Wednesday, February 29, 2012

From Online Learning to eLearning Environments

From Greg Marshall, Director of eLearning at Whatcom Community College:

Here is the link to Last Friday’s presentation by Dr. Steve Kerr at Whatcom Community College.  Dr. Kerr gave an excellent presentation titled “From Online Learning to eLearning Environments”. 
The link is to a Collaborate recording of the event.  Enjoy!



Faculty Focus - Cheating and Classroom Management

Enjoy the March 2012 issue of RTC’s Faculty Focus newsletter which focuses on the topics of cheating and classroom management.   

In the next few months, the Faculty Focus newsletters will feature info about preparing students for the workplace and instructional technology

--Debbie  

(on behalf of the Library’s publishing team of Eric Palo, Laura Staley and myself)

-----------------------------

Debbie Crumb, Librarian
Renton Technical College

Monday, February 27, 2012

Faculty Focus - monthly newsletter

From Renton Technical College:

February 2012 issue of RTC’s Faculty Focus newsletter which focuses on the topics of LibGuides and assessment, posted online at http://www.rtc.edu/library/LibraryPublications.htm. Under the Faculty Focus heading, click on current issue as either a PDF file or a Word document. Links to back issues of Faculty Focus and Educational Media can also be found via the http://www.rtc.edu/library/LibraryPublications.htm page.

In the next few months, the Faculty Focus newsletters will feature info about classroom management and preparing students for the workplace.

Prior Learning in Oregon

This message just came to me from a member of the Washington State Prior Learning work group:

Thought you would like knowing that this bill passing right now in Oregon. Involves HECC and Western Governors..Look familiar?


Looks a lot like what legislation that passed in last year's session in Washington State.

Open Resources: English faculty

 
Una Daly has invited you to the event 'CCCOER Feb Webinar: Writing Commons - An Open Textbook Community for College-Level Writers' on College Open Textbooks Community!
Don't miss this webinar focused on open education resources for college-level English Composition!

  Time: February 28, 2012 from 9am to 10:30am
Location: online Pacific Time Zone
Organized By: Una Daly, CCCOER Outreach Manager

Event Description:
Writing Commons provides free access to an award-winning college textbook that was initially published by a major publisher. Why should we ask students to pay $100 for a textbook when we can provide them with a free real-time resource like WritingCommons.Org? Writing Commons aspires to be a community for writers, a creative learning space for students in courses that require college-level writing, and a creative, interactive space for teachers to share resources and pedagogy. Come hear Joe Moxley, (who directs First-Year Composition Program at the University of South Florida, which was awarded the 2011/12 Certificate of Excellence by NCTE) founder and "Chief Executive of Openness," on the mission of Writing Commons Karen Langbehn, Social Pedagogy Editor, will discuss the comprehensive writing resources available for students and teachers Quentin Vieregge, Managing Editor, will share how interested writers can make contributions to The Commons Katelin Kaiser, an undergraduate student, will reflect on the benefits she sees with an open and free composition book such as Writing Commons

 More Info on Writing Commons:
The core text of Writing Commons is a derivative work of College Writing Online, originally published by Pearson in 2003 and a recipient of the 2004 Distinguished Book Award by Computers and Composition: an International Journal. Thanks to our distinguished editorial board and review editors, Writing Commons seeks to further develop the site via peer production and peer review. By working collaboratively, we aspire to develop a new kind of writing textbook, a textbook not written by a single author in the “old-school” way but by us, by a crowd of people, with common goals and uncommon knowledge, who believe in a new genre for textbooks We are developing a new genre of the writing textbook, a resource not written by a single author but by a crowd of people--an interactive, co-authored, and peer-produced resource that can be easily edited and that is readily accessible on the phone, PDA, or netbook of the ever-changing needs of any college-level writer. This interactivity allows WritingCommons.org to use multimedia learning tools to reach the next generation of learners: students learn by doing, especially via media-rich environments.

