A Note From Your AFACCT Coordinator Stan Kajs Chesapeake College Greetings to all my faculty colleagues in the Maryland Community Colleges. As early as last November, your AFACCT representatives began planning Conference 2001, scheduled at the Baltimore County Community College—Essex Campus for January 11 and 12. The theme for this year’s conference is "2001 An Educational Odyssey: Paths to Learning." This year we have two distinguished guest speakers you will want to hear. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Stanley Rosen, Professor of Philosophy at Boston University. The title of his presentation scheduled for Thursday morning at 9:15 is "Conservatism, Liberalism, and the Curriculum: Notes on the American Dilemma." Dr. Rosen is the author of numerous books on philosophy and poetry, including Death in Egypt, The Limits of Analysis, Plato’s Sophist, Hermeneutics as Politics, The Quarrel Between Philosophy and Poetry, Metaphysics in Ordinary Language, and The Examined Life. After his address, he will conduct a Meet-the-Speaker session. Our featured speaker, scheduled to present at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, will be Dr. Donald N. Langenberg, Chancellor of the University System of Maryland. He holds degrees in physics from Iowa State University, UCLA, and the University of California, Berkeley. Before coming to Maryland, he held posts in both academe and government. He was chancellor of the University of Illinois at Chicago, acting director and deputy director of the National Science Foundation, and professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania. We invite you to be a peer presenter at AFACCT Conference 2001. Please share your views and your teaching and learning experiences with your colleagues. You still have time to submit a proposal. We have extended the deadline for proposals to October 15. Should you have any questions about the process, contact your AFACCT representative. * * * * * * * Program Showcase... Harford Community College and Moscow Medical College Partner to Help Expand The Role of Russian Nurses J. Ryker Hughes Harford Community College Harford Community College has been awarded a $50,000 grant to help expand the role of nurses in Russia. The grant is from the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the Association Liaison Office for University Cooperation in Development (ALO). The grant funds a two year partnership with Moscow Medical College #1, a leading nursing education institution in Russia. Through their collaborative efforts the colleges are working to effect positive changes in the role and status of nurses in Russia; effect change in the approach to managing health care services; and develop management and service standards along with the notion of accountability in the nursing profession. This four phase project will encompass two areas of development - Nursing Curriculum Development and Clinical Instruction and Evaluation. In the area of Nursing Curriculum Development, the partners are facilitating the development of a nursing philosophy and a conceptual framework, designing terminal nursing program outcomes, and developing a systematic method of curriculum evaluation. Additionally, the partners are evaluating current course syllabi and developing new syllabi with specific objectives where appropriate. They also plan to review existing test questions and design a system of test construction, and review HCC curriculum in relation to MMC course development. The first phase of the project was conducted in the 1999 fall semester. The Harford Community College Project Directors, Tina Zimmerman and J. Ryker Hughes, along with two additional nursing professors spent two days working in small groups with the faculty at MMC#1. Discussions centered on the importance and need for a conceptual framework and on the refinement of their course syllabi. The highlight of this phase was participating in the "Third International Scientific and Practical Conference." This conference was vitally important as nurse educators from throughout Russia were in attendance. The conference focused on the current state of nursing reform in Russia. Hughes and Zimmerman spoke about the partnership and Zimmerman gave a presentation on Nursing Process and Documentation. Phase 2 of the project took place during June 2000. Professors Zimmerman, Hughes, and Marilyn Brown evaluated second year nursing course syllabi and assisted with revisions and designed terminal nursing program outcomes. The HCC educators also delivered a series of lectures at Moscow Municipal Hospital #36, toured Moscow Municipal Hospital #64, and toured and the St. Petersburg Midwifery College. Phases three and four are planned for the 2000-2001 academic year. It is important to note how Harford Community College and Moscow Medical College faculty benefit from this partnership. Interaction with Moscow Medical College provides HCC faculty with insight on the current Russian approach to nursing education and MMC’s attempts to integrate a modern approach in conjunction with Moscow Municipal Hospital #36. HCC professors now have the capability to examine Russian patient care delivery systems and the opportunity to evaluate where changes need to occur. Harford faculty