Volume 6.1 (2013}

TOUCHSTONE

The Journal of the Professor

Magda Vasillov Center for

Teaching and Learning

Hostos Communicy College

TOUCHSTONE Volume 6.1 (Spring 2013) Published annually by the Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning, the Division of Academic Affairs, Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College of The City University of New York.

Editors: Carl James Grindley, Ph.D. English Department

Kim Sanabria, Ph.D. The Department of Language and Cognition

Editorial Review Board Robert F. Cohen, Ph.D. Chair, Language and Cognition Department

Ruslan Flek, Ph.D. Mathematics

Richard Gampert, Ph.D. Director of Institutional Research and Student Assessment

Jennifer Tang, M.L.S., M.F.A. Library

Catherine Lewis, M.F.A. Journal review and design Media Design, Humanities

The Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College 500 Grand Concourse, The Bronx, NY 10451

The Editors would like to thank:

Nelson Nunez-Rodriguez, Ph.D. Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning

Sarah Brennan, M.S. Assistant Director, Center for Teaching and Learning

The views expressed in Touchstone are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College or The City University of New York.

Cover image: James R Kennis Ph.D., "Origamic Architecture," 2013.

Copyright© 2013 by the authors. All rights reserved.

2 Touchstone

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Carmen I. Caballes-Vega Preface 5

Carl James Grindley and Kim Introduction Sanabria

Cynthia Jones and America Collation-Convite: A Narrative Collective -A Model of 10 Trinidad Collaboration and Storysharing

Rees E. E. Shad The Hive Cooperative Collaborative Publishing for Student 15 Engagement

Sandy Figueroa Service+ Learning: Welcome to the 21st Century 19

Nelson Nuiiez Rodriguez Reconciling Learning and Teaching Styles in STEM 27 Disciplines Through a Cogenerative Dialogue

Elyse Zucker and Julie Trachman Teaching Environmentalism as English 34

Kate Lyons, Carlos Guevara, The Hybrid Initiative at Hostos: A Case Study Sandy Figueroa, Jacqueline DiSanto, and George Rosa

Jim Kennis Origami for life! 46

Craig Bernardini Teaching Philosophy 51

Isabel Feliz Teaching Philosophy 55

Alexander Vaninsky A Mathematician's View of Educational Neuroscience: 58 A Hunt for a Mathematical Genius

Bronislaw Czarnocha On Creativity and Understanding in Remedial Mathematics 68

Jacqueline M. DiSanto Learning Styles: Offering Your Students a Complement 77

Sherese Mitchell Online Translation 82

Edward L. King and Christine The Effectiveness of Computer Adaptive Testing in Raising 86

O'Reilly Standardized Test Results of Minority/ESL Nursing Students

Lisa Tappeiner and Kate Lyons Technology innovations in publishing: new opportunities 91 for educators at Community Colleges

Alisa Roost Supporting Veterans in the Classroom 97

6.1 (Spring 2013) 3

PREFACE

Carmen I. Cobol/es-Vega, Ph.D. Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs

Last year, Touchstone celebrated its fifth anniversary. This year, Eugenio Maria de Hosros Community College celebrates its 45th Anniversary Year as a Hispanic Serving Institution in the South Bronx and one of seven community col­leges of the City University of New York. This is a significant milestone for an institution that has held its ground despite the many challenges it faced over the years. Community support for Hostos has been key to its success. The Hostos family (students, faculty, staff, administrators, parents, community leaders, business lead­ers, and others) is a stalwart group who has worked diligently to ensure that the "Jewel of the South Bronx" continues to shine on.

The fact that the enrollment at Hostos Community College went from 623 students during its charter opening in 1970 to over 7000 students in fall 2011 is re­markable. The student population is diverse with nearly all cultures represented, the majority identifying themselves as being of Puerto Rican, Dominican, or of Central or South American descent. To meet growing interest in the College, the campus now has six buildings, three of which have been specially designed to meet the in­stitution's need. Hoscos takes pride in its well-equipped science, math, writing, and computer labs; its excellent physical education facilities; its state-of-the-art theatres; sound studio and future game design labs. In addition, Hostos is planning to erect a new state of the art a new Allied Health and Sciences building on Walton Street within four to five years. This building will greatly enhance the college's service to the community and future students.

As part of its rich legacy, Hostos Community College has provided leadership in higher education for the residents of the Bronx and surrounding communities. Through the publishing of Touchstone, the Division of Academic Affairs has also provided leadership to its academic community. This issue contains a broad array of articles that continue this tradition. From reflective statements, technology and on­line reflections, diverse styles of teaching, to discipline and interdisciplinary collabo­rations, this edition will surely become a resource for those interested in academic

6.1 (Spring 2013) 5

C. Coballes-Vega

teaching and learning at a two-year postsecondary institution. Each contributor has made a significant contribution to the Division's goals and its development of "Faculty and Scaff Skill Sets and Leadership." As a college community, Hostos has as one of its Strategic Goals: "Campus and Community Leadership" and during this past year, Academic Affairs has been working with chairs, coordinators, and staff on advancing leadership and administrative skill sets.

While some might believe that leadership is only relegated to those who hold elected positions in the college, chis view is a limited one. All of us collectively have a responsibility within the institution to make contributions that demonstrate our skill sets and leadership potential to the rest of the community. How does this hap­pen? Each time a faculty member says yes to a committee assignment, he/she is mak­ing a conscious choice to move a specific idea or set of ideas forward for the good of the whole. Each time a faculty member agrees to collect data/information, aggregate data, write a rationale, develop a plan, or bring people together for a shared pur­pose, each act represents an active demonstration of what we mean by "leadership." Whenever staff members step forward to support department chairs, coordinators, committee chairs, or ochers in summarizing Minutes, generating written reports, following up on assignments, each act is taking responsibility and developing skill sets necessary for leadership. Whenever we choose to engage in self-reflection that supports continuing professional growth, we are demonstrating our receptivity to leadership. As a group we must honor and celebrate those who provide this leader­ship daily to advance the goals of Hostos Community College.

This year we invested in faculty and staff by supporting professional develop­ment of chairs, coordinators, directors, and staff. Three faculty members attended the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning Conference and learned how academic programs can work to support adult learners and consider assessment of prior learning within their respective areas. The Office of Academic Affairs and PSC travel funds also supported 46 faculty members with professional conference presentations and/or attendance; EdTech staff who presented papers and attend­ed technology conferences during this academic year; and staff in the Academic Advisement Center who participated in conferences on retention and advisement.

Several faculty were successful with grants sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Professors Shad and Lewis obtained an Advanced Technological Education (ATE) grant for $610,000 from the National Science Foundation for "Designing Futures for Games: Games for Multi-Media." The grant will help to fa­cilitate Media Design students' understanding of STEM-based subjects by framing math and science within game design. We received a second NSF gram for $229,079 from the "STEM Educators Expansion Directive" (Project SEED) initiative, Robert Noyce Capacity Building Project. Professor Sarah Church, Principal Investigator for the SEED initiative, undertook this project because she recognized the vital importance of recruiting and cultivating potential candidates for the STEM fields from the underrepresented populations served by Hostos. The SEED team also in­cluded Professor Vladimir Ovtcharenko (Natural Sciences), Co-PI; Professor Ross Flek (Mathematics), Co-PI; Professor Francisco Fernandez (Natural Sciences), and Professor Sarah Sandman (Digital Design). Professor Jennifer Tang, Library, also was awarded a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities under the "Bridging Cultures" initiative. The grant title "Muslim Journeys Bookshelf" will

6 Touchstone

provide 25 new books and three DVDS on Muslim culture for the Library. In ad­dition, Professor Tang also received additional funding under the same initiative in May 2013 to support programming in this area. 1welve faculty members received PSC CUNY Research Awards for 2013-14. These included Professors Sandman, La Luz, Rounds, Bencivenni, Hubner, Bollinger, Lang, Roman, Dushenkov, Dicker, Henderson, and Ovtcharenko.Four faculty gained recognition through separate awards:

• Professor Ed King, Assistant Professor, Allied Health, Summer Institute inBioethics, Postdoctoral Fellowship, Yale University

• Professor Nelson Nunez-Rodriguez, Associate Professor, Natural Sciences,2012 Linkage Fellows Award, American Society for Cell Biology and 2012Visiting Professors Award

• Professor Rees Shad, Assistant Professor, Humanities, 2012 New York StateProfessor of the Year, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teachingand Learning

• Professor Mohammad A. Sohel, Associate Professor, Physical Sciences, hasbeen selected to participate in the Department of Energy's (DOE) VisitingFaculty Program (VFP) in the Center for Nanoscale Materials at the ArgonneNational Laboratory (ANL), ChicagoSeveral faculty have published books this past year including the following

selected list: • Professor Ernest Ialongo, Assistant Professor, Behavioral and Social Sciences,edited a book with William Adams, New Directions in Italian and Italian­American History. The publication celebrates the legacy of Philip Cannistraro,a historian of Italy and Italian-America. Professors Marcella Bencivenni andProfessor Gerald Meyer (both from Behavioral and Social Sciences, also madecontributions to the book.

• In March 2013, the Press Fund of Guillermo Antonio Urrelo University(Cajamarca, Peru, 2012), released The Brief Life. It contains an anthology ofseveral poetry books published by Isaac Goldemberg (Distinguished Professor,Humanities Department), and includes a series of new poems, grouped underthe tide, "Variations Goldemberg

• Professor Shad, Assistant Professor, Humanities, created a textbook (2013)with the assistance of Hostos students and alumni. The book, Einstein &the Honeybee: An Introduction to Game Design and Game Development,is available from Amazon as well as traditional bookstores. The book is beingused as the main textbook for the Introduction to the Game Design class atthe college.We expect to continue strong faculty and staff leadership development over

the next five years at Hostos Community College. If the last five years is a reflection of how we collectively can contribute to the life and vibrancy of college and com­munity, we can definitely look forward to a spectacular Hostos 50th Anniversary in 2018. Our gratitude to the writers and their contributions to this volume. Also, we express our deepest appreciation to Dr. Kim Sanabria, Dr. Carl James Grindley, and the members of the Editorial Review Board for their steadfast leadership in the publication of this 2012-13 edition.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 7

INTRODUCTION

Carl James Grindley Kim Sanabria

It is always a joy to read the works of our colleagues. Through the lens of this year's edition of Touchstone, we are proud to bear witness to the breadth and scope of research conducted at Hostos. Even with the disruptions caused by Hurricane Sandy, AY 2012-13 has seen a flurry of activity, and so we offer our most varied and our longest issue of the college's faculty journal to date.

It would be impossible to publish Touchstone without the ongoing sup­port of the following individuals: Dr. Carmen Coballes-Vega, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Dr. Christine Mangino, Associate Dean of Faculty and Curriculum Development; Professor Nelson Nunez-Rodriguez, Chair of the Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning; Ms. Sarah Brennan, Assistant Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning; department chairs, who are always so wonderful in encouraging their faculty to offer not only their research but their support; and our reviewers, Professors Robert F. Cohen, Ruslan Flek, and Jennifer Tang. Sherese Mitchell has been helpful and available throughout the editorial process. This year, Professor Catherine Lewis continued to serve admi­rably as Touchstone's designer, typesetter and production coordinator. Her dedica­tion shows on every page.

The opening piece is by two of Hostos's longest-serving faculty members, Professors Cynthia Jones and America Trinidad. In their article, they consider the practice of collaboration and storysharing in the classroom. Continuing with the theme of collaboration, Professor Rees Shad next describes the process of creating and editing a textbook for Hostos' new Games Design AA, and Professor Sandy Figueroa of the Business Department discusses the increasing importance of Service Learning, an endeavor that involves serious critical reflection and learning, not just experience.

It is clearly appropriate that the Director of the Center for Teaching and Learning, Professor Nelson Nunez-Rodriguez, should tackle teaching and learning, and in his ar ticle, he examines cogens, a model for faculty and student collaboration in

8 Touchstone

C. Jones and A. Trinidad

COLLATION-CONVITE:

A NARRATIVE COLLECTIVE -

A MODEL OF COLLABORATION AND STORVSHARING

Cynthia Jones and America Trinidad

ABSTRACT

In the academic community, students are encouraged to reflect, question, acquire knowledge, and act. Collation-Convite is a mode of collaboration and "storysharing" designed as an inquiry-based framework of collective opportunities for sustained and researched exploration. Its purpose is co open up conversa­tions about academic and/or contemporary social issues; identify student questions about those issues; explore answers and solutions to identified problems; and act on those insights. By "reading" texts in the form of narratives, film, fiction, poetry, music, art and scholarship; hearing others' stories; and sharing their own insights, students will acquire skills needed for intellectual inquiry and discourse in and outside the college classroom. Through a series of activities crafted within formal venues such as breakfast/lunch conversations; seminars; reading groups; institutes; artistic creations; and focus groups, Collation-Convite fosters open, safe, and re­flective discourse. It is modeled after inquiry within the academy and the global community. Collation-Convite evolved from conversations about a challenging topic such as race (Discoursing the Unspeakable); dialogue and agency (Discoursing the Unspeakable-Conversations far Change); collaborative storytelling (Collation: Collective Opportunities to Listen, Learn, Act, Talk, Invite, Organize, and Nurture). These topics lead to its present manifestation as an inquiry, narrative-based frame­work designed for dialogue, listening, reflection, revision, action and collaboration. It guides students as they learn the essential components of a journey into the cul­ture of academic and public discourse-an exploration of ideas and the challenges they might encounter as they evolve, which encapsulates the Principles of Excellence outlined in Liberal Education & America's Promise: aim high-and make excellence inclusive; give students a compass; teach the arts of inquiry and innovation; engage the big questions; connect knowledge with choices and action; foster civic, intercul­tural, and ethical learning; and assess students' ability to apply learning to complex

10 Touchstone

Collation-Convite: A Narrative Collective - A Model of Collaboration and Storysharing

problems (AAC&U 6). Although the authors were certain about the "student" schema, one unexpected outcome of Collation-Convite, however, was the authors' pedagogical and personal evolution.

WHO WEARE

We, America and Cynthia, we have been on a path with a valise filled with our varied and extensive professional and personal expertise - a journey informed by our understanding of the 12 Lakota principles for a balanced way of living, which is detailed by Joseph Marshall in lhe Lakota Way: Stories and Lessons for living . . A ma­jor theme of the "Lakota way" is "Mitakuye Oyasin," which means we are all related. Therefore, sharing our stories is a vehicle for realizing our inter-relatedness. Boch of us are lecturers who have caught at Hostos Community College for several decades and we still relish stepping into the classroom every single day. Collation-Convite is an initiative that could serve as a cross-disciplinary course of study, merging the learning objectives of courses and providing team instruction.

America often teaches Yoga, and her pedagogical approach offers some in­sights that relate to our Collation-Convite vision. In addition, Cynthia also fine­tunes her pedagogy in activities that extend outside of the classroom.

America: While conducting exercises in Yoga, I encourage and counsel stu­dents to take a moment to center themselves-to focus. After they are centered or focused, I encourage them to reflect on their inner thoughts and try applying or re-positioning their ideas coherently. Students often comment that they never understood themselves until they focused and listened to themselves and others. Furthermore, they often speak in awe in regard to finding their own voice through this process. They also feel that the act of engaging in the observation of group dynamics is empowering.

