Spring 2014 

Class meets:
Mondays: 7:00-9:30pm in BC 120

Instructors:
Philip Chase (County College of Morris) pchase@ccm.edu
& Sandra Jamieson (Drew University), sjamieso@drew.edu

Office hours:
– Jamieson (Sitterly 306): Mon. 4:00-6:00; Tues. 1:30-3:30
– Chase: By appointment

Team-taught by an Arts & Letters faculty member and a faculty member from the County College of Morris, this course focuses on cultures, missions, and practices of teaching in community colleges, especially in New Jersey. The faculty, along with guests from CCM and Drew, will introduce participants to central issues of teaching and learning in the community college sector of higher education. We will explore the mission and history of community colleges and the characteristics of community college students. We will also consider the role of general education requirements, assessment, student success initiatives, distance education, and collective bargaining. Finally, we will focus on practical issues: pedagogy, syllabus design, assignments, assessment, the development of a teaching ethic, and career transitions.

This course is required for students proposing to do the D.Litt concentration in two-year college teaching.

This course will:

• Describe the history of the community college in the United State and its role in contemporary society
• Introduce students to the evolution of Higher Education in New Jersey and the impact of politics
• Present the trends in NJ Higher Education, particularly those of the Community College Sector
• Explain the significance of collective bargaining to the Higher Education Workforce
• Identify and explore various national and state professional organizations and activities, and on-campus committees that one might pursue to enhance a career as a community college professor
• Explore contemporary pedagogical practices
• Discuss the general education curriculum of a two-year college
• Present and explore various assessment strategies and mandates
• Engage students in current conversations about the state of higher education both locally and nationally
• Introduce students to educational technology (Moodle, Camtasia, and Blackboard/Web CT)

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Employ current pedagogical theory by constructing a syllabus and sample assignments
• Demonstrate a theoretical understanding of pedagogy by composing a teaching statement
• Engage in contemporary debates about best practices in higher education both orally and in writing
• Articulate the basic principles of general education requirements and utilize those principles in their course design
• Explain the mission of the community college in contemporary society both orally and in writing
• Use course management software for both face-to-face and distance learning by working with Moodle

Books are available at the Drew University bookstore. Essays will be posted on Moodle.

Bain, Ken. What the Best College Teachers Do. Cambridge: Harvard UP, 2004.

Gatson, Paul. General Education and Liberal Learning: Principles of Effective Practice. Washington, DC: AAC&U Press, 2010.

Jenkins, Rob. Building A Career in America’s Community Colleges. Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges Press, 2010.

Stewart, Deborah. Effective Teaching: A Guide for Community College Instructors. Washington, DC: American Association of Community Colleges Press, 2004.

Tinberg, Howard & Jean-Paul Nadeau. The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations. Carbondale, Il: Southern Illinois University Press, 2010.

Reading Packet [available from the Graduate School office in S.W. Bowne, price $6]

Discussion Board/Chat: Each week, you will be asked to post to the Moodle forum a brief statement (about 250 words) about any topic related to that day’s class. Your post can be your thoughts on a topic raised in class, a connection to what we read the week before or in a prior class, or a response to something a classmate said in class or has already posted. The goal of the discussion board is to continue and extend our classroom conversations, and the quality of those conversations is in your hands!

Discussion Leader:  The ability to lead classroom discussion needs practice, so students will take responsibility for leading discussion of assigned readings one additional reading related to the discussion. Presenters should lead with a brief summary of the main argument of the reading and the context of the piece. This should be followed by questions that will help open up the text to the class and connect it to the topic under discussion and previous readings and discussion. While we expect active participation in all classes, we will assign a grade to discussion leaders (excellent, satisfactory, or weak/unacceptable). We expect to see improvement over the semester.

Individual Writing Assignments:Each student will complete three writing assignments for the course, the second two made up of several parts. Together these assignments will provide the basis for the final teaching portfolio. While we will not grade each assignment when it is submitted, we will review them and may provide feedback if necessary. All work is due by the deadline to facilitate this process.

Teaching Portfolio:  The final teaching portfolio will consist of a teaching statement (philosophy), a sample syllabus, and at least two sample assignments. Students will present their course during the last class session. [See list under preparation for December 3 class].

