Leadership Abstract (continued)
With this demand to produce new leaders in these numbers, does the
community college sector have enough doctoral programs to keep up with
the need? Not likely. AACC reported in the May 27, 2003 issue of
Community College Times that “the number of advanced degrees conferred
in community college administration decreased 78 percent between 1983
and 1997.” While no data are available on the number of doctoral
degrees conferred annually, the common wisdom suggests that the
established programs cannot begin to meet the demand.
Furthermore, when the number of deans, division chairs, program
officers, and faculty who comprise the pipeline for leadership
positions requiring the doctorate is factored in, there is clearly a
significant and pent-up demand for advanced, specialized degrees.
Considering the vast numbers represented by these positions, leadership
crisis may be an understatement.
LEARNING-CENTERED EDUCATION
Since the early 1990s, all sectors of education – but particularly the
community college – have embraced the idea of placing learning first as
the core business of the educational enterprise. Martha Smith and
Andrew Meyer, President and Vice President for Learning, respectively,
at Anne Arundel Community College (MD), said in a June 2003 issue of
Learning Abstracts:
“The Learning College concept of putting learning first in all
decisions was a movement long overdue in higher education.” Also
referred to as the Learning Paradigm, the new emphasis on learning
encourages colleges to place learning first in every policy, program,
practice, and in the use of personnel. The Learning Paradigm reflects
the work of Robert Barr and John Tagg in their seminal article in
Change magazine in 1995; the Learning College reflects the work of
Terry O’Banion in his book A Learning College for the 21st Century,
published by the American Council on Education and AACC in 1997.
“Learning-centered education” appears to be a more encompassing term
that includes the two just noted along with all other
manifestations of the idea such as learning outcomes, learning
communities, learning organizations, and so forth.
Indeed, the idea of placing learning first in every policy, program,
practice, and in the use of personnel is a powerful idea that is
transforming community colleges all across the United States and around
the world. Recent national conferences on the Learning College idea
have been held in Australia, Scotland, Singapore, India, Jamaica, the
Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates. In the United States,
hundreds of community colleges are engaged in redesigning the
historical architecture of education and creating innovative structures
and practices to place learning front and center. Supported by new
research on learning and by requirements of accrediting agencies for
all colleges to address student learning outcomes, the Learning College
idea should become embedded in community college culture as one of the
most significant developments in the early decades of the 21st century.
A LEARNING-CENTERED PH.D.
Walden University has provided the crucible for the timely convergence
of the challenge of the leadership crisis in community colleges and the
opportunity for expanding learning-centered education at the graduate
level. The outcome: a new learning-centered Ph.D. program for community
college leaders. Named by U. S. News & World Report in 2001 as one of
the nation’s “best online graduate schools,” Walden University is
accredited by the North Central Association and owned by Sylvan
Learning Systems. Walden offers doctoral programs in a range of
disciplines and enrolls roughly 6, 000 graduate students in master’s
and doctoral programs, many of them specializing in education.
The mission and values of Walden University are amazingly congruent
with the mission and values of the community college, which provides a
solid foundation on which to create this new program. Walden’s mission
statement could be a page from a community college catalog: “Walden
University provides adult learners with broad access to the highest
quality postsecondary education . . . . Walden’s learner-centered
programs prepare its graduates to achieve professional excellence and
to effect positive social change.” All Walden value statements reflect
core values shared by the community college, as illustrated in one
example: “Walden University believes all adult learners should have
innovative educational access, especially those who are without
opportunity in other venues.”
Walden University programs and students are supported by the latest
innovations in information technology including a Writing Center,
Research Library in collaboration with Indiana University, Academic
Advising, Textbook Service, Technical Support Help Desk, and a
Concierge Service that guarantees individual attention. These special
services are especially important for students who work independently
and who do not have to give up their jobs to obtain an advanced degree.
With guidance from a faculty mentor, students navigate a rigorous
curriculum created by community college professionals. And quality
control benchmarks have been embedded throughout the process to allow
students to complete a dissertation to meet Walden’s high standards.
But the most important hallmark of the new Community College Leadership
(CCL) doctoral program at Walden University is the design – perhaps
unique in the history of graduate education – that makes it a learningcentered Ph.D. The special elements of this program, launched in
September of 2003, are embedded in the Learning Framework, the Student
Learning Plan, the Emphasis on Community College Culture, and the
Special Community College Faculty.