Cynthia: After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, I joined a group of conflict resolution practitioners who began meeting at a Breakfast Roundtable sponsored by the John Jay/CUNY Dispute Resolution Consortium to brainstorm and implement initiatives to address the heightened level of tensions, blame, anger, revenge, feelings of helplessness, and unanswered questions in NYC. After a period in which we expressed feelings of grief, particularly denial and anger, we decided to effect change through strategies that we believed would make a difference. Our combined experience in the world of dispute resolution prompted us to identify ways chat would help people "cool" and deal with the grievous times. One out­growth of this project was the creation of "Make Talk Work Bookmarks"-this was a handy, portable bookmark that listed tips for resolving disputes.

HOW COLLATION-CONVITE WAS CONCEIVED

Cynthia and America: We were influenced by the conversations between bell hooks and Amalia Mesa-Bains, who said their book was crafted out of a ten-year series of collaborative conversations. (hooks and Mesa-Bains, 1)

"Between women, over kitchen tables just like this one ... Over kitchen tables and daycare centers, in shelters ... I think our conversa­tion is especially meaningful, because it publicly represents the value and meaning of dialogue across boundaries ... For you and I, this has

6.1 (Spring 2013) 11

C. Jones and A. Trinidad

been an effort: we live on different coasts; we're struggling with different health issues. But we have made the time for this conversation, and now we have this record of our triumph, homegrown document the ability of a Chicana and an African American woman to meet one another, speak through our differences, and find our commonalities."

-bell hooks and Amalia Mesa-Bains,homegrown: engaged cultural criticism (144-5)

Collation-Convite is "storysharing" - a gathering structure that engages stu­dents and colleagues critically by citing texts and people in order to discover under­lying assumptions, misconceptions, facts, etc. within narratives. It utilizes modes of research to support an informed position on an identified issue emanating from storytelling. It determines appropriate applications of newly found knowledge and encourages students to adopt and act on acquired information. Collation-Convite is a schema to connect classroom experiences with those of"real life".

The authors are desirous of utilizing narratives as a way of encouraging stu­dents to assume leadership positions throughout the global community, and to learn and review ideas that would compel them to act. However, the most wonderful iteration of Col!ation-Convite materialized through professional development initia­tives. Ultimately, we, the authors, envisioned Collation-Convite as a gathering of "learners" who would work together collectively to improve our understanding in order to become more effective members of the global community.

Cynthia and America: During one brain-storming meeting, we spent an hour generating a list of ideas for a student's swimming Honors Contract, which en­tailed sharing our 'swimming' stories. Our personal epiphanies during that meeting proved more poignant when we considered the reaction of our colleagues - they heard the sounds of our creative discourse and wanted to join in on the conversa­tion. We then re-committed ourselves to the power of storytelling or rather "sto­rysharing"-its ability to problem-solve and humanize.

Cynthia: Growing up in New York City, I witnessed many formal and social events within the African-American community that included "collation"-a time and space for coming together to eat, mingle, and tell stories. In fact, if a gather­ing did not close with a time for collation, it was viewed as unsatisfying or, more dramatically, a dismal failure! Regardless of the purpose for the assembly, much ex­change of information occurred. Somehow, the provision of food and place opened opportunities for 'real' interactions.

America: In the Dominican Republic, a comparable experience is called con­vite. It was a time to plant, to harvest-a get-together at planting time. Additionally, convite was a gathering where you could make a circle and share stories about and by your elders-to tell life stories to aid the young ones, our future. These opportuni­ties allowed us to pass along our family's heritage.

THE GOALS OF COLLATION-CONVITE

America and Cynthia: The goals of Collation-Convite are to guide students into creating a community devoted to constructive communication, ethical un­derstandings, cultural awareness and sensitivity, and conflict resolution in ways

12 Touchstone

R.Shad

That first semester the course ran in the evening and had a high enrollment made up of experienced as well as inexperienced college students. Dylan and I had developed blackboard based media elements that included PDFs of selections from the leading books on game design, as well as online videos such as TED talks and play test demonstrations. In an effort to inspire an environment of play in the class, I had worked to emulate my colleague Catherine Lewis' approach of"gamification." Professor Lewis has incorporated a framework of game inspired methods for creat­ing student engagement by involving them in activities such as leveling up through a semester and competitive scoring in extra credit and ancillary course work. Rather than having students do reading reaction papers or initiating quizzes and tests to as­sure readings were being taken seriously, Dylan and I incorporated extra credit ques­tionnaires, game test review assignments and online puzzles into the curriculum.

Within weeks we recognized a major flaw in the course. Our reading assign­ments were far too academic. For example, an introduction to the elements of play, by the highly acclaimed Katie Salen spent twenty pages outlining and defining for our students what they had all been gleefully doing all their lives ... playing. In their book, The Elements of Play, Salen and her co-writer Eric Zimmerman re­view a wide assortment of definitions for the word "play," and give a long history of game development in order to refine a simple and elegant definition of their own. ''.Academicizing" what these students loved to do proved to be an unsuccess­ful tactic. Dylan and I had found the reading captivating, but our students were disheartened, and were asking each other if perhaps an anatomy course might be more fun. We began looking for more simplified texts, and came up against a host of dispiriting options. The game design books rhat we uncovered were either tech­centric 'how-to' manuals for specific development platforms, lighthearted but unin­formative cartoonish works, or more of the same academic explorations that we had already found to be ineffectual. It became obvious to me that we needed to create a text of our own, and we quickly began jotting down notes and outlines for how such a text would be developed.

I knew that if our book project was going to be successful it would need to be geared toward our specific student body. Creating a text that was engaging as well as informative to our entry-level students would necessitate play testing the actual content, and this would require student participation. I would also need graphic elements for the book, as well as someone to help us lay it all out. In April, I began looking for students to help with the project.

While all this was happening, I had finalized the development of a scholarship fund here at Hostos for our media students. The Ravenfox Fund provides fellowship opportunities in various media design projects on and off campus in order to help deserving students meet the cost of their education here as well as at senior colleges they go on to attend. This fund was the perfect vehicle for helping me recruit stu­dents to assist with the book, and it was decided early on that any proceeds Dylan and I might gain from rhe final work, self-published through Amazon's CreateSpace, would go back into the Ravenfox Fund.

By late May, we had recruited two graphic design majors (Elijah Richmond '12 & Amara Dioubate'13), a newly minted game design major (Chris Aiken'I4), and one of our writing tutors from the collaborative lab (Rocio Rayo '11) to join us in late summer for the design and intensive writing at my home in Putnam County.

16 Touchstone

SERVICE LEARNING AT HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Sandy Figueroa

President Barack Obama calls far a day of service on the weekend of Martin Luther King holiday. President Felix Matos Rodriguez calls far a day of service to com­memorate the founding of Hostos Community College. Employers seek candidates who able to interact with a diverse work farce and who know something of the world around them and are willing to provide business solutions to community issues. These calls far days of service fallow the tradition of incorporating service with learning to farm service learning.

BRIEF HISTORY OF SERVICE-LEARNING

In 1915, John Dewey wrote in his book, 1he School and Society, "Relate the school to life, and all studies are of necessity correlated." Dewey was attempting to

show the relationship between concepts learned in the classroom to the real-world experiences of the learner. By the 1920s and 1930s, Dewey and other educators formed the Progressive Education Association to disseminate their research and ideas on an integrated curriculum.

In 1947, the President's Commission on Higher Education stated that "The community college seeks to become a center of learning for the entire community with or without the restrictions that surround formal course work in traditional institutions of higher education." The report continued to state that the community college "gears its programs and services to the needs and wishes of the people it serves." (The Community College, p. 13)

As community colleges grew, "their missions began to diverge in response to the specific needs of their communities." (The Community College, p. 14) The "community" in community college means that by their very nature, community college identify and remain tied to their communities. (Ibid) Such examples of identifying and remaining tied to their communities include sponsoring "town hall meetings to address issues of local concern, offer free or low-cost English language instruction in communities with large populations for whom English is a second language, create community health initiatives, and provide day care centers in areas where low-cost childcare can mean the difference between economic development and welfare." (The Community College, p. 15)

6.1 (Spring 2013) 19

S. Figueroa

In addition to meeting the local needs of their communities, the role of com­munity colleges in "providing access to higher education for all Americans" (The Community College, p. 16) means that community colleges must take on the "role as civic leaders in the communities (Ibid). One of the aspects of fostering civic leadership and service to the community is through service-learning.

SERVICE-LEARNING

One of the definitions of service-learning is "the practice of making com­munity engagements part of a course curriculum". (Ibid) Service-learning is not volunteerism.

According to the National and Community Service publication, "Service­learning combines service objectives with learning objectives with the intent that the activity changes both the recipient and the provider of service. This is accom­plished by combining service tasks with structured opportunities that link the cask to self-reflection, self-discovery, and the acquisition and comprehension of values, skills, and knowledge content". (National Service-Learning Clearinghouse)

The goal of service-learning is to "link liberal education with action and prac­tice" (Freeland, p. 8) by means of:

• Promoting learning through active participation in service experiences• Providing structured time for students to reflect by thinking, discussing and/

or writing about their service experience• Providing an opportunity for students to use skills and knowledge in real-life

situations• Extends learning beyond the classroom and into the community• Fosters a sense of caring for other (National Service-Learning Clearinghouse)

SERVICE-LEARNING AND RESEARCH

As Astin and Sax indicate in their research, "To date, empirical studies on the impact of service are quite scare" (Astin and Sax, p. 251). They note that ''Although recent studies provide some evidence that service is associated with civic and cogni­tive gains, such research is generally limited by relying on small student samples from a single institution" (Ibid). They state chat "a consensus has emerged over the urgency of collecting longitudinal, multi-institutional data on how students are af­fected by the service experience" (Ibid).

Mabry observes that the research findings on the effects of service-learning on academic performance is less clear and that "Some studies find service-learners have neither better course grades nor more self-reported learning than traditional students" (Mabry, p.32) and that "Other studies show students enjoy modestly positive academic outcomes" (Ibid). Mabry points out that students will perceive service-learning as academically beneficial when the faculty take the pedagogy of service-learning seriously. Faculty will take service-learning seriously when they incorporate "a significant investment of time in community service, substantive in­tegration into the course, and critical reflection" (38) and are "clear about their goals and objectives for using service as a part of their courses" (Ibid).

All of the studies presented in the preceding paragraphs recommend further study. Since the brief review of literature shows no significant difference in grades,

20 Touchstone

Service Learning at Hostos Community College

retention, and graduation rates, what would be the benefit of introducing service­learning in a curriculum or program?

The research is clear that service-learning has a high impact on students' in­terests, sense of contributing to the community, and the integration of skills learned in the classroom and the community. That being said, service-learning like other pedagogical techniques of internships and c-Portfolios is another technique that can be used to assist the Hu<lents in integrating learning with real-world experiences.

SERVICE-LEARNING AND THE MISSION OF HOSTOS COMMUNITY COLLEGE

The mission of Hostos Community College is "to offer access to higher educa­tion leading to intellectual growth and socio-economic mobility through the devel­opment of linguistic, mathematical, technological, and critical thinking proficien­cies needed for lifelong learning and for success in a variety of program including careers, liberal arts, transfer, and those professional programs leading to licensure." (Hostos Community College Catalog, p. 5)

One of the initiatives that the College has undertaken to meet the mission of the College is the incorporation of General Education Core Competencies/Learning Goals of global citizenship, scientific and qualitative reasoning, communication skills, and academic literacy and inquiry skills.

Hostos Community College as all colleges throughout the United States is concerned about retention/persistence and improved graduation rates.

According to the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), service learning combines classroom instruction with community ser­vice, focusing on critical, reflective thinking as well as on personal and civic respon­sibility and involves students in activities that meet local needs while developing academic skills and commitment to community.

The difference between an internship and service learning is the providing a tangible benefit for the community. Internships provide experiential learning for the student to improve or shadow a master in the profession or field for the student's professional development. Service learning enjoins the student to take the course or program content that he/she has learned in the classroom to provide a service to the community.

In The Community's College: Indicators of Engagement at Two-Year Institutions published by Campus Compact, the authors detail the history of the creation of two-year colleges and their closeness to the community. The authors note that " ... higher education as a whole was beginning to reawaken to the notion of giving back to the community, both by establishing community service/partnership programs and by educating students to be active citizens" (p. 14) and that "community col­leges by their nature remain tied to their communities on many levels" (p. 14). The authors of the publication list a number of ways in which community colleges are involved with the community, from sponsoring town hall meetings to serving on advisory boards and steering committees.

The authors define service learning as "the practice of making community engagement part of a course curriculum" (p. 16). They also note that most com­munity colleges that "offer service-learning do so in the form of service-learning components integrated within existing courses" (p.17).

6.1 (Spring 2013) 21

S. Figueroa

The authors also point out "The importance of civic engagement-beyond scattershot service efforts-is becoming ever more widely recognized across higher education" (p.18). They list the number of professional organizations and accredit­ing institutions that support service learning/civic engagement programs. The au­thors quote from the Presidents' Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education, which was written by a group of college and university presidents: "This country cannot afford to educate a generation that acquires knowledge without ever understanding how that knowledge can benefit society or influence democratic decision-making. We must teach the skills and values of democracy, creating in­numerable opportunities for our students to practice and reap the results of the real, hard work of citizenship" (p.18).

At Hostos, the definition of service learning is taken from the definition of the AAC&U previoulsy explained above and includes the following: A method of teaching and learning that enriches academic life and life-long learning by engaging students in meaningful hands-on service to the community while gaining valuable knowledge and skills that integrate with course objectives. Service learning focuses on critical reflective chinking and experiential learning that address local needs and foster civic responsibility.

HISTORY OF SERVICE-LEARNING AT HOSTOS

The Service Learning Committee began as an exploratory activity in which Professor Nelson Nunez-Rodriguez and Professor Sandy Figueroa attended a meet­ing on service learning at New York University in 2007 or 2008. Since that time, Professor Nunez-Rodriguez and Professor Figueroa met with two faculty members from Queensborough Community College to discuss their model of service learn­ing. Ms. Rebecca Hoda joined Professor Nunez-Rodriguez and Professor Figueroa with her ideas of incorporating Career Services. Professor Hoda and Professor Figueroa met with a staff member from Kingsborough Community College.

From the preliminary and exploratory meetings, Professor Figueroa, Ms. Hoda, and Professor Nunez-Rodriguez invited Professor Amy Ramson and Professor Rees Shad to work together in the formation of the Service Learning Committee.

In the discussions, che committee members realized that many of the de­partments are incorporating some form of service learning in their programs: The Education Department by means of their students' observing classroom teachers and serving as tutors to students in the host schools; Allied Health by means of the

Dental Hygiene Unit providing free dental cleanings to the community; Business Department through internships; the Behavioral/Social Sciences Department pro­viding immigration services to the college community as well as in partnership with immigration services throughout the City of New York; the Natural Sciences Department and che organ donor program. Student organizations such as Phi Theta Kappa, the Student Leadership Academy, and the Student Government Association require community service projects.

The members of the Service Learning Committee felt chat orher departments and programs required community service; yet, no one spoke of them in curriculum committee meetings or other public venues. The committee members also felt that

22 Touchstone

Service learning at Hostos Community College

introductory activities were needed to take place to see if there was an interest in service-learning at Hostos Community College.

ACTIVITIES

On December 3, 2009, the first activity of the Service Learning Committee was the Service Learning/Civic Engagement Cafe in which faculty/staff who were engaged or interested in any aspect of service learning/civic engagement were in­vited to a luncheon to share their experiences and learn more about service-learning and civic engagement. Seventeen faculcy and staff members expressed an inter­est in attending the luncheon. At the end of the luncheon, the Service Learning Committee members invited the participants and those who could not attend to serve as advisors to the committee members.

