produced by Valencia Community College (FL), is a unique opportunity for member institutions to provide professional development for faculty through the use of story-based learning. Courses are designed in a web-based, asynchronous format, and are instructor-facilitated to maximize the learning experience.

Dr. Sandy Shugart, President of Valencia, states that "Learning Scenarios courses allow us to offer our faculty learning programs that model the collaboration we want for our students, and the deep learning that story and problem based learning foster." Dr. Evelyn Waiwaiole, NISOD Director, believes that, "this is a great resource for colleges, specifically NISOD member colleges. With faculty being tasked with engaging more students, assessing learning, and monitoring student success—faculty need new tools and resources to help them succeed. Learning Scenarios is the right tool—at the right time.”

Current and forthcoming Learning Scenarios courses include:

• Teaching for Learning
• Succeeding With Online Group Projects
• Doing the Write Thing
• Making It All Add Up
• Sexual Harassment: College Edition
• Alternative Delivery: The Virtual Teacher and Learner (Spring 2008)
• At Risk Math Students: The Learning Equation (Spring 2008)
• Assessment: Evidence, What Is It and Why Me? (Spring 2008)
• Alternative Delivery: The Virtual Teacher and Learner, AlliedHealth/Nursing (Spring 2008)
• Crucial Conversations (Fall 2008)

There are three levels of program memberships—for more information on how to get started, please contact Vanessa Moreno or call (407) 582-6623.

Network with the American Association of Community Colleges
The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) has been a national voice for two-year associate degree granting institutions since 1920. Located in Washington, D.C., AACC works with other higher education associations, the federal government, Congress, and other national associations to promote the goals of community colleges and higher education. The association represents almost 1,200 two-year, associate degree-granting institutions serving more than 11 million students.

Examples of how AACC serves and engages community colleges for 2008 include:

Top legislative priorities include increased funding for key higher education and workforce development programs, as well as the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education programs. AACC is working to ensure that the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act expands opportunities for community college students. Additionally, AACC works on legislation that provides greater assistance for veterans and improvements to the tax provisions to better serve low and middle-income students.

• Professional development opportunities abound for all levels of staff and administrators. The Workforce Development Institute brings together community college workforce professionals. Twice a year, the Future Leaders Institutes prepare the next generation of administrators and presidents. The annual convention is an opportunity to network, share innovations, and hone your skills. This meeting brings together over 2,000 community college presidents, administrators, staff, and faculty. More information on these meetings and other professional development opportunities is available on the AACC website under the Events tab.
• One of the newest grant opportunities for AACC members is the Plus 50 Initiative, which will enhance programs for baby boomers on community college campuses. Among programs already in place is the National Science Foundation's Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, providing grants to improve and expand educational programs that prepare skilled technicians to work in the high-tech fields. Other topics addressed by AACC include special issues at rural colleges, service learning, and student success. More information is available on the AACC website under the Resource Center tab.
• CC Stats is one of the newest additions to the AACC website where you will find statistical information on community colleges, students, faculty, and staff. Another source for information about the innovations at community colleges is the Community College Journal, Community College Times, and Community College Press, the association’s book publishing arm.

AACC actively supports its members through policy initiatives, innovative programs, research, information, and professional development. Visit their website at www.aacc.nche.edu to discover more. 

PARTNERSHIP CORNER

WebStudy--Intuitive Technology for Online Learning
Though instructional trends are moving to embrace online communication, it can still be a challenge to keep pace with our wired world in the classroom. Many instructors experiment with streaming video and live online discussions, but others struggle to keep pace with a student community that lives and breathes YouTube and instant messages. WebStudy invites NISOD members to explore the technology solutions they offer for building syllabi, organizing course material, and engaging students in a dynamic online learning environment.
 
“At WebStudy, we understand the issues you face in selecting, implementing and funding online learning technology,” says Gisele Larose, president of WebStudy, Inc., a leader in educational technology, renowned for their flagship course management system (CMS).

“With WebStudy, the training curve is very quick and intuitive,” says Mark Saks, former Director of Distance Education at the Community College of Philadelphia.
 
WebStudy’s streaming media software, CourseStream, lets faculty add their own video, or video produced by providers such as Dallas Tele-Learning, Coast Learning Systems, and Annenberg Media. The WebStorium feature serves as an electronic library, providing easy access to all materials. Additionally, the CourseLive capability allows instructors to set up live online sessions.

“We were using another CMS, but the platform was not user-friendly or responsive to making corrections to meet our needs,” says Barbara Jane Sparks, retired faculty member at Camden County College in New Jersey. “Not only was it user friendly for both faculty and students, but it also has a replication feature that allowed courses to instantly be ready for the next semester.”
 
Features such as the Virtual Faculty Lounge contribute to WebStudy’s reputation as an easy-to-use course management system that allows full-time faculty, adjunct faculty, and teaching assistants to standardize grade computation and testing among all sections of a course. Additionally, WebStudy prides itself on providing around-the-clock technical support and customer service, whether instructors and students need help logging on, submitting assignments, or more complex issues.
 
“With other CMS companies, when problems happened what you got were promises to get it fixed, but weeks, months, even years later, the problem was still there. With WebStudy, we got actual results,” Saks says.
 
