DOCUMENT RESUME JC 010 021 ED 447 855 Leadership Abstracts, 1999. TITLE League for Innovation in the Community Coll. INSTITUTION PUB DATE 1999-00-00 12p.; Issue number 2 was not published in 1999. Published NOTE with support from SCT[R). Published bimonthly. Initial support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation. Edited by Mark D. Milliron, Cindy L. Miles, Ann Doty, and Cynthia Wilson. AVAILABLE FROM For full text: http://www.league.org/leadabst.html. Descriptive Reports Collected Works - Serials (022) PUB TYPE (141) Leadership Abstracts; v12 n1,3-6, Feb-Dec 1999 JOURNAL CIT MF01/PC01 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Community Colleges; *Educational Development; Instructional DESCRIPTORS Innovation; *Instructional Leadership; *Newsletters; Two Year Colleges League for Innovation in the Community College IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This document contains five Leadership Abstracts publications published February-December 1999. The article, "Teaching the Teachers: Meeting the National Teacher Preparation Challenge," authored by George R. Boggs and Sadie Bragg, examines the community college role and makes recommendations and a call to action for teacher education. "Chaos Works," written by Charles J. Carlsen and Dan Radakovich, looks at the ordered progression to chaos, implementing chaos at Johnson County Community College (KS), and tangible results of chaos. The article, "Keeping Our Word: The Guaranteed Annual Schedule," authored by Bill Law, explores basic elements, the guaranteed annual schedule, tangible benefits of the guaranteed annual schedule, additional benefits, and costs and efficiencies of careful planning and keeping one's word. "Preserve and Transform: Integrating Technology into Academic Life," was written by Steven W. Gilbert and discusses embracing change and integrating technology, supporting the faculty, a roundtable and a center for collaborative change, new costs, plans, and value, and challenges and next steps. The article "Instructional Realignment by Consensus: The Community College of Denver Experience," authored by Barbara Bollmann, gives background, defines issues, and discusses taking next steps, creating beneficial outcomes, changing roles and responsibilities, and moving from now to beyond for instructional restructuring. (VWC) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. Leadership Abstracts, Volume 12, 1999 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY nous_e_osz_ RESOURCES TO THE EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 1 OF EDUCATION ement U.S. DEPARTMENT Research and Impro Office of Educational INFORMATION RESOURCES EDUCATIONAL CENTER (ERIC) as been reproduced ,fik4his document has organization person or received from the originating it. made to have been 1:1 Minor changes quality. improve reproduction in this opinions stated Points of view or necessarily represent document do not position or policy. official OERI 0 0 6 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 0 TEACHING THE TEACHERS: MEETING THE NATIONAL TEACHER PREPARATION CHALLENGE George R. Boggs and Sadie Bragg It is common for professionals in higher education to The Community College Role decry the low level of preparation of students who enter colleges and universities today. Math, science, and Currently, two-year colleges enroll nearly half of all technology literacy of our nation's students and our future U.S. undergraduates and more than one-third of all students taking science, mathematics, and technology courses. work force is of particular concern. The recently released report of the Third International Mathematics and Science Community colleges are recruiting increasing numbers of Study adds to existing concerns about the quality of future teachers, providing them with stronger mathematical education at the primary and secondary levels. While and scientific preparation, and utilizing college resources to meet the challenges facing elementary and secondary students in elementary grades at least matched international averages, the performance of high school seniors was educators. Assistant Luther Williams, Director for virtually dead last in both mathematics and science. Education and Human Resources with the National Science Poor math and science performance in higher education Foundation (NSF), stresses, "The resources of the nation's should not be surprising considering the level of science and community 'colleges must be utilized fully if the need for a mathematics preparation of the teachers themselves. teaching force well prepared in science, mathematics, According to U.S. Secretary of Education Richard Riley, engineering, and technology is to be met." almost one-third of the mathematics teachers and one-fifth It is estimated that 40 percent of the nation's teachers have completed at least a portion of their undergraduate of the science teachers at the high school level do not have science and mathematics coursework at community a major or minor in mathematics or science. The average K-8 teacher takes no more than three mathematics or colleges. Many future elementary and middle school teachers are taking most, if not all, of their science and mathematics education courses in college, and less than one- half of 8th grade mathematics teachers have ever taken a mathematics courses at community colleges. Miami-Dade course in the teaching of mathematics at this level. Further County Public Schools, the fourth largest school district in distressing, teacher qualifications tend to be even lower in the country, estimates that 70 percent of their elementary school teachers receive all their mathematics and science low-income and minority schools. training While it may be convenient to blame colleagues at the from Community College. Miami-Dade primary and secondary level for the low level of preparation Nevertheless, neither two-year colleges nor the four-year institutions where teachers complete their