gain advanced skills in cross-cultural nursing and insights into international curriculum development. Students and faculty at HCC are exposed to global issues in nursing, such as emerging laws, nursing theories, and Russian teaching methodologies. Benefits to MMC and Russia are even more dramatic and far reaching. The project is designed to develop new skills for nurses through curriculum review and development. The overall goal is to raise the skills and status of the nurse. Direct objectives of this project will be to facilitate skills in nursing and organizational management for qualified nurses, incorporate the nursing process into the curriculum, and assist in the development of a nursing-led curriculum for nursing courses. This effort will have both an educational and economic impact on the country. Health care can consequently be provided in a more efficient manner. Harford Community College is recognized internationally for this effort. Zimmerman and Hughes have presented at seminars across the United States, Canada, and Russia on this project. Most recently Zimmerman and Hughes spoke at the national convention of the AACC held in Washington, DC.     CCBC Assists NASA in Conducting Pilot Safety Survey On July 24, students and graduates from the aviation program at the CCBC Catonsville piloted their own aircraft from Martin State Airport to Oshkosh, Wisconsin to participate in a very important study conducted in conjunction with the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Called "The Weather Challenge Test," CCBC students administered a survey to approximately 2,000 pilots at the Experimental Aircraft Association Air Venture Convention in Oshkosh from July 25 to August 1. The survey will determine how well pilots can decipher weather reports and then apply their knowledge of weather in making safe decisions concerning weather conditions that may be hazardous to flight. Participating pilots in the survey will remain anonymous and the FAA and NASA will use the results to develop safety programs and educational materials. Students selected for the survey team were Andrew Grieb, Wendy Gill, Allan Kash, Chris Jorgenson, Robert Maloney, and Howard Routt. Doug Williams, CCBC Aviation Program coordinator was the site supervisor for the survey. The survey is being compiled by Dr. Barbara Burian, formerly of The University of Baltimore, who is now working for the NASA Ames Research Center.     Pedagogical Postings...   Peer-Led Team Learning in the Community College   Dr. Dennis S. Bartow Prince George's Community College Prince George's Community College is a participating institution in a three-year $3 million National Science Foundation (NSF) project based on the Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL) instructional model. Peer-Led Team Learning had its origins in one of the five NSF-sponsored national systemic reform initiatives in chemistry - the Workshop Chemistry Project. In the workshop model, the traditional lecture component is complemented by collaborative student groups that provide a unique leadership role for undergraduate students. Students who have done well previously in the course are recruited to become guides and mentors to small groups of six to eight students meeting for one to two hours each week to work together in a problem-solving mode. The student workshop leader ensures that all members of the team are actively engaged and helps guide the application of fundamental concepts to solving challenging problems. The peer leaders receive training prior to the start of classes and meet weekly with the faculty to discuss the content and goals of the workshop problems. The success of the model has been demonstrated by a five-year evaluation in first and second year chemistry courses. The major outcomes are greater student motivation, active involvement in the learning process, and improved performance in the course. The success of the model depends on several critical components: training of peer-leaders in content and in group leadership, workshop materials that are challenging and stimulate collaborative problem solving, involvement of faculty in ensuring that the collaborative workshops are an integral part of the course, a physical space and environment conducive to group work and discussion, and institutional support for such an undertaking, including compensation for student leaders. Evaluation of the five-year Workshop Chemistry project has validated the effectiveness of peer-led team learning in a variety of institutional settings ranging from research universities to community colleges. A comparative analysis of success rates (% of A, B, C grades earned) of PLTL and non-PLTL classes taught by the same instructors revealed the following results. For research universities, PLTL success rates were higher than those for non-PLTL classes by 74% vs. 58%. For other four-year colleges (private and small university), the PLTL classes held an edge of 86% to 73%. For technical and community colleges, PLTL classes had a success rate of 66% vs. 58% for non-PLTL classes. Although relatively few community colleges were involved in the early stages, by the fifth year of the Workshop Chemistry Project the model had been adopted by several community colleges