May 2008, Volume 2, Number 7 | Greeting | Conference Corner | Membership Corner | NISODcast |
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May is one of the most exciting months around the NISOD offices. Of course, the days are filled with energy as we prepare for the 2008 NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence—we look forward to seeing you in Austin in a few short weeks! Additionally, this month sees a new cohort of students as they begin their journey as part of the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin. Members of Block 64 will be spending the coming weeks immersed in intersession courses. Be sure to look for these rising stars at the upcoming conference! In this issue of Hook’Em Up, you’ll find the latest updates on useful tools for planning your conference experience, new discounts and special offers for NISOD members, and important news from The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE). We hear heartening stories about sustainable building and enabling a strong heath care infrastructure from NISOD Friends and member colleges. As always, NISOD partners have great news to share—explore this issue for updates from SAS, Parsons, Wimba, Walden University, and the Educational Testing Service. Looking forward to seeing you at the upcoming conference!
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CONFERENCE CORNERUpdate—The 2008 NISOD International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence Are you eager to get a head start in planning your conference experience? The conference program is now online! This electronic version includes information on when and where to pick up your registration packet, descriptions of all conference breakout sessions, floor plans for the Austin Convention Center, and much more. Look inside for information about keynote speakers, special messages from NISOD partners, and details on the 2008 NISOD Excellence Awards Ceremony! Additionally, you will not want to miss NISOD’s Virtual Expo, which captures the great breadth of NISOD partners in an accessible online format. This webpage offers a preview of those NISOD partners who will be exhibiting at the 2008 NISOD Conference. Booth numbers and contact information are available to help you connect with our community of experts. MEMBERSHIP CORNERNISOD Members Benefit From Discounts With Major Education Partners Did you know that Community College Week, a long-time NISOD partner, offers a free one-year subscription to all NISOD Conference participants? Also, for individuals from current NISOD-member colleges, Community College Week offers a 25% discount to first-year subscribers. For subscription information, please call 800-475-4271. Join NISOD in celebrating Community College Week’s 20th anniversary by becoming a subscriber today! Looking to save money on book purchases? Be sure to check out the NISOD Members Only webpage to learn about special prices from Atwood Publishing. Educators can save up to 20% with NISOD discount codes! Certiport, an industry leader in technology certification, is offering NISOD members a 23% discount on the new Adobe Certified Associate exams! Additionally, NISOD members get a free copy of the 2007 Microsoft Office Professional suite for every 10 Microsoft Certified Application Specialist exams your college purchases. To learn more about these and other offers from Certiport, send an email to education@certiport.com or call 1-888-999-9830 and ask for the Higher Education team. NISODcastThis month, author and educator Dr. Edmund Gleazer speaks with NISOD partnership coordinator, Phil Neal, about the evolution and growth of the community college movement. NISODcast is password-protected for NISOD members only. For access, email Leigh Anne Fagin. PUBLICATIONS CORNERInnovation Abstracts, Vol. XXX, No. 13—In “Tips for De-Stressing Frenzied Faculty,” Beverly Forsyth, Professor of English, at Odessa College (TX), describes seven strategies to help faculty get control of their personal and professional time—avoiding stress and burnout. Innovation Abstracts, Vol. XXX, No. 14—In “Teaching Evidence-Based Practice in an Associate Degree Nursing Program,” Patricia Minton Kennedy, Professor of Nursing, at Westmoreland County Community College (PA), describes a practical strategy for providing instruction and practice, enhancing associate degree students’ abilities to think critically in the clinical setting. Innovation Abstracts, Vol. XXX, No. 15—In “The Natural Athlete: A Comfortable Myth,” Suanne Roueche, currently Editor of NISOD Publications, describes 10 strategies for improving athletes’ performances that have proven to work equally as well for improving academic performance. This issue, originally published in 1983, is among the most frequently requested reprints over the last 30 years of Innovation Abstracts. Innovation Abstracts is password-protected for NISOD members only. For access, email Leigh Anne Fagin. Publish Your Good Ideas in Innovation Abstracts Are you an administrator or instructor who has successful practices, innovations, programs, or initiatives that work for you, your college, your students? Consider sharing them with NISOD readers in the 2008 series of Innovation Abstracts. Find out how! CCLP CORNER
SPOTLIGHT