preparation, nor of high school graduates, leaders of colleges and universities must also accept responsibility. Put simply, the nation's the schools that hire teachers, fully recognize the essential products of higher Teacher teachers education. role of two-year colleges in teacher preparation. With their are clear commitment to teaching and learning and with so preparation traditionally has been viewed as the responsibility of four-year institutions. As the major point of entry into many prospective teachers as students, community colleges higher education for large numbers of Americans, however, are in a pivotal position to recruit and help prepare the next community colleges have long played an important, if not generation of teachers. No one group can do it alone. All widely recognized, role in preparing' teachers. With the must cooperate. With support of organizations like NSF and growing teacher shortage, the community college role in educational leaders who share this vision, two-year colleges can help our nation produce a teaching work force highly teacher preparation is becoming increasingly critical. The need for new teachers is ever more daunting. The qualified in science, mathematics, and technology. U.S. Department of Education predicts that 40 percent of our 0 retire or leave the current public school teachers will Recommendations profession by the 2003-2004 school year. At the same time, In March 1998, NSF convened a national conference, school enrollments are rising dramatically. Many fast-growing cities across the nation are struggling to build new schools "The Integral Role of the Two-Year College in the Science quickly enough to meet demands. In the next 10 years, and Mathematics Preparation of Prospective Teachers," cJ with three purposes in mind: (1) to call attention to the America will need to hire two million teachers to keep up with the rapidly rising number of students and teaching vacancies. contributions of community colleges in preparing teachers in science and mathematics, (2) to recognize model Class-size reductions that are being legislated in some states community college programs for teacher preparation, and may drive the numbers of teachers needed even higher. Published by the League for Innovation in the Community College. Published with support from 3 Initial support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 5. Community colleges must closely coordinate their improve teacher make recommendations to to (3) teacher preparation efforts with those of four-year preparation in science and mathematics. Faculty, presidents, colleges and universities. Two-year institutions should and other administrators from eleven community colleges identified by NSF as doing exemplary work in teacher establish new and enhance existing lines of communication preparation met with primary and secondary school and cooperative ventures for teacher preparation with four- year colleges and universities. Careful attention must be other national pre-service teachers, and teachers, paid to articulation agreements, and clear policies must be educational leaders to share their successes and examine the developed regarding transfer, joint advising, and dual- role of two-year colleges in teacher preparation. More than enrollment of pre-service teachers. 100 individuals participated in developing recommendations targeted at helping community colleges enhance their 6. Community colleges must become full partners in all contributions toward meeting the need for well-prepared discussions about the recruitment and preparation of teachers of mathematics, science, and technology. Among future teachers. For community colleges to fully engage in those recommendations are six that have particular salience the preparation of teachers they must actively join in for community college leaders: ongoing dialogues and work to develop liaisons with recruit colleges of education, business and industry, professional 1. Community actively should colleges prospective teachers from their local service areas. legislatures, and statewide and national societies, state Community colleges are uniquely positioned to participate policy boards. in recruiting teachers to meet current and future national needs, and in particular, to recruit teachers who best A Call to Action understand the needs of the communities they serve. The preparation of the next generation of elementary and secondary school teachers, particularly in the areas of 2. Community colleges should demonstrate leadership undergraduate science, mathematics, and technology, is a critical national strengthening the science, in courses taken by and technology mathematics, concern. The nation's community colleges are being called on to make teacher preparation a major priority, and every teachers. prospective faculty Community college community college in the country has the opportunity and specialize in the development and teaching of freshman and responsibility to rise to this call. sophomore foundation courses, and are, therefore, in a key Meeting this challenge will require assessment of position to influence curriculum reform in these areas. They current practices in light of the importance of this mission to should collaborate with four-year institutions to develop and will require the college and align appropriate core courses for teachers. In addition, full constituents. its It sectors of the two-year college commitment from all instructors in these courses should incorporate teaching communitytrustees, faculty, and staff, presidents, methods that emphasize active, inquiry-based learning and studentsand careful collaboration with all pertinent reflect current findings from cognitive science. education, community, and professional institutions and 3. Community colleges should provide rich and varied associations. With community colleges offering accessible, pre-teaching experiences, particularly in the areas of high quality, low-cost education within