In the meantime, Ms. Rebecca Hoda created an online communication ac­count through the CUNY Academic Commons that served as an interface to post meeting notes updates, wikis, and provide general feedback to/from committee members. This site also served as a home for the upcoming online service learning resource center.

Professor Figueroa and Ms. Hoda submitted a COBI proposal on the creation of the Service Learning Resource Center. The Center is a repository of information, best practices, and curriculum models for faculty and staff. The proposal included three aspects:

• constructing a curriculum shell-A shell would be created that any coursein any department could use to develop a service learning component in asyllabus. The basic shell would be presented to the College-Wide CurriculumCommittee so that each individual department would not have to presentthe service learning component to the College-Wide Curriculum Committee.

•exploring external funding-External funding needs to be explored for thecreation and continuance of the Service Learning Resource Center.

• creating an e-newsletter-Faculty and staff need to know the latest develop­ments in service learning as a whole and the departments at Hostos that areincorporating service learning in their programs. The college communityneeds to know the practices that work best and those that need improvement.The second activity of the Service Learning Committee was scheduled on

Thursday, April 29, 2010, in which members of Queensborough Community College and Kingsborough Community College spoke to the participants about their experiences with Service Learning on their campuses. The title of the activ­ity was: "Taking Service Learning to the Next Level: Moving from Talking to Walking".

On January 20, 2012, the members of the Service Learning Committee sched­uled an all-day service learning workshop and invited Professor Maria Mercedes Franco, Mathematics Department of Queensborough Community College, to con­duct the workshop.

In addition, on March 12, 2012, the Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL) arranged a CTL on Tour on the topic, "Service Learning, Experiential Learning, and Volunteering: Similarities, Differences, and What's Involved?"

6.1 (Spring 2013) 23

5. Figueroa

In May 2012, one of the sessions for the May 2012, Professional Development Institute (POI) was "Incorporating Service Learning in the Curriculum".

As can be seen through the list of activities beginning in 2010, the aim of the Service Learning Committee was to expose faculty and staff to service-learning and to begin thinking of incorporating service-learning as part of their curricu­lum. To aid in curriculum development, the Service Learning Committee created a document, "Service Learning Guidelines for Course Sections Designed as Service Learning" that was approved by the College-Wide Curriculum Committee in the fall of 2011. In addition, to support the importance of service-learning on the cam­pus ofHoscos Community College, the Center for Teaching and Learning approved the Service Learning Committee as a permanent committee of the Cencer.

CUNY COMMUNITY COLLEGE COLLABORATIVE INCENTIVE RESEARCH GRANT PROGRAM

In March 2012, Professor Sharon Ellercon from Queensborough Community College invited Professor Sandy Figueroa; Professor Debra Greenwood, Borough of Manhattan Community College, and Professor Caitlin Cahill, Kingsborough Community Service, to apply for the CUNY Community College Collaborative Incentive Research Grant Program. The topic of the research grant is: "Cross­CUNY Collaboration to Assess the Impact of Service-Learning on Community College students". The hy pothesis of the grant is that CUNY Community College faculty trained in SL pedagogy and research methodology will incorporate this pedagogy, and its best practices, into their course curricula. We hypothesize that in these classrooms where trained faculty infuse SL activities, and professor-led reflections, throughout the semester, we will see academic and general objective gains in community college students similar to those seen at baccalaureate granting institutions. In June 2012, the grant was approved, and the four colleges have been involved with the grant.

One of the goals of the grant and the collaboration with the CUNY com­munity colleges, is to establish a CUNY Service Learning (SL) consortium to de­velop CUNY-wide standards for SL, develop IRB approved survey instruments and reflection rubrics to measure the effects of SL on community college students, and provide faculty development to train in SL and in research methodology; while maintaining independence for each college in how SL is implemented.

Another goal of the grant is to maintain this program, extend an invitation to all remaining CUNY community colleges to join this consortium, provide re­search methodology and assessment support for faculty, develop a CUNY-wide on­line resource center, help individual CUNY community colleges to develop Offices of Academic SL to support efforts on each campus, and develop and maintain a CUNY-wide center for data collection and assessment that will maintain cross cam­pus collaboration and research.

CONCLUSION

Service learning at Hostos is still in the nascent stage of development. The members of the Service Learning committee are committed to informing the col­lege community of service learning through the electronic newsletter, activities of the Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning, an end-of-semester celebra­tory activity, creation of a "talking-head" video in which the students share their

24 Touchstone

E. Zucker and J. Trachman

the awareness that they could-even in small measures, by signing petitions or recy­cling and purchasing less plastics-become more pro-active in shaping their milieu.

Once awarded the COBI Grant, we spent the summer and fall semester con­sidering how Elyse would teach the class in the spring 2012 semester. We networked and investigated texts and websites and Elyse took an NEH workshop on American Transcendentalism and attended the Association for the Study of Literature and Environmentalism (ASLE) Conference. These endeavors explored environmental concerns and corresponding literary topics that could be taught in class and helped Elyse determine which materials she would teach, how they could best be scaffolded and what modalities would be most effective for disseminating the information.

Going through this process was very exciting to us, as was the prospect of choosing what to teach from the many texts that touched upon a vast array of copies across the curriculum related to environmentalism. The selections we chose ranged from excerpts taken from scientifically based texts, such as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, that explore how human activity can destroy the ecosystem, to nature writ­ing such as Thoreau's Walden, co poems such as D.H. Lawrence's "Snake," that reflect anthropocentric concerns, co political texts, such as an excerpt from Thomas Hobbes' Leviathan and Eric T. Freyfogle's "The Culture of Owning." The two latter texts explore power dynamics and their impact on land usage.

Since one of the primary goals of English llO is to prepare students for read­ing and writing in response to courses they will take from a variety of disciplines, Elyse created a course outline that would touch upon the relationship between en­vironmentalism and the self through a variety of lenses including political, literary, social, historical and psychological ones. In addition to studying art, essays and literary texts as well as writing nature logs, students watched films, listened to (and sang) songs, attended an environmental event and took a field trip. Approaching the course in these ways helped students understand the interconnectedness and prismatic play of various disciplines in relation to a theme.

Coming to the topic of environmentalism via a layered latticework of disci­plines and modalities helped students' comprehension become multi-dimensional, while allowing them to hone their writing and critical thinking skills.

Julie throughout the semester brought articles and activities to be incorpo­rated into the class, and she herself led the discussion-which was focusing on Biodiversity-when the class was held at Franz Sigel Park. She also visited the class­room on several other occasions to discuss various aspects of the subject at hand.

One of our concerns was that Hostos students in general lack awareness of the psychological value of a healthy environment. In regard to overall urban blight such as environmental degradation, the South Bronx, where many of our students are from, is considered one of the worst environs in the country. The discipline known as ecopsychology emerged because its proponents were seeing in certain individu­als a feeling of powerlessness and despondency as a result of devastation to their surroundings.

The recently coined word "solastalgia" (Smith, 2010) captures this homesick feeling that some people experience when their local environment has been under attack, even if the home is still physically in existence. Many ecopsychological no­tions are akin to ideas promoted by evolutionary psychology and E.O. Wilson's hypothesis of biophilia: the belief that human beings are hard-wired to crave nature.

36 Touchstone

Teaching Environmentalism as English: Our Journey as COBI Grant Recipients

Smith expands on this sentiment in his coined word, soliphilia, which is "the love of and responsibility for place, bioregion, planet and the unit of interrelated inter­ests within." This idea, which students were introduced to, gets echoed in Joni Mitchell's environmentally-conscious lyrics from "Big Yellow Taxi," which Elyse used as a diagnostic writing exam the first day of class (and later on in the semester played for students). 1he lyrics inform:

Don't it always seem to go That you don't know what you've got Till it's gone They paved paradise And put up a parking lot They took all the trees Put 'em in a tree museum And they charged the people A dollar and a halfjust to see 'em

1he importance and interconnectedness ofliving organisms and an ecosystem as well as the physical environment itself is evident in Aldo Leopold's "1he Land Ethic," itself a landmark work. Several questions we asked students at Franz Sigel Park touched on the premises of both solastalgia and soliphilia, questions such as "Do you feel more relaxed now that you spent some time in this park?" or "What, if anything, do you notice in this natural setting that does not belong there?"

We wanted students to experience soliphilia firsthand. Along with Julie's Biology 110 students, Elyse's Englishll0 students attended

a Hostos Earth Day 2012 event in which Ms. Alyssa Arcaya, an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) speaker, educated students about a number of environ­mental concerns. These included the issue of disposing of metal components from electronics, the hidden water cost and waste associated with consumerism, and plastic usage in society. Students also learned how to become active participants in helping to alleviate rather than contribute to these problems, understanding, as the cliche goes, that if one is not part of the solution, one is part of the pollution. 1he EPA activity dovetailed with articles read about the systemic problem of plastics (as studied in the anthropocentrism unit), something we made apparent to students during the park visit.

Talking about water not only helped students become more aware that the objects they possess and that are available for purchase have, by virtue of having been created, exploited many increasingly valuable energy and environmental re­sources. Focusing on the role water plays in our lives also became a way to introduce students to the topic of hydraulic fracturing (fracking), a timely and sensicive con­cern, especially to New Yorkers, who fear that the fracking process will lead to the contamination of our water supply.

Global climate change is a phenomenon students not only read about in texts, but identified evidence of when visiting the park, as they noticed that flowers that typically bloom in mid-spring had already died or were dying. They were, nonethe­less, excited to learn that this observation was mirrored in the recent report by Parry (2012) relating findings from Thoreau's nature logs from the midl800s to current

6.1 (Spring 2013) 37

E. Zucker and J. Trachman

timing of trees blooming, etc. The report helps confirm that indeed spring seems to be starting earlier and earlier in the recent past.

Although a few students verbalized feeling inundated with the environmen­tal-centered theme of chis class, most expressed that they appreciated it for having increased their awareness of and sensitivity to the milieu that surrounds them and impacts upon their lives and identities both locally and globally. This changed per­ception was made evident to us not only by the comments students made to Elyse, but from the surveys chat were administered to her students at the beginning and end of the semester anonymously, surveys measuring one's connectedness to and awareness of nature.

Yet in spite of these successes, Elyse wanted to refine the course and began doing so this semester. Her desire to change it grew from her realization chat stu­dents' awakened sense of environmental awareness should be accompanied by more options offered to students in that environment, such as the availability of healthier food choices-food being a most basic staple the environment provides. She is thus "branch[ing] out" into the terrain of introducing to students what farmers' markets are and where they might be found, and having her students "branch out" with Service Learning related to the topic of food. This new component to the class would entail-students' research in neighborhoods around Hostos to find out what people eat and why they make the food choices chat they do.

It is clear that Environmentalism as an English 110 class is still a work in progress, something the COBI Grant gave its creators the opportunity to bring into being at the start. It enables students to learn about their environment in the con­text of developing reading and writing skills, and prepare them for courses they will take across the curriculum, having touched upon a variety of disciplines. Yet it is also a course that can help students take measures to change a world upon which havoc has been wreaked, and in the process become empowered and change them­selves and the environment for the better.

If anyone would like suggestions for texts promoting environmental aware­ness or ecocriticism, feel free to contact Elyse or Julie.

WORKS CITED

Carson, Rachel. Silent Spring. Boston, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1962. Freyfogle, Eric T. "The Culture of Owning" in 7he Future of Nature: Writing on a

Human Ecology from Orion Magazine. 2007. Milkweed Editions, Canada. Hobbes, Thomas. Leviathan. From: http://www.earlymoderntexts.com/pdf/

hobblevl.pdf Lawrence, D.H. "Snake." Accessed April 21, 2013. From: http://homepages.

wmich. edu/ �cooneys/ poems/ dhl.snake.html. Leopold, Aldo. "The Land Ethic" from A Sand County Almanac, Oxford University

Press, 1949. Accessed May 29, 2011. From: http://home.btconnect.com/ tipiglen/landethic.html.

Mitchell, Joni. Lyrics for "Big Yellow Taxi." Accessed: January 19, 2012. From: http:/ /jonimitchell.com/ music/ song.cfm?id=208

38 Touchstone

The Hybrid Initiative at Hostos: A Case Study

DEVELOPING A HYBRID COURSE: BACKGROUND A hybrid course is one where 33-67% of the course content is delivered on­

line. Faculty replace in-person class time with online instruction using Blackboard. Blackboard is a commercial web-based Learning Management System. It offers faculty a platform for organizing multimedia resources, documents (PDFs, Word Documents and ePubs, for example), and includes tools for collaboration, such as discussion boards, biogs, wikis and synchronous video chat. Assessment tools includ­ing quizzes, the ability to assign grades to collaborative activities (such as discussion board participating) and a usage statistics center are also available in Blackboard. Faculty members may either use a pre-existing Blackboard course (usually created and then shared by a colleague) or develop a new Blackboard site for their courses from scratch. Regardless, all faculty members teaching with Blackboard need the requisite technology background (comfort using web forms, email and productivity tools such as word processing, spreadsheets, etc).

All faculty at Hostos, regardless of whether they are part of the Hybrid Initiative, are encouraged to use online resources for teaching. One of the college's goals is for one hundred percent of faculty to offer some of their course content to students via Blackboard. As of the Fall 2012 semester, approximately 40-50% of course sections offered content via Blackboard. It is the goal of the EdTech Office and the EdTech Leadership Council (ETLC) to increase this number. Still, even for faculty who have used Blackboard co augment their in-person teaching, primarily as a way to easily reach students during out-of-class hours, re-envisioning a course with online components completely replacing in-class time can be pedagogically challenging.

EdTech provides workshops for faculty on numerous topics related to Blackboard, web 2.0 cools, and rich media content creation. They offer one-on-one help by appointment, to help faculty match their pedagogical needs to appropriate technology tools. They can also provide faculty access to the hardware and software they may need for content creation, such as video cameras and microphones for podcasts and lecture captures, as well as media editing tools and support. Any fac­ulty member who is interested in integrating technology into his/her coursework, whether s/he is actively developing an online course, and regardless of whether s/he is part of the Hybrid Initiative, is welcome and encouraged to take advantage of the support and resources provided by EdTech.

In addition to comfort with technology, switching the mode of teaching from in-person (face to face) to hybrid requires that a faculty member create an outline, which divides up learning units so that the parts of che course taught online and face-to-face are plainly segmented and balanced. Support from both EdTech and other faculty who have experience teaching hybrid courses guide new faculty in this process. Experienced faculty and EdTech specialists also provide valuable in­sight into the culcure of online communications to faculty who are new co online teaching, especially to those who are not otherwise part of online social groups. For example, experienced online instructors might discuss ways for managing students' expectations of faculty members' responsiveness (such as the time elapsed before responding co email and discussion board posts), or how to ensure students all un­derstand how to navigate their Blackboard sites.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 41

K. Lyons, C. Guevara, S. Figueroa, J. DiSanto, and G. Rosa

Finally, new Blackboard course sites are approved by ETLC, which is com­prised of members from each academic department. ETLC recommends policies and procedures for using educational technology at Hostos. Faculty members also promote the use of educational technology within the departments they represent, as well as advocate for their departments' technology needs and mentor faculty who are new to educational technology at Hostos. ETLC members, some of whom acted as mentors in the hybrid initiative, were another prong of support in the community of online instructors. Members of this group were often asked to be expert present­ers at regular meetings of the hybrid initiative.