By the time its first owners move in later this year, Lethbridge College’s Living Home Project will have served as an educational tool for students, the community, and, literally, the world. The home, a single-family structure located in Lethbridge’s SunRidge area, the first BuiltGreen subdivision of its kind in Canada, is a co-operative venture of the College, the city, and a local builder, aimed at creating a unique learning experience with the technologies of sustainable building. “It’s an educational opportunity for the entire community,” says Braum Barber, an instructor in the College’s School of Engineering Technologies. “It will showcase the skill sets of our students, builders can learn from both our successes and mistakes as we proceed, and the public can see what might work for them in the future.” The city provided an upfront investment of $500,000 for the project, an amount to be recouped when the model home is completed and sold. Whoever buys the house will be required to allow the home’s energy consumption and livability to be studied for one year. As the project proceeds, updates are being reported online, and the College plans to share all research data after completion. All of the parties involved hope that, by sharing important discoveries, some of the misconceptions surrounding the “building green” phenomenon will be explained. “Many people think that being eco-friendly means adding a wind turbine or solar panel onto a home,” says Barber. “It takes more than that to design an environmentally responsible house. You can build a mansion and cover it with solar panels, or you could build a smaller, smarter home and apply alternative technologies appropriately. Fundamentally, we cannot consume our way out of an environmental crisis.” To educators such as Barber and colleague Mark Bohnert, the project is a goldmine of student involvement and learning. Students in Engineering Design and Drafting Technologies are poring over details on materials to be used in construction, determining their suitability and value in green design. Interior Design students will be choosing flooring, paints, and fabrics that advance the structure’s environmental standards. Multimedia Production students are contributing to the website and deciding what will satisfy the public’s interest best in the project. Many other college programs may be engaged eventually: Nursing may study toxicity of pollutants; Accounting will determine the “triple-bottom-line” advantages; Computer Information Technology may have a hand in designing “smart” controls for the house; Environmental Science students will be involved in xeriscaping (landscaping without supplemental irrigation) and approaches to water use; Sociology students in General Studies may work on the ethics of environmental responsibility; Communication Arts has already had a hand in reporting on the initiative, and sculptures created by student artists will be displayed in the home. FRIENDS OF NISOD
Healthcare has been a major topic on the presidential campaign trail in 2008, and with the recent passage of a $22 million bond referendum, officials at Iowa Western Community College will soon focus their attention on providing a solution to at least one aspect of this hot-button issue: educating and graduating quality nursing professionals. Iowa Western will begin construction this fall on a new library, student center, and cafeteria, which will allow the college to make room for extensive renovations for the new Nursing Center of Excellence. The state-of-the-art nursing and health science laboratories will be located on Iowa Western’s main campus in Council Bluffs and on four other college campus locations. The $22 million bond referendum was passed with an 85 percent approval percentage, which is believed to be a record in the State of Iowa. Dr. Dan Kinney, president of Iowa Western, said the college’s focus on improving the health care available in Southwest Iowa proved to have significant impact on the success of the bond campaign. “The voters saw the obvious importance of expanding nursing opportunities for students in Southwest Iowa,” Dr. Kinney said. “The establishment of the Iowa Western Nursing Center of Excellence will play an integral role in ensuring that the community, region, and state are able to meet expressed industry concerns regarding the lack of a qualified workforce and respond to future industry growth in the state.” The Iowa Nursing Center of Excellence will contain two primary areas of focus: training nurses and alleviating the region’s nurse faculty shortage. The United States Senate Committee on Labor, Health, and Human Services, chaired by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, warned in a 2007 report that “the United States is in the midst of a nursing shortage that is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for health care grows.” That trend has already begun to play itself out in Iowa, where the proportion of the population greater than 80 years of age is on the rise. Iowa Western officials predict that the new Nursing Center of Excellence will double the capacity to graduate well-trained health professionals into the field within three years of implementation. Last year, Iowa Western Practical Nursing students achieved a 100 percent pass rate on the National Council Licensing Examination (NCLEX), while those in the Associate Degree Nursing Program earned a 94 percent pass rate. “Over the past decade, Iowa Western has emerged as a significant force within the region’s nurse training community,” Dr. Kinney said. “The new nursing center will help Iowa Western continue in that mission of graduating quality nursing professionals.” PARTNERSHIP CORNER
