HOW TO BUILD A BETTER TEACHER

Everett Community College Academies PresentationPeg Balachowski & Alyson IndrunasInstruction Commission May 8, 2014Creating a Faculty Institute

EvCC Professional DevelopmentInstruction Commission May 20142

Peg BalachowskiFaculty MentorEverett Community CollegeHOW TO BUILD A BETTER TEACHER

New Faculty Teaching AcademyInstruction Commission May 20144

Instruction Commission May 20145GoalsDevelopmentFocusImplementationAssessment

WhoTimeCostResultsMaterials

Topics for TodayCore competencies, building community, Taking risks5Instruction Commission May 20146What are the qualities of a great teacher? Is formal training other than content expertise necessary for CC instructors?How do we nurture transformation and change in a risk-averse world?How do we encourage educators to embrace innovation, cope with change, and learn from failure or struggle?

The StartCore competencies, building community, Taking risks6GoalsBuild teaching expertisePrevent cave dwellingShift is from access to successDevelop faculty who disturb the universe

Instruction Commission May 20147Disturbing the universe (T.S. Elliot) If we have faculty who are doing more of the same we will get more of the same. Think about the language behind the Completion Agenda intrusive advising, mandatory placement, data driven, deeper engagement all sound like more robust and energetic practices! And if you ask college administrators, failure is NOT an option! We cannot settle of business as usual.Access everyone gets inSuccess everyone gets out! Completion agenda7MISSION STATEMENTThe New Faculty Teaching Academy will serve as an agent for innovation and transformation, and will seek to foster excellence in teaching and learning practices. Toward this end, the Teaching Academy will be designed to provide opportunities for professional growth to new faculty.

Instruction Commission May 20148Membership in the New Faculty Academy will: Improve instructional performance;Transfer the educational philosophy of the college;Frame the educational journey;Promote norms of collaboration and learning.

The REAL mission is to EMPOWER educators to make meaningful connections. How do we create rich and rewarding connections?

8DevelopmentA literature review revealed that:Many faculty teach as they were taughtMany faculty development programs fail to make significant changesInstruction Commission May 20149DevelopmentActivities must include a range of activities to improve, renew, or assist new faculty in their varied roles. Opportunities for collaboration should be included.Instruction Commission May 20141010The FocusInstruction Commission May 201411Promoting innovation in the classroom;Facilitating paths to success in teaching and the development of exemplary teaching practices; Engagement;Developing opportunities for leadership.

exploring the variables which help explain engagement behavior; and, understanding how faculty perceive and experience engagement.11The learning process does not come without risk. How do you develop 21st century skills when most of us were educated with 20th century pedagogies?

Instruction Commission May 201412We need the courage to let go of the old world and relinquish what we have cherished and to abandon our interpretations of what does and does not work

Insert comment about Peter Elbow most of us are teachers because we were obedient students. Elbowis a Emeritus Professor of English at U Mass Amherst and Founding Faculty at Evergreen State College12ImplementationOrientation (2 days Week 0)Begin developing the cohort communityBegin developing the campus communityScavenger hunt on campusInstruction Commission May 2014

13ImplementationMonthly meetingsParticipants present material from book to groupOther critical discussion topics

Instruction Commission May 201414

Low tech a book and a composition book14ResultsInstruction Commission May 201415Rich conversations Deep investment in transformative teachingFaculty interested in catalyzing student engagementImprovement in student evaluations

AssessmentInstruction Commission May 201416Pre-SurveyPost-SurveyTeaching Perspectives InventoryPersonal ReflectionsGetting hired!16Instruction Commission May 201417Hearing and seeing how other faculty use classroom technology is really inspiring. Also, forming a contact with a person who has experience with the technology can be really beneficial when it comes time to troubleshoot an issue.The idea that the diversity of programs we represent is striking: commonalities abound about approaches to structuring courses and classes, challenges are similar.

Instruction Commission May 201418There are partnerships that are developing out of these relationships that would never have been thought about let alone come to fruition without your vision to construct an academy this way. It's a wonderful example of thinking outside the box.This kind of coming alongside new faculty at EvCC is powerful and empowering.

Instruction Commission May 201419 EvCC presents a culture of deliberate sustenance of new faculty - it speaks to value of person as learner/teacher and contribution to the college's mission, one student at a time.I was able to meet other instructors from different departments and I was able to walk away with actual changes and improvements to my courses ready forimplementation.