THE HYBRID INITIATIVE: EVOLVING THE MENTORING MODEL

We experimented with many different incentive and training models for the Hybrid Initiative, starting with a workshop-based structure in 2007. Over time, the Initiative evolved to a community-based structure centered on mentoring. Sahim and Thomson, in their article about the factors that influence faculty adoption of technology, identify "ongoing sympathetic technical support" and "mentoring by trusted peers" as the critical factors to achieve faculty technology adoption ( 171).

The confirmation from the research by Sahim and Thomson helped to frame the mentoring and community of practice approach we used in the Hybrid Initiative. EdTech and ETLC match Mentors (faculty experienced with teaching Hybrid courses) and mentees (with little or no experience teaching online with Blackboard). The mentoring teams are compensated when: 1) the mentee's course is approved by ETLC (the group on campus that reviews Blackboard sites for courses that will be taught either as Hybrid or fully online courses), and 2) the men tee teaches the course in the hybrid mode. Mentors only receive compensation if mentees complete their milestones. Mentors and mentees are also provided with a series of workshops chat include facilitated discussion and hands-on trainings (led by our EdTech Office and other guests across campus).

As the Hybrid Initiative progressed, we added an additional component for growing our community of online instructors. Faculty members now have the op­portunity co "share" a course they developed in the hybrid mode. They identify col­leagues who are teaching the same course, and mentor the new faculty in adapting their course and teaching additional sections in the hybrid mode. These new "sharing teams" are compensated only when the new course is taught (not for development).

OUTCOMES OF THE HYBRID INITIATIVE

Over the lase three years the number of courses offered in the hybrid mode at Hostos has seen a tri-fold increase, primary as a result of the Hybrid Initiative. In the spring 2010 semester only 13 courses were caught in the Hybrid mode. By the fall 2012 semester that number increased to 37. Since we switched to the mentor/mentee model, 100% of faculty who began the Initiative completed course development and went on to teach in the Hybrid mode. Most continued teaching online after their commitment to the Initiative was completed, and some returned in subsequent semesters to act as mentors for other faculty. Anecdotally, participants report high levels of satisfaction. Although some begin the Initiative curious about online in­struction but somewhat reserved about the benefits, most became strong proponents of teaching online by the time they've taught a course.

42 Touchstone

The Hybrid Initiative at Hostos: A Case Study

basic Blackboard, Blackboard tools (assessment, Grade Center, Collaborate, blogs and wikis) rich media creation and Web 2.0. These are open to all faculty including Hybrid Initiative mentees.

For Hybrid Initiative mentees, the focus is primarily on support of their devel­opment of the Blackboard course sites. As stated previously, technical competency is an important goal, but more important is for the participant to understand how the structure of and tools used in a Blackboard course can best fit the way the instructor usually covers the course syllabus, so that the transition to partially-online instruc­tion will seem to be almost a natural next step in bringing the course into the New Millennium. Support also entails verifying that the courses are being developed fol­lowing the Hybrid Course Guidelines, which is a major step in the path to ultimate approval of the sites.

EdT ech staff members also train and assist the mentees in mediated educa­tion and Web 2.0 cools if mentees and mentors feel they are necessary for the course goals. These include lecture capture with Camtasia or Tegrity, video conferencing with Collaborate, biogs and wikis, and web applications such as Prezi. In doing so we emphasize to all the participants that the Hybrid Initiative is not a technology certification program, and mentees should explore the technology to the point of feeling confident their use can help students achieve the outcomes the course syl­labus sets.

FUTURE DIRECTIONS

As online courses are growing in popularity, especially the massive open online courses (MOOCs), and as students are increasingly expecting technology to perme­ate most aspects of their everyday lives, it is imperative that we integrate technology into courses at Hostos. As the success of the mentor-mentee model indicates, it is likely through the development of a teaching Community of Practice, that we will see success. Because online teaching is still in a somewhat nascent phase, a group of peers for support, suggestions, bouncing ideas and troubleshooting, is important.

Where do we go from here? We are looking at sharing our experiences and best practices through monthly discussion either face-to-face or via a discussion fo­rum / blog format. We have presented at the CUNY IT conference and received fa­vorable reviews. Some of us have attended the CUNY online preparation workshops and other CUNY online professional development seminars to improve our online teaching and experience for the students. We have only scratched the surface of online teaching and learning at Hostos. The Hybrid Initiative is our starting point.

REFERENCES

Sahin, Ismail, and Ann Thompson. "Analysis of Predictive Factors That Influence

Faculty Members' Technology Adoption Level." journal of Technology and Teacher Education, 15 (2), 167-190. Chesapeake, VA: MCE., 2007.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 45

Origami for Life!

the upper echelon of uncouth teen(s) becoming sedated-and actually friendly and helpful!-by the rhythm of paper folding. From this perspective, origami could be

used as an effective classroom management technique especially for students who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); as a matter of personal observation, origami is the only classroom activity where I have witnessed ADHD sufferers staying focused for a considerable length of time. Ac the college level, I enjoy a simple activity that requires the students to fold a box and then use algebra to generalize how the volume would change if we made any changes to the folds, lengths, widths, etc. It is visual, kinesthetic, colorful, and fun. I like it.

Origami is not limited to the mathematics classroom. An English instructor could, for example, teach their class to fold a flapping-bird or paper airplane through example, and also using a handout of the origami instructions for the said model. After the students have completed the project, the instructor could ask the students to write a descriptive essay about "how to fold the bird." Initially, this lesson may seem trivial but trying to describe-in words-the exact steps that are necessary to completely fold an origami project is NOT easy. Even a simple project such as folding a paper box is very challenging to describe with the written word. That is why origami books judiciously make use of diagrams with arrows to show the folds; something as easy as "fold the paper in half" becomes an issue if the writer does not state the specific axis containing the fold (lengthwise or widthwise or even caddy corner?). This is a great exercise that students enjoy; they leave with a cool, paper model and instructions to teach others while learning to write proper English-a true win-win situation for everyone involved.

Using origami in the classroom allows you to form a bond with your students. Your students will view you more as a human being than as the "sage on the stage" and clearly this should be important to you. Do not be surprised when you first introduce an origami project to the class and find that several students want to share with you some of the origami projects that they have learned and also memorized. They will teach you! Let them! I cannot think of any better way to form a trusting relationship with your students than by introducing a project/activity and then be­ing receptive to learning from them at the same time. Do not be afraid to feign your knowledge level when students are teaching you something that they know; the gain from building the relationship far outweighs any bruising to your ego for being "ig­norant." A good educator is the person who is also a street corner, savvy psychologist that is willing change their public perceptions for the sake of education.

Even though the construction of models has shifted from paper, pencils, sticks, clay, and glue to powerful computer simulations (think protein folding ques­tions and problems), origami will never die. Making something with your hands that can be carried around to show people cannot be replaced with a computer screen and a flashdrive. Origami, origamic arquitecture, and 3-dimensional origami modeling are great ways for children and adults to be introduced to topics in the arts, mathematics, architecture, chemistry, physics, biology, crystallography, etc.

In the classroom, origami can be a great social exercise. Time and time again, when I do origami in the classroom, I see the introverted students become out­going and talkative, I see the bored students become excited, I see the smartest students become humbled, I see the low skilled students become empowered, and

6.1 (Spring 2013) 47

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY

Craig Bernardini

The following is a slightly edited version of the teaching statement submitted with my tenure portfolio in Fall of 2008. It is dated in at least two ways. First, the CATW has replacrd the ACT as an exit test, necessitating a change in the way I would ap­proach formal writing assignments in Core English. Second, I have begun exploring a humanities-based approach to teaching Expository Writing; I am still seeking the "local" handholds to make this often daunting material accessible.

One point of clarification for those who arrived at Hostos post-ACT: the ACT prompt gave students a school- or community-based issue and a choice of two solutions, one of which the student had to defend in an essay.

In Fall 2005, my third semester at Hostos, I taught Literature and Composition (ENG 111, then ENG 1303) for the second time. I remember being excited going into the class; I had made what I felt were some positive changes to the previous year's syllabus. In hindsight, I still believe the second time around was a better course. What was clearly not better was student retention. Over the course of the fifteen weeks I lost 40% of the students in one class and a full half in the other.

Since that semester ended I have been told councless times that students at­trit for a variety of reasons, most having little to do with a professor or course. My evaluations, at least from those remaining students, were above average. At the same time, it's exceedingly difficult to shake a feeling of failure when so many students drop. After all, as community college teachers, we pride ourselves on serving non­traditional students, granting access to populations that have been denied higher education.

Memories of that semester came back strong during my Spring 2008 semester sections of Expository Writing (ENG llO). More than half my evening students either disappeared or failed; the attrition rate in my afternoon section was lower, but the failure rate was higher. It was a semester made particularly difficult by contrast: I was riding high after a fall of what I felt had been my best ENG 110 ever, and a very

6.1 (Spring 2013) 51

C. Bernardini

positive experience with my first time teaching Skills and Written Composition, the accelerated developmental writing course.

That spring's crash-landing makes this an uncomfortable but opportune time to be writing a personal reflection on teaching for my tenure portfolio. Opportune, because at such moments one is forced to confront and question one's pedagogy, and even the values upon which that pedagogy is based. It makes reading through previous portfolios a humbling experience: so much high rhetoric, so much hope ... the manic side of teaching's natural bipolarity.

As community college teachers, we walk a tightrope between retention and standards. That tightrope never felt so real to me as it did in Spring 2008-it even felt like someone had stolen my balancing pole and set to shaking the wire. On the one hand, I refuse to be judged, as one of the numerous speakers on pedagogy Hosros has sponsored over the last few years argued, according to the performance of my poorest students. I have no interest in nurturing a nascent Jesus complex into a full-blown pathology. On the other hand, I know I can't judge myself solely on the successes of my best-prepared students. I have traditionally aimed for somewhere in the middle, rewarding hard work and fostering open discussion. But what is the point of inviting students to the party, so to speak, if at the end of the semester they find the door slammed in their faces? This is the dance of the gatekeeper and the access-giver that all of us know so well.

At my most cynical I wonder if my students learn anything at all, or if their grade reflects the skills with which they entered. And then these students come up co me at the end of the semester and tell me they learned so much in my class, and I cell chem I'm glad, and smile, and try to feel complimented, while inside I am thinking: Did you? Did you really? Then why can you still not focus your paragraphs around topics? Why the persistent errors? I know I teach a great deal. I prepare lectures, discussions, exercises, handouts; I find readings and write question after question after question. But learning, that's another story.

Perhaps I can elucidate something about my recent experience with Expository Writing by looking at it through the lens of Core English, or developmental writing (ENG 091). I seem to have gained a reputation for success with the ACT; my pass rates have been high enough often enough that it appears to be more than sheer dumb luck (though it still could be). Administrators and colleagues congratulate me on my pass rates. I have even been invited by faculty members to present on my method. I confess that I listen to all of this with much the same frame of mind I adopt with the student who tells me how much he or she learned. What is particu­larly funny is that, in the same breath chat I am being congratulated, the faculty member will point out that the ACT is a flawed, unreliable, and finally meaningless exam. Congratulations on getting your students to perform a meaningless task! Maybe next semester I' ll teach them how to ride unicycles.

Ironically, like the high attrition in Expository Writing, the high ACT pass rate in Core English also forces me to think about my pedagogy in uncomfortable ways. I want my pedagogy to justify my pass rate, of course. But when I attend Core English course-level meetings, I find that my colleagues are engaged in more nuanced and more imaginative ways of approaching developmental writing than I. I have started to wonder if it is something far less tangible: my attitude toward the

52 Touchstone

Teaching Philosophy

class, maybe, or something related to the fact that I used to coach athletics before becoming a teacher.

But there is something deeper than this which I am embarrassed to admit to a readership of professors, including English professors. It is that, on a basic level, I think the ACT is a legitimate academic exercise. The fact that I would like to see the ACT superseded by a reading-based writing test (a "baby CPE") does not invali­date what the ACT is asking students to do. I have always thought that the most important thing a college writer needs to learn is how to develop unified paragraphs around single or related ideas, and the ACT is, in many respects, the ideal proving ground for just such a skill. When educational theorist Randy Bass spoke at Hostos, he asked the gathered faculty to try to determine what were the "gateway concepts" of their discipline. The question is a little more difficult to apply to a skills-based class like writing, and the concept I emerged with was broader than my discipline. But it is significant for the argument I'm making here. That concept was hierarchy: that the college essay (and by extension all essay-writing) is a hierarchical structure where facts and smaller ideas are integrated into bigger ones. Without that concept, there is no structure; without structure, there is no communication. If a student leaves not just my Core English class, but my Expository Writing class with this system of relationships firmly planted in his or her mind, and with the ability to execute an essay according to this structure with some competence, then I can agree, Yes, you have learned so much.

What I'm getting at is that on a very basic level I think the ACT does fore­ground a core competency students need to have. And on some level I must believe this if I am to communicate it with passion and intensity. I practice what I preach, too: I am as rigorous about structure and development in my own writing. That is important to communicate to students as well.

But now, anxiety: In my writing classes, particularly ENG 110, do I teach structure at the expense of imagination, even logical reasoning? When I listen co other teachers talk about what they do, I feel like they're teaching students to explore ideas, to make connections, and I am teaching them the intellectual equivalent of cabinet making. And then the little devil or the little angel on my other shoulder says: Good. Let them be cabinet-makers. Cabinet making is nothing to be ashamed oj It's honest labor. Writing is honest labor, too. Some of my best friends who are writers used to be carpenters, construction workers, craftspeople. Now, if I could only convince my students of that-that writing is honest labor-then I'd be getting somewhere. They have to be cabinet-makers first, and perhaps foremost, if they wish to communicate with anyone, don't they? Besides, someone else can teach them what I don't. I always tell my students not to follow me, to take more than one English teacher. This is a subject where getting a variety of perspectives makes all the difference.

So what accounts for my "success" in ENG 091 (or rather on the ACT; they are hardly the same thing) and my "failure" in ENG 110 (at least last semester)? Perhaps it is related to how I theorize developmental versus college-level writing. In Core English, I keep formal essay writing and reading separate; students only respond to reading informally, that is, in the more generous, liberal environment of their reading journals; the readings are at best models for the different rhetorical modes we study. In Expository Writing, I bring the reading and writing together,

6.1 (Spring 2013) 53

C. Bernardini

focusing the course from day one around writing about sources. It is not only how students use reading that distinguishes the two courses, but what they read, which in ENG 091 tends to be personal essays (particularly in the first half of the semester), and in ENG 110 tends to be news or opinion pieces about local or world affairs. This distinction impacts the overall coursework as well: developmental writing is larded with creative assignments, museum visits and the like, while expository writing is more cut-and-dry (I only half-jokingly refer to the class as "boot camp"). And since I have decided to dedicate the entire, overly brief semester of Expository Writing to

writing about sources, it translates into fifteen weeks of mental anguish and grind­ing labor for students whose reading and writing skills are, after all, hardly better, if any better, than their peers who barely failed the ACT reading and/or writing tests.

That said, the difficulty my students have faced with Expository Writing more recently may have less to do with source-based writing per se than with what we read about. A couple of years ago I shifted che reading focus from local to global issues. A couple of years before that, I had made an argument in my portfolio for having stu­dents read about local issues, issues that directly impact their communities. Perhaps last semester's ENG 110 was a case of my own words coming back to haunt me. I am wondering if it is time to re-investigate the local, though for reasons different from the ones I remember giving four years ago. Maybe the local is the right place to end ENG 110, as I did my very first semester teaching Expository Writing at Hostos.

