On being comfortable with being uncomfortable

I have really enjoyed the videos in the Innovation That Sticks Case Study. I love how the educators in the video represent a variety of ages and backgrounds. I am one of those who was not born a “digital native,” but even though I was not born with the technology, I think I have adapted pretty well. I consider myself a lifelong learner.  I really kind of like change, and honestly have always felt that if my job is not changing and growing… if I am not changing and growing in my job… then maybe it’s time to shake things up.

I like the idea of really embracing the Growth Mindset in academics with our learners, and have been using that (without knowing it until I read Dr Dweck’s book) that I had been doing that with my students for years. I would really like to see more of our educators move to that model, where students have opportunities to learn from mistakes and don’t have to feel penalised by them. By allowing our learners to see that we are constantly learning and growing along with them, we are modeling that learning is and should be a continuous process, helping them to see the relevance in lifelong learning. There should be no place for complacency in the workplace… in schools… in our lives.

The team teaching concept that they addressed in the video seems like it would be a great way to capitalise on strengths. My mind is whirling as I think of how we can accomplish something similar here. I would love to see more interdisciplinary problem based learning activities, and the team teaching approach sounds like the way to get there. I am excited about looking further into that. I also really liked that in the report they discuss Students as Leaders, giving students choices… allowing them to take ownership of their projects… using their voice to effect change… working with authentic learning experiences. The model that they have implemented has students as early as elementary school developing critical thinking and leadership skills, and really taking charge of their education. I really love that.

Stiefel, K. (2013). Southern Yellowtail Scad [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.com https://www.flickr.com/photos/pacificklaus/ (CC BY-NC 2.0)

I would love to see more collaboration among the faculty here at this institution, and more opportunities for interdisciplinary problem based projects. I really think we are getting there with the changes we have implemented so far, but the faculty still tend to move like fish in their own schools… rarely venturing out of their comfort zones. Maybe we need to dive in to the big middle of their comfortable little schools and shake things up a little.

 

---

References

EdCan Network Le Réseau ÉdCan. (2016, May 19). Innovation That Sticks Case Study – OCSB: Risk Taking [Video File]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAMcjUzdVnE

Stiefel, K. (2013). Southern Yellowtail Scad [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.com https://www.flickr.com/photos/pacificklaus/ (CC BY-NC 2.0)

Advertisement

Connecting and Communicating the Innovation Plan

Because Odessa College is known as an exemplary force of change… a Leader College… among community colleges in the United States, we have the responsibility of implementing innovative changes to ensure the continued success of our learners. (Achieving the Dream, 2018). We have implemented numerous programs to provide wrap-around support to our learners, including the Drop Rate Improvement Plan, which requires that our faculty really know their learners. Additionally, we have standards of excellence and professional development requirements that are imposed on our full-time faculty.

At Odessa College, the expectation of faculty includes a drop rate of less than 4% each term, and success rates (students completing with a grade of C or better) greater than 80%. We hold this level of expectation for all faculty, regardless of the modality of the course delivery, or the employment status of the faculty member. Full-time faculty members participate in annual training over FERPA (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act), and also participate in training over the learning management system, educational technology tools available to them, pedagogy, AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) strategies, and much more. Ongoing training activities throughout the year cover observation of courses, developing effective learning outcomes, course and program mapping, developing effective assessments, project based learning, etc.

Currently part-time faculty, though held to the same expectation for success and retention of students, are not required to participate in any professional development.

So this begs the question: How can we ensure that our students have a positive experience at Odessa College, when more than half of the teaching force is not required to participate in any training?

With the economic climate of Odessa, Texas, we will likely see an increase in the number of part-time remote faculty that are contracted to teach Odessa College classes. To ensure that our students and our faculty (especially the growing number of part-time faculty) have a positive and successful experience at Odessa College, we must implement a plan of development and support for our part-time faculty.

I have developed an Innovation Plan for providing a structured network of support for part-time faculty at Odessa College. To make this feasible and lucrative for the part-time faculty, a pay increase will be required. The pay increase will create a competitive base pay for part-time faculty, with opportunity for increases based on training and participation departmental activities, such as Professional Learning Communities.

To read the entire plan, the implementation outline, and the research supporting the plan, please follow the links below.

The plan: Developing a Network of Support for Part-Time Faculty

Implementation Outline: What steps can we take to ensure that our faculty and our learners have a positive experience at Odessa College?

Research: Why Must We Provide a Network of Support for our Part-Time Faculty?

List of Resources to Support Developing a Network of Support for Part-Time Faculty

---

---

About the video:

Video inlcudes images licensed as CC-BY-SA 2.0 through freepik.com, and photos taken by the video creator. Video was created using Camtasia; music included is part of the Camtasia Stock Library.

---

References

Achieving the Dream, (2018). Retrieved from https://www.achievingthedream.org/college_profile/619/odessa-college.

---

Developing a Network of Support for Part-Time Faculty at the Community College Level: Literature Review

Developing a Network of Support for Part-Time Faculty at the Community College Level

Julie M. Lyon

Lamar University

 

Abstract/Introduction

As the face of higher education changes to meet the demands of learners, the workforce of educators is shifting to one that is largely comprised of part-time faculty members. These part-time faculty members bring a wealth of experience to the classrooms, but may not have any training or experience in education, and many lack the pedagogical/andragogical background to ensure the success of their learners. They also may lack a solid understanding of the technologies that are available to them. And often they lack opportunities for acculturation into the community college environment.

To ensure the success of learners, institutions of higher education need to make an investment in their educators, including those who work part-time and those who work remotely from a distance. These valuable contributors toward the goals of the learners and the institution must be given an opportunity to participate in and to contribute to the processes of their departments, and must be provided with opportunities for support and for growth. Through research and collaboration, a comprehensive plan of support and development will be created and implemented, with a focus on the support and development of part-time faculty.

Tentative Outline for Implementing a Support Network of Growth and Development for Adjunct Faculty: A Plan for Innovation at Odessa College

Developing a Support Network of Growth and Development for Adjunct Faculty: A Plan for Innovation at Odessa College

Overview: The Need to Implement a Support Network of Growth and Development for Adjunct Faculty

As the face of higher education changes to meet the demands of learners, the workforce of educators is shifting to one that is largely comprised of part-time faculty members. These part-time faculty members bring a wealth of experience to the classrooms, but may not have any training or experience in education, and many lack the pedagogical/andragogical background to ensure the success of their learners.

Research on Developing a Network of Support for Part-Time Faculty at the Community College Level: A Draft

Abstract/Introduction

As the face of higher education changes to meet the demands of learners, the workforce of educators is shifting to one that is largely comprised of part-time faculty members. These part-time faculty members bring a wealth of experience to the classrooms, but may not have any training or experience in education, and many lack the pedagogical/andragogical background to ensure the success of their learners. They also may lack a solid understanding of the technologies that are available to them. And often they lack opportunities for acculturation into the community college environment.

The Revised Plan for Part-Time Instructors…

Plan for a Network of Development and Support of Part-Time Instructors

Download the PDF! (proposed-plan-for-pt-instructor-support)

A Call to Action

Please check out my Call to Action here.

Overview of Existing Faculty Supports

Training and Professional Development

At Odessa College, professional development and training activities for faculty are scheduled annually before each full semester starts (Fall and Spring). During this time (Welcome Week), faculty are apprised of any legislative updates and policy changes with regard to higher education and processes that will affect instruction at Odessa College. Professional Development Week is offered midway through each regular semester, and provides opportunities for technology and instructional training workshops. Training activities include new technologies to facilitate and enhance instruction, professional development to provide pedagogical and andragogical strategies for all teaching modalities.