North Seattle Community College
Program Review
Integrated Studies
Math, Science and Social Science Division
and Arts, Humanities, and Adult Basic Education Division
Spring 2006
1. Header
Authors: Margot Boyer, Larry Hall, Carol Hamilton, Jim Harnish, Jane Harradine, Jane ListerReis, Karen Stuhldreher
With support from Integrated Studies Committee members and IS faculty: Paula Bennett, Tracy
Furutani, Judy Gage, Tom Griffith, Diane Hostetler, April Huff, Marilyn Smith, Diana
Ma, Laura McCracken, Alice Melling, Ann Murkowski, Kalyn Owens, Stephanie
Owings, Philip Roche, Alice Smith, Molly Tenenbaum, Edith Wollin
2. Overview
The IS program is a highly valuable asset of the college, one which we believe can be central to
our success as an institution. The IS program can serve as an incubator for instructional
innovation, a foundation for assessment of general education, and a beacon to attract national
attention and new students. Yet the program continues to suffer because it is marginalized on
campus.
Integrated Studies provides a unique learning experience for students: an interdisciplinary
exploration of a theme or question guided by faculty teaching teams using collaborative learning
activities. The SCC District Review of the Associate of Arts Degree in 2003-04 reconfirmed the
college’s commitment to Integrated Studies as a degree requirement, because it provides
something other requirements don't: a focus on interdisciplinary learning outcomes, rather than
the content and methodology of individual disciplines. Students preparing for further education
and a place in the world need the interdisciplinary skills and insights that give them the
flexibility to meet the challenges of emerging fields of learning and to participate fully as
knowledgeable and sensitive citizens of a global society.
Integrated Studies has two primary types of courses. Coordinated Studies programs are focused
on "understanding the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge." These eight, ten, twelve, or
fifteen-credit programs integrate fully the content and skills of individual courses into a single
course, team-taught by two or three faculty members. In Linked Courses, a small cohort of
students register for a pair of separate stand-alone courses, which focus on related content and
include a common learning experience(s) such as a paper, project, or field trip to help students
see the connection among the discipline outcomes. Since 2000-01 the ratio of students in CS to
Linked courses has remained relatively stable, currently at 87% to 13%.
1
From 2003-04 through 20005-06, we have offered 39 Coordinated Studies programs, and 30
linked courses. (See Appendix 1.) Many of these courses are highly popular with students and
have been repeated annually such as “Beginnings,” “Mysteries of the Brain,” “Ways of
Knowing,” and “Pacific Coast Adventures in Time” (a linked course).
Describe your students--who they are and what are their goals and educational paths
Because an Integrated Studies course is required for an AA degree, most students in IS are AAdegree-seeking transfer students. Because these students are also in biology, history,
composition, physics, and other disciplines, they cannot be clearly differentiated as a group, but
share the characteristics of transfer students in general. As for their "goals and educational
paths," these students find Integrated Studies provides a unique learning experience which
affects their future. Students frequently describe their IS experience as a turning point in their
lives, one which changes their concept of learning and the course of their academic journeys.
One student wrote:
This learning experience has changed my thought process about school and my direction
insofar as I am now considering an interdisciplinary studies program. Just the word
interdisciplinary seems a much more honest approach to learning, for isn’t that what life
is all about? It’s not as if we can isolate each facet of our lives from touching the others.
And hopefully when things do touch – be they experiences, struggles, ideas, or even
people – understanding is expanded. If life is about connecting, then it seems things
should be connected. It’s a concept I see now as important in learning as it is in living.
3. Data Discussion.
Briefly summarize information you have gathered about your program from Office of
Planning, state reports, student surveys, information from faculty. This may be
quantitative, qualitative, structured, unstructured, factual and anecdotal.
In 2002 the Integrated Studies Program Review looked back at the development of the IS
program since its establishment in 1986. That document described strong growth in the program,
which in 2002 provided up to five Coordinated Studies choices per quarter representing up to
1985 unduplicated headcount 197 annualized FTE students, and 25.76 faculty teaching in
programs.
Since that time through 2005 there has been a dramatic drop in enrollment, mirroring the collegewide enrollment decline, from the high of 1985 students enrolled to 1237: a 37% difference.
Jerry Woodard supplied us with the number of students enrolled in IS courses in 2000-2005.
The number of students enrolled in IS 2000-2005 (unduplicated headcount):
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
1695
1985
1726
2
2003-2004
2004-2005
1759
1237
The annualized FTE students:
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
170
197
172
175
106
This pattern mirrors NSCC fluctuations over this five years, as does the FTE faculty over this
same time period (see Appendix 2).
FTEF in IS programs:
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
23.81
25.76
23.53
27.61
19.36
Other institutional data continue to show that IS studies students have high retention and degree
completion rates.
Appendix 3 shows the percent of IS students (46%) who are awarded an AA degree compared
with other programs currently in program review. This percentage is considerably higher than the
other groups. The higher student retention in the second, third, and fourth quarters also suggests
students may be taking their IS requirement toward the end of their AA degree coursework. The
percentage of IS students that achieve a grade of 2.0 or higher across the 2000 through 2005
academic years is 80%, 83%, 80%, 82%, and 78% respectively. The grades earned here, and the
success of IS students at the UW, is comparable to NSCC transfer students in general.
The data comparing IS students with other “programs” are confounded by the fact that Integrated
Studies is not a program, nor are other departments that serve transfer students. Integrated
Studies students are also students in biology, history, composition, and physics; therefore,
comparisons are not between clearly differentiated groups. What that means is that IS students
are like transfer students in general. The diversity data confirm this (see Appendix 4). The data
from Jerry Woodard regarding diversity from 2000 – 2005 shows that the percentage of women
has increased from 56% to 63%, and the percentage of men has dropped correspondingly. The
percentage of Students of Color appears to have increased, but this is difficult to quantify due to
increased number of students not reporting ethnicity. The number of non-traditional age students
has also increased.
