 |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Contact person: Lynne Boele, Bulding 1, Ocala Campus, Ext. 1438 |
|
|
Faculty Evaluation by June Jones, Jack Thursby, and Robin Seymour
The Journey Begins by Joe Zimmerman
What are We Reading Now? by Lynne Boele
Professional Development Activity Reviews
Manufacturing Technology Academy Students BLUR the Line Between Local High Schools and CFCC by Pat Fleming
Faculty Discussion Board by Chuck Hiatt
Blessed are the Teachers, for They Suffer Much, submitted by Bill Murray
Faculty Evaluation
by June Jones, Jack Thursby, and Robin SeymourMany professionals are skeptical of the validity of evaluations; however, probably no group is more skeptical than college faculty. Often, we find it difficult for any one person to measure the effectiveness of what we do. Yet, we all know that to improve any skill we need relevant, accurate, and useful feedback on our strengths and weaknesses. If we want continuous improvement in our performance, we must use an evaluation process that will give us an encompassing perspective on our teaching.
With this in mind, a group of ten faculty members reviewed and researched numerous evaluation systems at other two-year institutions. Although the group realized that true objectivity in a faculty evaluation system is difficult to attain because it relies heavily on subjective judgment of peers, administrators, students, and others, the goal was to find a system that was fair and objective. The goal was to find a system that would minimize the impact of subjectivity on the evaluation. Working together, the group found what is believed to be a comprehensive faculty evaluation system designed by Dr. Raoul Arreola at the Center for Educational Development and Assessment (CEDA). It can be customized to fit the needs of CFCC faculty and incorporates procedures that minimize the impact of subjectivity.This new system is now being piloted by the full-time faculty at the Citrus campus and on the Ocala campus in the nursing, science, humanities/social sciences, and cosmetology departments. The system is based on designing a matrix built on the responsibilities identified by the different areas within each of the five role categories (teaching, service to students, college service, professional development, and public service). The system gathers input from those who have direct knowledge of the faculty member’s performance—students, peers, administrators, community advisors—and self. Several different instruments are chosen to assess the diverse nature of our work as faculty. The system also provides an opportunity to respond to specific concerns and characteristics of individual departments. Input and instruments are selected by individual departments, according to those that are deemed best in each category of the evaluation process.
During this academic year, all faculty will conduct student evaluations utilizing the CFCC in-house developed form. This form for student evaluation of instructors has been condensed to ten questions with opportunities for student comments. The questions focus on faculty teaching, clarity of voice, level of enthusiasm, clarity of explanations, creativeness, helpfulness, and other traits that students can assess. Because these evaluation forms can be processed at CFCC, faculty will be able to have all students in every section complete these evaluation forms.
Those in the pilot evaluation group will also use the new Self/Peer Team/Supervisor observation form (see sample on page 2). Based on the sources identified, this form will guide the observer in evaluating faculty on instructional skills, relationship to students, course organization, and content expertise. Those not involved in the pilot group will follow similar procedures as last year with a classroom observation by the Dean or Vice-President of Instruction.
All faculty members will complete a Professional Development Plan (PDP). A majority of faculty used this instrument during the last evaluation cycle to set goals and activities. The purpose of the PDP is to state the outcomes and set goals for the next year. A workshop will be held January 19, 2001 in the Teaching and Learning Center on how to prepare a professional development plan.
Each department involved in the pilot of the new evaluation system has been asked to give detailed feedback on the process of designing the matrix, implementing the matrix with the new assessment forms, and the usefulness of the data gathered during the entire process. Hopefully, the piloted evaluation system will provide valuable information that faculty members can use to continuously improve the quality of their teaching.
A good evaluation system should provide information which faculty consider important and helpful to them. The results of the evaluations, if used properly, should then relate directly to faculty development programs. Faculty development opportunities in all areas of instruction can be tailored to fit the needs of individuals, departments, or the entire faculty.
The new system is not designed to be cumbersome, overly time-consuming, or threatening to faculty. While some additional time and effort will be required of each of us, it is our sincere hope that faculty will be provided with the best feedback available to improve the quality of teaching at our institution.
Before we know it, the new year will be rung in, the confetti swept away, and we will be walking down the hallway to our new classes of the semester. I love the first day of class. Excitement always dances inside of me as I walk through the doorway. After I make sure I’m in the right room and briefly introduce myself, I send around the roll asking the students to sign their first name next to their printed name. Then the journey begins.
I think it is important to establish an atmosphere of participation and excitement on the first day. So I ardently avoid the usual stuff, and try to engage the imagination of the students.