“WebStudy’s flexible pricing and unmatched service have made educational technology possible for colleges across the country, but the most important factor is WebStudy’s ability to go beyond information storage to enrich the educational experience. We are committed to enrich learning,” Larose says. “Students respond to learning when it’s anywhere, anytime, and fun. Creating software for educators by educators is what makes the WebStudy approach so unique.”

If your college is looking for intuitive products with continuous improvement and zero downtime, contact WebStudy at (888) 326-4058, ext. 709, or go online to www.WebStudy.com/demo.

NISOD Member Benefit Discount to Enrollment Management Conference
On February 11-13, 2008, professionals with interest in student enrollment management and marketing trends will visit Raleigh, NC, for the SEMWorks Community College Enrollment Management and Student Marketing Symposium. Hosted by SAS, and sponsored by NISOD and the League for Innovation in the Community College, NISOD members will receive a $50 discount on their registration fee. The three-day conference is focused on marketing and enrollment challenges faced by community colleges.

Engaged Employees—The Secret to Culture Change
Is your current organizational culture what you want it to be? Is your faculty committed to helping students achieve what they can’t achieve on their own? Is your staff consistently removing barriers for students, or do they spend the majority of their time erecting barriers that make it difficult to do business with your college?

NISOD Bronze partner Tutt & Daggs invites you to explore how their passion, experience, and expertise can bring new organizational understanding of the power of engaged employees, and their impact on recruiting, retention, financial growth, and student ownership to any institution. Tutt and Daggs are well regarded as a creative team, whose presentations lead participants through an entertaining and interactive program, designed to challenge their current level of engagement and inspire them to maximize their potential impact on the lives of students.

Partner Michael Daggs offers: “Based on current research, there are three types of employees woven into the fabric of the organization: those that are moving the organization forward, those that are stagnant, and those that are destroying the organization. Within each team member there is the capacity to be 100% engaged. Allow us to inspire your team to move forward and create a culture built around engagement.”

Testimonials indicate broad appeal and impact: “Kevin and Mike have a unique talent of using their passion and energy to inspire people to take ownership of their culture. Every organization can benefit from their creative and inspiring message” (Tim Lancaster, President & CEO, Hendrick Health System, 2007 Great Workplace Award recipient). NISOD members are invited to explore the Tutt & Daggs website to learn about opportunities to bring this team to your campus. 

Maricopa District Colleges Unanimously Select SoftChalk to Enhance Web-Based Learning
The Maricopa County Community College District is one of the largest higher education systems in the world and the largest provider of health care workers and job training in Arizona. Ten colleges make up the district, and although they have not agreed on any single Learning Management System, they unanimously selected SoftChalk’s LessonBuilder as the preferred tool for building instructional content and for developing Reusable Learning Objects (RLOs).

Like many learning institutions, the colleges in the Maricopa District have been expanding beyond traditional classroom borders, offering an increasing number of web-based courses and curriculum enhancements. SoftChalk strives to make it easy for faculty to build rich course content, as well as timely tutorials and other learning activities that allow students to practice what they are learning. At GateWay Community College (AZ), Lisa Young, Water Resources Faculty, stated: “SoftChalk found its biggest success with the sectional anatomy class. A team of three faculty collaborated to create all of the hybrid course materials using SoftChalk. This included interesting drill and practice opportunities using activities (especially labeling) and quiz features.” This team even used textpoppers to link images to anatomy terms embedded in content—the result has been rich, interactive lessons that students enjoy.

According to Roger Yohe, Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning at Estrella Mountain Community College (AZ), SoftChalk is used to design course templates that are essentially “ready-to-go.” This allows the college to quickly add high demand course sections based on enrollment trends. Yohe noted: “While it is important to faculty at Estrella to present students with consistencies in course syllabi, they objected to the ‘one-size-fits-all’ nature of the templates that had previously been designed in a word processing application. The implementation of SoftChalk solved the problem and enabled standardization while ensuring freedom for diversity in design and delivery, using a combination of software features, particularly cascading stylesheets.”

An English Department faculty member at Glendale Community College (AZ), Mary Jane Onnen, utilizes the SoftChalk software in another unique manner. She has been using SoftChalk in her developmental reading class for the last several years. Previously she had used the SoftChalk software to reformat “text-dense” reading selections, adding subtitles, and developing comprehension questions for students. This past semester she had her students do basically the same thing, and found it to be a “great way to assess how carefully the students read material.” Students turned in their assignments developed with SoftChalk, and then the instructor annotated the page to provide them feedback. Students were intrigued by the process and the SoftChalk product, which resulted in the purchase of an institutional Student License package for the college.

The Learning Edge

Looking to broaden your sphere of influence, supplement your budget, and engage your colleagues in innovative thinking? Seeking to exemplify the best practices of the Entrepreneurial Community College? Check out this month’s blog posts for inspiring success stories, which demonstrate the potential that lies in working to bring forward-thinking solutions to your organization. Read more! 

Jason Kovac, Hook’Em Up Editor & Community College Leadership Program Doctoral Student
Hook’Em Up is published monthly by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development (NISOD), Department of Educational Administration, College of Education, 1 University Station, D5600, Austin, Texas 78712-0378, (512) 471-7545. To subscribe or unsubscribe to Hook’Em Up, please email us.
© The University of Texas at Austin, 2008, All rights reserved.