across the nation, including Prince George's Community College. After five years of expanding implementation and participation, positive evaluation results, coupled with widespread interest, led NSF to award the Workshop Project a national dissemination grant for the expansion of peer-led team learning in a broad range of science and mathematics disciplines. Two key goals of the PLTL National Dissemination Project focus on: first, the expansion of peer-led team learning into other disciplines, including biology, mathematics, and physics; and second, increased implementation of peer-led team learning in community colleges. Prince George's Community College, along with other participating institutions, has been active in facilitating the expansion of PLTL into other disciplines besides chemistry. Faculty members in biology and mathematics have joined the project and have begun implementing for this academic year peer-led team learning in courses in Anatomy and Physiology and College Algebra. During this academic year, a team of biologists from institutions across the country will be working to develop effective introductory biology materials that can be used at the broadest possible range of institutions. Two members of the project leadership team, Dr. Dennis S. Bartow of Prince George's Community College (MD) and Dr. Victor Strozak, formerly of New York City Technical College, currently at the CUNY Graduate Center, both experienced community college educators, were designated to direct community college dissemination. Based on their identification of significant barriers to implementing PLTL at many community colleges, NSF has provided supplemental funding for a special two-year initiative, Bringing PLTL to the Community College. These barriers include both student and institutional characteristics of community colleges that often make the recruitment, training, and retention of peer workshop leaders quite difficult. As part of this augmented effort, Dr. Madeline Adamczeski (Chemistry) of San Jose City College will join Bartow and Strozak as co-Principal Investigator. The community college initiative will aid in bringing PLTL to community colleges in four major ways. First, communication with two-year college chemistry faculty about PLTL will be augmented through presentations at professional meetings and a series of one-day "drive-in" workshops on peer-led team learning at or near community college sites. Several of these one-day PLTL workshops for community college faculty already have been scheduled for fall 2000. By the end of academic year 2001-2002, at least 15 workshops will have been offered, covering all regions of the nation. Second, faculty at community colleges wishing to experiment with PLTL will have access to the project leaders on a regional basis for direct consultation through email and campus visits. Third, collaborations between two- and four-year institutions will be encouraged as a means of keeping transferring students available as community college workshop leaders when possible and developing other resource sharing opportunities. For example, San Jose City College has developed strong collaborative relationships with neighboring San Jose State University and University of California, Santa Cruz. At least four of last year's San Jose City College workshop leaders are now carrying out similar functions at these four-year colleges. Fourth, NSF funds are available for start-up mini-grants through the Workshop Project Associate (WPA) program, which is an integral part of the National Dissemination Project. As part of the community college initiative, supplemental funds will be available to community colleges, through the WPA program, to provide additional funding to overcome specific barriers to implementation at their institutions. Planned presentations and workshops will include specific information about the WPA program and offer direct assistance to interested faculty in seeking these start-up funds. Maryland community college faculty are encouraged to explore PLTL as one of several effective strategies for promoting active learning. Further information can be obtained from the author at (301)-386-7534 or at bartowds@pg.cc.md.us or from the peer-led team learning project web site at http://www.sci.ccny.cuny.edu/~chemwksp   Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) Seminar Amy Hoffman CCCB Essex CCCB Essex conducted a seminar in classroom assessment techniques last spring to discuss what these techniques are, review several of them, use them in their classrooms, and evaluate their results. Basically, classroom assessments involve various types of anonymous assessments of how well a class understands a concept or techniques that has been taught. Classroom assessment techniques come in a variety of forms from multiple-choice or matching questions to short essays or flow charts. The assessments are kept anonymous, in part, so that students will feel more comfortable responding. Another result of the anonymous nature of this type of assessment is that the information that is gathered indicates how well the class as a whole has learned something rather than how well a particular student has done. After students complete the assessment, their instructor reviews the