In my Introduction to Literature courses, for example, I often tell them a story, like the story of Icarus, or a passage from The Odyssey. Since we read a lot of fiction, I then list the elements of a “story”—with their help—and then begin a discussion of the many uses of the story form throughout history: to entertain, to record history, to explain the world around us. Stories have been told for many years to teach children, and I often ask a few students to tell a children’s story they know. On the first day of class in August we talked a little bit about a very popular contemporary variation of the story—the “Survivor” phenomenon. Why is this show a “story”? It has conflict, characters, setting, point of view, theme. How is it different from traditional stories? Student responses included “The characters are real people.” “Nobody knows the ending.” “The winner [hero] is going to win a million dollars.”
To involve students in my English Literature class, I often begin asking them to jot down seven things they know about England on a five by seven index card. I do it as well. Then I collect the cards, shuffle them, and redistribute them to the class. We then create a top ten list from all the entries: some of these things are serious “England still has a monarchy,” and some are silly “People in England don’t express their emotions.” But after a little while the class has woven together a broad historical and cultural background to the literature we will be studying. And they have all contributed.
Two things I completely avoid on that first day are reading the roll and going through the syllabus.Beginning the class on the first day by reading the roll puts the students in a sort of suspended animation. It turns off their brains. Instructors who think they are being funny and breaking the ice by mispronouncing a student’s name should think again. Chances are the instructor in that student’s previous class mispronounced it, too. And the instructor before that. Let me put it a different way: the students have paid for their ticket, and found their seat. They are ready to go. Reading the roll evokes the same frustrating and painful feeling as the airline passengers who are taxied out to the runway only to sit and wait and wait and wait. As the pilot, I like to just take off—I’ll figure out who’s on the plane after class.
I don’t go through the syllabus either. I think a complete and well-organized syllabus is essential to any class—mine is eight pages long—I just don’t think it’s necessary to read it to them on that all-important first day. By reading the syllabus, the instructor is sending the unspoken message that the students aren’t smart enough to read it themselves. Besides, being told “do this,” or “make sure you don’t do that” for forty-five minutes is condescending and, frankly, excruciatingly boring. I don’t let the students hide behind the syllabus either—participation is the key—so I don’t even pass it out; I ask the students to take one from the stack on the desk as they leave class.
That first day is vital. To me a mood and direction have to be established from the opening moments of the first class. I want my students walking back into the hallway on that day having learned something about the subject. I want them realizing that contributing to the class will help them to learn, and to enjoy the class. I want them feeling that breathlessness one feels when the plane lifts off the ground, on a journey to somewhere new.
Louis W. Bender Endowed Scholarship The Higher Education Program faculty invite faculty and administrators to apply for the Louis W. Bender Endowed Scholarship. This Florida State University scholarship is designed specifically to encourage experienced and committed community college professionals to continue their education at the doctoral level.
This scholarship for a full-time FSU student includes an academic assistantship and tuition waiver. While the scholarship is not intended as a substitute for a professional salary, it can provide a generous supplement to an administrative leave.
The award, a minimum of $8000, is for the 2001-2002 academic year. A scholarship award will normally include a full or partial waiver of tuition; however, the extent of the waiver cannot be guaranteed until after the scholarship selection process has been completed.
Applications should be received by April 30, 2001.
For information, visit www.fsu.edu/~edleadr/HE.htmlWhat are We Reading Now?
by Lynne Boele, Teaching/Learning InstituteA few weeks ago we sent out an e-mail query asking people what they are reading. From fiction to non-fiction, classics to humor, we're a diverse bunch. If you'd like to respond with your own current favorites, or report on your reading of those suggested here, please send an e-mail with your reactions for the next issue of Directions, deadline Jan. 19. Following are the interesting, illuminating highlights of what we're reading now:
John Mathews notes, “I just finished reading Farid ud-Din Attar's The Conference of the Birds, a 12th-century Persian allegorical tale about the Sufi quest for ultimate Truth.”
Debra Vazquez says, “I'm always reading a half dozen books at one time (an all-you-can-read buffet) but there are two that I keep reaching for. Great Books by David Denby is a very insightful and honest look at writers such as Homer, Aristotle, Plato, Sophocles, Beauvoir, Boccaccio, Woolf, etc, etc by a New Yorker film critic who went back to college to see how age had changed his perspective. The other book is Lorca: A Dream of Life, a biography of Spanish poet Gabriel Garcia Lorca written by Leslie Stainton.”
Richard Pendarvis reads a lot of science fiction, “In addition to the tests and homework that I grade which also contain a lot of science fiction. I have also been reading some on Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.”
Robin Seymour's list includes Fried Green Tomatoes by Fannie Flagg, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, and The Color of Water by James McBride.