See more details and RSVP on College Open Textbooks Community:
Use Voice over IP or Dial in available at Phone:(888) 886-3951 Passcode: 204829 PARTICIPANT CONFERENCE FEATURES *0 - Contact the operator for audio assistance *6 - Mute/unmute your individual line PRIOR TO YOUR FIRST CCC CONFER MEETING Test Your Computer Readiness FOR ASSISTANCE CCC Confer Client Services - Monday - Friday between 8:00 am - 4:00 pm Phone: 760-744-1150 ext 1537 or 1554 Email: clientservices@cccconfer.org

Math - Remediation as Remedy

From Bill Moore, Policy Associate, SBCTC:
I expect many of you are already familiar with Jack Rotman’s work with AMATYC and his blog as well, but I was particularly struck by his comments on “Remediation as Remedy” (as well as Mike Rose’s blog post “Smithsonian of Basic Skills,” which is referenced in Jack’s posting), so I thought I’d pass it along FYI just in case you hadn’t had a chance to see it. Both postings are provocative discussion-starters and very relevant to the work we’re doing in the Re-Thinking Precollege Math project…

Bill

Friday, February 24, 2012

Campus Security Report and Clery Statistics

Washington State Community and Technical Colleges combined report on Campus Safety and Security, as submitted to the state Legislature in December of 2010.

NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop for Community College Faculty

The deadline for our upcoming NEH Landmarks of American History and Culture Workshop for Community College Faculty, entitled "African-American History & Culture in the Georgia Lowcountry: Savannah & The Coastal Islands, 1750-1950" is drawing near. 

Applications for our NEH program must be post-marked no later than March 1st, 2012 to be considered.

Two identical week-long workshop sessions are available, the first from June 10-16, 2012, and the second from June 17-23, 2012. The workshops are free of charge and participants will receive a $1200 stipend to offset expenses. Full-time, part time, and adjunct community college humanities faculty may apply.

Through a combination of course readings, scholarly lectures, landmark site visits (to Sapelo Island, Ossabaw Island, and other Historic Savannah Landmark District sites), community presentations, guided tours, and research at GHS's Library and Archives, participants will be engaged in a scholarly dialogue focused on examining the centrality of place in the urban and rural African-American experience in Georgia's Lowcountry and the larger Atlantic world.

For more information about workshop objectives and activities, please visit the Georgia Historical Society's Landmarks website at ghslandmarks.wordpress.com, or contact the Program Coordinator, Charles Snyder, by phone at 912.651.2125 x.140, or by e-mail at csnyder@georgiahistory.com.

Please forward this e-mail to any colleagues you think might be interested in the program.

Project funding provided by: The National Endowment for the Humanities


 Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.



Georgia Historical Society (GHS) is the premier independent statewide institution responsible for collecting, examining and teaching Georgia history. GHS houses the oldest and most distinguished collection of materials related exclusively to Georgia history in the nation.
www.georgiahistory.com

Opportunity for Faculty Development: American History, War of 1812

Deadline has been extended...to March 7th.

The National Endowment for the Humanities and the Creative Learning Factory at the Ohio Historical Society are seeking Summer Scholars to participate in NEH Landmarks in American History workshops on the War of 1812 in the Great Lakes and Western Territories. Community College faculty are eligible to participate.
The application deadline has been extended to March 7, 2012.

Participants will have the opportunity to visit prominent sites from the war and explore diverse aspects of the conflict with renowned scholars like Alan Taylor, Andrew Cayton, David Skaggs, Gregory Dowd, Susan Sleeper-Smith, and others. Faculty will lead the group through the various social, political, cultural, military, and economic components of the war from its origins through its aftermath. Topics will include the nature of the military and naval conflict, the role of Native Americans, the degree to which the conflict should be seen as a Civil War, as well as the war’s broader political and social dimensions. We will tour several prominent historical sites in this key borderlands region, including Fort Meigs, Perry’s Victory and International Peace Monument, and the River Raisin Battlefield. The workshop is timed for the bicentennial of the conflict and is designed to help provide resources and knowledge for Community College faculty who teach this period of United States history. The broader perspective that we will take would also make it suitable for those who teach western civilization, world or Atlantic history, or history-related fields like anthropology, American studies, war and peace studies, or Native American studies.

These workshops will be offered July 22-27, 2012 and August 5-10, 2012 in Toledo, Ohio, a city in the heart of the war’s narrative. There is no fee to participate in this program and all participants will receive a $1,200 stipend to help defray travel and lodging expenses.

Go to www.1812landmarkscollege.org for more information and to learn how to learn how to participate. Applications are due March 7th!

Please also feel free to contact me with any questions,
Betsy Hedler, Ph.D.
Project Coordinator
The War of 1812 in the Northwest
NEH Landmarks of American History
Ohio Historical Society
800 E. 17th Ave. (new street address)
Columbus, OH 43211
614-297-2538
Fax: 614-297-2567

Legislative News Related to Higher Education in WA State

Keep up with news and happenings related to Washington’s community and technical colleges during the 2012 session with SBCTC Legislative News.