commuting distance science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. of 90 percent of the American population, now is the time for our "colleges of the people" to place this item on the Potential teachers beginning their undergraduate work can agenda for action and become significant partners in the benefit greatly from pre-teaching opportunities, such as national systems of teacher preparation. participating as mentors, tutors, or instructor aids in a variety of elementary, secondary, and college settings. Involving George R. Boggs is Superintendent/President at students in pre-teaching experiences that foster creativity, Palomar College (CA). Sadie Bragg is Vice President for curiosity, and involvement can help them confirm their Academic Affairs at Borough of Manhattan Community interest in teaching. at reached authors can be College The (NY). provide 4. Community should leaders gboggs(4alomar.edu and [email protected]. colleges institutional recognition and support for in-service Boggs served as a member and Bragg served as chair courses and professional development experiences for current teachers. Many community colleges are deeply of the steering committee for the NSF-sponsored conference described in this article. The full report of "The Integral involved in providing in-service training to teachers at all the Science and Role of the Two-Year College in levels, through credit and noncredit courses, as well as Mathematics Preparation of Prospective Teachers," is activities through However, these projects. special sometimes are viewed as unimportant elements in the available from NSF, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, VA 22230, pubsQnsfgov. college agenda. Providing continuing education for teachers, of science, mathematics, and particularly areas in technology, should be recognized as vital both for large Volume 12, Number I urban districts with specific needs and for rural districts February 1999 where the community college may be the sole provider of comprehensive science, mathematics, and technology in- service programs. 4 Leadership Abstracts is published at the office of the League for Innovation in the Community College: Mark D. Milliron, Senior Editor 2652; La Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viejo, California 92691, (949) 367-2884. It is issued monthly Cindy Miles, Editor and distribUted as a benefit of membership in the League-sponsored Alliance for Community College Ann Doty, Editor Innovation. Copyright held by the League for Innovation in the Community College. Leadership Abstract Web URL: www.league.org/leadabst.html O CHAOS WORKS Charles J. Carlsen and Dan Radakovich Community colleges around the globe are embarking to implement the quality team approach. Administrators on individual journeys to improve their institutional began to provide just-in-time-training on a small scale so processes and to foster greater student success. While employee groups could learn to use quality tools. colleges are following a variety of pathways toward this At the same time, JCCC commissioned George Baker common goal, Johnson County Community College (KS) and his National Initiative for Leadership and Institutional has chosen the path of chaos. Sparked by Margaret Effectiveness (NILIE) group to assess the current status of the college, using three assessments based on TQM Wheatley's applications of chaos theory to organizational constructs. JCCC scored high, but not high enough to fall leadership, college leaders have been applying the lessons of quantum physics and fractals to improve organizational consistently into the top category of Participative-Group processes and student outcomes. Systems. Four areas of concern emerged from the NILIE study: (1) organizational structure, (2) formal influence, New findings about chaos theory are intriguing, but the gap between this "new science" and leadership of a (3) collaboration, and (4) communications. answer College believed leaders that community college may seem vast. College leaders seeking to the to likely encounter a series of bridge this distance will improvement in these four areas lay in building upon the new TQM applications underway at JCCC by integrating preliminary questions: (1) What is chaos? (2) What do strange attractors, nonlinearity, and self-organizing systems have to based on the learning organization work of applications do with this college? (3) What value can come from Peter Senge. College leaders believed Senge's ideas discussions about instability, disequilibrium, and complexity captured the essence of what JCCC wanted for the futureto be a learning organization "where people continually theory? Exploration of the new science for answers reveals expand their capacity to create the results of what they truly such counter-intuitive findings as the principle that less rather desire, where new and expansive patterns of thinking are than more leadership may yield better results. The explorer soon finds chaos to offer very different guidelines for nurtured, where collective aspiration is set free and where people are continually learning how to learn together." organizational leadership than the, ordered, top-down methods The college initiated a task force to recommend staff familiar to many college leaders. The following sections describe what led Johnsqn s development activities to strengthen JCCC as a learning County Community College (JCCC) to the path of chaos., organization, which would be included in the 1996-1997 how it has applied the principles of chaos theory to colleger, +budget. This was expected to be an easy job, but task force `members found that the more they learned about tenets of management, and the effects of its journey into chaos. the learning organization, the more learning and leadership The Ordered Progression to Chaos would be needed for implementation. The group concluded that the best way for JCCC to become a true learning In 1995, JCCC began to look at its