CostsInstruction Commission May 201420Orientation 2 daysFood light breakfast each dayLunch each day; one lunch with Deans CouncilBeginning Fall 2014, cost of attending over 2 days (change in contract) at 30 hour rate ($40.11)Lunch with Deans = $275

Pizza lunch $70.0020Orientation Day 1Instruction Commission May 201421Welcome by President, VPIDiscussion of strategic goalsPoliciesScavenger huntLunch with Deans = $275

Pizza lunch $70.0021Instruction Commission May 201422Enrollment Services, eLearningAlignment of core learning outcomesCenter for Disability ServicesLibrary tour; Security scenariosStudent evaluations (IDEA)HomeworkOrientation Day 2Lunch with Deans = $275

Pizza lunch $70.0022CostsInstruction Commission May 2014232012-13 Academic Year 14 faculty2013-14 Academic Year 11 faculty2014-15 Academic Year 8 facultyMaterialsHow Learning Works @ $25/eachComposition book for reflectionsPrinting (minimal)

23CostsInstruction Commission May 201424PersonnelMy time 1/3 release as Faculty MentorAdditional Dean in Academy24Instruction Commission May 201425Canvas courseModules for just in time issuesFrequent contact with faculty to discuss student evaluations, professional development opportunities, networking, assessment, classroom management issues, teaching techniquesAdditional MaterialsInstruction Commission May 201426Doing, sharing, explaining, supporting, arguing, teaching each otherthese reliably lead to learning. Interdisciplinary nature of Academy helps to break down silos.When people are respected as professionals they engage in their profession.

Bottom LineInstruction Commission May 201427Faculty receive a strong start in their EvCC career during the orientation There is committed support with the availability of someone to answer questions and provide guidance as neededFaculty support each other

Bottom LineAlyson Indrunas, M.A., M.Ed.eLearning DirectorEverett Community College Mentoring Adjunct Faculty: Title III Best PracticesNobody grows up thinking: I want to be an adjunct when I grow up.Instruction Commission May 201429

ROIInstruction Commission May 201430As we move towards a cultural norm in higher education of adjuncts carrying the brunt of teaching labor, there is a need to establish mentorship and support that currently does not exist. If we are going to be honest with ourselves about increasing student engagement and success, then we have to admit that we must change how we support teachersthe return-on-investment for institutional professional development is to advocate for mentoring, networking, and training adjunct faculty. Quoted from NISOD Abstract listed on the wiki30Associate Faculty AcademyShare strategies from Everett Community College

Collaborate with faculty members and encourage them to use online resources to improve student engagement and retention.

Can two tenured faculty and one adjunct faculty, one dean, and a Director of eLearning create an online course to promote professional development for new adjunct faculty?

31Associate Faculty Academy OverviewThe college received a five-year Title III grant which administrators initiated in fall 2012 to strengthen academic programs by improving course delivery.

The project focused on instituting faculty development initiatives to expand Quality Matters assessments, use eLearning tools, and develop annual cohorts of newly-hired faculty.

Four faculty mentors from three different disciplines led the effort, by providing training, one-to-one assistance, and assessment.

YEAR 1: 2012-2013Instruction Commission May 201433

Winter:QM Training Collaboration

Spring:Brain Dump of Major Ideas1st cohort of faculty in Angel Summer:Instructional Designer Built Course in Canvas Fall:Second Cohort in Canvas

Year 2: 2013-2014Winter:Cohort 3 The word is out! Revision:Motivation and Follow-upRethinking our requirementsRevisions based on lessons learned

Spring:New Lead on project

Lesson Learned? Be Creative! Instruction Commission May 201435

The Classroom Where We Learned

The 21st Century Classroom

Decades of Change

What is the Associate Faculty Academy?

How Do We Do It? The Associate Faculty Academy which will begin during their first quarter of employment and end with a self reflection after receiving the IDEA survey results from their first quarter. New faculty are defined as new to EvCC.

Administrative Assistants will forward the names and course assignments to the Dean of Arts & Learning Resources within one week of hiring new associate faculty.

These faculty will be contacted by the Arts & Learning Resources division office with the start date of the Academy and the name of their assigned Title III project mentor.

The Academy will be conducted online through the Canvas learning management system. Upon successful completion of the activities, the associate faculty member will be compensated for eight hours of work at the special assignment rate ($41.11/hr).

Time and $ InvestmentOn campus activitiesOrientation to the Academy (1.5 hours)

Classroom management strategies & problem solving (1.5 hours)

OL ActivitiesLMS Canvas activities (8 hours)

Faculty are invited to participate in two face-to-face meetings with the Title III mentors to foster broader discussions of instructional best practices, share useful pedagogy, and engage with the EvCC academic culture.

Faculty will be compensated for their completion of these activities for a total of $500.