From Carol W. Smith come these endorsements: “Over the past few months I've read Barbara Kingsolver's The Poisonwood Bible, Jane Smiley's Horse Heaven, and Anita Shreve's Fortune's Rocks. I would highly recommend Kingsolver's and Smiley's books! The Poisonwood Bible is one of the best pieces of literature that this English Literature major has read in a long time! Smiley's book is a wonderful satire on the horse industry. If you liked her book Moo (a must read for anyone working in the collegiate atmosphere!) then you would probably like Horse Heaven. As for Shreve's book, it's not as good as her book The Pilot's Wife, but it is still a good read. Note though, my husband wouldn't read it because, as he put it, ‘It’s a chick's book.’”
Karine Siplon recommends both Tis and Angela's Ashes. But she says, “Read them in the right order, Angela's Ashes first. Naturally I didn't and I should have.”
Jack Thursby confides, “I'm not reading anything of consequence - just for fun: George Carlin's Brain Droppings. I love his insight, sarcasm, and sense of humor. To George everything is fair game. No storyline, just lots of funny insight into stereotypes, prejudices, and the foibles of human beings in a society that's full of contradictions. The book was a gift from my oldest son who has a very offbeat sense of humor himself.”
Chick Dassance tells us, “I have just finished the 19th novel in Patrick O'Brien's series on Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin regarding their exploits in the British Navy in the late 18th and early 19th centuries—a wonderfully written set of novels with great character development, historical interest, adventure, and a great feel for the culture and society of the times.”
Amy Mangan shared her current choices: “For professional growth, I've recently completed What If? The world's leading military historians imagine what might have been if historical events had not unfolded as they did. Edited by Robert Cowley, essay contributors include historians like David McCullough and James McPherson. This is an articulate and provoking perspective on the “what-ifs” of major events like “what if Alexander the Great had not died young” and “what if World War I was avoided” and so forth. Very enjoyable and applicable to learning activities for students. For personal fun and downright contentment, my recent favorite is Fooling With Words: A Celebration of Poets and Their Craft by Bill Moyers who interviewed poets during the Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Festival, the ‘Woodstock of poetry.’ This book has inspired me to pursue additional readings of poetry! I love how Moyers engages his interviewees through thoughtful dialogue and beautiful analogies.”
Joe Zimmerman notes that he likes this kind of sharing and tells us, “This past weekend I read The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother which Vi Surmons recommended in the last issue of Directions. It's truly a wonderful testament to love; I enjoyed it very much.”
And what is that noted economist, Chuck Hiatt, reading? “The Wall Street Journal. :-)”
Cash Pealer sent quite a reading list for those looking for something to do over the holidays. His selections include: The Men Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad (1863-1869), by Stephen Ambrose, “fascinating detail about the major effort to undertake and complete this project.” Next, Washington, The Indispensable Man by James Thomas Flexner; “lots of insight into the personal and political life and times...it is amazing what got done without email and faxes.” Third choice is The Wealth of Choices of the New Economy by Alan Murray, “an easy read that challenges old economy thinking and presents interesting alternatives for us to consider today. Cash's last choice is Conversations with God by Neal Walsh, in which “he asks all the questions we all have had about life, death, love, good, and evil and claims to receive responses that are refreshing and thought-provoking.”
Among Ron Cooper's current eclectic selections: Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life, Daniel Dennett (Touchstone Books, 1996). “The tongue-in-cheek title refers to natural selection, which Dennett calls the ‘single best idea anyone has ever had.’ One of the most important philosophers in America, Dennett shows how the very heart of biological explanation is a sort of reverse engineering whereby phenotypical adaptations are understood as the result of long, step-by-step, mindless processes of variation. Only through this understanding of evolution can we begin to get a grip on the nature of consciousness—mind from mindlessness.” Next is How the Mind Works, Steven Pinker (Norton, 1999). Ron says, “A leading psycholinguist shows how thinking is best understood through a computational model. Along with Dennett (above), Pinker is a major voice in debates concerning artificial intelligence and a writer with the rare talent to make highly technical material accessible to the non-specialist.” Third among Ron's choices is The Tin Drum, Gunter Grass (originally published in 1959). “This is generally acclaimed as Germany's greatest post-WW II novel. The hilarious experiences of narrator Oskar, who on his third birthday refuses to grow any taller, become perverse allegories of Germany in the 30s and 40s. Grass’ version of magical realism and telling a nation’s story through a character’s experiences have heavily influenced other writers such as Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Salman Rushdie (especially Rushdie's Midnight's Children).”
Pat Fleming spends his weekends at Barnes and Noble, “picks a section, and starts grabbing books.” Among his recent discoveries: “Robo Sapiens, from MIT Press, a coffee table book on what is coming in the world of robots; Godel, a brief biography of the person named the mathematician of the 20th Century; Telecosm—a look at how broadband communication will change the way we access information; The Theory of Everything: Philosophy for the Chaotic Mind; The Non Designer's Design Book: everything you wanted to know about fonts but were afraid to ask; Kurzweil's Age of the Spiritual Machine, a thoughtful look at self-replicating technology; The Language Instinct by Steven Pinker, morphemes, phonemes and more.” Sounds like Barnes and Noble should be charging Pat rent.