THE LEARNING FRAMEWORK. Students in the CCL specialization at Walden
must be highly able independent learners capable of charting their own
learning pathway within the framework of a rigorous curriculum with the
guidance of a faculty mentor who is an expert in the community college
arena. In addition, students must have a minimum of three years’
experience in the community college field and the potential to become a
community college leader.
The distinctive learning framework consists of five Knowledge Area
Modules (KAMs) that address the key components deemed necessary by
community college leaders. Each KAM is couched in a process that
engages the student in explorations of Breadth, Depth, and Application.
In the Breadth component, the student critically examines the basic
theories of the specific subject area. In the Depth component, the
student explores more closely an aspect of that subject area focusing
on current research. In the Application component, the student creates
a project to apply what has been learned in the Breadth and Depth
components. The theoretical base of the Breadth component becomes a
foundation for examining current research in the Depth component, and
together these form a conceptual and research base for informing
practice in the Application component. The KAM has been designed this
way to strengthen the connection between theory and practice – to
create scholar-practitioners with the knowledge, ability, and
perspective to lead the community college of the future.
The parameters of each KAM component have been designed by community
college experts to include learning objectives, content overviews,
recommended references, and suggestions for study topics and applied
projects. At the same time, students customize their learning
activities to meet their priorities with the guidance of a Faculty
Mentor.
This framework is applied, contextual, and authentic learning at its
best – self-directed and mentor guided – an innovative model of
learning-centered education. The framework is anchored in a culture of
evidence, in that each of the KAM components requires a demonstration
of competence – usually a comprehensive paper or project critiqued by
the student’s Faculty Mentor or other assessors.
In addition to these core learning experiences, all students take two
online orientation courses, a series of online research courses, and
participate in 32 days of residency programs. An internship can be
substituted for the independent research studies. The model allows
students to design a program to broaden, deepen, and apply their skills
in the context of the specific positions to which they aspire, whether
the goal is to become a president, chief academic officer, chief
student affairs officer, chief business officer, or simply to perform
their current duties more effectively.
THE STUDENT LEARNING PLAN. Students in the Walden program take
responsibility for their own learning by completing two key documents
as a first step in learning how to navigate the curriculum and the
learning activities: the Professional Development Plan and a series of
Learning Agreements.
The Professional Development Plan is a contract with Walden University
spelling out in detail the student’s goals, strengths and weaknesses,
resources, and, most importantly, overall plans for achieving their
goals. Taking charge of their own learning is sometimes overwhelming
for students, even experienced community college leaders who may have
become comfortable with previous graduate courses where all the
requirements are spelled out for them. At Walden, Faculty Mentors and
Academic Advisors do not dictate the program of study; rather, they act
as guides. They work with students to help them identify and formulate
their questions, seek out ways of finding answers to those questions,
and forge links between the program of study and the student’s
professional goals and interests. In the two online orientation
courses, the first focused on designing the Professional Development
Plan and the second on writing the first Learning Agreement, students
develop the skills and confidence to begin to take control of their own
learning.
Learning Agreements are also contracts, prepared for each of the
Knowledge Area Modules by the student with guidance from the Faculty
Mentor. The Learning Agreement is a summary statement of what the
student plans to accomplish in each of the three components (Breadth,
Depth, and Application) of the KAM including an indication of how the
components are interrelated. For each of the three components, the
student lists the objectives, the references, and a description of how
competence will be demonstrated. The Faculty Mentor and other Assessors
provide feedback and guidance on the proposed framework the student has
created to ensure that the plan meets the standards of graduate
education.
With the Professional Development Plan and the Learning Agreements for
each KAM in place, the student is making decisions and aligning work to
meet personal and professional goals; the Faculty Mentor and other
Assessors serve as guides, resources, and gatekeepers to guarantee
quality work.
EMPHASIS ON COMMUNITY COLLEGE CULTURE. The curriculum framework for the
Community College Leadership specialization was designed by some of the
leading community college professionals in the field and provides a
rich array of opportunities to explore leadership issues within the
context of community college culture. In addition to the online
orientation courses and the online research courses, the primary
content of the curriculum is addressed in five KAMs – three core and
two specialized – all focused on the special characteristics and issues
of the community college. The core KAMs include
*Principles of Societal Development,
*Principles of Human Development, and
*Principles of Organizational and Social Systems.