This is a graduate course, so your grade will represent a cumulative assessment of your work including the assignments listed above as well as the quality of your participation and engagement with the material. Your final course grade will be determined by Dr. Jamieson & Dr. Chase.

Please note: you need a B+ or better in this course to continue with the concentration in community college teaching.

Should you require academic accommodations, you must file a request with the Office of Disability Services (BC 119B, extension 3962). It is your responsibility to self-identify with the Office of Disability Services and to provide faculty with the appropriate documentation from that office at least one week prior to any request for specific course accommodations. There are no retroactive accommodations. The deadline to request Letters of Accommodations (LOAs) for all students currently registered with the Office of Disability Services is 09/10/2012.

Monday, January 27

Class activities

Introduction to the course, the program, Moodle, and each other.

GUEST PRESENTATION:  Dean of Drew’s Caspersen School of Graduate Studies, Professor Robert Ready will speak with the class about the course and the Drew-CCM program.

“Students succeed one class at a time” (Deborah Harrington)

Course professors, Dr. Philip Chase (CCM) and Sandra Jamieson (Drew), will lead a discussion of higher education in the twenty-first century, differences, expectations, challenges and the importance of teaching in that context.

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum a brief statement (about 250 words) about any topic that was discussed in class today. Post a second comment in response to something a classmate said in class or has already posted. The goal of the discussion board is to continue and extend our classroom conversations.

 

Monday, February 3

Preparation for class, please read:

The Community College Story [Reading packet],

“AACC: Reexamining the Community College Mission” [Reading packet],

The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations (Ch.1) [Available as a pdf via Moodle], &

“The Completion Agenda: A Call To Action” [Reading packet],

Class activities:

Discussion of the history and mission of community colleges and the College Completion Challenge.


* Student discussion leader for The Community College Story: 


* “Reexamining the Community College Mission” (everyone read this, professors will lead discussion) 


* Student discussion leader for The Community College Writer: ch.1:

* “The Completion Agenda: A Call To Action” (everyone read this, professors will lead discussion)

[REMINDER: student presenters should plan to lead the class for 20 minutes. Your goal is to identify key elements of the reading and draw out class discussion, keeping us focused on the points you want to make. You might find it useful to make a list of the things you want to be sure to cover and perhaps also use the class outcomes as a guide.]

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.” The goal of the discussion board is to continue and extend our classroom conversations, and the quality of those conversations is in your hands!

 

Monday, February 10

Please read the following for class:

“Faculty Salaries and Labor Unions” by Richard Kahlenberg. Chronicle of Higher Education, April 12, 2011 (PDF available on Moodle)

“Forum: The Future of Faculty Unions,” Chronicle of Higher Education, July 24, 2011 (PDF on Moodle)

“Achieving The Dream: Engaging Adjunct and Full-Time Faculty in Student Success Innovation” (PDF on Moodle)

“To What End” by Terry Banion. Inside Higher Education. August 16, 2012 (PDF on Moodle)

Please read the section entitled “Conclusions & Implications” (pages 67-80) from the article below. You may find the rest of the report and the appendices interesting, but they are not required reading for the class.

“Pathways To Success: financial aid advisory committee report” February 2012 (PDF on Moodle)

The following article may be of interest, but is not required reading for the class:

“Examining the Decline in Bargaining Power in Faculty Labor Unions in the United States” (PDF available via Moodle)

Class activities:

Continued discussion of college completion, what constitutes “success” and a “pathway to success” and related financial and workload issues. Discussion of collective bargaining and general working conditions of community college faculty, preparation for promotion and tenure.

**  GUEST PRESENTATION: CCM faculty member Matt Ayres will discuss collective bargaining.

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Monday, February 17

Preparation for class:

Read General Education and Liberal Learning;

Reading on transfer

Class activities:

Discussion of General education, skills transfer, the role of technology in pedagogy, distance education, blended classes, & flipped classes.