administrative organization was to take a top-down approachfor the processes to encourage greater inclusion, not only of faculty, president to become the expert and the collegewide learning but also of other employee groups. Like many colleges, organization facilitator. leaders at JCCC explored a Total Quality Management Unrelated to the TQM/learning organization initiatives, (TQM) approach as a means of improving its processes. JCCC's Business and Industry Institute set up a business TQM experts were invited to the college to share their forum with Margaret Wheatley as the featured presenter. experiences, and JCCC's administrators were soon sold on JCCC administrators attended and were introduced to chaos principles ranging from disequilibrium to nonlinearity to the concept. Who could argue with the value of quality, with the notion that those who actually do the work can best strange attractors to fractals. Two principles in particular captured our attention related to fractals and leverage: suggest ways to improve processes, or with the concept that decisions should be based on good data? Leaders were ( I ) a fractal structure is composed of parts of a system that have the same qualities the whole, thus convinced that adopting the principles of TQM would get as institutions are fractal- structures, and (2) in complex the results the college was seeking. To implement the TQM model, college leaders first fractal systems, the principle of leverage suggests that garnered support from the board of trustees and then small changes can produce big results if these changes are made in the right places. gathered administrative resources for staff training on how Published by the League for Innovation in the Community College. Published with support from sp 5 Implementing Chaos at JCCC Tangible Results of Chaos The state of affairs facing JCCC as it undertook the These principles from chaos theory led some JCCC chaos path to organizational improvement was troubled. The administrators to begin to think we might become more 1994-95 contract negotiations between JCCC administration effective transformational leaders by actually leading less. and faculty were at an impasse. That same year had been The goal of committing the institution to TQM and to marked by discord between the faculty and administration learning organization principles matched the Senge' s regarding personnel recommendations, causing the JCCC original goals of the board and administration. The aims of board considerable concern. Cornpounding the situation was both were to improve processes, to broaden participation, to the failure of a building bond issue in the spring of 1995. enhance communication, and to foster student successgoals Finally, the college had scored high, but lower than desired, reflecting broadly held college values that were clearly on the NILIE measures of institutional effectiveness. All of articulated in the institution's value statements. this was pre-chaos chaos. Yet, college leaders were repeatedly bogged down at Since embarking on the journey through chaos and the point of training the entire staff in making the changes noted, college leaders are seeing these new decided improvements in communication, inclusion of staff organizational ways of thinking and acting. The obvious in administrative processes, and overall commitment to solution was to mandate collegewide training. However, student success. JCCC is now entering the fourth year of previous experience underscored by new lessons in chaos what will be a five-year employment contract. As a means theory suggested that the most obvious management of improving communication, the board of trustees, solutions often do not work or only lead to temporary administration, and the faculty association meet monthly to instead of mandating the improvements. Therefore, discuss contract issues and other pertinent topics. A joint changes desired, JCCC administrators chose to model and study group is considering extension of the contract for three encourage them. more years. Dialogue is ongoing about productivity, We decided to follow the path of chaos and to apply workload, merit and incentive pay, and especially about how the principle of leverage by seeking to achieve desired everyone at JCCC can help our students succeed. People talk results through small changes made in the right places. freely about learning. A follow-up to the 1995 NILIE study found that in three Leverage suggests that tackling a difficult problem is often years JCCC's overall ratings of effectiveness had increased a matter of seeing where the highest leverage lies and from 3.80 to 3.88 in measurements of collaboration and 3.65 identifying actions that with a minimum of effort will lead to 3.77 in communication. The highest score in both areas to lasting, significant improvement. The president initiated was in the category assessing the college's focus on one of the acts of leverage by expanding the first students. In addition, in the summer of 1998 the college President's Council to include representation from the applied Donald Fisher's instrument for measuring Baldrige faculty association, hourly staff members, students, and a quality initiatives in higher education institutions. A score of broader range of administrators. He stressed that the new 250-499 was expected, which would indicate that JCCC had administrative approach would emphasize involvement a good TQM process in place with opportunities for and communication. improvement. However, the college's composite score was The president also encouraged the board of trustees to 624, suggesting that JCCC's process was "world class." By following the path of chaos, JCCC has been become involved .in the new leadership style. The board of fractals and leverage applying principles its to responded by initiating "Trustee Talks" in which they make management and leadership to make small changes that themselves available to whomever wants to show up and