Within the college there are several false perceptions about Integrated Studies, including the
view that this is a very expensive program, a luxury in times of budget problems. Based on
3
observational and anecdotal evidence, and the “bottom line” data supplied by Jerry Woodard, we
find that Coordinated Studies has held its own in relation to college averages of FTE generation,
student-faculty ratios, and actual costs per FTE. (See Appendix 5.)
If FTE comparisons to other programs were calculated for the end-of-quarter enrollment rather
than tenth-day enrollment, CS would be seen as remarkably more productive than others because
of the high retention rates. Given local and national research on the effectiveness in terms of
retention, persistence, and complex learning outcomes, Coordinated Studies demonstrates
outstanding effectiveness, well worth the institutional commitment.
Measure of Intellectual Development (MID), 2002
The Measure of Intellectual Development, a pre/post writing assignment based on William
Perry’s model for identifying cognitive development, was administered to North students in the
Fall of 2002. About 90 students from three different CS and 90 from five stand-alone English
101 and 102 participated.
In the three CS courses 84%, 52%, and 48% of the students showed positive changes. In three of
the stand-alone course only 40%, 33%, and 30% of the students improved significantly.
Interestingly, 82% and 68% of students in two additional stand-alone Eng. 101 sections taught by
the same instructor showed gains.
The variable seemed to be that some similar elements were employed by this faculty including
using challenging books, focusing on cognitive development, and using collaborative learning
activities. This suggests more research is needed to identify what curriculum and pedagogical
elements seem to impact cognitive development. (See Appendix 6.)
English Composition Study, 2002
Another study based on NSCC data from 1997-2002 (grade reports of 5,279 Eng 101 students
and 3,548 Eng 102 students) showed that students getting credit in CS for Eng 101 performed in
a stand-alone Eng 102 at least as well, or slightly better than, students who completed a standalone Eng 101. (See Appendix 7.)
Creation of “Public Homespace” in Learning Communities, 2003-04
Other studies, based on extensive focus groups records and end-of-quarter student selfevaluations, show the positive impact on cognitive development because of a positive affective
environment. This mirrors some of the latest research on the connection between these two
domains. [(See http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/tlc/forfaculty_sotl_research.shtm Creation of
“Public Homespace” in Learning Communities, and Appendix 8).
Students’ Voices from the Student Seminar on Coordinated Studies, June 2004
This focus group event brought together students who had taken coordinated studies courses
during 2003-2004 to discuss their experiences and share reflections with faculty and fellow
students. The focus of their discussion was on the ways in which the student seminar, a key
feature of most coordinated studies programs, affected their learning (see Appendix 9).
4
Students reported that “the writing process has been enhanced for them, in particular by their
engagement in seminars.” Students also reported, “that the work they do in seminars helped
them to build their confidence, develop their speaking and listening skills, and value and respect
perspectives different from their own.” For the full report on this event, see Appendix 10).
Harnish Carnegie Study, 2004
Jim Harnish conducted a study of Coordinated Students, collecting over six hundred student
feedback forms from twenty-three different coordinated studies programs over a three-year
period. These questionnaires gathered student perceptions about their learning experiences and
responses to such questions as: Why did you enroll? If this were not a degree requirement
would you have enrolled? Now are you glad you did?
The study indicated “a very high overall satisfaction rate, along with indications of skill
development, intellectual development, a heightened sense of self-confidence, and motivation for
learning” (Harnish 2). Almost sixty percent of the over 600 Coordinated Studies students polled
reported that they enrolled in Coordinated Studies not because of the attractiveness of the format
but because it was a degree requirement (44%), or because it fit conveniently into their weekly
schedules (15%), but 87% of these students said they were glad they enrolled, and 80%
supported the idea of having IS as a degree requirement. (See Appendix 11).
Assessment of Integrated Studies, 2005
Since our last program review, IS faculty have undertaken extensive study and assessment of our
program, our courses, and our students to explore what aspects of the IS program are working
well, how the program serves our students, and what changes are needed to strengthen the
program and the learning experience of students. Many of these studies are referenced
throughout this report. Some highlights of our studies appear below.
Assessing Interdisciplinary knowledge, 2005
In the Spring of 2005, IS committee members tried to assess if and how students were actually
coming “to discover the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge,” the primary learning outcome
for IS. We did a group reading of student reflection papers, but found that the prompts needed
to be more directive and that we had not established a specific rubric which would allow us to
assess this skill using agreed upon criteria. Recently we were introduced to an excellent
methodology to assess interdisciplinary learning from Veronica Boix Mansilla, whose work will
inform a Washington Center assessment project which we will join later this year. (See
Appendix 12).
Assessment of Student Learning in a Linked Course, 2005
In 2005, Maureen Nutting and Connie McDowell offered a new linked course linking a history
215 course with a newly designed course on research methodology, SCC 101. At the end of the
course, students were asked to complete a survey about their learning experience. One question
asked about interdisciplinary learning. A student said, “It was refreshing to see how the
interdisciplinary connection worked. I will be going on to a interdisciplinary major.”
http://northonline.sccd.ctc.edu/IS/assessment_of_integrated_studies.htm (for full survey).
National Research on Interdisciplinary and Collaborative Learning
5
IS program faculty have compiled an extensive bibliography of regional and national research on
learning communities and integrated studies, which we discuss in our meetings and as we plan
courses. The national research, in which some of our own faculty have taken part, shows the
value of learning communities in fostering both sophisticated cognitive skills and the affective
and interpersonal skills that enable students to work with others across differences, to contribute
effectively to complex group projects, and to develop as whole human beings. For additional
information on national research on learning communities, see Appendix 13.
B. Describe faculty discussion in reviewing this information. Summarize what faculty
concludes this information means and what can be predicted from it.