Board of Trustee member Frank Rasbury takes respite from his many service duties by reading magazines of different types and subjects, as well as an occasional book. Frank says “The last book I read was Word of Honor by Nelson DeMille. It is a story about a former army lieutenant who is recalled to active duty after more than 20 years to stand trial before a court-martial board for a murder during an action that took place in Vietnam immediately following the enemy's TET offensive in early 1968. I enjoyed this book because I lived and worked near where the central figure of the story lived. Also, I served in Vietnam during the same time as the subject and was very familiar with the circumstances then. Of course, I found some inaccuracies based upon my 20 year experience in the army, but chalked that up to the author's limited military experience and his efforts to “spice-up” his novel.”
Among current readings this reporter has found interesting, Ahab's Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund recreates the feel of the original Moby (without all the mating habits of the whales) blended with the adventurous romanticism of Two Years Before the Mast, and a sprinkling of 19th century feminism and abolition history. Like Carol W. Smith, I also recommend The Poisonwood Bible most highly. It's a painful pilgrimage through pre- and post-Colonial Africa for the reader as well as the protagonist family of a fire and brimstone Southern missionary.
We look forward to reviews of your latest readings for the next issue of Directions!
Don’t forget – the deadline for the next issue of Directions is Friday, Jan. 19.
The U.S. Department of State’s college and university partnerships program has released a request for proposals for grants to develop three-year partnerships between institutions of higher education (including two-year colleges) in the U.S. and either Eastern Europe or Central America. For more information, see http://exchanges.state.gov/education/rfps.
Deadline is January 19, 2001.Escape to Egypt Living the Humanities is my way of developing professionally: I had a career enhancing experience in Egypt this summer. Most of my time I spent in the traditional Islamic parts of Cairo, Luxor, and Alexandria, mixing with the locals, walking through the seemingly endless souqs (markets), visiting the mosques, and climbing the many minarets that dominate Egypt’s contemporary skylines. Tourists rarely venture where I journeyed. The backstreets of these cities offered me glimpses of the Arab world, with all of its modern complexities and contradictions, that few outsiders ever see, encounter, or even wish to contemplate--raw meat hanging in the open air of butchers' stalls; craftsmen hammering out brass pots by hand; carpet makers in dingy little rooms, busy on their hand looms; a band of children joyously running barefoot through dusty streets; third class passage on a train in which my wife and I were the only Westerners; discussing Middle East politics with an Arab shopkeeper of Luxor the day after Syrian president Hafez al-Assad's death; a chance encounter with a cultivated French speaking Arab of Alexandria who, like me, finds himself struggling with the notion of a "clash of cultures" between East and West; mile after mile of grubby little Arab village, some just a few railstops away from the Pizza Hut, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and McDonald land of downtown Cairo; magnificent mosques that only faintly whisper the glory of past empires of the Fatimids, Mamluks, and Ottomans; the simple grandeur of the Nile at sunset; sixteen million people crowed into the streets and neighborhoods of Cairo, a city curiously torn between the modern and the medieval; an afternoon wandering through gallery after gallery of the impressive Museum of Islamic Art; a handful of aged Christian churches, a monastery, some Roman ruins, and a solitary Jewish synagogue, all securely cloistered within the walls of Coptic Cairo; imposing desert landscapes stretching to the horizon in all directions; a cadre of Arab children skinny-dipping in an irrigation ditch; the tenth-century Al-Azhar Quranic school, one of the oldest centers of learning in Islam and today a thriving university; riding an Arabian horse across desert sands once ruled by Bedouins; trendy internet cafés frequented by Cairo’s computer savvy generation X--I could go on for hours recounting the flood of images and scenes I bring back with me.
by John Matthews, HumanitiesMy trip also offered the opportunity to partake in a good bit of pharaonic Egypt. While there, I visited the Giza plateau, site of the Great Pyramid of Khufu and the Sphinx; the temple of Luxor and the splendor of Karnak; the funerary temple of queen Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt's few reigning female monarchs; the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens, burial grounds of the New Kingdom pharaohs; the Colossi of Memnon; and the world renowned Cairo Museum, permanent home of the famous king Tut exhibit. These represent only a few of the myriad impressions that have become a permanent part of what I teach. I return to Ocala with a renewed eagerness to share with my students those things I have seen, heard, touched, tasted, and smelled of a land whose history spans five millennia.