produce big results. This approach is reinforcing our values president initiated addition, the talk. the In and fostering a more participative environment in which Communications Task Force to make recommendations to faculty, staff, students, board members, and administrators the board for improving college processes. The board seek process improvements based on good data and reacted by asking the administration to implement many of is a community of learners communication. The result this committee's recommendations, such as allowing staff concerned about improving student learningproof for us to evaluate their supervisors. that chaos works! The president and other key administrators took every opportunity to discuss the principles of chaos and learning Charles J. Carlsen is president and Dan Radakovich is organizations and to stress the importance of process vice president at Johnson County Community College (KS). They can be contacted at [email protected] and participation, improvement, enhanced broad and the new [email protected], respectively. communication. The marching song for administrative approach became "process, process, Volumei2, number 3 process." No training was mandated, but the Staff June 1999 Development and Organizational Development office offered training classes in chaos theory and learning 6 organization principles, and requests for this training began to grow. Leadership Abstracts is published at the office of the League for Innovation in the Community College: Cindy L. Miles, Senior Editor 26522 Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viejo, California 92691, (949) 367-2884. It is issued monthly Leadership Abstracts Web URL: www.league.org/leadabst.html and distributed as a benefit of membership in the League-sponsored Alliance for Community College Innovation. Copyright held by the League for Innovation in the Community College. KEEPING OUR WORD: THE GUARANTEED ANNUAL SCHEDULE Bill Law This permits additional time and service to be available to The lives of students, faculty, and staff at Montgomery new students and others who need more intensive advising College (TX) have been eased by the creation of a course and counseling as the start of the semester nears. Surely, schedule that announces classes for a full academic year developmental students can use all the information, and by the pledge that no course in the schedule will be canceled. With the Guaranteed Annual Schedule, college support, and encouragement the college can muster to assist personnel have solved some of the most trying and them upon entry. The entry advisement experience is the cornerstone of the college's student retention program. tenacious problems associated with the registration process, and we have done so by following two fundamental The Guaranteed Annual Schedule principles: careful planning and keeping our word. Given the prospects and opportunities that have Basic Elements converged, Montgomery College has chosen to create a process that can provide significant and demonstrable The ability to plan and count on courses to be offered is a critical feature benefits to everyone associated with the college. The students' efforts to fit college in of advertising, implementation education into their busy lives. The disruption caused to creation, the and studentsworking adults, in particularwhen courses are Guaranteed Annual Schedule has provided greater support for students, as well as enormous improvements for the canceled is an ongoing frustration. To address critical student challenge, administration of the academic and instructional aspects of this the centerpiece of each year's planning and budgeting process the college. at Montgomery College is the establishment of a careful Simply put, the Guaranteed Annual Schedule means that the budgetary planning and the commitment to and detailed course schedule encompassing an entire academic year. Each division head is charged with student success that have always characterized the college reviewing two or three years of historical data in student have been shared in a more open way with students. Once enrollment for each course offered in his or her division. listed in the schedule, no course is canceled. Although we may choose to add courses to the published schedule as From that review, the division head projects the student demand necessitates, no course for which a student is demand for each course and determines the appropriate registered is canceled. number of sections necessary to meet that demand. Upon the review of divisional plans with the About halfway through the spring semester, the president president academic annual schedule for the next academic year is printed and (making vice and modifications as needed), the division head assigns an made available to all students, faculty, and staff. Students annual course load to each full-time instructor in order to are able to choose courses for the fall semester with the full knowledge of course availability and scheduling for the determine the number of sections that remain and need to be funded as either overload assignments for full-time following spring and summer semesters. Students then can instructors or assignments for adjunct instructors. That proceed to make their decisions with 100 percent certainty amountthe funds necessary to meet student demand that the courses listed in the college course schedule will retains the highest priority throughout the remainder of be offered. the budget process. Tangible Benefits of the Guaranteed Annual Schedule This student-driven budget planning is matched by an equally focused effort to provide registration services to students over an extended period of time prior to the At Montgomery College, we have identified six major benefits of our Guaranteed Annual Schedule for our beginning of each semester. The conceptual basis for this commitment is that many students who know exactly what students, faculty, and staff: First and foremost, students can plan their lives and they want to take and who do not need intensive advising or counseling services should be urged to register early. can exert a significantly greater level of control over their Published by the League for Innovation in the Community College. Published with support from No KE. Initial support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. 