This mode of learning is an important for all students to experience because of its impact
on student cognitive, affective, and meta-cognitive development. These results are
documented both from our extensive studies at NSCC, locally through the Washington
Center's work, and nationally through published studies and the latest insights into how
people learn.

Research and assessment of student learning has become an accepted part of the culture
of the program, so the conclusions drawn in this Program Review are based on evidence.

The data on retention and movement towards degrees shows student success.

How students and faculty look at education is changing, moving from a teaching-centered
to a learning-centered focus. This influences students' development not only in their
college studies but in other aspects of their life.

The coherent presentation and development of skills, including reading, writing, thinking,
speaking and group problem solving is most effective.

Students have a better understanding of the role of disciplines in the academy and in the
acquisition of new knowledge.

The collaborative mode of teaching and learning effectively promotes understanding and
skills across the general education outcomes, especially those having to do with
understanding diverse perspectives, being actively involved in a community, and finding
joy in the process of self discovery.

Declining enrollment reflects the college-wide downturn in enrollment and may be
exacerbated by the reduction of the coordinator's hours.

The negative perceptions of this program based on costs and workloads are based mostly
on inaccurate data and ignore the powerful impact this program has on students, faculty,
and the reputation of the college.
C. Describe existing conditions and future trends in enrollment, diversity, retention,
success.
6
Integrated Studies, in response to its Program Viability, has made changes in the number of
offerings and closely monitors the mix of credits, and the attractiveness of program scheduling
and theme, to provide more coherence and facilitate student enrollment.
We need to be realistic in how many offerings can be made each quarter and what the mix should
be between Coordinated Studies and Linked Courses. But long-time faculty who have taught in
both modes perceive that Coordinated Studies is more effective in producing the kind of unique
learning outcomes that justify IS as a degree requirement separate from stand-alone disciplinefocused courses.
The data, both local and national, overwhelming support the idea that this mode of learning
increases retention, persistence, and achievement. In fact many colleges institute "learning
communities" specifically for the purpose of increasing retention rates.
Because of the collaborative mode of learning, students have a real life experience of learning to
deal with diverse perspective, not just cognitively but affectively.
Faculty and advisors note that many Coordinated Studies students want to continue studying in
this mode, but often courses with right mix of credits are not available. Night students especially
find it convenient to be able to enroll for 10-12 credits coming to campus only two nights a
week. Many students entering in the Fall Beginnings course this year continued with another CS
course in Winter quarter. At least one has continued with a third CS course in spring quarter.
Many students decide to continue their studies at local institutions known for interdisciplinary
studies like The Evergreen State College and UW Bothell. In fact the University of Washington
Tacoma is directing all of its new freshman class into a Coordinated Studies model as their first
experience in higher education.
D. List questions that arise from a discussion of this data

Is the down-turn in enrollment reflective of the over-all college enrollment trend?

What is the impact of the decrease in Coordinator's time on enrollment? When the
coordinator had 1/3-re-assigned time in 1998-2002, the IS program enrollment was on the
increase, as documented in 2002 Program Review.

Is the results in terms of learning and student development worth the added costs of this
program? How can we make these programs more "efficient" without decreasing their
"effectiveness"?
4. Program Discussion
A. Describe ideal picture of student success.
Faculty in IS programs see their students fulfilling a wide range of public roles and life
possibilities beyond their experiences in our classes. They are scholars, likely to continue to
7
four-year colleges. Some will pursue graduate and professional degrees. They will pursue a
wide range of professional and cultural endeavors. As citizens, they must be equipped to
participate in public life at local, national, and global levels. They are members of families who
will support and share their lives with others. We expect our students to be life-long learners and
participants in cultural and civic life.
In order to fulfill these varied roles in a complex society, our students must be able to “capitalize
on multiple areas of expertise,” to “gather and integrate multiple forms of expertise to address
problems that cannot be satisfactorily engaged through single perspectives” (Miller and Mansilla,
2, citing Gibbons et al.). They must be able to understand information from different disciplines,
to shift focus and frame as they think about concepts from each, to appreciate the value and
limitations of disciplinary perspectives, and to translate ideas across disciplinary boundaries.
This ability to shift perspectives is required to understand complex problems for oneself, and to
collaborate with others in our information-rich global society.
Stated in outcome language: the core outcome of Interdisciplinary Studies is for students to be
able to integrate knowledge and ways of thinking from several disciplines, and collaboratively
produce new understandings that would have been unlikely working alone or working within a
single discipline.
These are core skills for living in the world today. As faculty, we see that certain curriculum and
pedagogical elements emphasized in IS, especially Coordinated Studies, produce an environment
where students effectively learn how to:





Investigate complex questions or issues using methodologies and sources from
different disciplines.
Appreciate how teachers from different disciplines interpret the same issues, evidence
and sources with different perspectives.
Prepare for and participate in structured group-discovery and problem-solving
processes or research projects.
Explore primary sources and other important books in book seminars.
Experience how writing is important in the discovery, development and
communication of new knowledge.
Students themselves understand the complexity of the tasks they face. They verbalize their own
goals somewhat differently, but with recognition of the same challenges. In Winter of ’06, Ruth
Stiehl visited the class “Rememberings: The Roots of Our Voices,” and students described what
they wanted to be able to do “out there” that they needed to learn “in here.” They said:




Think more critically about issues and things out there in the world
Learn more (knowledge) about different cultures and background to talk to people
Learn how to be a better global citizen/ how to break things apart better with global eyes
Voice my opinion in a direct manner/ without offense/ that helps communication and
broadens our views/gather more views
 Building a community of learning/Accountable to use our voice/create a space here and
take it outside of here (tend our garden and consciousness)
8
 Keeping up relationships/practicing that here/communities of practice
 Learn that you can be wrong and change that view/Ways of seeing are multiplied
 Learning more about my white privileged position and be aware of what the world is like
for those who are not in that group
B. Describe core constructs students derive from program.
1. Themes
Programs are focused on unique themes, and choosing and refining a “theme” is a major part of
the work of developing a new IS course or determining the direction of the course for a given
quarter. The “themes” of IS programs shape the central cognitive endeavors of each program,
and serve to focus the reading, writing, thinking, and seminars in each. When developing the
theme for a given course, faculty articulate questions that the course will explore. These
questions give faculty and students a starting point for their exploration of the theme and the
texts. As the course unfolds, students generate their own questions, and these become focal
points of seminars, essays, and research projects.
For example:
 “Beginnings: The Shaping of Cultures, Myths, and Identities” provides a flexible theme
which is shaped by the particular interests of the faculty teaching each section of the
class, and by the students themselves once class begins. Recent thematic foci have
included education and self-education, learning as a developmental process, and the role
of ascribed social memberships in shaping identity and limiting or enhancing
opportunities.
Other titles/themes that have been used in recent IS courses include:



“Rememberings: The Roots of Our Voices” explores the intimate relationship between
speaking and writing as inter-related elements of voice and identity with in a
multicultural learning community.”
“Living Together: Relationships in the Natural and Human World” focuses on the
connection between humans and the larger world of life, explores fundamental concepts
in the fields of biology and the humanities, and connects insights from science and the
humanities.
“Endings: Scientific and Religious Thinking About the Ultimate Fate of our Universe”
investigates cosmological questions from the point of view of modern science and a
literary analysis of Biblical writings.
2. Concepts and Issues
Each program identifies specific concepts and issues, both from the represented disciplines and
those that transcend any one discipline, which students need to understand in order to explore
more deeply the course themes or questions. Examples from “Beginnings” might include
identity, racism, politics of location, social class privilege, values, and the ”path of least
9
resistance.” Other courses explore the scientific method, gender roles in society, or how
knowledge is created and validated.
Programs emphasize concepts relevant to the theme. Concepts emerge from the texts and from
the particular constellation of faculty and student interests in a given program. While faculty
identify themes of interest, the actual content of the course arises from dialogue among the
participants and cannot be wholly controlled by the faculty. Collaborative learning is central to
IS pedagogy.
Typically, IS faculty begin the quarter with a list of questions to be discussed. For the Fall 2005
cycle of “Beginnings,” the initial questions were:










What would be your ideal learning environment?
What academic skills and attitudes do you need to develop to be successful in college?
What is the connection between what we learn here and our life outside of school?
What beliefs and values do we hold?
How do our beliefs and values affect the way we see the world?
How do others perceive the beliefs and values we hold?
How have our identities and values been shaped by our family backgrounds?
How have our identities and values been shaped by our cultures?
How do institutions of social power and privilege, such as class, gender, and ethnicity , shape our
cultures?
How do these social institutions shape our own ideas and behaviors?
In the course of the quarter, these questions were discussed, reframed, transformed, and
sometimes even answered through the dialogue among class members. Some central concepts
that emerged from the work of the class were:






Our understanding of what we need to learn changes as we develop new skills.
Understanding our learning process allows us to take on greater challenges, in school, at
work, and at home.
Reading, writing, and critical thinking skills open up new possibilities both in the college
environment and in life and the world generally. Reading difficult texts made students
aware of more possible choices.
Learning in class enhanced students’ “outside” lives, and often created challenges there
as well. For example, reflections on the dynamics of oppression and privilege led some
students to ask hard questions about their professional and family relationships.
We sometimes carry beliefs and values that we have never fully examined or articulated.
When we look more closely at them, we may be more committed to them, and we may
find we want to make changes.
The identities and values we learned in our own families are not the same as those that
other people learned in their families.
Thinking about social power and privilege changes the way we understand our position in
the world and that of others – how we read, work, love, and watch TV are altered when
we think about these issues.
10
For the course “Rememberings: The Roots of Our Voices,” faculty outlined the following
concepts as goals for what the students should learn during the quarter:
 An intimate knowledge of how women have struggled as independent people who have a
voice in the community.
 The innate desire and ability to tell their own story has bonded women across time.
 The understanding that immigration and migration of women has been a part of the story of
most women’s lives.
 The importance of taking our stories and lives from the private to public arena.
 The need to be aware of our own cultural history and to understand how cultural
experiences help shape identity.
 The development of both knowledge and respect for different cultural backgrounds and to
appreciate how these cultural influences affect both private and public voice.
 The realization that we can no longer afford to live from a singular cultural perspective and
that our world is calling for a multicultural perspective in our workplaces, communities,
and in our schools.
C. Skills
Looking at concepts and issues requires students to develop a range of skills, from concrete and
highly testable skills like specific writing techniques to interpersonal and intra-personal skills.
Students in IS courses develop interdisciplinary insights but also learn the specific skills of each
discipline which are incorporated into the class. They learn to develop complex questions,
explore those questions in a collaborative environment, and co-construct new understandings.
Students are expected to learn the fundamental skills of the course and discipline, as in these
skills for a course incorporating English 101/102:
 Basic Writing Skills: thesis statement, organization of a paper, transitions, introductions,
and conclusions
 Discovering your own Voice in writing
 Showing not Telling (attending to the needs of your audience)
 P.I.E. (Point, Illustration, Explanation)
 Using other sources to enrich your writing
 Critical reading, writing, and thinking skills
In addition, students in interdisciplinary studies are expected to develop high-level skills that
transcend the boundaries of a traditional course. Some examples:
 Developing a greater sense of connectedness between humans and the larger world of life
in which we all make our home.
 Connecting insights from science and the humanities to new perspectives on the ways we
perceive and process our world.
 Understanding and applying the stages of the creative process to the tasks of building
projects.
11