Community colleges need to make data-driven decisions based on accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information. With more than 2,000 college, university, and business-school customers in 109 countries and education specialists on every continent, SAS serves the education industry by delivering software solutions, strategic services, and academic programs that spark innovation and expand educational opportunities. Integrate, analyze, and report on financial informationSAS partners with community colleges to help them leverage existing hardware and data systems in order to reel in budget information from all campuses and turn it into concise reports about a college’s financial health. SAS answers questions about the effectiveness of programs and easily links budget information to student achievement information. SAS greatly reduces the time it takes to get needed financial information and reports. Thus, colleges are able to make quicker, confident decisions that affect the school’s funding. According to Patti Barney, Vice President for Information Technology at Broward Community College (FL), “It used to take us four to six weeks to pull our financial data together into a spreadsheet and another three to four weeks to put the financial report together. Now, using SAS, we can produce multiple reports in a single day with all of the required information right on our desktop.” Attracting, supporting, and retaining studentsTo develop effective student enrollment and retention strategies, community colleges need a thorough understanding of the enrollment "big picture." This requires easy access to information from multiple sources, the ability to share information readily across organizational boundaries, and the insight necessary to identify correlations among multiple factors, such as academic performance, student engagement, student finance, use of learning support services, and more. With SAS, Sinclair Community College (OH) can target recruitment strategies to attain the most desirable prospects with the highest likelihood of enrolling. In addition, they can determine which students are at risk in order to intervene and retain them. By using SAS to analyze student data, Sinclair was able to turn a possible 14 percent enrollment drop into a 1 percent enrollment increase in a matter of weeks. According to Karl Konsdorf, Analytics and Reporting Manager at Sinclair, “No other software has the power and capability to provide us the insights that we get from SAS.” In March, SAS and SEM WORKS held its third annual Community College Enrollment Management and Student Marketing Symposium at SAS World Headquarters in Cary, North Carolina. Supported by NISOD and the League for Innovation in the Community College, this conference is different from any other in that it is designed exclusively to answer the marketing and enrollment challenges of community colleges. Learn more about SAS software and services for education at www.sas.com/education.
Globally, the demand for improving, replacing, or building new infrastructure is at an all-time high. And the need is not being met by relying on traditional public sector finance, design, and construction sources and methods. Many countries, provinces, and states are turning to the private sector to help meet these needs. Public-Private Partnerships, commonly referred to as P3’s or PPP’s, are contractual relationships between a public entity, and a private entity, such as Parsons, for the delivery of services or infrastructure by the private entity for public use. In the event a P3 is used for the delivery of infrastructure projects, the private entity usually provides financing, complete project development, and, in some cases, on-going maintenance and operations of the facility. As has been demonstrated in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the United States, and numerous other countries, delivery of public infrastructure projects through a P3 utilizes the talents and resources of private development entities, such as Parsons. This offers numerous benefits over traditional public sector management and funding. The implementation of public-private partnerships for facilities in Europe, Canada, and the United States has already demonstrated significant advantages over the traditional public sector finance, design, and construction approach. These advantages include the following: More Timely Construction Unencumbered by the multitude of regulations that may well govern public entities, such as voter approval of bonds, design reviews, public sector procurement procedures of design, and construction, a private company such as Parsons can deliver projects for education clients in a much shorter period of time. Cost-Saving Techniques By employing private sector techniques for planning and building facilities, our cost to deliver P3 projects may well be much lower than your cost which would need to incorporate the standard public-sector financing, design, and construction processes. Recent private-sector performance in building projects for public sector clients suggests that initial construction and design savings may be as much as 25% to 30% of public sector costs. Maintenance of Infrastructure Many times the cost of soft maintenance (day-to-day cleaning and routine repairs) and hard maintenance (capital renewal) cannot be funded with typical public financing. Therefore the infrastructure suffers unnecessary and costly deterioration before it reaches the end of its expected useful life. Many P3 schemes include ongoing facility maintenance as part of the contract. Gary S. Moriarty, AIA is a Vice President of Parsons and leader of the Public Private Partnership Sector for Social Infrastructure.