Non-Politically Correct Literary Conference The Alliance of Literary Scholars and Critics is a national conference begun eight years ago principally as a reaction to what was seen as an infringement on academic freedom in the writing arts by the focus of politically correct groups. In other words the founders of the conference felt that there were significant critics, writers, and poets being left out of the process by the emphasis on race, feminism, and Marxist governmental theorists. Their founding credo was that good literary works did not have to abide by the demographics listed above. Of particular interest to survey courses taught throughout the nation is the practice of textbook publishers compiling in general literature texts primarily those authors supported by the demographics listed above. Even in our own text used to teach ENC 1102, the dominant writer selections fall within the politically correct umbrella. The conference founders had no quarrel with good literature covering those areas, but felt that other works of equal merit were being excluded.
by John Simpson, CommunicationsSince its founding, the conference has grown considerably, and the latest one was held the last weekend in October in Chicago. Its participants range from Harvard, Brandeis, and Stanford Universities to Lake City Community College in Florida and Normandale Community College in Minnesota and nearly everything in between. The best contribution this year to CFCC was the two workshops on poetry, one emphasizing techniques for teaching it and the other featuring nationally known poets with critics on the same panel. In addition, the keynote speaker was the novelist Tom Wolfe, author of The Right Stuff and A Man in Full. He managed to both charm and irritate his audience by saying the novel declined as an art form when colleges became the training schools for most novelists. He said that Theodore Dreiser, Ernest Hemingway, and William Faulkner couldn't have put a four year college degree together between them. He said there were great novels just waiting to be researched and written and suggested there was no one trained to do so.
While this conference is lively compared to other more formal Modern Language Association conferences, it stills uses as its mainstay the reading of scholarly papers, which causes its audience to wish for "no-doze" medication. However, the conference does allow any institution that teaches literature courses to remain up to date on the national focus concerning scholars and critics.
Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace Last August, I attended a workshop in College Park, Maryland entitled, “Technology in Physical Therapy Education.” This workshop was conducted in part by Rena M. Palloff, Ph.D., and Keith Pratt, Ph.D., authors of Building Learning Communities in Cyberspace: Effective Strategies for the Online Classroom. Throughout their book the authors identify key strategies that they have found helpful for the instructor/facilitator of an online course:
by Jean McCauley, Health Occupations1. Establish clear participation guidelines that the participants discuss and agree to.
The authors report that often they hear from instructors of on-line courses who complain that students do not participate in on-line discussions. Obviously, an online course can only be successful if the students log on and participate in the class. The authors feel that guidelines for participation in the online activities need to be clearly spelled out at the start of the class. For example, one of the authors requires students to log on at least twice a week and actively participant in the discussion by making a meaningful contribution (not just saying, “hello, I’m here”).2. Be clear about how participation will be evaluated and how it figures into the grading scheme for the class.
Because participation is so critical to the success of an online course, it needs to be included in whatever form of evaluation is being used in the course. Guidelines for the course should include the expectation that students will be evaluating their own participation as well as contributions of their classmates.3. Create a clear syllabus and course structure that is easy to follow but allows for flexibility.
Since there is usually little (or no) face-to-face communication in an online course, the instructor/facilitator needs to clearly express the course requirements in writing.4. Be clear about how much time is involved in participation in an online course so there are no misunderstandings about what it means to work in this medium.
In most online classes students can “come to class” at irregular intervals (asynchronous communication) which means students can log on at different time and still participate in the discussion. For this reason discussion of course material takes place over a much longer period of time. The number of discussion questions posed in one week needs to be limited in order to allow all participants time to read, reflect, and then respond to postings by classmates. The online class is essentially “in session” 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Participants should be prepared to “attend class” an average of 5 out of 7 days.5. Create a course site that is welcoming, easy to navigate, and to which there is little difficulty posting messages.
The authors recommend that the instructor of an online course be careful not to assume all students are “computer literate.” The instructor needs to be knowledgeable about the technology being used and comfortable enough with it to be able to help the students solve problems. Also, adequate technical support needs to be available to faculty as well as to students.6. Be a good role model of online participation by being visible on a daily basis as the course progresses.
Those new to online teaching are often surprised about the amount of time it takes to teach an online course. Many mistakenly believe that this mode of course delivery is easy and takes less time than teaching in a “face-to-face” classroom. The authors have found that the time needed to deliver this type of class is actually “two to three times greater” than that necessary to teach a traditional class (p.49).7. Be willing to step in and set limits if participation is waning or is heading in the wrong direction.
In order to fulfill this role the instructor acts more as a facilitator of the discussion among the students and enters the on-line discussion to pose additional open-ended questions to stimulate further pertinent discussion. The authors feel that many courses run electronically are typically “content-and-faculty-facilitator-driven, just as they are in the face-to-face classroom”(18). In order to be successful in an online environment the courses should be more peer/student driven, learner-focused and not teacher-dominated. To a great extent the students should control where the discussion will go, not the instructor. However, the instructor still needs to guide the discussion to be sure the learning outcomes of the course are being met.8. Be willing to make phone calls to people who are not participating to ask why and to draw them back in.