Learning to be a good listener.
Realizing your potential on a scale you may not have considered.
Seeing oneself and one’s peers as capable of becoming experts in the course themes.
Writing rigorous, clear essays that are the product of careful reading and analysis.
Preparing for and participating in seminars.
Communicating with others around complex issues.
D. Compile what faculty knows about attainment of above
Some outcomes which can also develop in stand-alone courses grow rapidly in the fertile soil of
IS courses. Students working in Interdisciplinary Studies come to trust their own knowledge.
They learn to work collaboratively with others, to value the contributions of all members of a
group, and to recognize their own strengths and limitations. Students in IS courses report that
they come to see faculty as fellow learners with their own strengths and limitations – faculty are
seen as less uniquely powerful and more human, valued for their experience and depth of
knowledge, but perceived as resources rather than authority figures. Students testify to increased
confidence in their own ability to learn, to make sense of complex texts, and to make important
contributions to the work of the whole class.
“Faculty didn’t pretend to know everything, but we saw that they were learning. This
acknowledges that none of us can or be expected to know everything there is to know
about something.”
“Seminar was the chance to discuss openly without being laughed at. It was nice to
bring the idea to the group and have everyone take it seriously. It made me realize that
not all my ideas are ignorant and uninspired. In the future it will be easier to speak my
mind.”
Students in IS programs recognize that the learning community model allows for – demands – a
more complete engagement in the learning process than they have previously experienced, and
that the skills they develop here are essential for professional and real-world success.
Studies listed in "Data" section above show, among other things, a high level of cognitive
development, and the growth of skills in English composition, how to work in groups, and how
to read complex texts and talk about them in seminars.
Not surprisingly, students in IS programs are especially aware of the interdisciplinary nature of
knowledge and the value of looking at core questions through the lens of different ways of
thinking. (See Appendix 11).
Students tell us that they develop these skills through participation in the learning community,
and especially through the seminar process. They emphasizes that the complex thinking skills
they develop in IS programs are markedly different from those developed in previous academic
experiences, and that these skills are significant for their sense of self, their family relationships,
their academic work, and their career goals and abilities.
12
“We learned to build relationships with each other, like a community, and in turn ALL
were able to contribute ideas, writings, or feelings.”
“I was forced to shed some of my pre-conceived notions regarding how I go about
studying and learning. It is no longer ok for me to breeze through a book, gleaning the
basic concepts and memorizing facts that look likely to be on an exam. Now I have to
actually read the work. I have to figure out what the author is trying to tell me and delve
deeper by relating those concepts to other works and real life. It is a refreshing
challenge.”
IS faculty regularly use SGID-like mid-quarter assessments to assess what is and is not working
and to adjust courses to the needs of the students. For an example, in the “Rememberings: The
Roots of Our Voices” course, students reported at mid-quarter that they wanted to write two
seminar papers rather than one – a pre-seminar paper which gave them opportunity to explore a
particular passage in relationship to the course theme, and a post-seminar paper which would
allow them to include additional insights they gained about that same passage from other
students perspectives, often cultural viewpoints dramatically different than their own, or even the
author’s. This suggestion was integrated into the curriculum with great success and enhanced
the theme of “voices.”
Student writing is continually reviewed, responded to, and evaluated, with an eye to developing
skills and fostering nascent insights. Most students in CS courses write one or two seminar
papers each week, for a total of 30-60 pages in the course of a quarter. In addition, CS students
write essays appropriate to the class disciplines, from English compositions to science lab
reports. Students in CS classes write from 50 to 100 pages in the course of the quarter, and the
development of writing skills is an important factor in assessing student learning.
The development of student skills is also evaluated through their participation in seminars.
Faculty present specific seminar skills and students have opportunities to practice these skills, to
identify their own use of specific skills, to observe others using the skills, and to assess the
effectiveness of their own seminar behaviors as well as that of their classmates and teachers. This
assessment data is used by students and faculty to deepen dialogue and increase seminar
effectiveness (such as being fully prepared, all students given the opportunity to participate, etc.).
In “fishbowl” synthesis seminars, students review books and material they have already
discussed in class, and seminar in front of other class members on how they interrelate and
inform their insights into the course theme. The fishbowl seminar is a good example of a place
where students can practice their seminar skills, discuss their own behavior and that of others,
and talk openly about what worked, what didn’t, why they made the choices they did, and what
choices they might make in the future.
Students in CS courses are asked to evaluate their own learning regularly, informally (as in
discussion following a fishbowl seminar) and formally via mid-quarter and end-of-quarter
evaluations. Students are asked to assess their participation quantitatively (how many pages
written, how many seminars participated in, how many assignments read), and qualitatively.
Students reflect on their development of specific skills, the value of specific assignments, and
13
what parts of the course were most useful for their learning. These meta-cognitive tasks require
students to describe their own process as learners, simultaneously anchoring course learning in
larger mental frameworks and identifying their needs and goals for future learning.
Most CS faculty evaluate student work on the basis of a final portfolio, showing the student’s
development over the quarter, both cognitively and meta-cognitively. In these final portfolios,
students are asked to write reflectively about their process of learning. The focus of final student
self evaluation is on learning and development – the unfolding of skills throughout the course –
rather than a mathematical average of scores. The student’s own self-assessments play an
important role in determining their final grade as well.
Student Self Reflection
The written reflections that students make about their own learning support the idea that these
