Written Communication

In order to help students explore their prior knowledge and initiate creative and critical thinking about a new topic, students are shown a work of art at the begining of a new unit. The subject matter of the work of art is related to the general topic of the new unit. Students then write on 3 prompts reflecting on the work of art:

1) What do I see?

2) What do I think?

3) I wonder ...

I explain in more detail how these prompts are used to initiate critical thinking in the attached document.

The Comprehensive Assessment Tracking System ("CATS", found at http://cats.estrellamountain.edu) is a technology-based, fully-integrated system for sharing innovative teaching and assessment practices.  This open access system has revolutionized the way that EMCC employees share strategies to improve student learning. In short, CATS  is where Facebook® intersects with learning.  The system has been recognized as EMCC's "Innovation of the Year" by EMCC's Innovation of the Year committee.

While success rates are high in my calculus II courses (85-95%, depending on the semester), students struggle with integrating.  In spring 2008, students were required to write "recipe cards" on integration techniques for trigonometric substitution and integrals involving trignometry.  The average on the quiz was a 75%.  Students presented their steps to the class and worked on these recipes as a group days before the quiz.  In spring 2010, 2011, and 2012, I did not require students to create these cards; I highly recommended them, though.

Student reflection is an integral aspect of effective Service Learning practices and should demonstrate both Academic and Affective learning. In the past I used student-self-directed reflection, with minimal guidance or structure. In order to better assess SCGR proficiency, I (1) provided the students the rubrics for this ability, (2) reviewed them carefully, and (3) required adherence to the criteria in the presentation of Informative Speeches, adding the SCGR criteria to the evaluation instrument as part of the content grade.

Using a SAAC EZ form completed during spring '12,  this CAT documents improvements based upon suggestions in the original document (see attachment).   For Fall '12, the grading rubric was revised, group formation was made earlier, and a group contract was added to the project based upon the document provided by a finished CAT titled "Increasing Group Accountability with a Contract".  Results: 

In PED101KB (Cardio Kickboxing), students take the course for enjoyment.  For students who choose the grade option as opposed to the PZ option, a technique presentation is required at the end of the semester.  Various kicking, punching and blocking techniques as well as various combinations are incorporated in the class curriculum.

The attached file is a list of techniques that students present at the end of the semester.

In Spring 2012 I participated in a district workshop on information literacy titled  "Research Assignment Handouts:  Essential Elements to Promote Student Success." I revised the handout for the group research & symposium assignment to better help students get started by suggesting resources, requiring help from a librarian, specifying which data bases to use, and providing more details about what consititutes plagiarism.  I also revised the rubric to better reflect these items.  I will qualitatively assess the quality of the student research and avoidance

One student outcome for this online Intercultural COM course is "Continue to move forward into and/or through the ethnorelative stages of intercultural communication competency." The assessment is a self-created profile survey based upon the Milton J. Bennett, Ph.D., Dev. Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Ethnocentric levels (ascending order) are 1 Defense, 2 Denial, 3 Minimization.

The Counseling Division decided to collaborate to come up with one common final that we could all use to conduct a summative assessment of our students' authentic learning.  This final allows the students to reflect on what they have learned over the semester, how they have applied the information to their everyday lives and how they plan to utilize this information  in the future in an effort to maintain, and/or increase their academic success.

EDU112 and MAT157 joined together for a Learning Community. In meeting course competencies for both courses, instructors developed then facilitated an Inquiry-Based Learning (IBL) Project. Inquiry based learning starts with a team (in our case, partners), who have a legitimate, real-life inquiry into a situation where the solution is not readily apparent. It closely follows the model of Problem-Based Learning (PBL) but with required mathematical applications.