Not all students are comfortable with the online environment. Interestingly, Dr. Pratt’s research has determined that introverts are more successful with on line courses than extroverts. Introverts tend to work better in a quiet environment with little outside noise. Introverted students are more successful due to “the absence of social pressures that exist in face-to-face situations” (p.8). Offline introverts seem to thrive on line. Everyone can have a say (and in fact is required to “speak up”), not just the more vocal, outspoken extroverts. The quiet student can spend time thinking about posted information before responding. However, students who are shy in social settings do learn something about social skills by interacting in an electronic course (p.34).9. Most of all strive to create community through inclusion of the human elements involved in the course.
Many distance learning courses focus primarily on content and less on social interaction. Although students may be participating in an asynchronous discussion the instructor/facilitator must somehow create the impression that they are communicating in real time and are part of a group (11). The course facilitator needs to spend time developing the group, before beginning the course content, more so than in a typical classroom. One suggestion the authors make is to have the students post introductions or create their own home pages, including their fears and expectations for the course, as a means of developing the group as a whole (11). In order to facilitate building this sense of community the authors recommend 5 – 10 students for a synchronous class and 20 for an asynchronous class (depending on the level of experience of the instructor).
66th Annual Florida State Music Teacher’s Association Conference Various seminars covering subjects as practical as teaching musicianship to a beginning student and as subjective as judging an advanced student’s prepared audition were on the agenda at this four day conference in October. It is inspiring to have the chance to mingle and share ideas, problems and solutions with respected pedagogues and concert artists from every level of music instruction. One hour was spent in an analysis of three of Debussy’s piano solo works with specific suggestions for teaching those works to early intermediate level piano students. Debussy is often left to the advanced student, but these works would be appropriate much earlier than one might think, thereby broadening not only the instructor’s scope of piano literature but certainly challenging the young pianist to explore the repertoire of this French master composer.
by SarahMarie S. Schmidt, Fine Arts
The performances at this year’s conference also covered the spectrum of musical genre. The featured artist presented an impeccable all Bach program; a vocalist shared three contemporary Brazilian songs; the winners of the piano ensemble competition performed two delightful two-piano works. One concert featured a six-piano ensemble—it was an exhilarating performance. Such a feast of musical endeavors!
NABT Convention News I attended the NABT Convention from 10/25/00-10/28/00 in Orlando, Florida, and attended the following seminars:
by Adam Hayashi, Science
Neurobiology of Addiction-- The National Institute of Health (NIH), in conjunction with the educational publisher BSCS, is producing a series of publications for the classroom, including the recent educational publication The Neurobiology of Addiction.
The Human Genome Project In The Classroom-- In 1990, an ambitious project to map out the human genome began. There are around three billion base pairs in the human genome and nearly ten million variants to the human genome. Scientists began by first formulating genetic maps, then physical maps, and finally began genomic sequencing around 1996. Despite hours of sequencing, by 1999, they were had only completed 15%. It was determined that if they were to complete the project by 2000, they would have to sequence nearly 1000 base pairs per second, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. This is what they did, and by June 2000 they were 90% completed with a blueprint of the human genome. One can follow their progress online at genome.cse.ucsc.edu. The National Human Genome Research Institute also plans to release educational kits at their website: www. nhgri.nih.gov/educationkit. The educational kit, called The Human Genome Project: Exploring Our Molecular Selves, will include a video, CD-ROM, and a poster. GET IT! Even if you don’t teach biology, you’ll find it is amazing. The video covers DNA, DNA sequencing, base pairing, transcription/translation, and of course, the human genome project. The CD-ROM also has animated segments on DNA structure, base pairing, protein synthesis, and genetic importance in both English and Spanish versions. The CD-ROM even includes a copy of Watson and Crick’s 1953 Nobel Prize winning paper, previously unavailable, WOW!
Integrating A.D.A.M. Web-Based Anatomy & Physiology Into Course Curriculum--A.D.A.M. anatomy and physiology software traditionally offered on interactive CD-ROMs is now offered on-line. Buying a license for your class allows your students to access A.D.A.M. from school computers or their computers at home. The Essential A.D.A.M. software has a dissectable anatomy, an atlas anatomy, and a 3D anatomy. The dissectable anatomy component has 1100 sections and 6 different views. The atlas anatomy includes radiographic images, systemic organization, and cadaver photographs. The 3D anatomy allows manipulations (rotations) with 3D animation of such structures as: the brain, the lungs, the skull, ear, eye, and female/male reproductive systems. To try A.D.A.M. software access www.redhillserver.com/adam.