programs enable students to recognize the value of intellectual inquiry; to discovery the
interdisciplinary nature of knowledge; to learn from many cultures, persons, methods, and
viewpoints; to be actively involved in communities; and to find joy in the process of selfdiscovery.
Some comments by current and recent students in CS programs:
“I have said many times that these classes [learning communities] are a real
representation of how the real world works. In our personal and professional lives, we
must be able to interact with diversity and see value in all people involved. This style
teaches us to be better communicators in all areas not only a few.”
“This course helped me to stop and listen to others and value their opinions, beliefs,
viewpoints and even consider them for myself.”
“I feel liberated that I can read any text.”
“Being able to see or hear different points of view about the readings has really opened
up my thinking. You can talk all you want about how to think but when we get together
and see how different people think, it helps me to question and think.”
“I feel like I entered the class with a locked compartment of thoughts and ideas I didn’t
really know how to get to, and the seminar discussions provided the key. Once my
opinions were freed, the thoughts and insights of my classmates provided the stimuli I
needed to develop those thoughts and ideas of mine, blend them with the insights of
others, and turn my new thoughts into verbal and written expressions. The seminars
allowed me to not only listen to other’s voices but to have my voice listened to as well. It
was truly a freeing experience.”
“I feel I didn’t just acquire knowledge; I experienced learning. And that experience
spilled over into my essay writing, which gave me a chance to really reflect on my voice
in the midst of these others voices and allow new insights and perceptions to emerge from
the process.”
14
5. Reflection:
The Integrated Studies program embodies unique strengths which should be recognized and
acknowledged as a major asset for the college. They provide an ongoing mechanism for the
development of creative curriculum and pedagogy; support students in their attainment of a
general education outcomes; provide a positive retention strategy for students; provide unique
opportunities for faculty development and production of scholarship; highlight our identity
within our external communities; and could increase our ability to attract new students.
Strengths:
Unique Curricular Design
Students report that the major strengths of Coordinated Studies are built into the curriculum
model and pedagogical techniques including: exploration of a theme or question; use of multiple
faculty; longer class periods, development of a supportive learning community culture; student
seminars for exploration of material; significant amount writing; teaching of specific critical
reading and writing skills; and collaborative learning activities. (See Appendix 11).
Retention enhanced
Due to the longer periods of time that classes meet, coupled with the predominance of seminars
and group activities in coordinated studies classes, students tend to form bonds with one another
that often last through their graduation from NSCC and beyond. These friendships are a key
factor in the retention of students at the college.
Students Awareness of General Education Learning Outcomes
Student reflections and faculty observations indicate that students in IS programs excel in
becoming aware of the importance of General Education Learning Outcomes such as recognizing
the value of intellectual inquiry; discovering the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge; learning
from many cultures, persons, methods, and viewpoints; being actively involved in their
communities; and finding joy in the process of self-discovery. (See Appendix 11).
The IS programs’ excellence in supporting the General Education Learning Outcomes is
something that North can rightly be proud of. Continuing to examine how this process works
can help guide the college toward greater commitment, and more active assessment, of our
success in fostering General Education Outcomes for all students (see Action Plan: Expansion of
Coordinator’s Role).
Faculty observation and assessment confirm that students develop sophisticated cognitive skills
in IS courses. In addition, students in IS courses frequently exhibit growth in their emotional
maturity, self-awareness, and ability to work with others across differences. They develop
confidence in their skills, become interested in complex thinking, and adopt higher aspirations
for their own academic goals and career plans. Many become strong advocates for learning
communities and actively look for ways to carry the skills and methods they learned in IS
programs into other aspects of their lives.
15
Development of new innovative curricula
In both linked classes and coordinated studies courses, faculty develop innovative curricular
designs. In 2003, Diane Hostetler and Tom Kerns developed the first fully online coordinated
studies course in the nation (“Ways of Knowing”) in order that students could be assured of
getting an AA degree online. Most recently this same faculty team has teamed up with The
Evergreen State College to offer this course in an online pilot program involving tribal students
from around the state.
Maureen Nutting and Omara Abe’s popular linked course, “Northwest Coast in Time” provides
students with a unique field trip experience where they learn to integrate their historical and
anthropological ways of knowing.
In 2006, Kalyn Owens and Ann Murkowski teamed up to offer a link for both majors in
Chemistry and Biology. This link was so popular with students that they demanded that the
linked course continue through spring quarter. North students from this link will present their
interdisciplinary scientific research at the UW's Undergraduate Research Symposium in May,
2006. To our knowledge, North will be the first community college to present in the sciences at
this symposium.
Integrated Studies Committee
An active Integrated Studies Committee with faculty from across the campus, advising staff,
English coordinator and three deans has taken a strong role in leading the program.
It meets monthly to review and approve programs, to discuss new insights into interdisciplinary
learning, and new ways to assess that learning. Students have occasionally attended the
committee to share their insights as well.
In its early years, the success of the program relied on the dedication of individual faculty
members who made fostering the program a central commitment of their professional lives.
Since 2002, much has been done to establish effective institutional structures for supporting the
IS programs (see Appendix 14).
The Dean for Instructional and Information Support Services (IISS) bears the direct
administrative responsibility for Integrated Studies, along with the interdisciplinary learning
outcomes associated with Global Studies, and US Cultures. The IISS Dean has worked together
with the Dean for Art, Humanities, and Adult Basic Education, and the Dean for Math, Science,
and Social Sciences to solve problems and simplify administrative processes that support IS