7 busy schedules. We have found that with this increased increasingly clear: students succeed and persevere when they pursue self-determined goals and demonstrate to certainty, students have escalated their progress by taking additional courses in a semester. With the Guaranteed themselves continued progress toward achieving those Annual Schedule, students do not have to protect goals. The Guaranteed Annual Schedule and its associated themselves against the uncertainty of course cancellations program planning are designed to help students make and and subsequent schedule juggling. Last year, our average achieve goals and, thereby, to increase graduation rates. student load jumped from below the average of the other Because the Guaranteed Annual Schedule is designed colleges in the district to higher than the average of the to provide a more stable process for the first week of other colleges in the district. classes, it can help improve the use of class time. The Second, the Guaranteed Annual Schedule provides a creation of the Guaranteed Annual Schedule, combined very powerful tool to assist faculty in their guidance and with the subsequent enhancements in entry placement, advisement of students. One of the best-kept secrets at should greatly reduce the number of students forced to Montgomery College, as at many other community change course schedules during the all-important first week colleges, is the extraordinary amount of time faculty devote Students need not be subjected to last-minute of classes. to helping students choose courses and programs. Faculty cancellations, juggled schedules, and late entry into classes. From an administrative efficiency standpoint, the now have the best possible information with which to assist students in planning paths leading to the achievement of Guaranteed Annual Schedule provides additional benefits. First, full-time faculty members know exactly which their college goals. Third, enhanced advisement by all staff, especially courses they will be teaching for the full academic year and, consequently, can moderate their sometimes stressful those whose primary responsibility is to advise students, is made possible. Advisors and others have been continuously noninstructional responsibilities. challenged to provide students with information about Second, the ability to retain, develop, and assign registration for upcoming semesters. When an advisor has adjunct instructors is greatly enhanced. Each division head a Guaranteed Annual Schedule available, he or she is far has the ability to meet once with most adjunct instructors better able to assist students in making choices for current and to make annual assignments. This provides both the registrations, knowing with certainty the choices that adjunct instructor and the division head with a vastly remain in subsequent advising sessions. In the first year of improved efficiency in providing the best instruction for the Guaranteed Annual Schedule, average class size went a powerful recruiting advantage in our students. It is up slightly in each division at the college. competitive job market, as well. Fourth, the Guaranteed Annual Schedule immediately spawned the planning of two-, three-, and four-year Costs and Efficiencies schedules for the college's occupational programs. While specific times and days of course offerings in future years The Guaranteed Annual Schedule has resulted in are not fully established, each program area has developed several cost efficiencies: (1) students register for more courses, filling their schedules without fear of later a course-by-course "road map" of day, evening, weekend, and distance offerings for future semesters. This early disruptive changes; (2) students register early, saving the college the extraordinary costs in money and time planning allows students to anticipate the schedule that will associated with the rush during the final week of help them achieve their goals. Fifth, the ability to plan academic schedules helps meet registration; (3) withdrawal rates decrease since students likely to be receive adequate advising and are less the needs of welfare-to-work recipients. In meetings with welfare-to-work administrators, the single incorrectly placed; (4) faculty have optimal information greatest impediment they cite for their clients is the cancellation of and tools to use in advising and nurturing students; and classes. They point out that canceled courses (5) frustration and disturbances are reduced among faculty are problematic for clients who must continue to make since their classes are not canceled, either. Ultimately, we find that in addition to improving demonstrated progress within a fixed period of time. Sixth, students can register early without concern for advising and enrollment processes and saving students, staff, and the college time and money, the cancellations. Many students currently wait until the last faculty, Guaranteed Annual Schedule enhances Montgomery week of registration to be certain that their schedules will not be changed. Because students are better served, this College's reputation among our constituents for keeping delay is no longer advantageous. our word. Additional Benefits Bill Law is president of Montgomery College in the North Harris Montgomery Community College District In addition to the six direct benefits of the Guaranteed (TX). He may be contacted at [email protected]. Annual Schedule, graduation rates, classroom and time management, and recruitment of part-time faculty have Volume 12, Number y been positively influenced. Data on student retention are August 1999 Cynthia