If you see last week’s edition, refresh your browser [F5].

OpenStax open, free textbooks

From the OpenStax website:
OpenStax College offers students free textbooks that meet scope and sequence requirements for most courses. These are peer-reviewed texts written by professional content developers. Adopt a book today for a turnkey classroom solution or modify it to suit your teaching approach. Free online and low-cost in print, OpenStax College books are built for today’s student budgets.

EDUCAUSE closing plenary: The Obviousness of Open, Cable Green

It's the last day, and the closing session, of the 2012 West/Southwest Regional EDUCAUSE Conference.
Some notes...

First Worldwide Open Education Week

http://www.openeducationweek.org/
March 5-10, 2012
Free webinars, videos, materials, links to events around the world

Opening four major universities (30,000 students) every week for the next fifteen years would allow us to meet the needs of the worlds college-age students. Ha! It just won't happen. Open education, open courses are our only hope.


Cape Town Open Education Declaration:

Unlocking the promise of open educational resources

We are on the cusp of a global revolution in teaching and learning. Educators worldwide are developing a vast pool of educational resources on the Internet, open and free for all to use. These educators are creating a world where each and every person on earth can access and contribute to the sum of all human knowledge. They are also planting the seeds of a new pedagogy where educators and learners create, shape and evolve knowledge together, deepening their skills and understanding as they go. Read more...

 Free Education through Saylor
Saylor.org is a free and open collection of college level courses. There are no registrations or fees required to take our courses, and you will earn a certificate upon completion of each course. Because we are not accredited, you will not earn a college degree or diploma; however, our team of experienced college professors has designed each course so you will be able to achieve the same learning objectives as students enrolled in traditional colleges. More Information



Creative Commons
OER are educational resources that reside in the public domain or are openly licensed (see Creative Commons) for others to use.

The Iron Triangle

College Presidents Talk about Costs, Access, and Quality

Concept of Rivalrous vs. Non-Rivalrous Resources
If you take someone's newspaper, they lose it.
If you read news on line, others can read it at the same time.

More to come...

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Early Learning

Remember those days of singing the alphabet song? This is a very short, "too cute not to share" video of a 2 1/2 year old girl singing her alphabet...well, she gets most of it right! What's remarkable is her articulation. She is, after all,singing in her THIRD language. She speaks Korean with her mom and maternal relatives, and speaks Turkish with her dad and paternal relatives  - the relatives in Korea and Turkey are reached via online chat!
This video is such a clear and simple example of the fact that our community is increasingly a global community, where using technology to connect with others around the globe will be the norm for our generations to come.

Enjoy the video - it's guaranteed to make you smile.

ACE - Diego Novarro - FELI coming to Washington!

For the first time, the Academy for College Excellence will be offering Faculty Experiential Learning Institutes in Washington State. Two week-long FELIS are being planned for June, to be offered at two college campuses. More information to come, as plans unfold.

From EDUCAUSE West/Southwest Regional Conference

Going Google at Portland State University
Going Google
PSU has migrated all 30,000+ student emails to Google
They found cost savings, almost no student calls for support after migration, grassroots heavyy adoption of other collaboration apps
Google groups for courses. Professors use to share documents and communicate with students. Mostly one-way use of groups at this time. Anticipate collaborative student work to occur in Docs.
Communication across campus community was essential.
"Google Guides" type group was essential.
Google was a very responsive partner/vendor.
What's Next for PSU?
Google Apps for alumni
Evaluate Google Additional Apps for the campus
Management of institutional data
Demo of Google sites, integrating docs, calendar, and so forth

ELI 7 Things You Should Know About Flipping the Classroom

Although the author emphasizes the benefits of the online lecture more than the benefits of increased time for one-on-one instructor-student interaction and formative assessment - as well as the increased opportunities for higher-level learning in the flipped classroom (synthesis, application, and evaluation) -  this ELI 7 Things 2-pager on flipped classrooms is a concise handout that could be useful to any instructor or instructional designer.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Fresh from EDUCAUSE

I'm posting this from Portland, Oregon, while attending the EDUCAUSE West/Southwest Regional Conference. Just notes...nothing polished!