programs.
Unique Faculty Development Opportunity
For faculty (presently 40 full-time and 15 part-time) teaching in IS programs provides
opportunities to learn from colleagues, to practice collaborative learning/teaching, to gain
insights across disciplines and specialties, and to deepen their own practice of speaking,
listening, and reflecting. Cross-disciplinary work gives science teachers a chance to learn more
about supporting student writing skills, while humanities teachers learn about quantitative
reasoning and the methods and codes of science. Faculty take the learning they gain in the IS
16
setting back into stand-alone courses, departmental planning, and their contributions to the
college as a whole. (See Appendix 15).
Faculty members have been brought into the program under a mentorship model, pairing new IS
faculty with experienced ones, and culturing the institutional memory of the IS program into new
individuals (see Appendix 16).
Faculty logs during their first experience teaching in a CS team provide insights in how best to
prepare new faculty to teach in this mode. (See Appendix 17).
Partnerships
The partnership with the Washington Center for the Improvement of Undergraduate Education
provides IS faculty and the IS program with multiple opportunities for faculty development and
curricular improvement. IS faculty regularly attend the Washington Center conference, Learning
Coordinator’s annual retreat, and serve as mentors for other IS faculty teams from around the
state at the annual Curricular Planning Retreats. Most recently, the Washington Center brought
Veronica Boix Mansilla, principal investigator for the integrative learning project at Project Zero
(Harvard University), to the Learning Coordinator’s retreat (March 2006). Ms. Box Mansilla’s
framework for assessing integrative learning will be studied and used by IS faculty in the 06-07
academic schedule.
Positive breeding grounds for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects
With teaching in teams and emphasis on development of innovations and assessment of the
results seem to encourage many faculty to engage in research projects to discover new insights,
improve curriculum and pedagogy, and make public these findings so others can learn from this
and build on it. Many of these have been referenced in this Program Review.
National recognition for NSCC
North Seattle Coordinated Studies curriculum continues to be recognized as a model of
innovation nationally. We were founding member and continue to be active participants in
Washington Center for Improvement of Undergraduate Education, which is known nationally for
their dedication to the reform of higher education. Several of our faculty are called upon as
consultants nationally and locally and presenters at national and international conferences.
Our program has been the subject of academic journal articles and monographs as a successful
model of learning communities. Our work on seminars has attracted the attention and visitors
from The Carnegie Academy for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning and Center for
Investigation into the Liberal Arts at Wabash College in Indiana.
Many recent publications on active, collaborative and interdisciplinary learning, learning theory,
and the importance of focusing on affective and meta-cognitive aspects of learning support in
theory what we have developed in practice. (See Appendix 13).
Areas of the IS Program in need of strengthening:
Program marginalized on campus
17
Even with the above documented success and national recognition, the IS program at North is
still marginalized on campus in both obvious and subtle ways. The college structure, staffing,
budgets, FTE allocation and accreditation categories are based on traditional disciplines;
structurally, the existence of interdisciplinary programs is not directly recognized. See ASQ
statement supporting need for recognition of Interdisciplinary Studies (Women’s Studies, Global
Studies, American Ethnic Studies, Communication), Appendix 18.
Administrative complexities
IS and other cross-departmental programs create administrative complexities for students, staff,
administration, and faculty. The listing of courses in the catalogue, which shows CS classes as
sections comparable to stand-alone sections in each discipline, confuses students and makes it
difficult to highlight CS programs for marketing purposes.
Coordinator's position
The coordinator’s position is paid at just eight hours per week, in contrast to thirteen hours for
most other coordinator positions, while the actual complexity of the IS program demands more
work than would typically be required of a coordinator within a single department.
As the founding parents of the IS program retire from active teaching and move into advisory
and emeritus roles, the need for a more clearly defined place in the administrative structure of the
college and stronger institutional support for the program becomes more pressing.
The 2002 Program review document outlined many successes of the IS program, and as Action
Plan items identified a need for more stable and coordinated support for the programs. For
responses to those items, see Appendix 14.
Visibility of IS Learning Experience
Students already enrolled at North are not always aware of the IS degree requirement, and rarely
do they know the strengths of the IS model, or what “coordinated studies” or “integrated studies”
actually mean. Many community members are not familiar with North’s IS program, or with the
college’s position as a national leader and innovator among community colleges using the
learning community model of education.
The experience of Integrated Studies is not clearly indicated on a student’s transcript, only the
traditional discipline-based course numbers. Transferring students have no clear documentation
of this unique learning experience.
More Data from Linked Courses
Linked courses need to focus more on understanding interdisciplinary nature of knowledge and
the co-construction of knowledge beyond that of their specific discipline content, to make better
use of the strengths of Interdisciplinary Studies and what we’ve learned about cognitive and
other kinds of growth in learning communities.
Institutional Support for Interdisciplinary Planning
The complexity of the IS program, its interdepartmental position, and the negotiations required
to plan programs, create a need for greater institutional support in this area, especially for
18
coordinated planning. Enhancing communication and collaboration across departmental lines is
an ongoing challenge. This need will become even more pronounced if integrative learning
expands beyond the AA degree.
Ways to strengthen these areas (many of these items are developed further in the Action
Plan section):
Expansion of IS Coordinator’s Role
The IS program coordinator does not have sufficient time allotted to support the long-term
planning and innovation needs of the program. Eight hours a week is barely sufficient to
respond to immediate needs and issues. Besides planning for assessment projects and additional
marketing of the program, the IS coordinator needs to play a more visible role in supporting new
