Brown Bag #5 April 12, 2004 @ 3:30 p.m. Downtown Campus – Room 8
In attendance: Michelle S Allen, Susan Anderson, Dean Autry, Marsha Baker, Kevin Beardmore, Keith Boarman, Nick Brake, John E Durbin, Kathy Ebelhar, Cynthia E Fiorella, Kimberly J Free, Michael Gore, Fran A Hardaway, Steve Hollman, Jerry W Huff, Sam H Robertson, Teresa L Sampson, Roddie Shelton, Sonya K Southard, Beth VanFleet, Pamela K Wassmer Kevin: Welcome and thank you. Nick: Major thrust over the past five years: consolidation. Time to do some strategic thinking about where we are going as a new, comprehensive institution. Kevin the planning guy, I am the IE person. IE transferred to Academic Affairs. An IE and planning team (Nick and Kevin) – Accreditation looming in 2005. What is a little different this time? QEP—a new component. Required to submit a plan, engaging the academic as well as staff and students, create a plan to improve student learning. Find a topic broad enough but focused enough that will deal with all students in the institution. Starting with these articles, but this is an open discussion. Three articles that are broad based enough, but focused on learning, as our QEP must be. Encourage all to speak—respect what everyone has to say—try to understand what others are saying. Give you a second to browse through the articles again, give one key idea or concept that exemplifies the kind of learning we value here at our institution. Go round: Removing boundaries – first article Removing boundaries, ditto Strategic Challenge #5: first article – lifelong learning, workforce Measuring program quality, #9 first article Connected and lifelong learning - #5 first article First article #4 – institutions becoming more customized to serve student needs, adult learners with jobs Lifelong learning in the first article, and information technology, in the second article Are we really teaching problem solving skills for lifelong learning Regaining public support Second article, #8 faculty and staff roles – defined by the needs of the learners, need to be more flexible in the future to accommodate our students, more things online, more flexible overall Engaging key stakeholders in planning First article – investing in technically competent faculty #5 lifelong learning Third article number 2 page three, they read and they understand Second article – involving all stakeholders First article, #3: information technology Involving all stakeholders – no one person more important that another – have to involve everyone if you want to be learning centered We are in a remarkable place – together we have accomplished wonderful things – we are the most incredible college in the system Nick: Let’s talk first about barriers and challenges. Accept that resources are a barrier—a barrier for everyone these days. Amount of time it takes for curriculum to be changed – we used to do it in a way that meant little paper, and little wasted time, now we can’t respond to our customers in a timely manner We are here for the students and the communities that we serve—we are dealing with consumers that have a choice. That collective has a choice and we need to be responsive. We have to be more selective and more savvy in setting up our programs. We can’t attach a lot of baggage – we need to get more business minded, match them up and get them a job. Otherwise for profit places will take our business away. They won’t be looking at all these other aspects of education, we need to be smarter. Technical faculty have always had advisory committees, but had people at the system who say “we control the curriculum, not industry” Nick: There is a tension, it weaves through what we do. What kind of product do we want to have? What are we delivering? We have a huge variety of customers. What kind of learning do we value? What do we want all of them to walk out with? The skills to be employed. What the student came in anticipating, delivering a quality program to them. Nick: Is there a learning that can be of value to all learners? An active, engaged, learning process. Everybody wants customer friendly, engaged, learning activities. Nick: A lifelong learner They want to improve their lifestyles, their living conditions They are here to gain from it They want to walk out satisfied with the experience. We have to be top notch whether it is “Puppy College” or a two year degree. People need to be able to learn and problem solve – that is what employers are looking for (article one, #5). A lot of students need to learn how to think Its “training initiative.” Employers say that we need to train our future employees to take initiative and take challenging, is what employers are looking for Nick: Three layers of skills: Basic skills, soft skills, and occupational specific skills. Phil Mickelson won the golf tournament—who taught him how to do it? Someone taught him and got him on the right path, and he had initiative. Some of our customers don’t want an education Nick: You can bring the horse to water but you can’t make him drink. But my granddaddy always said you can run him around the pond a few times and get him thirsy. Nick: Let’s talk about measurement. Add value to their lives. How do we know when we have accomplished this? There are various levels of knowing something—how do we document it? What are some of the ways to measure it? Use national standardize tests (NOCTI) Student follow ups Employer surveys Certifications Classroom assessment WorkKeys for basic skills, could be a component Nick: Other mechanisms? What about soft skills? How do we help students that are not responsible? How do we deal with that? We hear this from across industry—teach the students to just get here, show up on time. But we are looking for better answers, we model it, try to teach it It is a maturity thing Getting speakers in—hear it directly from industry Workplace principles – team work, getting to work on time Nick: Are there experiences that we can build in, with more of a workforce development aim. Could we play with the student experience on campus to make workplace development class. I think students know what they are supposed to do. Same problem we have had before, the ones that don’t show up are the parents of the ones that aren’t listening to us in school Work study and Ready to Work students that don’t have any work ethic Fire them. Get rid of them. What we are trying to get them to drink? Can’t teach a work ethic Nick: In a lot of colleges, particularly smaller ones, it is the entire experience that says that learning and your own self worth is important. When we deal with such a varied population how can we create that experience for ALL students? Valuing that culture of learning. Do we have internships? Yes. How to motivate students to want to learn? They want to learn something they are going to get something out of. They needed to see how it would affect them. Show them the cost and the benefits. Make it relevant. Show them the reason to want to learn. Nick: They need to have a tangible result Bring in former students working in their area – when they hear what former students are making, the light goes on GED – even for the non-traditional students going for the 4 year degree, for the betterment of your life Sometimes the classes are so easy, it is hard to stay awake. We need to challenge them. Helping them achieve what they didn’t think they could achieve. I think we can weed out some of the students that aren’t motivated. Workplace principles – didn’t have a textbook, so I developed it. They have to be in class and take notes on my lectures, that is what I tested them on. But give attendance points, those that attend don’t end up needing the points, the ones that didn’t come didn’t get the points and didn’t do well on the tests either. Looking at it from motivation—building in a rewards system, they were doubly rewarded. No curriculum – not written into the curriculum. Age old curriculum, building in rewards. Nick: Kevin is transcribing all this, will post it for all to see. To close, take the opportunity now to summarize a couple critical issues that were brought forward today. Not just what you said but what you heard. If our customers need a product, we need to be able to produce it in a quality proactive driven manner, valuing everyone’s input to get there. They are all customers, if we exceed their needs they will keep coming back Exceed expectations If we do a job, word gets out – word of mouth – people know if you are doing a good job Create positive peer pressure, make the change in the culture, by the tradition in the school and in the community we can drive quality Nick: How can we create an experience that will be motivating that will create a culture that is very positive. Our legend, created people successful people in society and in their occupation, creates positive peer pressure over time Nick: Quality of life. We play a big part in that. Over five years from now, ten years from now, people saying Owensboro Community and Technical College is a blessing in this community Former students have positive memories, tell others that this is a great place, want others to have the experience If we can elicit change from within, motivated rather than enforced. Planting a seed deep inside them, so that they want to further their education, want to grow. Help open the doors for them, whether they go through the door is up to them. Nick: Think in terms of cultivating a garden. Only connect—we want people to be good people when they leave here, we want them to be decent human beings when they leave here. Most would agree with that list. A big challenge for us, need alternate delivery systems We hear everyday, what about people that work during the daytime, when do we take classes? Late and weekend hours at SkillTrain are packed, people are there.