But again, that little devil or little angel on my shoulder (two faces, always two faces): Aren't you then pandering to what the students already know, or are already in­terested in, instead of doing the hard work of broadening their horizons, getting them in­terested in something they DON'T know? After all, one can go too far in the student's direction, until "education" becomes little better than teaching students to gaze at their own navels; they are never brought outside their comfort zones and forced to examine the rest of the world, or the history chat made it. And yet, when I say local issues, I don't mean the sort of personal issues that have become the standard fare of Expository Writing classes (stereotypes, identity, etc.). I mean the sorts of issues that affect their families and communities, yes, but about which they are formally ignorant: the condition of their schools, the sanitation of their neighborhoods, the amount of rent they pay, etc. Such issues do not entirely yank students out of their comfort zone, the way my more recent globally-oriented Expository Writing classes do, but rather force them to examine the local from a more informed, academic perspective. I can expect chem to be able to relate to gentrification, whether or not they know what the word means at che beginning of the semester, in a way many of them cannot relate to (for example) private military contractors. Those handholds of everyday experience, of familiar surroundings, make all the difference as they move into more formal, academic reading and writing. I have been progressively distanc­ing myself from such handholds, semester by semester; and I think that last spring I reached the tipping point.

The local thus conceived may indeed balance what I see as a less desirable effect of an overly student-centered model (at least as I've caricatured it above) with a reading model that depends on background knowledge most Hostos students do not have. Balance: it is a word I have brought up before in these pages, a word I seem to keep returning to. Balance between developmental and college-level writ­ing; between creative, informal and formal writing; between cabinets and dreams.

54 Touchstone

Reflective Statement

benefit her. She was glad to have the opportunity to sit down and talk. She said that although this was a difficult time, it was made easier by the tremendous amount of support that she had received from everyone at Hostos. She was especially grateful for all the calls she had received from her classmates to ensure that she was okay.

This is how a college should be. In addition to being a place for intellectual growth, a college should be a place where students can make lifelong friends, bond with their professors and feel that they are an important part of the community. Hostos is not a college that students "just" go to. As I walk through the school every day, it is evident that I teach in a college where students make connections, not only in the academic sense but in the human sense.

I never imagined myself as a college professor. I am the only one in my im­mediate family to have a college degree, let alone a Master's. It is ironic that I, who was terrified of writing papers in college and procrastinated until the eleventh hour, have been teaching students how to write for the last eight years. It is wonderful that I can interact with and teach students who are also afraid to write, who come from a similar background to mine, who are single parents, who are new to the country, who are first-generation college students and who are dealing with all the odds. To their great credit, somehow they persist.

And it is this persistence in our students that I admire. Since the beginning of my career at Hostos in 2002, I have felt a part of the

college's mission to provide an education to students who have traditionally been deprived of one. Having lived the majority of my life in Washington Heights (and in the Bronx for the past sixteen years), I have witnessed how the lack of a higher education affects those in the lowest socioeconomic ladder, particularly immigrants. I am, therefore, proud to be working for an institution which believes in providing English Language Learners an opportunity to begin their journey towards a degree, a career and, ultimately, a better future.

And in so doing, I am also honoring the memory of my mother, Teresa de la Cruz.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 57

A MATHEMATICIAN'S VIEW OF EDUCATIONAL NEURO­

SCIENCE: A HUNT FOR A MATHEMATICAL GENIUS

Alexander Vaninsky

In recent years, various non-invasive methods of neuroscience research on learning mathematics have been developed, including: functional magnetic resonance imaging (!MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). They paved the way to determining the brain's domains responsible for the acquisition and storage of mathematical knowledge, with the parietal cortex playing the most important role. Neuroscience allows for the estimation of the latent ability of an individual to solve difficult mathematical problems. Recent studies were limited to either very simple arith­rnetic calculations or to the multiple choice problems. With the increase in the knowledge of brain activity and the improvements of the neuroscience investigation, it has become­ possible to develop more elaborated methods of early recognition of the extraordinary mathematical abilities and find individuals with genetically rich mathematics-related zones of their brains. This approach, unlike tests, is indifferent to race or socioeconomic status. The systematic selection of potentially talented youngsters will allow for the in­crease in the probability of finding a mathematical genius. We discuss different neurosci­ence techniques together with the methodology and possible ways of selection.

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The history of mathematics shows that the process of finding mathematically gifted people is long and difficult. Sadly, mathematical talent that is not recognized in a timely way may be lost. Two examples are given below for the illustration of this statement.

Vladimir Arnold, an eminent mathematician of our time passed away on June 3, 2010. His extraordinary mathematical talent has not been evident from his child­hood In his own words: " ... my elementary school teacher told my parents that a moron, like myself, would never manage to master the multiplication table", Khesin &Tabachnikov (2012).Steven Smale one of the great talents of the modern theory

58 Touchstone

A Mathematician's View of Educational Neuroscience: A Hunt for a Mathematical Genius

of dynamical systems, who won the Fields Medal was "an indifferent high school student and also a marginal graduate student", Simmons & Kranz (2007).

The reason for such different evaluations of mathematically gifted people made at different periods of their life is the delay in the formation of mathematics­related knowledge centers in their brains. Biologically, both Arnold and Smale began studying elementary mathematics at the time when they were mentally unprepared . Being evaluated by tests, they had no chance to be recognized and to receive good mathematics education. It was their luck that at some point their extraordinarity has been acknowledged and exploited. But it could so happen that , they both have been lost to the mathematical society. To avoid such situations, it is proposed in this paper to assess not the level of preparation or specific test - oriented training but the objective potential abilities hidden in the brain structure.

In the same way as sports coaches comb out thoroughly the whole country seeking future champions, mathematicians should do the same to find and recruit youngsters who are gifted and talented in mathematics. Educational neuroscience allows for the determination the brain zones related to learning mathematics and their further development. Contemporary technology: functional magnetic reso­nance imaging (fMRI), near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and electroencepha­lography (EEG) provide tools for the exploration of the brain structure and the dynamics of the bio-potentials flows. The underlying hypothesis is that the brains of mathematicians are structured and operate in a particular way that determines their brilliance, extraordinary imagination, and creativity in abstract thinking. In particular, specific parts of their brain tissues are expected to be more developed than those of ordinary people. Namely this brain structure provides their ability to view mathematics ideas differently, and to generate the new ideas that develop mathematical science further. We believe that a search should be conducted of such people to encourage them to join the mathematics community. The proposed method is relatively cheap and is indifferent to ethnicity, gender, age, and socioeco­nomic status. The suggested approach fits the Brain Activity Map initiative (BAM, Alivisatos et al. (2012, 2013) and adds a new dimension to this project.

HOW MATHEMATICAL ABILITIES CAN BE RECOGNIZED OBJECTIVELY AND IN A TIMELY WAY?

The main idea is to combine neuroscience and educational psychology into a single interdisciplinary research field, with cognitive neuroscience influencing mathematics educational research De Smedt (2010). By using the non-invasive tech­niques of brain imaging, it has become possible to measure which brain regions are involved in learning and practicing mathematics, and how their neural correlates change over the course of learning and development, Ansari et al. (2012). Sources state that the main brain zones related to mathematics are the pre-frontal cortex and parietal lobe of the right hemisphere, Figures 1-3. We claim that people with these zones highly developed are potential candidates for success in mathematics.

Contemporary neuroscience technology allows for new techniques of mea­suring the level of development and adtivities of the different zones of the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), Electroencephalography (EEG), and Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) paved the way to the determination of the brain domains responsible for the acquisition and storage of mathematical knowl­edge. The parietal cortex plays the most important role. By exploring them further

6.1 (Spring 2013) 59

On Creativity and Understanding in Remedial Mathematics

So what is "understanding"? All of us know it. Any "Aha" moment is the moment of understanding. Since all of us know it, we are aware that it is a moment when suddenly things start making sense and that means that their relations with each other are very clear.

Wikipedia suggest the following sentence as the "other" meaning of "under­standing:" Understanding is the awareness of connectiom between individual pieces of information or more precisely "one understands when he or she can make connectiom between ideas, facts or procedures" (Hiebert & Wearne, 1992) .. Cognitive psychol­ogy, and in particular developmental cognitive psychology defines understanding of a concept as thinking focused on investigating and utilization of connections between different particular manifestations of the concept in question, that is its schema, the network of relationships.

What kind of thinking is it? It's worthwhile to listen to the professional of thinking, A. Einstein, who on

the p.7 of his Autobiographical Notes asks a similar question. "What exactly is think­ing? When at the reception of seme impressions, a memory picture emerges, this is not yet thinking, and when such pictures form series, each member of which calls for another, this too is not yet thinking. When however, a certain picture turns up in many of such series then - precisely through such a return - it becomes an ordering element for such series, in that it connects series, which in themselves are unconnected, such an element becomes an instrument, a concept. "

Piaget, who together with the physicist Garcia of Mexico, investigated the development of conceptual schema in mathematics and sciences (Piaget and Garcia, 1989) agrees in general outlines with Einstein's description. The authors point to the fact chat essentially there are three levels of schema formation, that is of the process of understanding. The first one is the familiarity with the individual pieces, those "memory pictures" -the intra process. The second stage is the reflection and investi­gation of relationships between the different pieces-the inter level, or that moment in Einstein's description above when "such pictures form series, each member of which calls forth another" indicating that some relationship between individual pieces of information has been established. And finally, when the reflection upon the dis­covered relations blossoms into grasping the underlying structure of the developing concept, when "a certain picture turns up in many of such series then-precisely through such a return-it becomes an ordering element for such series, in that it connects series, which in themselves are unconnected," we have the trans stage of understanding the concept, which transcends the boundaries imposed by its particular manifestations.

All of this is simpler than it sounds. Starting in the early childhood, when the formation of earliest concepts such as a table, a chair, water, exactly the same process of their development as described by Einstein takes place in every child (Skemp, 1977, Vygotsky 1986). First are isolated impressions of different fragments of the chair, then its mutual usefulness and roles, and finally, the chair is grasped as the full, operational concept.

Can this process be measured? Can one ascertain the degree of understanding of a particular concept? Can one measure understanding?

Nothing simpler, if one knows what one wants to measure, as the perfor­mance task preparing DOE/NYC teachers for the introduction of Common Core standards in mathematics shows us.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 71

On Creativity and Understanding in Remedial Mathematics

understanding of the series, "one member of which calling forth another" for high numbered stages. Students' work on it and the degree of their success gives precise information as to the degree of understanding the concept of the variable in the context of generalization. The problem was given as an assignment for students in the Math for liberal arts course at Hostos CC with good 20% of students reaching the trans stage of formulating the general term for the series what indicates full un­derstanding of the concept, around 40% of students reached the inter-operational stage of recognizing the relationship between the series, some reaching mastery of that stage demonstrated by the correct answer to question 5 without using the path­way leading through the general term. I would encourage every reader to take a try at the problem while at the same time being aware of the nature of thought during this process. It might be illuminating. 2

ON CREATIVITY

One of the central problems to be solved by us in the courses of algebra is the absence of interest of students in mathematics itself "Mathematics is not cool" one often hears from students, from the community and sometimes, from colleagues of faculty (anegdotical evidence by the author). The reasons, as evidenced by students' essays describing their attitudes to mathematics are, generally, earlier exposure to it, the sense of failure and "cannot do" attitude. Students are often aware of their situa­tion and despair about their inability to break those habits. Mathematical creativity maybe one of the tools (if not the only one) we, the mathematics instructors, have to reverse the trend of failure and "cannot do" attitude and transform it into enjoyment of the subject, and successful mastery of the concepts under consideration. That raises the question: what is mathematical creativity, and how do we facilitate it in the course of elementary algebra or arithmetic?

A major work has been done in this respect by our colleague, Prof Vrunda Prabhu of BCC who discovered Koestler's Act of Creation (Koestler, 1964) for teaching elementary mathematics.

The Act of Creation of Koestler (1964) defines "bisociation" that is "the cre­ative leap [of insight], which connects previously unconnected frames of reference and makes us experience reality at several planes at once." Consequently, the cre­ative leap of insight or bisociation can take place only if we are considering at least two different frames of reference, of a discourse. Note the similarity of Koestler's definition ofbisociation to Einstein's description above. The similarity suggests that mathematical creativity is closely related to understanding. In fact, Koestler " . .. distinguish[es] between progress in understanding-the acquisition of new insights, and the exercise of understanding at any given stage of development. Progress in un­derstanding is achieved by the formulation of new codes through the modification and integration of existing codes by methods of empirical induction, abstraction and discrimination, bisociation. The exercise or application of understanding - the explanation of particular events-then becomes an act of subsuming the particular event under the codes formed by past experience. To say that we have understood a phenomenon means that we have recognized one or more of its relevant relational

2 Dr.C. will respond to every complete answer to the problem.

6.1 (Spring 2013) 73

On Creativity and Understanding in Remedial Mathematics

"cannot do" habit, and transform it into original creativity. Below is the triptych (with a student's completion) from a developmental algebra class:

Number - ratio ......... division

Particularity - abstraction - generality

- variable -

multiplication - exponent- power

The triptychs of Prof. Prabhu are being refined and their utility assessed with every new semester cycle of classroom teaching and research.

The use of triptychs in the mathematics class, brings back the puzzles inher­ent in mathematics. What is the connection between the stated concepts? What concepts could be connected to the given concepts? Given the la-rgely computa­tional nature of the elementary classes, and students' habit of remembering pieces of formulas from previous exposures to the subject, a forum for meaning making is created in connecting prior knowledge with synthesized, reasoned exploration. The question "how," answered by computations, is augmented with the "why" that is addressed through the use of mathematical triptychs.

REFERENCES

Hacker, A. (2012, July 28). Is Algebra Necessary? The New York Times. Retrieved from http:/ /www.nytimes.com/2012/07 /29/ opinion/ sunday/is-algebra-necessary. html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

Akst, G. (2005). Performance in selected mathematics courses at The City University of New York: Implication for retention. New York, NY: Office of Institutional research and Assessment, CUNY.

Amatyc writing team (2006) Beyond Crossroads, Implementing Mathematics Standards in the First Two Years of College-American Marhemacics Association ofTwo Year Colleges.

Daro Phil, Frederic Mosher, Corcoran Tom (2011) Learning Trajectories in Mathematics. CPRE Consortium of Policy Research in Education, Teachers College, Columbia University.

Ferrini-Mundy, J., Schmidt, W., Leroi, G., Bates, P., &Joyner, T. (2006, May). Making the Grade: Fractions in Your School (Research Report 1). East Lansing, MI: PROM/SE. Retrieved from http:/ /promse.msu.edu/ _documents/ PRO MSE_resrpt_fractions.ac5. pdf.

Hiebert, J. and Wearne, D. (1992). Links Between Teaching and Learning Place Value Wirh Understanding in First Grade, Journal for Research in Marhematics

6.1 (Spring 2013) 75

Learning Styles: Offering Your Students a Complement

straight-backed chair) versus informal (cushiony and possibly recumbent seating) design. These options may sound like common sense, but it is important to remem­ber that, for many of us, how we learn today has been greatly impacted by behav­iors learned from traditional parents and teachers who insisted that sitting upright, without television or radio playing, and under glaring fluorescent bulbs was the best and only way to learn.

The provision of personal scenarios for homework and studying has often been predicated on formally identifying each learner's strongest requirements through reliable and valid instruments such as Building Excellence (Missere & Dunn, 2007). To this end, it is anticipated that students entering Hostos in the near future will complete an inventory designed to determine their learning styles and help them cultivate effective study habits. This will be done under the guidance of the Student Success Coaches Unit, which was established to provide support to our students in order to increase their academic success.