Julie Evans - plenary session on The New Free Agent Student
Julie spoke about the findings and reports of National Speak Up.
Findings included K-12 students values of social-based learning, including both communications and collaboration, as well as setting up their own networks including their peers (of course) but also including their instructors and subject matter experts from outside of their school system, often national experts or international experts.
Students also value untethered learning and are frustrated by artificially-created boundaries, such as limits to online access by 1) filters and firewalls, and 2) prohibitions against use of mobile devices in their classrooms.
The three new "E"s of education: enabled, engaged and empowered. Students expect to access information as well as create and share content.

Integrating Information Literacy Across the Campus
University of Arizona librarians presented this session and shared links to their tutorials. Here's an example, titled "Avoiding Accidental Plagiarism."

International Faculty Professional Development


Marc Lentini,  Samad (Sam) Chakour,  and Ousamma Alkhalili, Highline Community College
 
Egypt -
  • faculty development/exchange with HCC
  • linking industry and technical training
  • Facebook, Skype, cell phones, mailman (mailman "maybe 10 users", Facebook is "smoking!")
  • website (in both English and Arabic)
Technology Challenges in Egypt
  • bandwidth and power (110 degrees, losing power!)
  • equipment (outdated, old software)
  • access (5 labs, limited access for students, only 1 lab has internet access)
  • Camtasia (used to share what we were doing in our projects)
  • digital divide is more evident, especially age
  • Example: college faculty teaching programming course in classroom equiped with a blackboard (no, not a whiteboard...) and the instructor brought his own projector. No computers.
Indonesia (just developing a community college system, similar to that of the United States)
  • Faculty development/Exchange
  • Web site portfoliios, Facebook, Skype (Egypt connecting with Indonesia)
Cultural Challenges and Best Practices
  • focus on relationsships (if you do not develop relationship and trust, you will go nowhere)
  • much social interaction led to a successful project
  • Language Sam and Ousamma are also native Arabic speakers. They presented workshops in both languages. Tip: Have a PPT slide in Arabic, followed by English so that all present could keep on track.
  • Idioms and jokes don't always translate well.
  • Be very flexible...extremely flexible...REALLY flexible.
  • Daily schedule change
  • Constant interuptions (cell phones, unannounced visitors, people in and out of meetings, answering cell phones, informal side conversations are the norm, it is not considered rude...be flexible.)
  • Cairo traffic (essentially 6:00am - midnight!) any meetings away from the main site meant bring food and water and plan to have your staff meeting in the car
  • Expect the unexpected...like riding donkeys.
Important note: translators who understand the context and the culture of the colleges and people involved are essential.
CCID - Community Colleges for International Development http://ccid.cc/programs/annual_conference/index.htm

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Afraid of Your Child's Math Textbook? You Should Be.

Here's an editor's inside perspective on the declining quality of publisher textbooks: http://open.salon.com/blog/annie_keeghan/2012/02/17/afraid_of_your_childs_math_textbook_you_should_be
On the flipside, it's interesting to see publishers like Pearson now incorporating OER into their materials. It seems the tables are turning, and I hope this eventually improves broader faculty perceptions of quality around open educational resources.

Tom Caswell
Open Education Policy Associate, SBCTC
(w) http://opencourselibrary.org (p) 360-747-7301
(b) http://tomcaswell.com (t) @tom4cam

Friday, February 17, 2012

Mural at Renton Technical College

The Basic Studies Department at RTC gets a new mural, a collaboration between artist Doug Kyes and the students....this is the story.

OER_ Open Course Library 2 minute video

What is the Washington State Open Course Library?
Here is a short-and-sweet two minute video of Tom Caswell giving us the scoop on OCL.
.

SBCTC News Links

SBCTC NEWS LINKS | Articles about – and of interest to – Washington state community and technical colleges


SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

 Two-year colleges on front lines of economic recovery

Tacoma Community College President Pamela Transue doesn’t mince words when she talks about how budget cuts are hurting her school and Washington’s other two-year institutions.



CBC moves closer to naming forensic lab

Columbia Basin College's board of trustees moved closer to formally naming the college's criminal justice forensic lab after former criminal justice instructor Jim Ownby.



Walla Walla incubator [model for other states] could guide city's wine ambitions
Walla Walla's incubator also includes a strong partnership with Walla Walla Community College, which Escondido could replicate with Cal State San Marcos, Phillips said. With the four-year university's new enology and viticulture programs just getting off the ground, creating an incubator similar to Walla Walla's in Escondido could help keep promising young winemakers in the region.
North County Times, February 11, 2012



Opinion: King County, cities announce plan to bolster aerospace jobs here

By Steve Isenhart, president of the Associated General Contractors of Washington, and Jeff Johnson, president of the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO.