Throughout its 100+ year history, the community college has proved to be resilient and creative when faced with social and economic challenges. It has survived enormous change and prevailed in serving local communities and the nation as a catalyst for positive change. The community college has made enormous contributions to developing the economy; expanding access for underprepared students; creating bridges for student transfer; serving as a cultural center for the community; and addressing major societal issues such as sustainability, poverty, and globalization. In the second 100 years of its history, the community college has the potential to become one of the most significant forces in the U. S., and its mission can only be enhanced by a natural alliance with the Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University. Walden University’s mission “provides a diverse community of career professionals with the opportunity to transform themselves as scholar-practitioners so that they may transform society.” Students in Walden’s Community College Leadership specialization in the Ph.D. in Education program are required to address aspects of social change throughout the program including the dissertation. They apply what they are learning by using their own colleges as laboratories to change policies, programs, and practices to improve and expand student learning. Doctoral students in Walden’s Community College Leadership specialization will develop proficiency in how adults learn most effectively; what tools and strategies best promote learning; and how educational systems and policies can be changed to promote the mission of the community college as a catalyst for positive social change. This program will help shape tomorrow’s community college leaders—from presidents, deans, and department chairs to chief learning officers, directors of student affairs, and other leadership positions within the community college. In January, 2008, Walden University, an accredited institution, named its College of Education after Richard W. Riley, former Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education and a leading advocate in advancing education as a national priority. The Richard W. Riley College of Education and Leadership at Walden University also now offers a specialization in Higher Education and Adult Learning in its Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) program, created specifically to improve the competencies of educators who teach adults. About Walden University Since 1970, Walden University has offered working professionals the opportunity to earn advanced degrees through distance learning. Today, this comprehensive, accredited online university offers master’s and doctoral degrees in education, psychology, management, public policy and administration, and health and human services, as well as master’s programs in engineering and IT and bachelor’s programs in business, psychology, and child development. Walden University is a member of the Laureate International Universities network, a leading global network of accredited campus-based and online universities. Walden University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission and a member of the North Central Association, 312-263-0456.
Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC) serves more than 26,000 students; at least 10,000 are non-traditional learners who are enrolled in non-credit instructional opportunities. An ongoing challenge for GRCC is fostering a sense of community on a commuter campus, where many students are juggling other responsibilities, such as full-time jobs and families, in addition to pursuing a higher education. In an effort to bolster the amount of interaction between students and campus-based faculty and staff, last year GRCC began using a new instant messaging platform called Wimba Pronto. “It’s been an exciting tool because it really seems to connect well with what students are experienced in using in their day to day lives,” according to Eric Kunnen, Coordinator of Instructional Technologies at GRCC. “They’re used to instant messaging with each other and communicating pretty much in an instant way.” Earlier this month, GRCC began implementing the newest version of Pronto across campus, enabling all students and faculty to connect instantly in real-time through video, voice, text chat, and application-sharing. “With Pronto, students and faculty are instantly integrated into their course, so they can see who else is in the course and actually click on a button to talk to each other,” explains Garry Brand, Director of Distance Learning and Business Professor at GRCC. Many community colleges are challenged with retaining students through program completion. Wimba Pronto, the first and only academic-centric instant messaging application, enables students and faculty to interact and collaborate in an informal online environment. Other features that set Pronto apart from general instant messaging applications include:
Ann Alexander, an Associate Professor in GRCC’s School of Business, says, “You’re not getting spam. When I get a message on Pronto, I know it’s legit.” “Wimba Pronto is starting to bring about more community here at GRCC. It really allows students to communicate effectively without exchanging email because it automatically connects them with their classmates,” added Kunnen. “Even internally, a lot of staff and faculty are starting to use Wimba Pronto to communicate with each other. In fact, one of the common phrases here on campus is becoming ‘I’ll Pronto you.’”