Main Goals for New TeachersBy networking and collaborating with other faculty members in this course, we hope that teachers:

1] gain insightful information about the culture of Everett Community College

2] complete activities that are useful for their teaching

3] participate in cutting edge faculty professional development.

Course ObjectivesWhat do we want new faculty to know?Develop and Post course syllabusDevelop and post to Canvas a course syllabus which includes EvCC established course objectives and outcomes

Submit a BIT (Behavioral Intervention Team)Submit a BIT report to document student behavioral issues and concerns.

Demonstrate Learning Objectives Alignment Demonstrate in the syllabus the alignment of student learning objectives with assessment strategies using Quality Matters standards

Objectives ContinuedEngage StudentsEngage students through the use of a welcome message in the Canvas classroom.

Construct GradebookConstruct a Canvas Gradebook to provide student feedback.Select IDEA Form ObjectivesSelect objectives on the IDEA survey faculty information form based on established course outcomes

Write ReflectionComplete a written reflection and assessment of the Academy.

How do we get started? A letter from the Dean of Arts and Learning Resources: A big dog on campus cares about me!

Two key words in the letter from the dean: Upon completion of these activities, you will receive compensation for eight hours of work at the special assignment rate of $41.22 per hour.

Lunch included!

Driven Teachers + New Campus =Overwhelming Experience

How do we start?

Associate Faculty Academy

Pre-Assessment

Post-Assessment

Pre-Assessment

Post-Assessment

Supporting New Teachers

How did we put this together?

Syllabus Ten EssentialsDay Zero for TeachersCourse Title, Schedule and Class Location

2.Instructor InformationInclude the instructors name, office location, hours, campus phone, and faculty email address.

3. Textbooks and Other MaterialsList the textbooks and other materials required or recommended for the course. This section should also detail special equipment required or recommended. Include ISBN, author(s), edition, and year of publication for students who buy their books off-campus.

Day 1 for Students! 4. Course Description and Learning ObjectivesThis section includes the course description and objectives taken verbatim from the current course information form. 5.Course RequirementsThis section describes what students are expected to do in the course. The narrative might include description of such things as participation in class activities, group work, readings, discussion, projects, tests, and other forms of assessment.

Syllabus Ten Essentials6. Assessment and Grading Policy

7. Attendance and Participation Policy

8.Course Accessibility and Accommodations

9. Syllabus Caveat This course is subject to change

10. Course Calendar/Course Outline

Wordle

Reality? Our grant will end. What then? You may be thinking, I dont have a grant. What can I do?

Organize the full-time faculty who consistently participate in professional development, and ask them if new part-timers can observe their courses. Classes that are on your LMS are ideal for this type asynchronous mentoring.

Start with discussions about course design that are particular to your institutions learning management system (LMS).

How do we institutionalize this?If there is funding available, compensate part-timers for attending trainings and demonstrations done by other faculty.

I see these sessions as working in two complimentary ways. The full-timers get to showcase the goals they have for their departments, and part-time faculty are made to feel that their time and input are both valuable. Use your homegrown talent!If you have professional development grants, then open those up to adjunct faculty who are using innovative teaching methods.

While companies will often send their own product trainers to demonstrate such tools, it is perhaps more effective when teachers learn how to use them from each other, given that this more local interaction can then be followed up at will.

For instance, when I learned to use a lecture capture recording tool, I was paid to facilitate a faculty training session. Teaching my colleagues was rewarding because many of them later shared a variety of uses for this new capability with each other, thereby proving its utility and promoting and exchange of ideas.

60Interdepartmental MentorshipsThe teacher ego can be a fragile thing, and cross-disciplinary mentorship can enable teachers to talk about pedagogical practices without belaboring details of content.

Encourage networking between departments beyond Welcome Week!

Pay for innovative faculty to go to local conferences together as groups.Highlight our idea of taking the Prof. Tech teachers to ATL and their conversations with our Chemistry faculty.61We have to change our thinking!Teachers who feel supported and valued transfer that satisfaction onto their students.

Instead of seeing this task as daunting, we can facilitate professional development by understanding the symbiotic nature of student and teacher success.

As we look for more ways to ensure student success, we have to think of ways to support teachers who have long-term goals and short-term contracts.

Access this EvCC PowerPoint: http://bit.ly/1g0pR6lAlyson Indrunas, Director of eLearning aindrunas@everettcc.edu425.388.9585NISOD Webinar on June 26, 2014 11:00-12:00pm (PST)

Peg Balachowski, Faculty Mentor mbalachowski@everettcc.edu425.388.9502

Thank you for inviting us! Q & AInstruction Commission May 201464