Plan calls for King County to meet with investors and university research departments to explore ways to promote innovation, and it will provide up to $2 million from federal grants to spur expansion. … Inside a small airplane hangar beside Boeing Field, South Seattle Community College student Mustapha Achir said he's aiming for a career in aerospace. Achir has been waiting tables in the Space Needle restaurant for five years. Upon graduation, he plans first to seek a job at Boeing, then later earn a bachelor's degree and work his way up.

Seattle Times, February 15, 2012



Clallam absolves Incubator of debt

. … Peninsula College would assume some of the functions of what the Incubator was intended to do in the first place: provide economic development resources. The Incubator facility would be run for at least one year by the Peninsula College Business and Community Development Center, which already operates out of the Lincoln Center and has a full-time director. …  College interim President Brinton Sprague told commissioners Monday that the school favors the new model. “We’re all grateful to the community college,” Doherty said Tuesday.
Peninsula Daily News, February 15, 2012



Wining, crying, and blending masterpieces with foundry vineyards' winemaker Ali Mayfield

I chose Walla Walla Community College because the program is very hands-on and I am a hands-on learner. The first year is all viticulture and the second year is all enology. You are out in the vineyards and you have your own rows that you prune and take care of. We even had a teaching winery - at the time it was the only college in the U.S. with an actual teaching winery.

The Seattle Weekly, February 15, 2012



Clark College could benefit from [high-growth industry training] program

The Columbian, February 14, 2012


 Next chapter in the Arroyos whale’s tale, after almost 2 years

The skeleton is 40 feet long and weighs 1,400 pounds. It’s surrounded by a wooden structure mimicking the exact structural space and framing of its eventual home at Highline Community College’s MaST (Marine and Science Technology) Center in Des Moines

West Seattle Blog, February 11, 2012


 Cheers: To 50 years of nursing education at Clark College

The program celebrated its anniversary this week with a “baby shower” for its newest high-tech mannequin …  baby, which cost $38,000 and was purchased with Clark College Foundation funds …

The Columbian, February 11, 2012


King County aerospace alliance announces actions to support WA aerospace industry

Renton Patch, February 15, 2012


 Bellevue College adds a third bachelor's degree program

The new, four-year degree is in health-care technology and management at Bellevue College.

The Seattle Times, February 9, 2012


City partners in archeology program

College students will be excavating a site in Japanese Gulch this summer as practicing archeologists, recovering remnants of the Japanese community that called the gulch home in the early 1900s.  The city has partnered with Edmonds Community College and the Friends of Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary to create an anthropology and archeology field-training program.

Mukilteo Beacon, February 8, 2012


 When Colleges Recruit Abroad

Green River Community College is not alone in seeking to forge a global identity. Even elite institutions like Dartmouth College are identity challenged — the term “college” means “high school” in many countries. Green River should be commended for establishing a global reputation as a quality institution.
New York Times letters, February 8, 2012


Pierce College protests against education cuts

About 250 students who represented 13 community and technical colleges in Washington state shouted to the rooftops of the Capitol Rotunda last week in Olympia. Their message: “No ifs, no buts, no fees, no cuts!”

The News Tribune, February 8, 2012


 Simulated patients, real learning

Clark College nursing program marks its 50th year
The Columbian, February 7, 2012


Mural connects ESL students with education at Renton Technical College

Funded by a $250 small art project grant from the Renton Municipal Arts Commission awarded in September, ESL students in the Basic Studies program wasted no time in getting their ideas flowing.

Renton Patch, February 7, 2012


 Cantwell on FAA Aviation Jobs Bill: 'A Win for Aviation Innovation in Washington'

Aviation Pros, February 7, 2012



College, business leaders collaborate to ID workforce development opportunities

During the fall of 2011, the Association of Washington Business partnered with the Washington State Board for Community & Technical Colleges to sponsor business leader focus groups in five regions of the state … to gain a better understanding of Washington state's business and industry workforce needs and perceptions of Washington's community and technical colleges.