**  GUEST PRESENTATION:  CCM faculty member Janet Eber will discuss General Education.

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

 

First Writing Assignment

Please start this informal writing assignment by summarizing what you have learned about the kinds of institutions of higher education that currently exist in the US. Then reflect on the differences and overlaps. What distinguishes each? Review the benefits and challenges inherent in each kind of institution, and the impact of history and cultural context on these aspects. What might a student in each kind of institution expect? What might a faculty member expect? Based on what we have discussed thus far, what questions might one ask in an interview or campus visit (or as one conducts research prior to that interview)? 

*NOTE: this assignment is intended to be exploratory rather than a finished presentation. Please use the reading day to think back over the readings and conversations we have had thus far, and your own experiences teaching at, attending, and/or observing your children’s experiences with college. We don’t expect additional research, this is just a moment for reflection and taking stock, and I should add that the readings and conversations are prompting the same kind of reflection in your professors.

At the end of the semester we will revisit this document and we will ask you to expand on it and think again about what kind of teacher you would like to be and where you would like to teach. Readings and speakers you encounter later in the course might change your mind, or at least deepen or complicate what you write here. Or not. There is no correct answer and no correct length. Just explore your ideas and reflect on your possibilities!

Upload using the link on Moodle, by the end of Sunday, February 23rd.

 

Monday, February 24

Preparation for class, please read:

General Education and Liberal Learning [available from the Drew bookstore—finally]

“Six Lessons in e-Learning: Strategies and Support for Teachers New to Online Environments” [Reading Packet], &

“TYCA-SW Position Statement on Online Distance Education” [Reading Packet].

Class activities:

Discussion of General education, skills transfer, the role of technology in pedagogy, distance education, blended classes, & flipped classes.

**  GUEST PRESENTATION: CCM faculty member Janet Eber will speak about General Education.

* Student discussion leader for General Education and Liberal Learning:  

* Student discussion leader for “Six Lessons in e-Learning”: 

[REMINDER: student discussion leaders should plan to lead the class for 20 minutes. Your goal is to identify key elements of the reading and draw out class discussion, keeping us focused on the points you want to make. You might find it useful to make a list of the things you want to be sure to cover and perhaps also use the class outcomes as a guide.]

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

 

Monday, March 3

Preparation for class:

Read Effective Teaching: A Guide for Community College Instructors [AVAILABLE FROM THE BOOKSTORE]

Class activities:

Discussion of the Nuts-and-Bolts of designing a course and assignments

* Student discussion leader for Effective Teaching: A Guide for Community College Instructors: Deborah Barnes

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Second Writing Assignment-PART I

Write a teaching philosophy. Who do you want to be as a teacher? What will mark your teaching? What do you want to accomplish? How will you do that? Upload below by the end of Sunday, March 16th.

 

Monday, March 10

Spring Break – No Classes

Monday, March 17

Preparation for class, please read:

Read Building a Career in America’s Colleges, Parts 1, 2, & 4 

Class activities:

Discussion of assessment, course goals, outcomes, student portfolios, teaching portfolios, and statement of teaching philosophy.

**  GUEST PRESENTATION:  Drew University faculty member ?? will discuss the institutional role of assessment.

* Student discussion leader for Building a Career in America’s Colleges, Parts 1: 

* Student discussion leader for Building a Career in America’s Colleges, Parts 2: 

* Student discussion leader for Building a Career in America’s Colleges, Parts 4: Harry

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Second Writing Assignment-PART II

Revise your teaching philosophy, incorporating specific pedagogical strategies that might help readers gain a fuller sense of the teacher you are/want to be. List what you might include in a teaching portfolio as evidence of the claims you are making in your teaching philosophy. Upload to Moodle by the end of Sunday, March 23rd.

Monday, March 24

Preparation for class please read:

“The Politics of Remediation” from Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose (167-204) [Reading Packet] &

“Expectation” from Errors & Expectations by Mina Shaughnessy (275-294) [Reading Packet]

Class activities:

Getting to know the students I. First generation college students, the complexities of balancing work and school, and the challenges of developmental education.

* Student discussion leader for Lives on the Boundary: 

* Student discussion leader for Errors & Expectations: 

Continuing the conversation:  Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Third Writing Assignment-PART I

Draft an assignment sequence in your field with class activities and explanation sufficient to help a first generation college student enter the discourse community of your field and complete a short writing assignment. You may assign a reading if appropriate. Upload to Moodle by the end of Sunday, March 30th.