The specialized KAMs include
*The Contemporary Community College and
*Leadership and Strategic Planning in the Community College.
A brief review of how the Principles of Societal Development work will
illustrate the emphasis on community college culture and issues. In the
Breadth component of this KAM, the student makes a critical evaluation
of historical and recent societal change theories and their local and
global implications and demonstrates competence with a detailed
research paper. Armed with this broad knowledge and understanding of
societal change, the student then selects a special area of interest to
explore in the Depth component under the general rubric of Current
Research on Societal Development and the Community College. The Depth
component acts as a pivot or hinge between the Breadth component and
the Application component. The student might elect to examine the
research on the growing demographic and multicultural diversity in the
community in which his or her college is located, relating the research
to a theory or theories studied in the Breadth component. In the
Application component, the student examines and critiques a particular
community college’s role in addressing issues related to social
development. For example, students who have chosen to examine the
research on demographic and cultural diversity as a manifestation of
societal change might then elect to complete a case study of how the
needs of students of various age groups or ethnicities are being
addressed at their community college and propose a program that might
meet these needs even better. Or the student might pursue a study of
research on current trends in employment and how community colleges can
prepare students for the new job market. All three components require a
demonstration of competence, and the student must show how the three
components are linked, thus encouraging critical thinking and
integration throughout the KAM.
In the other two core KAMs, again a broad theoretical foundation is
laid upon which the Depth and Application components can build to
address specific issues related to the culture of the community
college. The two specialized KAMs address community college culture and
issues at all three levels: Breadth, Depth, and Application. Within the
framework of this unique approach to curriculum and learning, students
explore key concepts and issues that will prepare them for the basic
roles of leaders. At the same time, the framework provides leeway for
students to explore more focused topics to prepare them for specific
leadership positions to which they aspire.
A SPECIAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE FACULTY. Students in the CCL specialization
at Walden will have opportunities to work with some of the foremost
community college leaders of our time. Each student is assigned a
Faculty Mentor who will be an experienced and recognized national
leader to guide the student through the KAM curriculum and on through
the dissertation. Students will also work with other community college
leaders on the faculty in the residency program, through assessments
they provide, and on the dissertation committee.
The Charter Faculty are as follows:
*Mark Milliron, President and CEO, League for Innovation in the
Community College
*Kay McClenney, Director, Community College Survey of Student
Engagement
*George Baker, J.D.M. Distinguished University Professor Emeritus,
North Carolina State University-Raleigh
*Christine McPhail, Professor of Higher Education, Community College
Leadership Doctoral Program, Morgan State University
*George Boggs, President and CEO, American Association of Community
Colleges
*Jon Alexiou, Director, Community College Initiatives, The Chauncey
Group International
*Sandy Shugart, President, Valencia Community College
*Alfredo G. de los Santos Jr., Research Professor, Arizona State
University Main and Senior League Fellow, League for Innovation in the
Community College
Members of this group created the curriculum for the program, and
almost all will serve as Faculty Mentors in the first year of the
program. Additional faculty are currently being added to assist with
what is expected to be a rapidly expanding program.
The new Walden University Community College Leadership specialization
is dedicated to addressing the leadership crisis in the nation’s
community colleges within the context of a learning-centered
philosophy. The Learning Framework, the Student Learning Plan, the
Emphasis on Community College Culture, and the Special Community
College Faculty are all key components of a new learning-centered Ph.D.
for community college leaders. Potential leaders who are self-directed
learners, and who wish to engage in deeper learning about leadership
and the community college, will not only be the first graduates of this
new program. They will become the new leaders of the 21st century
community college.
Terry O’Banion mailto:obanion@league.org is the Director of Walden
University’s Community College Leadership Program. Jonathan Kaplan
mailto:jonathan.kaplan@educate.com is the Vice President of Walden
University. For further information about Walden’s CCL doctoral
program, please contact Lawrence Baird at Walden University at 410-8438133 or explore Walden’s website. http://www.waldenu.edu/