FINALS WEEK ADVICE
It is officially finals week at BRCC. Where did our semester go? Hopefully this will be a time for achievement and affirmation. Pledge to create a testing atmosphere that allows your students to perform at their best. Remind them to study, rest, and eat so that they are ready for the challenges of assessment. This is also a great time to begin to reflect on your work this semester. If you journaled, like I did, you can take a look at the entries once more. I am amazed at where we (the students and me) began this journey and where we are now. I have seen tremendous growth from most of my students. I have witnessed grit and persistence. I have seen success. I always learn so much about teaching and learning over the course of a semester and this one proved to be filled with lessons. I have also taken another look at all of my assessment instruments I used over the semester and tried to incorporate what worked best, based on the scores achieved by my students, into my final assessment. The proof will be in the final grades although I can tell you that all of my students have learned. They are better equipped to handle the pressures of college and they have changed their ideas about what learning is and how to do it. Today is a good day. Keep calm and be engaged!
KEEPING CALM AND BEING ENGAGED
Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs Monique Cross and I gathered with the Engaged Scholars on Friday to celebrate their success and acknowledge their efforts. Teachers who come each day to make a difference give us so much inspiration. Many of the "engagement specialists" shared stories of what happened in their classrooms and online and the recollections were filled with good news and accomplishments. Capital One was the corporate sponsor for the event held at Bistro Byronz. Patrick Olinde, district manager, and Mary Pourciau, manager of the Broadmoor branch, represented Capital One and were so excited to hear about BRCC's accomplishments. Engaged Scholars recognized for 2013-14 included Mrs. Catherine Doyle (Nursing), Dr. Sandra Guzman (Science), Mr. Paul Guidry (Criminal Justice), Mr. Wes Harris (English), Dr. Mary Miller (Science), and Mrs. Amy Pinero (Criminal Justice). If you are looking to improve your interaction skills or learn a few engagement strategies, please contact the Teaching+Learning Center to discuss creating a personal plan of action.
COMPETENCY-BASED EDUCATION
Sally Johnstone and Thad Nodine have written an article for Inside Higher Ed about competency-based education (CBE). Although available to students for several decades, CBE has seen a jump in interest over the past year. Politicians at the national level are encouraging innovation in new delivery models. Federal agencies and
foundations are weighing in with studies and grants. And think tanks and higher education associations are organizing convenings and webinars. Meanwhile, more colleges and universities are beginning to offer
competency-based education (CBE) programs and many others are considering them. There has been plenty of attention, at the 30,000-foot level, concerning the potential benefits and risks of CBE, but little has been shared about what the programs entail on the ground, particularly for traditional institutions. One critical characteristic that distinguishes CBE from other courses is that students can progress at their own pace. They progress toward
course objectives and toward a certificate or degree, based on demonstrating the knowledge and skills required at each level. That is, learning becomes the constant -- and is demonstrated through mastery of learning objectives, or competencies -- and time becomes the variable.
Showing posts with label prior learning assessment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prior learning assessment. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2013
FACULTY DEVELOPMENT ON TAP
Dr. Barbara Millis' visit on February 28 will include a session at 3:00 PM on using cooperative techniques to improve student learning and retention. Dr. Millis has three books in the BRCC Library's collection including Cooperative Learning in High Education: across the disciplines, across the academy, The Course Syllabus: a learning-centered approach, and Using Simulations to Promote Learning in Higher Education: an introduction. In addition, I would encourage you to read two of her IDEA papers, namely Active Learning Strategies in Face-to-Face Classes and Promoting Deep Learning.
ACE PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR PLA AND MORE
As a member of the American Council on Education (ACE), BRCC has a number of resources available that can help us as we navigate the creation of a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program of excellence. ACE has been involved in a three year program funded by FIPSE (Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education). Maps to Credentials is designing and piloting credential road maps for student veterans, applying ACE credit recommendations for military occupations and training and incorporating other PLA methods to accelerate veterans' post-secondary attainment. The project is focusing initially on military veterans, a population with college-level skills and knowledge gained through military service, which are essential to the country’s workforce. Cross-sector project advisory groups have been established at the national level and at each partner college and include both employers and veterans in addition to individuals from higher education.
HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR STUDENTS
An article by Trigwell, Ellis and Han published by the Studies in Higher Education journal indicates that there is a strong relationship with how students feel about a course and their motivation and approaches to learning. The article, Relations between Student's Approaches to Learning, Experienced Emotions and Outcomes of Learning, reports that there are strong links between the approaches taken to teaching and those taken to learning. The authors' research revealed that teachers who use the covering material approach will create an environment that encourages their students to memorize the information with little understanding or retention of the material. A positive classroom environment, which includes student engagement, provides motivation and promotes effort especially as it relates to studying and preparation.
PROBLEM SOLVER ON THE JOB
Chancellor Andrea Miller made a splash in the Sunday edition of The Advocate. The story reports on the challenges that have occurred during Dr. Miller's one-year tenure and describes the resolve she has shown as she continues to work to create a better BRCC. Tabbed the "Problem Solver" in the article, Chancellor Miller says, “Retention is one of my top priorities. We’ve got to meet students where they are. If we see them on the brink of dropping out, we have to provide that support. We also have to do a good job in assessing our students when they come to us, and identify potential problems as early as possible and provide the assistance they need.”
Dr. Barbara Millis' visit on February 28 will include a session at 3:00 PM on using cooperative techniques to improve student learning and retention. Dr. Millis has three books in the BRCC Library's collection including Cooperative Learning in High Education: across the disciplines, across the academy, The Course Syllabus: a learning-centered approach, and Using Simulations to Promote Learning in Higher Education: an introduction. In addition, I would encourage you to read two of her IDEA papers, namely Active Learning Strategies in Face-to-Face Classes and Promoting Deep Learning.
ACE PROVIDES BENEFITS FOR PLA AND MORE
As a member of the American Council on Education (ACE), BRCC has a number of resources available that can help us as we navigate the creation of a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program of excellence. ACE has been involved in a three year program funded by FIPSE (Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education). Maps to Credentials is designing and piloting credential road maps for student veterans, applying ACE credit recommendations for military occupations and training and incorporating other PLA methods to accelerate veterans' post-secondary attainment. The project is focusing initially on military veterans, a population with college-level skills and knowledge gained through military service, which are essential to the country’s workforce. Cross-sector project advisory groups have been established at the national level and at each partner college and include both employers and veterans in addition to individuals from higher education.
HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR STUDENTS
An article by Trigwell, Ellis and Han published by the Studies in Higher Education journal indicates that there is a strong relationship with how students feel about a course and their motivation and approaches to learning. The article, Relations between Student's Approaches to Learning, Experienced Emotions and Outcomes of Learning, reports that there are strong links between the approaches taken to teaching and those taken to learning. The authors' research revealed that teachers who use the covering material approach will create an environment that encourages their students to memorize the information with little understanding or retention of the material. A positive classroom environment, which includes student engagement, provides motivation and promotes effort especially as it relates to studying and preparation.
PROBLEM SOLVER ON THE JOB
Chancellor Andrea Miller made a splash in the Sunday edition of The Advocate. The story reports on the challenges that have occurred during Dr. Miller's one-year tenure and describes the resolve she has shown as she continues to work to create a better BRCC. Tabbed the "Problem Solver" in the article, Chancellor Miller says, “Retention is one of my top priorities. We’ve got to meet students where they are. If we see them on the brink of dropping out, we have to provide that support. We also have to do a good job in assessing our students when they come to us, and identify potential problems as early as possible and provide the assistance they need.”
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
DISRUPTION CAN BE GOOD
The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a meeting today to talk about the "disruptive ideas" that are changing the landscape of higher education. On the agenda for discussion were the topics of massive open online courses (MOOCs), competency-based education, course redesign and prior learning assessment. The latter two topics are also trending at BRCC right now. This past Friday and Saturday, I was joined by Susan Nealy, Gail Suberbielle, and Laura Younger at a course redesign workshop. We were joined by colleagues from around the world to talk about how good course redesign can not only improve student learning but typically drive down costs as well.
LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR CREDIT
Prior Learning Assessment, awarding college credit for college-level learning from work and life experience, is becoming a standard practice at many institutions. Pat Green Smith and I have been working on developing a PLA policy that will allow us to recruit and retain more adult students. PLA has been proven to be beneficial to student success. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) recently conducted a study on PLA and adult student outcomes. The study examined data on 62,475 adult students at 48 colleges and universities across the country. CAEL found that graduation rates are two and a half times higher for students with PLA credit. PLA students also had higher persistence rates and a faster time to degree completion.