GLOBAL VERSUS ANALYTIC PROCESSING.

Analytics learners do not need to know the reason why something is impor­tant to know; they do, however require sequential instruction in escalating degrees of difficulty that leads to an understanding of a concept. Conversely, global students must see the bigger picture either through an illustration, an anecdote, or practical examples before instruction can be effective (Burke, 2003).

At Hostos, the 75 minutes typically allotted to each class session is often woefully inadequate to get everything (attendance taking, collecting/distributing printed materials, teacher-led instruction, student-driven inquiry, etc.) completed. The initial introduction to the new material presented can determine the lesson's effectiveness. Burke (2003) reassured us that globals and analytics can learn equally well as long as both groups have their immediate needs met. A strategy that satisfies both processing styles is to provide a brief activity for those who prefer to get to the concept in consecutive steps that can be done while you share a brief conversation with those who need the broader picture before engaging in the task at hand. After five or ten minutes, all students will have been given a glimpse into the coming les­son and be ready to begin. Any attempt to meet individual needs within the larger classroom community serves to foster the interpersonal relationship between each learner and the professor as it is indicative of care given to the student (Seldin, 1995).

PERCEPTUAL MODALITIES

Humans take information in through the five senses (sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell). The same is true in higher education, although we do rely more heavily on print (textbooks, handouts, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) and sound (lecture and discussion). In my social-studies methods course, students rely heavily on Smart Phones to find information during a lesson. Technology such as tablets and other communication devices have the potential to address auditory, visual, and movement-based needs and to do so in an entertaining way supplemented by color and action.

Teachers (regardless of grade level or subject matter) come with pedagogi­cal tools and stylistic preferences. There is a way, though, to provide information in an engaging manner across the perceptual modalities without going out on the

6.1 (Spring 2013) 79

J. DiSanto

proverbial limb-BlackBoard. le has the power to be a treasure trove filled with opportunities to revisit recently introduced instruction through learning-style traits that may not have been accommodated in the classroom.

The inclusion of pictures, graphs, charts, and outlines provides additional learning opportunities for visual learners. Audio clips such as your voice reading a passage from the text or posing a question, a YouTube link, or a primary source such as an historic speech recorded as it was originally delivered supports the need to hear information in auditory students. The manipulation of the mouse through the BlackBoard site enables a tactual learner to experience the process of internal­izing material through the fingertips. A kinesthetic person is someone who needs movement to address new and/or difficult information; a verbal-kinesthetic must talk during the process. Without classmates all around, whole body movement such as pacing or tapping of feet, as well as speaking aloud, can be done free from the fear of distuFbing anyone else as can speaking aloud.

SUMMARY

Learning styles address the way a student is introduced to new and/or dif­ficult material. Researchers have found that, when the pedagogy complements the strongest learning-style traits of each individual, greater academic achievement is attained than when it does not.

At Hostos, we are in the initial stages of identifying the learning styles of students new to our college. The intent is to provide information that will allow these learners to tailor the environment where they revisit new information to meet their needs.

Instructors can include BlackBoard as an instructional tool. Pedagogically, this online resource addresses the various perceptual modalities through the inclu­sion of visual aids, audio sources, and opportunities for tactual/kinesthetic activity.

In conclusion, in the words of Dr. Rita Dunn, if the student is not learning the way you are teaching, then you must teach in the way the student learns.

REFERENCES

Burke, K. (2003). Research on processing style: Step-by-step toward a broader perspective. In R. Dunn & S. A. Griggs (Eds.), Synthesis of the Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model Research: Who, What, When, Where, and So What? ( 45-47). Queens, NY: St. John's University's Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles.

Dunn, R. (2003). Practical applications of the research. In R. Dunn & S. A. Griggs (Eds.), Synthesis of the Dunn and Dunn Learning-Style Model Research: Who, What, When, Where, and So What? (7-10). Queens, NY: St. John's University's Center for the Study of Learning and Teaching Styles.

Dunn, R., & Dunn, K. (2007). The Dunn and Dunn learning-styles model. Retrieved from http:/ /www.learningsryles.net/images/ stories/ documents/ models/ D&D%20Model%20English.gif

Mangino, C., & Griggs, S. A. Learning styles in higher education. In R. Dunn & S.

80 Touchstone

ONLINE TRANSLATION

Sherese Mitchell

When certain phrases are translated into another language, there are elements that may become lost. The same can be said of aspects that are transferred from a traditional classroom to an instructional online model. In this article, major issues involving the process of adapting and thriving in a hybrid model class are explored. My purpose is to highlight some shared elements of instruction of both models (hy­brid vs. traditional classrooms) and how they can be preserved in transition. After providing an overview of both models, elements will be summarized, and finally, strategies for successful transcription will be outlined.

In a traditional classroom there is a lecturer who maintains face-to-face inter­action with his/her students. He/she maintains control of the majority of activities during the semester. However, in the virtual classroom, the interface is limited. One benefit of the hybrid setting is chat it is not completely caught online. Students have the opportunity to interact with the professor directly. Yet, the course can also take on a life of its own. This is because the lecturer viewed as the leader in the traditional setting is now obligated to allow students more opportunities to become account­able as a result of the online environment.

Physical visibility is nonexistent online with the exception of words being typed on the screen. Online text is the only evidence of a student's online presence. The instructor has a strong presence initially as he/she lays the groundwork for the function of the course. However, it is up to the students to sign on and contribute. In this way, a virtual community is born.

A major concern of educators who plan online instruction is the transcrip­tion of academic content. They are accustomed to listing topics to be explored via discussions, assignments and assessments during the length of an entire semester. After compiling that list, it is their mission to instruct that content the best way they know how. However, when this task is presented in a hybrid setup, it may become challenging to educators. One obstacle is the desire to reproduce the tra­ditional classroom experience as a result of comfort level and level of familiarity

82 Touchstone

Online Translation

(Ruth, 2006). If an educator has been stationed in a long-established setting for the duration of his/her career, he/she too must undergo a transition.

The first step in this transformation is to develop an open mind. Online in­struction is prevalent in our society and is more than a trend. Therefore, it is in the best interest of the educator to learn ways to begin the process and implement them at a pace that is comfortable for him/her.

First, let's analyze the discussion board element. This is an activity where students are provided with an opportunity to interact with other individuals in their social group. They can express their personal opinions, agree, disagree, elabo­rate on the contributions of others and reflect upon shared information in the oral transaction. The dialogue is derived from course content. This information drives the conversation. In a face-to-face setting, students may feel uncomfortable sharing their views in front of several onlookers. Yet, when they use technology, a different conversation takes place. They are provided an opportunity of expression in a more private environment. Students may become uninhibited and more inclined to share their thoughts.

Specifically in a methods course, Teaching Mathematics and Science to Young Children, assignments can be submitted in person, via email or uploaded directly to the site. For example, students can upload a You Tube or other link for others to review based on a particular science topic. Individuals can see first-hand the experiment and are able to discuss it on the Blackboard forum. Later a formal lesson plan is derived from the simple research-based experience. These documents are generally reflective of course content. It is an opportunity for the students to demonstrate what they have retained from the discussion board session and viewing of the experiment in a formal lesson plan. Also, the professor can review the assign­ment to determine what the student has learned. Providing a compartmentalized handout and checklist are helpful in either environment. The key is to set students up for success by providing options and tools. It is their choice to utilize them.

Tools can also be provided for students taking tests-these can be in the form of lists, pages and chapters that will be covered. Providing a sense of direction can limit the amount of confusion a student may feel. It can also make them feel more comfortable about what they will see on a test and not get too surprised. This sense of direction or road map, per se, can grant students confidence to put forth more effort in learning course content.

However, students cannot be viewed by the professor while they are complet­ing an online test. In this case, assessments may be difficult to obtain. They can uti­lize their textbooks even when told not to do so or find other ways to be deceptive in providing responses to questions. During a face-to-face session, it is easier to detect academic dishonesty because it is visible. However, when considering the assessment aspect of a course, one principle should be stressed: if students are cheating, they are cheating themselves. In addition, making students aware that individuals are more respected when they study and did fairly well as opposed to those who master the content by cheating can go a long way.

In order to be successful with hybrid instruction, it is most helpful to view possible solutions. Today's students are present in lecture halls throughout the nation and creative strategies are needed to meet their needs. There are various learning-style preferences to keep in mind when considering students. Sometimes

6.1 (Spring 2013) 83

S. Mitchell

"baptisms by fire" or trial by error is a good way for educators to learn (Hege, 2011). Every group will not be the same. Therefore, it is important that strategies that work best be continued. That is the overarching strategy. However, here are some specific considerations and recommendations:

• Own your position as a facilitator as opposed to a authoritarian-providetools for students to learn, lay the groundwork, step back, observe and reviseyour practices as necessary.

• Dissect the list of topics you intend to teach the students-how can studentslearn best, based on their learning circumstances? What tools can you offerfor them to learn?

• Observe students and, determine whether or not to increase, decrease ormaintain the pace that you have set, based on their past behaviors.

• Discussions. Provide provoking topics that will lead to insightful conversa­tions; invite

• them to connect with other students with whom they can identify; encour­age all to participate and reassure students that their comments are valuable.

• Provide assignments that are reflective of course content and provide a check­list, if possible, that includes tools showing how to measure increments ofspecific tasks.

• Assessments focus on students who are doing their best to complete the test,and stress the value of applying themselves without academic dishonesty.

• Provide a study sheet to serve as a guide that can be used to calm students anddecrease their potential test anxiety.

In conclusion, students who enroll in online programs may do so for reasonsrelated to access, convenience and flexibility. The factors that drive student retention include feeling connected, supported and maintaining a quality connection. Not only do they want to feel connected to the professor in some way, but making a con­nection with peers is necessary (Heyman, 2010). The online community itself can serve as a "touchstone for shared time and space" (Anagnostopoulos, Basmadjian, and McCrory, 2005). When students make connections with other students, this may make it easier for them to thrive in the online environment. In some cases, they may feel that there is no one else to rely on except a peer in such an isolated setting.

WORKS CITED

Anagnostopoulos, D., Kevin , B. & Raven M. (2005). "The decentered teacher and the construction of social space in the virtual classroom." Teachers College Record 107: 1699-1729.

Hege, Brent A. R. (2011). The online theology classroom: strategies for engaging a community of distance learners in a hybrid model of online education. Teaching Theology and Religion, 14(1), 13-20.

Heyman, E. (2010). Overcoming student retention issues in higher education online programs. Online Journal of Distance Learning Administration, 8( 4).

Ruth, Lester. (2006). "Converting my course converted me: how reinventing an on-

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Online Translation

campus course for an online environment reinvigorated my teaching." Teaching Theology and Religion 9: 236-242.

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RAISING STANDARDIZED TEST RESULTS OF

MINORITY/ESL NURSING STUDENTS

Edward L. King and Christine O'Reilly

Maria de Hostos Community College, C.U.N.Y., was created in 1968 co meet the underserved educational needs of the South Bronx in New York City. It is named for Eugenio Maria de Hostos, the Puerto Rican educator, writer, and patriot who championed educational opportunity for all people, particularly women. The surrounding community represents one of the poorest Congressional Districts in the United Scates representing a poverty rate of 25% and a child poverty race of 36%. (http://halfinten.org/issues/arricles/poverty-data-by-congressional-discrict/). The population is diverse, consisting of Hispanic, African, Haitian, Jamaican and African-American students. The nursing students were approximately 10% Caucasian and English-As-Second-Language (ESL) students were the majority within the class.

"The mission of Eugenio Maria de Hostos Community College is to offer ac­cess co higher education leading to intellectual growth and socio-economic mobility through the development of linguistic, mathematical, technological, and critical thinking proficiencies needed for lifelong learning and for success in a variety of programs including careers, liberal arts, transfer, and those professional programs leading to licensure." (Mission Statement, website: www.hostos.cuny.edu, accessed February 20, 2012.)

Registered Nursing Students who graduate from Hostos Community College must pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN) in order to apply for licensure as a Registered Nurse within New York Scace. " To ensure public protection, NCSBN Member Board jurisdictions require a candidate for licensure to pass an examination that measures the com­petencies needed to perform safely and effectively as a newly licensed, entry-level nurse." (ncsbn.org/nclex.htm, accessed on February 25, 2012) The NCLEX-RN is a computer adaptive test (CAT).

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"lhe NCLEX uses CAT to administer the examination. CAT is a method for administering exams that merges computer technology with modern measurement theory to increase the efficiency of the exam process.

CAT is used for the NCLEX because it:

Reduces the number of "easy" items that high-ability candidates receive; "easy" items tell little about a high performing candidate's ability,

Reduces the number of"difficult" items low-ability candidates receive; can­didates tend to guess on items that are too difficult which can skew results,

Reduces item exposure and subsequent security risks,

Improves precision of measurement of the NCLEX candidates ability re­lated to nursing and,

Provides a valid and reliable measurement of nursing competence."

(https:!lwww.ncsbn.org/12J6.htm, accessed February 25, 2012)

The method used by CAT co score the exam is the following: Every time a student answers a question, the computer re-estimates the stu­

dent's ability based on all the previous answers and the difficulty of those items. The computer then selects the next item that the student should have a 50% chance of answering correctly. The computer's goal is to get as much information as possible about the student's true ability level. The student should find each successive item challenging as each item is targeted to their ability. As each item is answered, the computer's estimate of student's ability becomes more precise, until it determines whether the student is competent to practice as a new graduate nurse. (https://www. ncsbn.org/1216.htm, accessed February 25, 2012). In 2010, this standard was raised to ensure a higher quality of nursing care by new graduates (https://www.ncsbn. org/2630 .htm).

In response to this higher standard, Hostos Community College initiated a pilot program within its evening program to examine the effectiveness of CAT testing for its graduating senior class in their last semester. The intent of this article is to show the positive effect chat utilizing CAT (Prep-U by LWW) has on raising standardized testing scores within one semester.

Hostos utilizes standardized testing through Automated Technologies Institute (ATI). ''.ATI offers programs that are instrumental in improving faculty, student and program outcomes. With our programs, educators have the power to augment curriculum, revamp courses and faculty development, improve student tests outcomes and lower attrition rates" (www.atitesting.com website accessed February 25, 2012). ATI standardized tests permit the faculty to measure student progress and compare it to other nursing students across the nation using the na­tional mean. These tests are generally given after each nursing course at the end of the semester. Standardized ATI test scores for the evening program were monitored from the spring 2009 Semester through the spring 2011 semester. In the summer of 2011 the CAT Prep-U Program was purchased from LWW.

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E.L. King and C. O'Reilly

in time but the Class of 2013 had the advantage of C.A.T. through the semester while the class of 2012 did not.

These results are from a practice NCLEX Predictor Exam at the end of the Nursing Program just prior to graduation:

CLASS OF 2012 Class of2013

(N=20) (N=26)

91-99% 13 15

81-90% 4 7

80-74% 1 1

73-63% 1 1

<61% I 2

The results for rhe Class of 2013 will continue to be monitored but similar results are expected based on the predictor's results. It is noted as of April, 2013, eleven students have tested and successfully passed NCLEX RN. Fifteen students continue to study and their outcomes are being monitored by weekly e-mail.

WORKS CITED

ATI Testing (www.atitesting.com) Billings, Diane M., Ed.D., RN, FAAN, Lippincott's Content Review for NCLEX-RN.

Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2009. Print

Billings, Diane M., Ed.D., RN, FAAN, Lippincott's Q & A Review for NCLEX-RN. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health - Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Ninth Edition. Print

Hoscos Community College, www.hostos.cuny.edu Lippincott's NCLEX-RN Prep-U by LWW, ISBN: 978-1-451-11601-4 (http://

thepoint.lww.com) National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) https://www.ncsbn.org/

index.htm

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TECHNOLOGY INNOVATIONS IN PUBLISHING:

NEW OPPORTUNITIES FOR EDUCATORS AT COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Elizabeth Tappeiner and Catherine Lyons

Over the centuries, technology has not only influenced how people read, but also has played a role in how knowledge is received and understood. Social and mobile tech­nologies represent relatively recent developments that have transformed the trade pub­lishing world, but the extent to which they have affected academic publishing remains an open question. This article examines the rapid and disruptive transformations in the trade and digital publishing world, discusses how these developments have already intersected with the work of academics and comiders how these changes are relevant for community college educators.

INTRODUCTION

The roles of authors, publishers, reviewers, and readers are changing and overlapping as alternatives to traditional publishing channels emerge in the digital world. Content creation, review and publication, dissemination and distribution, and response, all steps in the publication process, have new digitally based alterna­tives which are causing disruptions in the publishing world. Books and journals are no longer issued primarily in paper formats. Established trade and academic pub­lishers aren't the only means through which intellectual and creative works can be disseminated to a wide readership. Influential reviews take the form oflong essays in Kirkus or the New York Times Book Review as well as anonymous website comments or tweets. Finally, many authors, both popular and academic, are employing various modes of self-publishing.

The academic system of tenure and promotion, tied to traditional academic publishing models, is inherently conservative. Nevertheless, academics have been at the forefront of developing innovative channels of creation, dissemination, and re­view of their work. At the same time, innovations in digital publishing, particularly in app creation, self-publishing, and alternative pricing models, continue to bring about enormous changes to the broader publishing landscape. With a focus on the scholarship of teaching and learning, community colleges are uniquely positioned

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to be a part of developments in new and evolving modes of trade and academic pub­lishing. Below, we will provide examples of rapid and disruptive transformations in the trade and digital publishing world, discuss how these developments have already intersected with the work of academics, and finally consider how these changes might continue to transform research in community colleges in the future.

ACADEMIC PUBLISHING RE-ENVISIONED

For academics, publishing in peer-reviewed journals and with respected academic presses has long been a signifier of engagement and achievement and is typically a weighty factor in tenure and promotion decisions. Although it had much earlier antecedents, the process of peer review became widespread in academia in the mid-twentieth century as a way to make evaluation of research more objective and less dependent upon the expertise and interests of a small editorial board. Today, it is often criticized as lacking transparency and slowing down the dissemination of new ideas (Townsend 2010). Despite these flaws, a 2010 study by the Center for Studies in Higher Education found that faculty in academic institutions tend to fol­low traditional publishing practices, preferring peer-review journals and academic presses to new modes of publishing and social media (Hanley et al 2010, 3). The study also showed that although most institutions counted non-text activities, such as contributing to data sets, creating websites, performances, etc. in tenure and pro­motion decisions, these forms of scholarly engagement were not valued as highly as traditional forms of publishing.

Although publication in peer-reviewed journals and academic monographs has broad acceptance in many established disciplines as a control for quality research and high standards, these forms of publication are not the ideal form of communi­cation for all disciplines. In some emerging fields, such as those that employ digital media, digital scholarship tends to be highly collaborative, and as a result may be underappreciated by evaluators: "[T]he proper evaluation of work in new media by tenured and tenure-track academics lies in appreciation of collaborative develop­ment practices in the digital humanities and in formal recognition of the collective modes of authorship this activity often implies" (Nowviskie 2011, 170). As a result, many criticize peer review as inherently conservative. It relies upon established ex­perts within a discipline, but not necessarily on scholars most engaged in emerging modes of inquiry, to approve and validate research. In other fields, such as phys­ics, pre-print repositories are gaining in importance over scholarly journals. Cope and Kalantzis argue that in these disciplines, "[i]nformal pre-publication is eroding the significance of the post-publication text as both authors and readers find the immediacy of open discipline-based repositories more powerful and relevant than eventual publication" (2009). Different disciplines face different challenges. It is clear, however, that new channels of dissemination are increasingly important in academic scholarly communication.

Major research-centered publishing initiatives such as the highly-regarded open access PLOS (Public Library of Science) journals (http://www.plos.org) or the social network for science research VIVO (http://vivoweb.org), have changed the academic publishing landscape. Community college faculty, who carry a heavier teaching load and whose research is frequently related to the practice of teaching in their disciplines, have many online opportunities for sharing their work with

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Technology Innovations in Publishing: New Opportunities for Educators at Community Colleges

peers. For example, Open Education platforms such as the OER commons (http:// www.oercommons.org/) enable teachers to disseminate learning resources such as lesson plans, games, and virtual labs. Educators can post scholarly works on iTunes University and make them freely available to anyone with an Apple ID. Educational resources typically count towards the scholarship requirement for tenure and pro­motion decisions. However, this kind of online publishing has the potential to reach large numbers of educators and impact the professional reputation of community colleges and educators, and, most importantly improve pedagogical practice on campus and beyond.

BORN MOBILE AND OTHER TRENDS IN DIGITAL PUBLISHING

It is not news to academics, particularly academic librarians, that students are increasingly demanding content--textbooks, reserve readings, journals, and full-length monographs--in electronic, preferably mobile, formats. A recent report published by Lee Rainie and Maeve Duggan of the Pew Internet and American Life Project (2012) found that "[i]n the past year, the number of those who read e-books increased from 16% of all Americans ages 16 and older to 23%." Likewise, ebook reader or tablet ownership among Americans has increased from 3% in 2010 to 33% in late 2012. While this study did not focus on academic readers, it points to a trend that has profoundly changed the publishing industry. Companies selling e-content and devices to read them, such as Amazon and Barnes and Noble, may lead the way to this dramatic rise in e-reading, but all publishers, including academic publishers, are faced with the pressure of providing mobile-friendly content and competition from self-publishing platforms and micropublishing.

Recent innovations have made it simpler to publish content primarily intend­ed to be read on a mobile device. EPub is the file format popularly used by ebook reading software. Content management systems like the WordPress blogging soft­ware and MediaWiki (the wiki application that runs Wikipedia) offer plugins that make it easy for authors to export their content in the ePub format. On the content creation side, many of the popular social content creation tools (like Wordpress, Twitter and Facebook) have created mobile apps (for example, the Wordpress for iOS app- http://ios.wordpress.org/ ) so that authors can create content on their de­vices. Although these social media companies were founded on web-based technol­ogy, they have entered the mobile realm, allowing authors to create content using mobile devices, content that is intended to be read on mobile devices. Essentially, this is a way for users to adapt social media content to the mobile world.

Authors of monographs are also finding support for offering their books in ebook format. Traditional publishers are working more readily with authors who want to self-publish their work, often so that the author maintains more control over the publishing process (arguably at the expense of the "prestige" lost by not hav­ing work accepted by the traditional publishers). For example, the respected trade publishers such as Simon & Schuster have a self-publishing service called Archway Publishing which includes ebook formatting (with the ePub format) and the option for children's book authors to publish content for mobile apps. Whether this kind of self-publishing model has direct implications for reputation conscious academic authors is highly doubtful; however it points to destabilization in the market, where

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respected authors may for various reasons choose to self-publish and perhaps raise the status of self-publishing.

In addition to ways of creating mobile versions of online publishing and dissemination platforms, new companies are emerging to make it easier for non­programmers to create "born mobile" content. Tactilize (http://tactilize.com/ ) de­scribes itself as "the world's first iPad self-publishing app and content network." A TechCrunch article recognizes that creating content for mobile apps generally require more technological expertise than writing for the web, and explains how "[t] actilize wants to make it significantly easier for writers, photographers, videogra­phers and anybody else who produces interesting content to feature - and monetize - their works on the iPad" (Lardinois 2012). They plan to have a content networkthat consists of a new type of content: cards. The cards, which are each composedof text, video, photos, and take advantage of the multimedia possibilities availableon tablets, can be created either using a web-based application or by using their app.

Micropublishing is a niche activity in the traditional print publishing world that used to be limited by the constraints of paper. For example, print zine and chap­books, despite their limited but devoted readership, earned far too little per copy to make them profitable for large publishing companies. Distributing (by mail) small numbers of zines was time-consuming and expensive. The rise of mobile devices, and tablets in particular, are revitalizing this genre. In a 2012 article in Pando Daily, Hamish McKenzie describes a new app, The Periodical Co (http://theperiodical.co/) which enables "people to simultaneously push content to a website, a mobile website, and Apple's Newsstand without any coding skills required." This allows authors of small serial publications the ability to create and distribute mobile content. This do-it-yourself approach may seem a far cry from activities of respected, established academic publishers, but it is possible that more widespread self-publishing, self­dissemination, and review and comment via social media may disrupt business as usual in academic publishing.

The publishing industry was forever changed when the earliest web browsers brought text, hypertext, and images to unlimited numbers of readers and authors began to publish online. Later, it embraced the advent of social media and Web 2.0, realizing that feedback mechanisms and a culture of commencing engaged readers in new ways. Ebooks have further altered the publishing landscape. Even as social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, enabled short bursts of content, mono­graph length works continued to thrive, albeit shifting to online formats. Now some new books are only released in ePub format, and not print. Most recently, mobile reading, clearly a preferred format for many readers, is once again is creating a chal­lenge for publishing. Furthermore, as new types of primarily textual content have been created (tweets, status updates, iOS Newstand magazines), criteria for reliable and authoritative reporting has also become more fluid. As new reading technolo­gies gain currency among the general population of readers, some academics in some disciplines, interested in reaching audiences outside of their communities of practice, will likely follow.

CONCLUSION: POTENTIAL IMPLICATIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES

Because of a focus on teaching and learning, community college educators have more opportunities to interact with students and think about how students use

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Technology Innovations in Publishing: New Opportunities for Educators at Community Colleges

resources to learn. These interactions can lead to scholarship of reaching, which is valued in community colleges' tenure and promotion process. Furthermore, micro­publishing and web-based self-publishing platforms present the potential for creat­ing alternatives to traditional textbooks. Faculty without programming skills can use WordPress, wikis or app creation software to integrate images, texts, and videos into online open learning resources that replace expensive textbooks. Students can access these on devices they might already own for free and have access to important materials not only on the first day of dass, but even before the class begins.

Digital publishing and mobile reading have already had far-reaching im­pacts in the trade publishing marketplace. Academic publishing, although slower . to change, is also being transformed by new publishing technologies, new pricing structures, and new expectations on the part of readers. Although the culture of on­line publishing may be shifting what readers and researchers value in a publication, including how authority and prestige are measured, guidelines for tenure and pro­motion in academia generally still value academic monographs and peer-reviewed articles published in authoritative journals. Humanities scholars and other academ­ics are starting to argue for establishing alternatives to traditional evaluation guide­lines when evaluating the work of scholars involved in digital scholarship. Although faculty still consider publishing in peer-reviewed journals as the surest way to tenure and promotion, some disciplines are tentatively moving in the direction of changing evaluation criteria to support alcernative forms of publishing.

Technology has brought about rapid changes in the way we create, dissemi­nate, and consume knowledge. Mobile reading, self-publishing, and ubiquitous user feedback, among other innovations, are changing habits and expectations of the general reading public. Academics, whose role it is to carefully evaluate new knowl­edge, need to continue to innovate in their own publishing practices in order to ensure their full integration in reading and publishing in the future.

REFERENCES

Cope, William Wand Mary Kalantzis. "Signs of epistemic disruption: Transformations in the knowledge system of the academic journal." First Monday 14, no.4-6, April 2009. http://.firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/ fm/article/view/2309/2163

Harley, Diane Sophia Krzys Acord, Sarah Earl-Novell, Shannon Lawrence, C. Judson King. "Assessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication: An Exploration of Faculry Values and Needs in Seven Disciplines." Center for Studies in Higher Education, UC Berkeley, January 2010. http://escholarship.org/uc/ cshe_fsc

Lardinois, Frederic. "Tactilize wants co make iPad Publishing Easy." Tech Crunch, September 6, 2012. http:/ /techcrunch.com/2012/09/06/tactilize-wants-to­make-ipad-publishing-easy/

MacKenzie, Hamish. "Get ready for the age of premium micropublishing." Pandodaily, December, 3, 2012. http://pandodaily.com/20 l 2/ 12/03/ get-ready­for-the-age-of-premium-micropublishing/

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Nowviskie, Bethany. "Where Credit Is Due: Preconditions for the Evaluation of Collaborative Digital Scholarship." Profission,(2011): 169-181, doi: 10.1632/ prof2011.20 II. I. I 69

Rainie, Lee and Maeve Duggan. "E-book Reading Jumps; Print Book Reading Declines." Pew Internet in American Life Project. December 27, 2012. http:// libraries.pewinternet.org/2012/12/27/e-book-reading-jumps-print-book­reading-declines/

Sabatier, Lou, and Edward Fitzelle. "Managing The Progressive Publishing Company During Market And Technology Transitions." Publishing Research Quarterly 27.3 (2011): 220-229. doi:10.1007/sl2109-0l l-9223-6

Townsend, Robert B. "Assessing the Future of Peer Review." [blog post]. AHA Today. June 7, 2010. http://blog.historians.org/profession/1065/assessing-the­future-of-peer-review

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SUPPORTING VETERANS IN THE CLASSROOM

Alisa Roost and Noah Roost

During the fall of2012 a student in my public speaking class confided in me that he was struggling with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). A veteran of both Iraq and Afghanistan, this quiet, dignified man had been working with a psychologist at the Veterans Administration (V.A.). Because I knew that he was receiving professional sup­port (and presumably wasn't substituting a sympathetic ear for professional care), it made me more comfortable in trying to help as much as I could. We ended up talking quite a bit. He wasn't doing as well when he first approached me. A preliminary search for peda­gogy regarding teaching veterans in the classroom yielded surprisingly little information, so I turned to my brother, a clinical psychologist who completed his post-doc at the V.A. and continues working with the V.A. assessing PTSD and other psychiatric disorders. As the semester progressed, I made some accommodations and the student did very well. The

following observations and recommendations came out of the conversations of my brother and L our research, and the changes I implemented in the classroom.

Hoscos has about 155 self-identified veterans and probably a few more who have not reached ouc to the veterans' group. In 2007-2008, approximately four per­cent of all university students were veterans or active duty soldiers (Radford) and that number has probably only risen as the war in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom or OIF) has ended and may continue to rise after the U.S. leaves Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom or OEF). However, few statistics exist to show how veterans are doing in college and "there are no national statistics on veterans' gradu­ation rates" (Abramson). While there is scholarship examining the important role of veterans' centers on campus, little has been done to examine how professors can support veterans in the classroom. We will examine the situation facing many re­turning veterans, common backgrounds for many vets, and possible ways to better serve veterans in the classroom.

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While the U.S. is doing a better job in its treatment of veterans than it did following the Vietnam War, there are gaping holes and huge difficulties facing vet­erans. As Phil Stewart reported in Reuters:

Veterans returning home today join lines for disability payments much longer than those Obama called intolerable in 2008. Their chances of find­ing jobs in a bleak economy are worse than those of most other Americans. Veterans' complaints of employment discrimination by the federal govern­ment have actually risen. Veterans remain more likely to be homeless than the general population.