results to see how well they have learned what she/he is teaching. The instructor returns to class the next class period and reviews the results with the students. Sometimes, this review includes "reteaching" material. After sharing the teaching goals for one of their courses, participants selected one goal and decided to use classroom assessment techniques as one way to determine how well their students achieved that goal. The participants then taught each other various classroom assessment techniques they could use for these assessments. Each participant then determined which classroom assessment techniques or techniques would be used in her/his class to measure success in achieving the selected teaching goal. At the beginning of May, the members of the group reconvened to review how administering classroom assessments had affected their classroom teaching. Constantly thinking about assessing how well students learned refocused the intentions of the instructors on classroom objectives. They, in turn, altered the way they prepared for class and restructured their individual class meetings and/or reconsidered how they will teach a class in the future. For example, on instructor found that her students understood and retained a great deal from student presentations and determined to use more of these in the same course in the future. At the same time, more than one person found that her/his whole attitude about teaching shifted. Previously, some participants had focused on doing a great job of presenting material in a manner they felt was effective. If a student did not learn the material well from the particular method or style of presentation, it was the student’s job to ask questions, come in during office hours, or see a tutor. Now these same teachers found themselves looking for alternative ways to present material so that students would have a better chance to understand material the first time around. Still others found the classroom assessments aided students to help themselves. One instructor found that her assessments let her students know exactly what concepts they had mastered and which ones they needed to study more; consequently, she plans to administer more assessments in the future. Another professor had his students complete a productive study log on which they recorded when and where they studied and how productive their study sessions were. From these logs, his students learned that when, where, and how much they studied affected their grades in his class and others. They then had the opportunity to adjust their study habits to improve their chances for success. During the May session, the group heard from Charlie Seltzer about the Learning Outcomes Assessment Project. Learning assessment projects generally involve courses or programs as opposed to single classes. Participants review learning outcomes for a given course or program, decide what level of success they expect students to have in achieving those outcomes, and design a project with the help of Charlie or his counterparts on the other campuses that will indicate how well the participants determine whether or not they need to make any changes in the way that the course or program is designed or presented. Follow-up assessments then let them know if the changes have improved student learning. In the end, many of the participants in the CATs seminar came away with a new outlook. One participant commented, "The open exchange of ideas and suggestions...made me question what I do to achieve better results–have students learn." Another person felt that "listening to the experiences of other shook up (positively) [her] own framework" and "...helped redefine [her] role in the classroom." Everyone felt the seminar should be repeated next year, and it will be. For more information, contact Amy Hoffman at 780-6913. Kudos... Anne Merck MacLellan, Associate Professor of Sociology at the Catonsville Campus, and Associate for Faculty Learning Outcomes Projects at the College, has been involved in two major studies in the past three years. Ann, who is currently editing the final draft of her dissertation on academic preparedness and community college persistence, became involved in a federally funded project on school reconstitution at the University of Maryland, College Park three years ago. Ann is co-author of three publications resulting from this project that examined the responses of staff in "failing" middle and elementary schools in three jurisdictions (San Francisco, Maryland and Kentucky) on the state threat of school closure and re-staffing. The titles of the publications are as follow: The Design of School Improvement in Schools on Probation: A Content Analysis of School Improvement Plans; High Stakes Accountability in Persistently Low-Performing Schools: The Utility of School Improvement Plans on Probation; and A Comparison of School Improvement Plans in Three Jurisdictions. Currently, Ann is working on the Stanford Bridge Project that examines how high school teachers, administrators and students communicate about and interpret college admissions policies and practices. She will present the findings to date at the American Association for the Study of Higher Education conference in Sacramento in November. * * * * * * * * *