TITLE III Planning Sessions I and II
Ideas/Concepts/Frameworks discussed
Organize ideas around Strengthening Student Success
Building communities across campus
Identify our major student profiles (5 or so groups of students at NSCC?
Transfer/developmental/non native English/night student were some ideas) and identify
specific challenges common to those groups. Address challenges with strategies focused
on building community amongst common student groups.
How does the Gen-Ed task force work connect with the effort to build community
amongst students?
Gen Ed outcomes are a place of commonality for student experience. How to build more
common experiences, opportunities, expectations for students to in turn build a stronger
sense of community amongst students? Writing Across the Curriculum, for example?
Facilitate student learning communities like they exist in coordinated studies – Requires
significant faculty development to address the importance of learning communities,
methods for fostering learning communities, etc.
Look at our current student data W/O Val’s coop preschool students in the mix to analyze
who we’re currently serving. Get some data about who our students are and what they
come here to study. Who is successful and who is not?
Look to LaGuardia College in Queens, NYC for models on student learning
communities.
Need to think about how technology can facilitate community (look towards My Space,
FaceBook etc.) – not just physical interactions. Time is so short for students and faculty
– how can communities be integrated into their existing experience rather than ‘tacked
on’ as an extra?
Building NSCC Alumni Association as a method to facilitate community. Work with Ed
Fund on their goals in this area. Alumni mentoring program?
NSCC – we’re the community in community college. NSCC’s learning communities put
community in community college…
Service Learning Programs as a method to facilitate community – this was talked about a
few times…how do we strengthen Service Learning?
Faculty Development around I-Best Instruction – team teaching skills (how can we draw
on the experience of Coordinated Studies?)
Career Pathways as a model for student communities. Bridging the gap between
ESL/ABE and college level students and programs. How do we facilitate?
How do we encourage development of more social groups among students – encourage a
sense of attachment to NSCC.
Physical Spaces to encourage social interaction (build on success of new lounge/green
room). Student Lounges in IB – can we remodel w/ grant? What about other areas to
improve?
Cafeteria changes – the designed conversation corners have become TV lounges….
Electronic Coffee Shop type service for NSCC students?
A “Student Stage” to highlight NSCC talent and programs on an ongoing basis – not just
once per year in Making Learning Visible Symposium.
How does the professional environment need to transform so we model community for
students? If we don’t work as a community students won’t either.
What are the unique issues for PT faculty and PT student in creating communities? Time
constraints must be paid attention to.
Make building community an institutional value – revealing the importance of our
interconnectedness. Building an understanding of our inherent interdependence at
NSCC, in society, in the world (etc.).
Faculty/Staff PD to build learning communities – within classrooms, within departments,
across departments, across divisions, across our institutional silos.
Faculty learning communities to discuss student work. Create opportunities for Meta
Themes across classes around which students and faculty can engage.
Campus-wide themes
Develop consistent PT faculty (and FT for that matter) connections with institutional
resources, etc.
Identify practices to foster a community of learners.
Day II
Develop iterative process including data collection from all stakeholders (students,
industry, staff/faculty, etc. -- focus groups, surveys) should lead to policy review and
planning. Needs Assessment -- Policy Development -- Assurance/implementation. Hire
outside firm to assist in an online tool that can be run ever 3 years or so?
Develop decision making model and process to guide above process
Physical Improvements:
Add color on campus! Door colors, signage, etc. Murals on outside walls
More student gathering spaces like Green Room and espresso café
Update classrooms for better learning environment
Campus communication improvements – daily blog rather than “email all”. develop
consistent leadership communication channels for internal and external information
sharing
Childcare center to bolster work environment and honor the new era of faculty and staff
that are younger and from 2-working-parent households
Comprehensive course scheduling process – should be input from 3 sources:
faculty/students/institutional needs to develop schedule…elevate the decision making
process beyond the faculty/dean level where it is currently stuck. Students aren’t getting
the courses they need to complete their programs. Schedule is currently driven by faculty
requests rather than student need.