Monday, March 31

Preparation for class please read:

extract from Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez [Reading Packet], &

extract from Bootstraps by Victor Villanueva (downloadable in PDF format on Moodle).

Class activities:

Getting to know the students II: Students whose first language is not English. ESL and the complexities and demands of language and culture.

GUEST PRESENTATION: CCM faculty member James Hart will discuss ESL instruction.

* Student discussion leader for Hunger of Memory by Richard Rodriguez: 

* Student discussion leader for Bootstraps by Victor Villanueva: 

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Third Writing Assignment-PART II

Draft an assignment sequence in your field with class activities and explanation sufficient to help a student whose first language is not English enter the discourse community of your field and complete a short writing assignment. Then create an assessment rubric for the assignment and a description of the way you would grade the work. Upload to Moodle by the end of Sunday, April 6th.

Monday, April 7

Preparation for class:

“Learning Differences: The Perspectives of LD College Students” from Learning Re-Abled by Patricia A. Dunn (99-153) [READING PACKET]

Class activities:

Getting to know the students III: Non-traditional Learners and Students with special needs. Disability services, accommodations, and developing universal access classes.

GUEST PRESENTATION:  Drew University Office of Students with Disabilities.

* Student discussion leader for Learning Re-Abled by Patricia Dunn: 

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Third Writing Assignment-PART III

Draft a class activity and assignment sequence in your field designed to meet the standards of universal access–providing equal opportunities for students with different learning styles and challenges. Then create an assessment rubric for the assignment and a description of the way you would grade the work. Upload to Moodle by the end of Sunday, April 13th.

Monday, April 14

Preparation for class:

Read extracts from The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations (Ch.3, Ch.4, & Ch. 5)

Class activities:

Everyone teaches writing?! Discussion of the community college writer, writing across the curriculum, matters of skills transfer, source use, and the balance between content and form. Discussion of a faculty research agenda and ways to conduct active research and scholarship whilst also teaching. (Additional presentation: learning transfer)

* Student discussion leader for The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations ch.3: 

* Student discussion leader for The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations ch.4: 

* Student discussion leader for The Community College Writer: Exceeding Expectations ch.5:

Continuing the conversation: Post to the Moodle forum as described under “assignments.”

Third Writing Assignment-PART IV

Draft a syllabus for an introductory course in your discipline that could be taught in a community college. The syllabus should include clearly stated outcomes, a course description and general topics for each class. It does not have to include readings (although you may include some). The syllabus does not have to be complete with assignments for each day, but should include a general topic for each class period in sufficient detail that the overall arc of the course is clear. Incorporate the class activities, assignments, and grade rubrics you developed in parts I-III. Upload to Moodle by the end of Sunday, April 27th.

Monday, April 28 – Last class

Preparation for class:

Prepare your teaching portfolio and be ready to present it in class today. The portfolio should include

1. A cover letter briefly introducing and describing the contents of the portfolio
2. Your statement of teaching philosophy
3. Your CV
4. A sample syllabus
5. One or more sample assignments with a brief explanation of how you would prepare students for them and your grading criteria
6. At least one sample class activity with a brief explanation of how it reflects your teaching philosophy, what you hope it would accomplish, and how it fits into the overall course

Last class: Course evaluations and discussion of final portfolio and community college teaching.

FINAL PORTFOLIO

Revise your portfolio based on feedback you received in class today. Include a brief statement explaining why this portfolio is appropriate for a community college teaching application rather than an application to a different kind of institution, and how you might revise the portfolio if you were to apply for a position at a liberal arts college or a four year private, state, or research institution (draw on what you wrote in Writing Assignment 1 for this).

FINAL PORTFOLIOS ARE DUE IN HARD COPY AT SITTERLY 306 AND UPLOADED TO MOODLE NO LATER THAN THE END OF SUNDAY, MAY 11th. (NOTE: if the outside door to Sitterly is locked, leave your portfolio in the drop box in the lobby).

 

Six Lessons in e-Learning: Strategies and Support for Teachers New to Online Environments” [READING PACKET]; & “TYCA-SW Position Statement on Online Distance Education” [READING PACKET]