MID-SEMESTER ASSESSMENT
As we approach the middle of the term, I want to encourage you to take the temperature of your classes. Mid-semester assessments help you avoid the surprises that a once a semester student rating survey can only reveal once it is too late. You can, of course, create your own survey instruments or you can have the Teaching+Learning Center come in and help either with the creation of the tool, implementation, assessment or all of it. If you want to do it on your own, the folks at Dalhousie University have a good website that can get you started. The Field Tested Learning Assessment Guide for Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology Instructors website is another good resource and gives you a very concise explanation of what assessment should accomplish.
INTRUSIVE INSTRUCTION
Revisiting the theme of engagement, I want to encourage you to use all of the available tools to track the activities of your students. If you assign reading, then you should be testing them on that and I would encourage you to use a short online quiz via your Blackboard site. If you are asking them to watch a video, then monitor who has watched it. Taking a look at these and other analytics will alert you to problems early. Research shows that if a student waits to become engaged with the material, that is a pretty good indicator that they will struggle with the class. Being intrusive with your students indicates that you are a good teacher who cares deeply about their learning. In addition, it is important to understand what types of learners you have enrolled in your courses. The use of a Learning Style Inventory (LSI) instrument can help them understand how they learn best but it also provides them with information on what they may need to work on to become a better student. You can also use this information to better tailor your instruction to your student's needs. There are a number of free LSI surveys that provide solid feedback.
WHAT DO YOU THINK
Finally, I want to remind those who have not done so to complete the T+LC Needs Assessment survey now.
The U.S. Department of Education is hosting a meeting today to talk about the "disruptive ideas" that are changing the landscape of higher education. On the agenda for discussion were the topics of massive open online courses (MOOCs), competency-based education, course redesign and prior learning assessment. The latter two topics are also trending at BRCC right now. This past Friday and Saturday, I was joined by Susan Nealy, Gail Suberbielle, and Laura Younger at a course redesign workshop. We were joined by colleagues from around the world to talk about how good course redesign can not only improve student learning but typically drive down costs as well.
LIFE EXPERIENCE FOR CREDIT
Prior Learning Assessment, awarding college credit for college-level learning from work and life experience, is becoming a standard practice at many institutions. Pat Green Smith and I have been working on developing a PLA policy that will allow us to recruit and retain more adult students. PLA has been proven to be beneficial to student success. The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) recently conducted a study on PLA and adult student outcomes. The study examined data on 62,475 adult students at 48 colleges and universities across the country. CAEL found that graduation rates are two and a half times higher for students with PLA credit. PLA students also had higher persistence rates and a faster time to degree completion.
MID-SEMESTER ASSESSMENT
As we approach the middle of the term, I want to encourage you to take the temperature of your classes. Mid-semester assessments help you avoid the surprises that a once a semester student rating survey can only reveal once it is too late. You can, of course, create your own survey instruments or you can have the Teaching+Learning Center come in and help either with the creation of the tool, implementation, assessment or all of it. If you want to do it on your own, the folks at Dalhousie University have a good website that can get you started. The Field Tested Learning Assessment Guide for Science, Math, Engineering, and Technology Instructors website is another good resource and gives you a very concise explanation of what assessment should accomplish.
INTRUSIVE INSTRUCTION
Revisiting the theme of engagement, I want to encourage you to use all of the available tools to track the activities of your students. If you assign reading, then you should be testing them on that and I would encourage you to use a short online quiz via your Blackboard site. If you are asking them to watch a video, then monitor who has watched it. Taking a look at these and other analytics will alert you to problems early. Research shows that if a student waits to become engaged with the material, that is a pretty good indicator that they will struggle with the class. Being intrusive with your students indicates that you are a good teacher who cares deeply about their learning. In addition, it is important to understand what types of learners you have enrolled in your courses. The use of a Learning Style Inventory (LSI) instrument can help them understand how they learn best but it also provides them with information on what they may need to work on to become a better student. You can also use this information to better tailor your instruction to your student's needs. There are a number of free LSI surveys that provide solid feedback.
WHAT DO YOU THINK
Finally, I want to remind those who have not done so to complete the T+LC Needs Assessment survey now.
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