AWB Industry Insights, February 3, 2012


 SVC goes mostly meatless on Mondays — Cafeteria offers array of vegetarian options as part of Meatless Monday initiative
Apple soup, an arugula salad and eggplant medallions with brussels sprouts were on the cafe menu for Skagit Valley College on Monday.  But some students wondered: Where’s the beef?  It’s still there, alongside the cafeteria’s new offerings of expanded vegetarian options, available now every Monday as part of the school’s new “Meatless Monday.” ...  Meatless Monday is a global nonprofit initiative aimed at encouraging people to cut meat out of their meals one day a week to improve personal and planetary health, according to the website. The school signed on to the initiative after a suggestion from the Humane Society, and the idea was considered by the faculty and staff ...
Skagit Valley Herald, January 31, 2012
http://www.skagit.edu/files3.asp_Q_pagenumber_E_2960

Local economic development leaders to pursue Boeing suppliers

If Boeing increases production in Washington, its suppliers would want to be nearby, said Rick Goode, president and CEO of Vancouver-based Columbia Machine. … “One of the concerns would be whether we have the available workforce,” he said, adding that the area could use more vocational programs at area high schools and Clark College. “We are worried about a shortage.”

The Columbian, January 19, 2012



New UW Ethnic Cultural Center To Be Named In Honor of Dr. Samuel E. Kelly

Prior to his tenure at UW, Dr. Kelly served in the U.S. Army for 22 years (1944-1966), rising from the rank of private to colonel. He was the first African-American hired in the Washington State Community College System when he began teaching at Everett Community College in 1964. Dr. Kelly also taught and held administrative positions at Shoreline Community College (1967-1970).

The Seattle Medium, January 18, 2012


Bellingham Technical College Awarded $1.7M Grant

Bellingham Technical College has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help students in their efforts to complete their degree or certificate programs

January 16, 2012


TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

President to seek $8-billion for job-training partnerships involving community colleges

The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 13, 2012


 Open-door policies at 2-year colleges face threat, report says

The nation’s college-completion agenda may be threatening open-door admissions policies at two-year institutions …

The Chronicle of Higher Education, February 7, 2012


Web developers unleash code in hopes that students will take on bookstores

‘Scraping’ for textbook information, while controversial, has become commonplace on alternative textbook websites

eCampus News, February 14, 2012


Ask the Administrator: Friending Students on Facebook

Inside Higher Ed, February 15, 2012

 

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Letter:  Rep. Seaquist opinion piece on education innovation in Washington

Seattle Times letters, February 14, 2012


Higher-ed efficiency bill passes House

House Bill 2585 modifies the multiple state regulations, such as purchasing procedures and paycheck delivery, on higher education institutions.

Bellingham Herald, February 15, 2012





WGU 101: An invitation to Washington CTCs

Washington colleges are known for creating innovative partnerships to benefit students. I am delighted to be able to continue to work with the CTC system in my new capacity of chancellor of WGU Washington to fashion even more opportunities.

Over the past few months many colleges have requested information about WGU, such as how competency-based courses work and are assessed; how courses without “seat time” meet FA, veterans, and accreditation requirements; how you may adapt the WGU model for more cost-effective online delivery, etc. Others have initiated  wonderful partnership inquiries such as “reverse articulation” where students transferring shy of an associate degree can pick it up while continuing courses at WGU; 2+2 articulation programs, incorporating WGU’s competencies for seamless articulation and accelerated degree completion; guaranteed admission to WGU to alleviate transfer and affordability concerns; partnerships with hospitals for ADN to BSN or ADN to MSN articulation; addition of WGU’s programs to university centers; and articulations for unique programs, etc.

Seems like a great time to meet and share some information.

 WGU’s Associate Provost, Dr. Phil Schmidt, will join me in conducting a workshop on these topics for community and technical colleges on March 15 at Seattle Central Community College from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., followed by a hosted lunch. Individuals may also connect synchronously via Collaborate. You may click on the invitation below to RSVP (by March 8 please).

For more information, call 206.232.6666. Hoping to see you on March 15.
 