Three hundred and forty nine active duty members cook their own lives in 2012, a record number. Suicides among veterans are not closely tracked, but it is believed co be on the rise as well (Here & Now). It is known that "a veteran within the VA healthcare system cries to commit suicide about once every half-hour, on average" (Reuters).

Veterans are struggling in other areas as well. Recent efforts have reduced the unemployment rate among veterans to 7.0% (BLS, Employment Status), but the situation is worse for post-9/11 vets (Gulf War-Era II) whose unemployment rate is 10.8%. According to the most recent data available to us, the 2011 rate for veterans who served in Iraq or Afghanistan was 11.6 %, which is significantly higher than the 7.5% unemployment rate for non-veterans or 8.3% rate for all veterans in 2011 (BLS, Employment Situation of Veterans -- 2011). Dan Burrows, writing on CBS' Moneywatch, identified New York as one of the ten worst states to be an unemployed veteran. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America ( IAVA) in surveying "Veterans Employment Challenges," reported:

One of the greatest challenges veterans report in finding a job is explain­ing how their military skills translate to the civilian workforce. Nearly all believe they have the skills needed to land their ideal job, but the majority express concerns about how to translate their skills to a business environment (JAVA, 3).

College is clearly a common route to try and bridge that gap. 64.8% of all veterans "took college or university coursework leading to a bachelor or graduate degree" (V.A. Veteran's Survey, D-43). Veterans may experience some of the same difficulties in college that they experience in the workplace: despite the competence they experienced and demonstrated in the military, some veterans may be unsure as to how to transfer those skills co a new environment and some of these environments may not readily recognize veterans' experiences and expertise.

Of course, veterans are a diverse group and only the most general definition will encompass all of them. A member of the Coast Guard who never deployed will have a different set of experiences than a combat veteran who served in either OIF or OEF, and two vets from Afghanistan may have had very different experiences if one regularly patrolled "outside the wire" and the other handled logistics in a for­ward operating base. Although some might assume that female veterans or members of the National Guard or the Reserves will not have had traumatic experiences, many members of the Reserves and National Guard have been deployed and have experienced combat and many female veterans have been deployed to battle zones

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Supporting Veterans in the Classroom

where their lives were threatened hy risks like indirect fire (e.g. mortars and rockets). Even veterans who were not deployed in war zones can face traumatization. For example, female veterans report twice the incidence rate of sexual trauma than their male counterparts (Sadler). Every year 3% of all female military members report sexual assault and 27% report sexual harassment (Kimerling). The actual rates are assumed to be higher than chose reported. Male service members may also experi­ence military sexual trauma. Thus, it is important not to make assumptions about any specific veteran or active service members, bur to listen to their experiences and support them in what they need. Nevertheless, military culture and some common experiences will probably have shaped many veterans.

Both the specific training and the culture of the military have influenced most veterans. Perhaps because of the clearly defined structure, as well as the danger that many soldiers face, the military has a much greater impact on members than most other organizations. All branches of the military encourage identification with the group, rather than the individual (Sargent). The "structural configuration raises the likelihood that military units exert collective effects on their individual members" (Tucker, 278). Additionally, many military personnel are entrusted with more re­sponsibility than similar-aged peers. Many military members are accustomed to working in teams that become very close due co their nearly constant proximity as well as the fact chat many of chem literally count on their company members in life-or-death situations. The military inculcates a strong sense of a mission and clearly identified "core values," which are integrated in all aspects of daily life. (For example, for the Army, those are loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integ­rity and personal courage; see Ermold for more examples in the other branches.) As a result, some veterans may find it easier to work in groups towards a clearly defined mission with unambiguous, applicable outcomes using clear and precise values. Additionally, some veterans may miss the responsibility and the sense of competence and meaning. For example, many veterans returning from combat find civilian life lacking in intensity and in significance, which can contribute to depression as well as disengagement in the classroom.

Some veterans feel alienation on college campuses for several reasons (Elliott, Gonzalez and Larsen). While many OEF/OIF veterans are relatively young, a 24-year-old veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan may feel very isolated from an environ­ment that he or she perceives is dominated by 18-year-olds who just graduated fromhigh school. Some veterans report feeling alienated from their peers. "Fitting inwith students who tend to be younger, less respectful of authority, ignorant of whatmilitary service entails, and even critical of the very conflicts in which the veteranshave just risked their lives is challenging" (Elliott, 281). Additionally, some veteransmay perceive an anti-veteran bias on college campuses, a sentiment which may be aremnant from the Vietnam War era. It may be useful to temper criticism of the warsor specify chat concerns are centered in the political process, not the military serviceas a whole. Virginia Commonwealth University emphasizes the often overlookedimportance of listening: "If a service member or veteran openly discusses his orher experience, do not interrupt, do not minimize, and do not inject your politicalbeliefs about the war; JUST LISTEN" (Emphasis theirs, 38).

Finally, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and PTSD are signature injuries for both OIF and OEF veterans, and while a majority of those who experience TBI

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recover fairly quickly, that "does not necessarily generalize to OIF/OEF combat­ants" (Huckans, 44). Huckans reported that 43.9% of all OIF/OEF veterans qualify for a diagnosis of PTSD (44), and many more suffer from trauma related symptoms. For a PTSD diagnoses, based on the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (usually know as The DSM), a per­son must have at least one kind of intrusive recollection (as defined by the DSM's categories), at least three kinds of avoidant/numbing and at least two symptoms of hyper-arousal. As a result, many veterans are experiencing some of the symptoms of PTSD without having the required number of indicators in each category. These veterans are typically diagnosed with "Anxiety Disorder, Not Otherwise Specified," a diagnosis that lacks the recognition of PTSD and can leave veterans vulnerable to slipping through the cracks. Finally, simple deployment to a battle zone without traumatic exposure can lead to neuropsychological deficits in domains, like working memory, which are crucial for academic performance. Therefore, it makes sense to consider pedagogical modifications for all veterans, regardless of official PTSD or TBI diagnoses. Huckans et.al. document the importance of using day planners with veterans suffering from TBI, PTSD or persistent, mild cognitive disorder. Veterans with disabilities should be referred to the services for students with disabilities and encouraged to use that resource. At Hostos only a small fraction of eligible students seek additional support from that office. Many veterans with disabilities are reluc­tant to seek help, as psychiatric care is stigmatized in many contexts in the Armed Forces and it can interfere with veteran's future security clearance. Thus, many vet­erans in non-military contexts, like Hostos, continue to avoid self-identifying and do not get the accommodations to which they are entitled. Although supportive faculty members are valuable, they cannot replace trained psychiatric professionals. Faculty should encourage veterans to utilize relevant university and V.A. resources.

Many veterans have some excellent "soft skills," but struggle with others. Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College developed an assessment rubric for "soft skills" and defines those as: ''Attendance, Time Management, Professionalism, Communication, Quality of Work, Participation/Teamwork, Effort and Critical Thinking." Of these, many veterans will struggle with Time Management and Critical Thinking. "Structuring their own schedules, being their own bosses, and challenging authority are antithetical to military training" (Elliott, 281). Virginia Commonwealth University identified veterans' probable strengths as "Leadership, Motivation, Time Management, Work Ethic, [and] Stress Management" and possible weaknesses such as "Difficulty translating their military skills," being older, alienation, "insensitivity of classmates, faculty, and others on campus in regards to discussion of war and military," "difficulty relating to class­mates" and "excessive absences" (VCU, 19-23). It may be helpful to highlight how different college expectations are from those in the military in areas such as critical thinking.

MILITARY LEARNING STYLE

The military continuously educates its members and most veterans are ex­cellent at learning new information. Military training often emphasizes "Standard Operating Procedure" (SOP), which systematizes approaches to most things. Service members know what is expected of them in nearly all situations. Pedagogy of the

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military tends to focus on learning the correct procedures in a specific way, with continually and immediately integrated assessment. Furthermore, learning in the military has clear and immediate applications that are integrated into most lessons. However, the military doesn't usually encourage members to question authority or think of different ways of completing tasks. Some veterans may have less experience challenging authority or completing broadly-defined assignments.

With the exception of the highest ranking officers, as a general (but certainly not absolute) rule, creativity, self-expression and critical thinking are less empha­sized in military training; efficiently following procedure is generally more valued. In the military, once a soldier learns how to maneuver a specific situation, the SOP is methodically laid out and broadly applicable. College, on the other hand, demands many different learning expectations, writing styles and even citation rules for dif­ferent disciplines. It is unpredictable enough that different professors in the same discipline may have different stated or unstated assumptions. Many expectations are not clearly defined. For example, some professors prefer a preview statement in an introduction and others find it tiresome. As one student veteran reported: "I thought I was really strong in some areas, but when I came here, I found it was like comparing apples to oranges .... [In the military] the expectations are clear; it is very structured, but here, every professor does something different" (quoted in Steele, 37). As a result, a common veteran's approach to solving problems, taking a known SOP and applying it in a new situation, may not be as useful in college.

Furthermore, military communication guidelines differ greatly from academ­ic writing. Military communication, especially in the Army, focuses on extremely concise and very clear writing (Dalton). In some ways, military communication guidelines seem more designed for the telegraph with single words replacing a sen­tence (or more) than an expository essay. As Dalton reports, the Army style manual values efficiency to the point of recommending that confusing, long words, like "anxiety" be replaced by clearer words like "fear" regardless of the loss of nuance (Dalton, 21). The military also has very clear guidelines for most writing, even ex­pecting the same kind of information to have the same page placement in every report. As a result, some veterans may find academic writing less useful because it isn't always oriented towards immediate, concrete goals or, more overwhelming because nuance is more important and it is usually longer.

ACCOMMODATIONS

One of the wonderful things about Hostos is the welcoming environment for diverse students. Supporting veterans in the transition from military to civilian life may involve classroom accommodations for all veterans, but especially those with PTSD or other anxiety disorders. The best place to begin is talking with the student veteran if the student approaches the professor. While it is inappropriate to ask a student if they have any disability or what a disability is, it is fine to ask students that approach professors if there is anything specific that is helpful. Veterans may be more likely to have specific and unusual requests that go beyond the more common accommodations of extended time and quiet testing conditions; if possible, it may be useful to invite veterans, either on the syllabus or on the first day of class, to talk with the professor. Ellison et. al. reported that some veterans with PTSD "described feeling overwhelming anxiety during some class time. This was set off by differing

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Supporting Veterans in the Classroom

I always need more time because my brain works slower. In the normal case scenario, say, well, you got a term paper due Friday and you just learned about it on Monday. It's gonna take me a couple of weeks for me to get that done because, you know, my brain don't function fast anymore (213).

While turning things in on-time is an important soft-skill, it may be that veterans need a little accommodation as they adjust to civilian life.

Some modification in assignments may be useful. If veterans are feeling alien­ated from the college environment, they may not want to share personal experi­ences that may exacerbate or highlight their differences from the rest of the student body. While some veterans may want to share their experiences, not all veterans will and, for assignments that involve sharing with colleagues, it may be important to not press veterans to share personal experiences. Length requirements (in pages or minutes) may be less productive for veterans. Military communication focuses so much on brevity that it may be useful for a student veteran to detail what needs to be included, rather than how long it should be. Length may not be as important as a well-developed argument. While many students want to know how long something should be, for veterans, speeches and papers may be well-developed and incorporate enough citations and evidence while being shorter.

Working with a vet is a chance to examine the overall development of the class for everyone. For example, I realized that putting all the grading rubrics on black­board before assignments were due would help students who wanted structure while students who didn't could ignore them. Focusing on developing standard operating procedure may be useful to many different learning styles, especially in introductory courses, and not just for veterans. Recognizing differences in language and com­munication styles is beneficial for all students and military versus civilian language is a really good example to explore language differences. Hostos has a terrific student veterans' group. The college may want to find ways for faculty to connect more directly with the veterans' group. For example, Virginia Commonwealth University has a short training program for faculty and staff. The trained members then identi­fy themselves, by placing stickers in their offices, so veterans can seek out and create their own support network drawing on whomever they wish. It might also be worth developing learning communities for veterans to take some core classes together and for those sections to have more team work. Developing more teamwork may be useful for veterans because it is considered as a strength in the military. Blackwell's research, demonstrating that teaching students about malleable intelligence corre­lates with greater achievement may be applicable specifically to veterans, who have had such competence and responsibility in a military environment and have not yet adapted to the diverse expectations of college. Hopefully, supporting our veterans will strengthen our classes and communities for everyone.

WORKS CITED

Abramson, Larry. "Vets Flock To Colleges ... But How Are They Doing?" NPR. December 05, 2012. http://www.npr.org/2012/12/05/166501611/vets-flock-to­colleges-but-how-are-they-doing Accessed January 11, 2013.

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of

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Who Served Us." Online Submission (2009). Singleton Dalton, Kelly. From Combat to Composition: Meeting the Needs of

Military Veterans Through Postsecondary Writing Pedagogy. Diss. Georgetown University, 2010.

Steele, Jennifer, Nicholas Salcedo and James Coley. Service Members in Schools: Military Veterans' Experiences Using the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Pursuing Postsecondary Education. Rand Corporation, 2010. hctp://www.rand.org/ content/dam/rand/pubs/monographs/2011 /RAND _MG 1083.pdf. Acessed January 14, 2013.

Stewart, Phil. Special Report: Obama's Struggle to Mend Veterans' Safety Net. Reuters, July 26, 2012. http://in.reuters.com/article/2012/07/26/us-usa­veterans-obama-idINBRE86POJG20120726. Accessed January 23, 2012.

Tucker, J., Sinclair, R., & Thomas, J. The multilevel effects of occupational stressors on soldiers' well-being, organizational attachment and readiness. Journal of Occupational

Health Psychology (2005), 10, 276-299. Veteran's Administration. "National Survey ofVeterans, Appendix." http://www.

va.gov/vetdata/ docs/ SurveysAndStudies/ AppendixD OetailedData Tables.pdf. Accessed January 22, 2013.

Virginia Commonwealth University. "USS RAMS: University Support Services for Returning and Active Military Students: "Green Zone Program." Training PowerPoint. http://aurora4vets.org/site/programs/for-the-common-good-2/.

, Accessed January 30, 2012. The White House. "Department ofVeterans Affairs: The Federal Budget: Fiscal

Year, 2012." http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/factsheet_department_veterans. Accessed January 29, 2013.

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TOUCHSTONE

2014 CALL FOR PAPERS

La piedra de toque de la ensenanza es el interes que produce ...

In linking the power of teaching to a broadening of our vision, Eugenio Maria de Hostos affirmed the power of education. In honor of our namesake's belief, we have created Touchstone, a new journal devoted to the scholarship of teaching and learning and published yearly by the Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning. We are now looking for contributions for our second edition.

Call for Papers in English or Spanish:

• Original scholarship on teaching and learning (5-7 pages).

• Short articles (2-5 pages) on:

• Best practices • COBI projects• Technology in the classroom • General Education• Assessment and evaluation • Conference reports• Classroom-based research • Teaching challenges• WAC and beyond • Personal Reflections• Reviews of textbooks and scholarly works; and• Creative works on teaching and learning.

Send your articles in correct disciplinary style to Touchstone's editors by December 31, 2013. For more information, contact: Carl James Grindley (cgrindley@hostos.cuny.edu) or Kim Sanabria (ksanabria@hostos.cuny.edu).

Visit us online at: http://www.hostos.cuny.edu/oaa/ctl_touchstone.htm