Wilson, Senior Editor Leadership Abstracts is published at the office of the League for Innovation in the Community College: Web URL: www.league.org/leadabst.html Leadership Abstracts 26522 La Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viejo, California 92691, (949) 367-2884. It is issued monthly and distributed as a benefit of membership in the League-sponsored Alliance for Community College Innovation. Copyright held by the League for Innovation in the Community College. PRESERVE AND TRANSFORM: INTEGRATING TECHNOLOGY INTO ACADEMIC LIFE Steven W. Gilbert We've Already Begun; We Must Continue The following "speech" is abstracted from the upcoming monograph, New Visions for Teaching, Learning, and Computers and the Internet are just the beginning of what Technology, by Steven W. Gilbert, President, The TLT Group, the the future has to hold, and members of our board and advisory Teaching, Learning, and Technology Affiliate of the American Association for Higher Education. Gilbert is the founder.of the committees agree that we must prepare our students for careers in which computers are commonplace and change is frequent. TLT Roundtable approach, which has been adopted by more than 400 colleges and universities to help coordinate and stimulate We have some experience with technology, but we need to plan for our roles in an unpredictable future in which technology can their uses of technology to improve teaching and learning. In this Gilbert's fictional president presents a plan for abstract, make some kinds of learning more effective. collaborative change that includes developing a local TLT Some of our earlier fears about the impact of technology Roundtable and a TLT Center for the college. have so far been unfounded. We are not losing great numbers of Embracing Change and Integrating Technology students to institutions that use technology.more than we do. In of faculty report quality students that fact, the and Thank you for coming to this special meeting of faculty, communication between them is better than ever, especially in leaders. I have administrators, professional staff, and student courses where e-mail is commonplace. just returned from an extraordinary two-day session with our Unfortunately, some of our earlier hopes for program board, the culmination of a year of planning in which many of expansion and profitability have been diminished by the you participated. We are grateful for your contributions and look forward to your continuing leadership as we implement realities of technology use. Distance education has not attracted decisionsbased largely on your recommendationsthat will throngs of additional fee-paying students to our continuing education and academic programs, nor has technology recreate our college. In the next five years, we will multiply by substantially reduced instructional costs. We have improved a factor of ten our annual budget for academic use of technology cost-effectiveness in administrative operations by integrating and the improvement of teaching and learning. We will develop and implement policies and organizational structures to support our information systems with online academic software, but this the full integration of computing and telecommunications into conversion is costing more than twice our original expectation the academic life of our college. and is over a year behind schedule. Despite these realities, we cannot afford to ignore the Our next task is to determine what we must preserve and what we must transform. The college increasing competition from new institutions and programs in renewing its is Potential students often ask about our our service area. commitment to support your efforts to stay current in your areas of expertise, and we are adding support systems that enable technology infrastructure and the use of advanced technOlogy in faculty and students to use various combinations of emerging classes. We have lost faculty members to higher paying jobs in technology and pedagogy. In addition, we will provide new application high-tech companies, grant guidelines and frequently favor institutions that can demonstrate consistent use structures and resources for personnel who support the changing work of faculty and students. Our distinct resourcesour of technology to support pedagogical innovation. traditions, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and communitymust be the foundation on which we build new programs. Perhaps the strongest argument for continuing our support of technology is that over 25 percent of our faculty already use it to improve teaching and learning. Although we have not found Technology can fragment and diminish our lives, or it can research that incontrovertibly identifies educational gains enrich them. We are already using technology to bury each other in information, but we can achieve an integration of resulting from major investments in technology, we accept the information, technology, teaching, and learninga new kind of cumulative judgment of our pioneering faculty. Your experience has persuaded me that well-planned instructional uses of connected educationthat can help us better manage our lives and interact more meaningfully with ideas and with each other. technology allow you to teach topics and skills you have never taught before. Your use of technology helps our students pass As educators, we have distinct opportunities and responsibilities to nurture sparks of the human spirit wherever we find them, through instructional bottlenecks more easily, and your use of however we can. We still have time to make the right choices. e-mail and the Web improves communication between you and Published by the League for Innovation in the Community College. Published with support from NO your students. Our students are better prepared to deal with from the library and other academic and technology support departments. The TLTC will help faculty with technology, information technology in their academic or