46th Annual Conference of the Florida Philosophical Association Philosophers and students from Pensacola to Miami attended this year’s conference on the beautiful campus of the New College in Sarasota, Florida. The Nov. 9-11 schedule included 25 papers read, two symposia, the winners of the student competitions, and the presidential address. Topics and titles of papers included: philosophy of mind (“The Threat of Type Epiphenomenalism,” “The Epistemic Conceivability Argument Against Physicalism”), ethics (“Teaching Health Care Ethics: Differences Between Moral Sensitivity and Moral Reasoning,” “Permitting Suicide of Competent Clients in Counseling”), metaphysics (“Realism and the Social World,” “Gendler on Why We Can’t Trust Thought Experiments in Personal Identity”) and lots of history of philosophy.
by Ron Cooper, Humanities & Social SciencesA highlight of the conference was “Symposium: Teaching Undergraduate Philosophy.” While teaching is discussed constantly at this conference between sessions, over dinner, at the bar, etc., this year the FPA dedicated a formal session with a panel of discussants from around the state and from various levels in higher ed.: research university, private four-year, community college, etc. The session was the best attended at the conference, and I was especially pleased that so many graduate students, many of whom are already beginning their teaching careers, were there. The panelists discussed class size (consensus: smaller is better), various goals of an intro course (consensus: most important is to foster an appreciation for the philosophical enterprise—details about philosophers can come later), a philosophical canon (consensus: a love of philosophy is more important than particular books of schools of thought), how to deal with poor student writing (consensus: don’t blame the composition teachers, it’s bad all around—in the meantime, bad student writing is no reason to cut down on writing assignments), how to make philosophy more relevant to students (consensus: not difficult to find examples from ordinary life, even the old masters gave lots of everyday examples).
Lunch Bunch: Favorite Topic
Join us in the TLC for Lunch–n–Fun with:
Jan. 17 – Mystery Guest
Feb. 16 – Jack Thursby
Mar. 07 – C.W. Smith
Apr. 13 – Judy Haisten & Sheila Evans
Manufacturing Technology Academy Students BLUR the Line Between Local High Schools and CFCC Central Florida Community College has participated in dual enrollment programs with students from Marion, Citrus and Levy counties for many years. For those of you not familiar with dual enrollment, junior or senior, local high school students enroll in CFCC classes while they are students in their respective high schools. In some cases, these "college classes" are held at the high school campus by a high school teacher with the proper number of graduate hours to teach a particular college class. Other dual enrollment students register for classes held at any of our campuses and "blend" in with the normal CFCC class set.
by Pat Fleming, Distance LearningFor the last year, an innovative program has brought a number of high school students to campus for a full faire of high school and college classes taught by an admixture of college and high school faculty. Under the auspices of what is called the Manufacturing Technology Academy, more than twenty students from Belleview and Forest High School visit CFCC each day for at least three hours of course work. From the high school side, students complete English and history/government requirements necessary for graduation. From the college side, these same students are taking a variety of CFCC courses, including Business Math, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Introduction to Internet Research and Introduction to Manufacturing Technology in the Fall Term and Career Explorations in Business in the Spring Term.
Once their class day is completed, these students are engaged in program related work experiences with such local companies as ClosetMaid, E-One, Publix, Fed-Ex and Flair. These students are paid employees of these companies and generally assist a company department related to manufacturing technology in some way. Some students are assigned to Information Technology departments, others participate in graphic design or engineering activities and yet others are engaged in job shadowing programs to learn what is involved in a particular job function.
The 2000-2001 Academy cohort group includes fourteen students who have just completed their first month of college. In addition to high school, college and employment responsibilities, these students have also found time to participate in service learning activities including the Altrusa Read-In at College Park Elementary School and food drive work with the Big Team for Little People agency. When possible these students also engage in course specific one day expositions and conferences which update their knowledge of technology and its uses.
This program is only possible because of the cooperation of many people at both Belleview and Forest High Schools and CFCC. From the Belleview H.S side, Mrs. Jill Van Weelden coordinates job placements, enlists Belleview faculty to teach the high school subjects and the Manufacturing Technology course and acts as the primary liaison for the students and CFCC personnel. Buddy Oswald, J.D. serves as the Belleview faculty person teaching Business Communications, Manufacturing Technology and History/Government.
From CFCC's perspective, the program is an option in the Business Administration degree within the Business, Technology and Workforce Learning division, under Dr. Cheryl Fante. Dual enrollment and student service liaison is coordinated by Ms. Cami Lemr in Enrollment Services. College instruction is provided by Pat Fleming who teaches Business Math, Internet Research, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.