Educational Testing Service (ETS) recently released Culture of Evidence: An Evidence-Centered Approach to Accountability for Student Learning Outcomes. The final white paper of a three-part series, Culture of Evidence III (COE III), lays out a seven-step framework for institutions of higher education to create, modify, or improve an evidence-based accountability system that assesses student learning outcomes. The report comes at a time when education policymakers, prospective students, and parents are seeking greater accountability to assess student learning outcomes and educational value in higher education. Concurrently, colleges and universities are working to apply measures that meet the demand for such accountability, while maintaining their institutional autonomy. COE III addresses this balance and recommends actions that allow an institution to make assessment a part of its ongoing effort to improve overall learning and educational quality. “The COE III framework describes a systematic approach to the development and refinement of a campus-based approach for assessing student learning outcomes,” says David Payne, ETS Associate Vice President, Higher Education and School Assessments division. “The framework was designed to be consistent with the calls for accountability, while respecting variations in achieving learning goals that characterize the U.S. higher education system.” Payne points out that the seven-step process advocated in COE III values the autonomy of institutions and faculty. The framework emphasizes the importance of respecting each college and university’s mission, the populations they serve and the aspirations of institutions and students. “The COE III framework encourages colleges and universities to reflect on what aspirations they have for their students and then to provide evidence that indicates how well they are meeting those goals,” he adds. “Ultimately, it’s about improving the overall learning experience for students. And that’s something on which everyone should agree.” Across the nation, the impetus to create a stronger culture of accountability for student achievement has been met with both enthusiasm and apprehension. For faculty and institutional leaders who are grappling with the delicate nuances inherent in assessing student learning, a sensible solution to meet accountability demands is essential. “Schools are looking for practical measures to advance student learning that reflect and respect the diversity of students, faculty, and the institutions themselves,” says Paul Lingenfelter, President, State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO), and COE III advisory panel member. “In addition to providing this essential flexibility, the Culture of Evidence series employs the logic and methods of scholarly research. This will give the COE III seven-step framework the credibility essential for its acceptance and utilization by both faculty and administrators.” The seven-step framework provides a comprehensive outline of action items for each phase:
With guidance from the independent Culture of Evidence advisory panel, Culture of Evidence: An Evidence-Centered Approach to Accountability for Student Learning Outcomes was researched and written over a period of six months. The panel comprises leading educators, researchers, and education policy advocates. Culture of Evidence I, published in 2006, defined and surveyed the accountability landscape from education, policy, and cultural perspectives. Released June 2007, Culture of Evidence II reviewed the 12 major assessment tools in use today and encouraged colleges and universities to begin the discussion about student learning outcomes by asking questions rather than simply selecting assessment tools. To learn more about accountability in higher education or to review Culture of Evidence: An Evidence-Centered Approach to Accountability for Student Learning Outcomes or any of the reports in the Culture of Evidence series, visit www.ets.org/cultureofevidence. The Learning EdgeJust in time for the 2008 International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, our bloggers celebrate the wonderful collection of things to do in Austin, Texas. Looking for tourist attractions in Austin? Interested in enjoying a few extracurricular activities with your colleagues? Read more! Jason Kovac, Hook’Em Up Editor & Community College Leadership Program Doctoral Student
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The Living Home Project at Lethbridge College (Alberta, Canada)—Learning Through Sustainable Building
Iowa Western Community College—Enabling Excellence in Healthcare
With SAS®, Make Informed Proactive Decisions, Faster and With Confidence
Benefits of Public-Private Partnerships (P3’s) for the Delivery of Higher Education Facilities
A Natural Alliance: Walden University (MD) and the Community College
Wimba Pronto Enhances Connections and Collaboration at Grand Rapids Community College (MI)
ETS Releases Framework for Higher Education Accountability
National Institute for Staff & Organizational Development (NISOD)
Community College Leadership Program | College of Education |
The University of Texas at Austin
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Austin, TX 78712-0378
Ph: (512) 471-7545 | Fax: (512) 471-9426 | Email