Jean Floten | Chancellor WGU Washington | washington.wgu.edu |


WGU 101 for Washington CTCs

WGU 101: Survey of Western Governors University


An overview of the WGU competency-based learning model and partnership opportunities, such as reverse articulation, AAS-T transfer, competency-based 2+2, and more.

~~~~~~~~

The Washington Community and Technical Colleges
are invited to join WGU in-person or by Collaborate

March 15, 9:30 to 11:30 a.m.
followed by a hosted lunch

Seattle Central Community College, Room 1139B or on your computer anywhere

Western Governors University (WGU) is the only entirely competency-based, online university in the US, offering programs in four colleges: teacher education, information technology, business, and health professions.

Dr. Phil Schmidt, WGU associate provost, will describe the academic programs and systems the university employs to deliver competency-based programs; various internships and clinical experiences offered in teacher education and health professions; laboratory experiences in science programs; and capstone experiences in graduate programs. He will also discuss program articulations and WGU’s transfer policies.

Participants may attend in person or virtually using Collaborate. You will receive further information, including instructions for connecting via Collaborate, as part of the RSVP process.

For further information, please contact:

Lucinda Taylor, Special Asst to the Chancellor, WGU Washington
ltaylor@wgu.edu
206.232.6666




OER-Creative Commons Licensing

Want to share your great work with other educators?
When you want to denote any of your educational materials with a Creative Commons license, you can copy one of the logos from this page onto your document(s):


http://creativecommons.org/about/downloads

OCL-Washington's Open Course Library in USA Today (today)

The Open Course Library is in USA Today. Enjoy!


Groups target textbook prices to rein in college costs

Washington state last fall launched an electronic library of books for 42 popular community college courses that are free online and cost no more than $30 in print, and it is set to add books for 39 more courses this year. The president of California's senate last week proposed a similar library for 50 courses at California's public colleges. In a plan funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other non-profit groups, Rice University this month announced it will provide free online textbooks for five of the nation's most-attended college courses. Rice officials estimate students in the USA could save $90 million over the next five years.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/story/2012-02-12/college-costs-free-textbooks/53123522/1


For further information, contact:
Tom Caswell

Open Education Policy Associate, SBCTC

(w) http://opencourselibrary.org (p) 360-747-7301

(b) http://tomcaswell.com (t) @tom4cam

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Updates from SBCTC Assessment, Teaching and Learning

Assessment, Teaching and Learning updates - February 16, 2012



Prior Learning


·         Identified single point of contact for each public, higher education institution (CTCs and BIs)

·         Conducted a day-long workshop for college teams, including points of contact, on November 15, 2011

·         A second, day-long workshop is in the planning stages, to include: hands-on training for faculty in use of a variety of assessment tools commonly used to assess prior learning; training for advising staff; and, training for public information officers, all in line with the legislative requirements for system-wide consistency and transparency.

·         These two recommendations were passed at the Prior Learning work group meeting on February 15th:

o   Fee structure: The work group recommends that the Cost Analysis and Fee Structure for Prior Learning Assessment as outlined be adopted throughout the higher education system in Washington.  

Institutions will use a formula based on the average hourly wage of faculty multiplied by the average time spent on administration of competency assessments for prior learning, plus the indirect cost rate.

Direct Cost Rate: Average full-time faculty hourly rate, including benefits

Indirect Cost Rate: A percentage of the direct cost rate determined by the institution

Direct Cost Rate + Indirect Cost Rate X Time of Assessment =Maximum Rate for Course

For the average full-time faculty member in the Community and Technical College system, the hourly rate – including benefits - is $45/hour.  The indirect cost rate shall not exceed 50.7% of the direct rate, for a combined maximum of $68/hour. The same formula will be used to determine fees of other institutions, by inserting the applicable average hourly faculty wages and indirect costs.

o   Coding: The work group recommends that the Community and Technical College System implement direct transcription of Prior Learning Assessment courses using section and item codes as identified by the State Board for Community and Technical Colleges with implementation for the 2012-13 academic year. (Note: SBCTC research staff tentatively recommended a code of “PLC.”)

·         The HECB is responsible for providing a report to the Legislature for 2011. That report is still in draft form.



Transforming Precollege Education

Link to Precollege Education wiki: http://precollegeeducation.wikispaces.com/

·         Recommendations of the Transforming Precollege Education (pedagogy) work group are being implemented through training offered at the Fall and Winter College Readiness Retreats, and through sessions at the upcoming Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference (May 2-4)