The Vision In response to the Marion Regional Manufacturing Association's plea for additional trained employees, Dr. Cheryl Fante contacted Belleview H.S. Principal, Jim Yancey. The vision of the new academy was discussed with Jill Van Weelden and the pilot project began in Fall 1999. Nine students successfully completed this inaugural academy and are currently enrolled in classes at CFCC. For the 2000-2001 academic year, the program has been expanded to include seniors from other high schools.Without the vision of Dr. Fante, Mrs. Van Weelden and Mr. Yancey, this efficient use of resources and educational programming would not be taking place. Without the academic dexterity of the high school and college instructors, Messers Oswald and Fleming, the day-to-day college academic exposure would not be possible. Without the support of the many college departments impacted by the Belleview Manufacturing Academy including computer services, learning resources and enrollment services, a quality educational experience would not be feasible. Without the buy-in by the Marion County employers, who are valuing these students as their future, the real life lessons would not be available to supplement academic approaches. Finally without the youth, enthusiasm, flexibility and talents of the Belleview and Forest High School students, this academy would be an idea waiting for action.
Please visit the Manufacturing Technology Academy any morning between 8 and 11 am in building 2, room 209 and encourage these youthful stalwarts as they groom themselves for their future. Perhaps, there is a link between yours and theirs.
Faculty Discussion Board
by Chuck Hiatt, Business & TechnologyFaculty Member #1: Wow! That was great! I wonder how I can tell other members of the faculty my positive experience with building maintenance.
Faculty Member #2: Stink-O! I want to get my colleagues' feelings about this change in faculty naptime, but where can I go for their opinions?
Faculty Senate member: Why don’t you log on to the Faculty Discussion Board (FDB)? The FDB is a place where the faculty can express their appreciation for or displeasure with happenings in and around CFCC.
The Faculty Discussion Board was created on the WebCt platform for faculty use. Once you have logged on to the Discussion Board, you can change your password if you would like a little more security. If you prefer, use the one Forum we created that allows complete anonymity.
Discussions on the FDB are up to the faculty members. Each of us can post to the few, specifically titled Forums we have created for convenience, or we can just post a message in the main Forum.
What is discussed on the FDB stays in the FDB unless the author requests that the matter be brought up at the Faculty Senate meeting.
Those who have a WebCt class can just go to My WebCt and add Faculty. Those who do not have a class, please follow the directions below.
To log on to the Faculty Discussion Board please follow the directions below:
The USER ID is your last name (in small letters)
The PASSWORD is your first name (in small letters)
1. Go to the CFCC Homepage: http://www.cfcc.cc.fl.us.
2. Click on the Distance Learning Button.
3. Click on Online Courses.
4. Click on WebCt Training.
5. Click on Faculty -- Under <Course Menu>.
6. You are now at the Setup Screen. (You only need to do this once.)
7. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on “No” unless you already have a <My WebCt> page. Then click <YES> and proceed to add the course.
8. Click on <Validate>.
9. Type in your Password (your first name in small letters).
10. Click on <Validate Password>.
11. Now fill in the information under <Select your Global ID and PASSWORD>. (Note: use the same user ID and password.).
12. Click on <Submit>.
13. Now click on: http://www.cfcc.cc.fl.us:8800/webct/homearea/homearea.
14. Bookmark the site.
15. When you return to use this site, just go to <My WebCt> located under the <Distance Learning Button>.
Teaching and Learning Center
Spring Semester HoursMonday, Wednesday,
Thursday, Friday
8:00 – 4:30
Tuesday, 8:00 – 6:00
Blessed are the Teachers, for They Suffer Much
“The Missouri Ozark Version of the Sermon on the Mount”
submitted by Bill Murray, MathAnd they said unto him, “Rabbi, we know thou art a teacher.” Then Jesus took his disciples up the mountain, and gathering them around him, he taught them, saying:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven;
Blessed are the meek;
Blessed are the merciful;
Blessed are you when you suffer;
Be glad and rejoice for your reward is great in heaven.”Then Simon Peter said, “Are we supposed to know this?”
And Andrew said, “Should we write this stuff down?”
And James said, “Will we have a test over this?”
And Philip said, “I don’t have any paper.”
And Bartholomew said, “Do we have to turn this in?”
And John said, “The other disciples didn’t have to learn this.”
And Matthew said, “I gotta go to the bathroom.”
And James said, “Could you say that all over again, but slower this time?”
And Thomas said nothing since he sleepeth.
And Judas said, “What does this have to do with real life?”
Then one of the Pharisees who was present asked to see Jesus’ lesson plan, and inquired of Jesus “Where is your anticipatory set, your objectives in the cognitive domain, and your performance evaluation indicators?”And Jesus wept.
"Call for Papers" from Dr. Sharon Cooper: “The Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) is interested in obtaining articles from faculty and administrators regarding community colleges. Ms. Beverly Robinson has requested this information be distributed to all faculty.”Tamara Holub, Acquisitions Analyst at UCLA has expressed interest in “any documents pertaining to community colleges which have been authored by professors, researchers, or administrators affiliated with CFCC. Including these documents in the ERIC database would expand coverage of your organization and let others benefit from your innovative work.” If you have any questions, please contact Tamara at tholub@ucla.edu or 800-832-8256.