professional careers. pedagogy, and assessment and evaluation tools. It will also help Supporting the Faculty faculty and staff access adaptive technologies that enable learners and teachers with disabilities to participate fully and As pioneers at our college embrace change and accept risk, effectively in our academic community. the institution must sustain their commitment to innovation while supporting mainstream use of technology to improve New Costs, New Plans, New Value teaching and learning. Many of our faculty members who use technology in their courses have gained a new consciousness of We recognize that we are urging you to make changes that pedagogical issues and have requestedand deserveadditional will increase costs in some courses and departments. However, time and resources to learn, adapt, and implement new we are convinced that the increase in the value of the education we provide will exceed the increase in cost. We must try to approaches to education. make expanded and technologically enhanced learning We also must maintain respect for those who, reluctant to experiences fully accessible to our traditional students and to engage new technology and pedagogy options, continue to new constituencies we believe we can serve effectively. make traditional contributions. We recognize and support all As planning for our new initiative begins, keep in mind that faculty who search for the best combinations of educational substantial additional demands will be placed on our budget. goals, content, approaches, and technology applicationsnew or While we do not want you to be particularly concerned with stage, we do ask that you try to avoid finances at this oldinside the classroom and beyond. extraordinary budget increases. While some pioneer faculty and support services leaders enjoy their traditional independence, many recognize the need Challenges and Next Steps for greater collaboration. They are tired of the growing mismatch between their scarcity goals and and the We have established seven work groups to address the key elements of the planning and transformation phases of our disorganization of resources. Some applications of technology and approaches to teaching and learning serve students best college initiative: when used repeatedly across several courses or within a coherent course sequence. Calls for greater collaboration and a Organizing for Collaborative Change 1. coordinated curriculum must be balanced by the need to sustain 2. Developing Our New Vision of Connected Education academic freedom and integrity. 3. Establishing a Teaching, Learning, and Technology Center A Roundtable and a Center for Collaborative Change Institutionalizing Evaluation and Assessment 4. Increasing Accessibility and Information Literacy 5. Our response to these calls is the establishment of a 6. Changing Faculty and Student Roles roundtable for (1) collaborative planning and the exchange of 7. Building a New Financial Base and Budgeting Process expertise and experience; (2) focusing institutional resources on important educational approaches and technology application Our Web page includes an explanation and a charge for strategies; and (3) extending the ideals of academic freedom to each group and online activities that permit you to extend your our new environment. This roundtable process can also provide conversations after today's meetings. Each group has a leader the kind of recommendations and academic vision our senior who, with help from the rest of you, will deliver a final report administrators need when making resource allocations, one month from today. After the group recommendations are formulating new policies, and directing new funding streams. synthesized by senior administrators and reviewed by the board, we will publish and implement a final plan for our college. the development of an The roundtable will lead institutional vision that goes beyond distance education toward I am enthusiastic about our prospects and look forward to connected education. Technology can allow our students to working with you today and in the months ahead. This is an find valuable information or instruction whenever and exciting and somewhat daunting new challenge, but with our wherever they need to perform specific tasks. It can support commitment, good will, insights, and professional capabilities, and humanized interactive, we can build a new kind of institution. We will succeed in individualized, motivating, learning for develop those seeking preserving what we most cherish while we transform what their values, to understanding, and critical thinking skills. Finally, technology must change. It will be hard work, but we will all be proud of can help us make high quality education fully accessible to the results. those at risk of being left behind in the digital economy. This roundtable, operating within a framework of online tools, Steven W. Gilbert is president of the TLT Group, the Teaching, staff and faculty advanced student technology assistants, Learning, and Technology Affiliate of the American Association development, and traditional support services, will promote our for Higher Education, Washington, D.C. He may be contacted at gilbert @tltgroup.org. The TLT Group Web site can be evolving vision. accessed at www.tltgroup.org. The roundtable is also an ideal mechanism to oversee the creation and development of a campus Teaching, Learning, and Volume 12, Number 5 Technology Center that houses representatives and materials October 1999 10 - Cynthia Wilson, Senior Editor the Community College: Leadership Abstracts is published at the office of the League for Innovation in Leadership Abstracts Web URL: www.league.org/leadabst.html It is issued monthly 26522 La Alameda, Suite 370, Mission Viejo, California 92691, (949) 367 -2884. Alliance for Community College and distributed as a benefit of membership in the League-sponsored College. Innovation. Copyright held by the League for Innovation in the Community