·         A spreadsheet has been developed to identify instructional practices at each college which represent implementation of the precollege pedagogy recommendations. View at Google docs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ArVpzmcv6u1ZdDFWYkozZ0lIeFZuMVZSY19HWjJPNFE&pli=1#gid=0



Leading from the Classroom

Link to Leading from the Classroom wiki: http://leadingfromtheclassroom.wikispaces.com/

The purpose of this WACTC/TACTC-sponsored project is to accelerate adoption of instructional technology and open education resources:

·         Kick-off/train-the-trainer was held in November

·         Regional workshops – led by faculty-trainers – have all filled to capacity:

o   Lake Washington Technical Institute, February 7th

o   Tacoma Community College, March 16th

o   Spokane Community College, March 23rd

·         A finale is being planned in conjunction with the Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference

·         This project is currently under budget and we hope to be able to offer one additional regional workshop.

Note: This project is currently under budget and we hope to be able to offer one additional regional workshop, within existing funds.



Further details are available on each work group wiki.

Questions? Contact Noreen Light, nlight@sbctc.edu  or 360.704.4345

Campus Safety and Security

In 2011, the Business Affairs Commission (BAC) formed the Campus Safety and Security committee which has:

·         Discussed the Campus Safety and Security report submitted to the legislature in December of 2011.

·         Identified the Center of Excellence for Homeland Security as one resource for training.

·         Met with Elman McClain, Campus Security Director at Seattle Central CC, and president of a loosely-organized group of Safety, Security and Emergency Management Personnel, to discuss the purpose of the committee and a proposed training event for campus safety and administrative personnel.

·         Discussed the need to formalize the SSEMP group.

·         Developed an agenda for a two-day training (to be held in late August) based upon areas of need as noted in the 2011 report to the legislature. The topics of workshop sessions include behavior intervention teams, campus community emergency response teams, and working with local first responders (mutual aid, memoranda of understanding, and so forth). Workshop sessions will be led by college teams identified as exemplary models in these areas.

·         Proposed creation of a Campus Safety and Security web page to be housed on the SBCTC web site. The page would include links to each college’s safety and security page. Because colleges are already updating and posting their crime statistics and other information in compliance with state and federal law, having the links to each of the college’s security pages would provide access to the college information without compiling all of the information in one written document. (There is a bill still moving which would eliminate the biennial Campus Safety and Security report to the Legislature.)



Professional Development  for Instruction

Link to the Assessment, Teaching and Learning web page: http://www.sbctc.edu/college/e_assessment.aspx

Highlights of professional development activities:

·         College Readiness Retreats – designed for precollege faculty; 50-60 participants attend; mostly developmental education faculty, some ABE faculty, ESL faculty, faculty who teach college-level courses in a team-teaching setting with precollege faculty; and, a few advisors, librarians and administrators. Workshops are developed to showcase classroom practices implementing the recommendations of the Transforming Precollege Education work group, in the areas of 1) contextualized/integrated; 2)outcomes-based/accelerated; 3)modularized; 4) cohort-building; or 5) inverted models/”flipped” classrooms.

·         Assessment, Teaching and Learning Retreats – convening the Assessment Liaisons and the Faculty Development Leads from each of the colleges. The Fall retreat is focused on assessment, and the Winter retreat is focused on faculty development.

·         Assessment, Teaching and Learning Conference – this is an annual event held in even years in Vancouver, WA and in odd years in Spokane, WA. Usually attended by about 400 people, primarily faculty. There are 5 concurrent pre-conference workshops - each is 3.5 hours long – on May 2nd. And, there are 48 sessions scheduled during May 3rd and 4th. Session tracks include the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning; Assessment; Precollege education; Multicultural; Students experiences; and, eLearning.

·         New Faculty Institute – a two-day event for new (and not-so-new) faculty held in the fall of each year. Sessions include Writing Outcomes, Assessment, Lesson Planning, Syllabi, Classroom Management, and Legal Issues.

·         Faculty Learning Communities – 22 learning communities have been meeting this year. Highlights of the work faculty have been involved in will be showcased at the ATL Conference in May.

·         Leading from the Classroom: Accelerating adoption of instructional technology and open education resources (see other side of page)

·         eLearning – online trainings area offered monthly in How to Teach Online, Introduction to ANGEL, and Intermediate ANGEL. Face-to-face trainings are offered regionally in use of Tegrity, Advanced ANGEL, and Quality Matters. Seats are available in Sloan-C online workshops. See your eLearning Director.


·         Adult Basic Education – ABE offers a variety of ABE and ESL-specific trainings, including a statewide conference, Rendezvous 2012 – Accelerating Success, July 23-25, Yakima, WA


·         Workforce  - workforce-specific trainings are offered through the Center of Excellence for Careers in Education, and other Centers of Excellence. CoE Education page: http://www.careersined.org/training_events/index.shtm