IS faculty in terms of pedagogical needs (especially seminar skills) and mentoring to become
familiar with IS principles and methods. These needs were identified by new IS faculty their
faculty logs. (See Appendix 19.)
The program coordinator for IS programs should be structured as a 13-hour per week position,
similar to other program coordinators, to allow the coordinator to respond to coordination needs
and opportunities for enhancing and assessing student learning.
Assessment of General Education and Integrated Learning Outcomes
With an expanded coordinator’s role, a year-long assessment plan could be developed that
outlined which outcomes would be assessed (both general education and integrated learning
outcomes) and how. Faculty’s reflection on student learning could then be tied to course and
curricular improvement as all IS faculty would be more on the “same page” in terms of their
commitment to assessing student learning.
Enhance Linked Courses
There should be a way for linked courses to capitalize on the strengths of the learning
community model, for example, by adding a seminar component for students in links.
Design Printed Materials
Both on-line and print schedule materials should be designed to effectively present coordinated
studies and linked programs in a way that helps students understand what these are and how they
work. A brochure or other marketing piece should be developed to draw attention to these
courses and make it easy for students to understand what they are and why they might want to
take one. Publicity and marketing materials for the college should emphasize Integrated Studies
as a strength and asset.
Create Opportunities for our Neighbors to Benefit from this Pedagogical Model
Neighborhood residents and other members of our external community (high school students and
their parents, business owners, neighbors, community activists, and others) should be invited to
the college to participate in evening seminars focused on short texts of high civic interest, as a
way of making people more aware of the value of the IS model and its role in our college.
6. Opportunity
19
Describe current opportunity to increase effectiveness and enhance student learning.
Multiple Faculty Teams
Students report that multiple faculty is an important element in helping them come to
understanding how experienced learners learn. In the early days all CS teams included four
faculty as the norm. The teams were cut to three, and now that there is pressure to have more
two-faculty teams. Having fewer faculty on teams can have a negative impact on the curriculum
and pedagogical complexity, so we need to find ways to sustain at least three-member teams.
Student Participation
Invite students to be a part of the IS committee, to help design and assess new programs and to
plan and present Summer Orientation sessions for new students focusing on academic skills
(especially critically reading and seminars) and the relevance of General Education Outcomes in
our AA degree. This could provide opportunity for the beginning of an assessment project to set
baseline skills to be assessed later in students’ career.
Expansion of Collaborative Learning within the College
While IS programs are now required only for AA-degree seeking students, the learning
communities model could be of inestimable value to students in the AS, AB, and AFA programs,
as well as in many professional/technical programs. The real-life value of interdisciplinary
thinking can support the pursuit of professional goals in a wide variety of arenas. Faculty and
administration should discuss the possibility of pilot IS programs aimed at AS, AB, and AFA
students, as a way to make these learning opportunities available and to explore the potential for
including these as degree requirements in other disciplines.
Create Special IS Designations
Re-look at proposal to create special credit designations which would mirror University of
Washington Bothell and Tacoma course catalog descriptions (see Appendix 20).
Establish an IDS Department
Establish an Interdisciplinary or Cross Disciplinary unit or department (like English in the
Humanities Division) to focus on the specific special designation outcomes around Integrated
Studies, Global Studies, US Cultures, and Communication and related course designation such as
Women’s Studies, American Ethnic Studies, CME, and other emerging designation that don’t fit
neatly into existing departments. (See Appendix 18).
Make Public Our Successes
Continue to assess our learning outcomes and make our successes public. Faculty in IS
programs are designing innovative and effective methods: we need to collect these strategies and
use them as assets for the whole college and for educators generally.
Use Coordinated Studied student satisfaction data and cognitive and affective studies to be a
magnet program for attracting new students to the college. Integrated studies are a key asset of
the college which can be used to increase retention, enrollment, student success at while at
20
North, and transfer rates to competitive four-year colleges. Letting the community know about
these programs and their benefits can raise our visibility and viability as an institution.
How can the institution support opportunities?
Financial Support
Continue to provide support to collect and analyze assessment data that can be used for faculty
development, to change and innovate existing programs, to strengthen pedagogy and assessment
data in linked classes, and to support our public outreach efforts. (Assessment funds could be
used to support part-time faculty research and assessment projects.)
Provide support for expansion of IS coordinator role as a 1/3 time position (see Action Plan).
Think, Create, and Plan in Collaborative Models
Think outside the traditional administrative organizational structures. Collaborate more with
innovative institutions like UW Bothell, Evergreen, UW Tacoma, and others.
Continue to support students talking to advisors so they know about IS programs and can take
these courses earlier in their studies.
Establish an annual retreat for faculty focused on collaborative learning models. Invite faculty
from the AS, AFA, AB, and professional technical programs to consider integrative or
collaborative learning models, especially to support student learning of general education or
related instruction.
How can faculty collaborate and contribute to effectiveness and enhance student learning?
Greater Opportunity for Faculty Reflection and Planning
Currently the IS faculty meet for one afternoon in September to plan for the academic year two
years out. Other than that one afternoon for planning, only the IS faculty who are part of the IS
committee have a chance to formally discuss recent research on integrative learning.
The IS “program” needs more opportunities and expectations for faculty debriefing to capture
and share effective teaching and learning methods. With an annual retreat, faculty could be
encouraged to reflect on their experiences and to share these through writing, conversation,
fishbowl seminars, and other formal and informal venues.
We have recently expanded our efforts in this direction. In an August, 05 summer gathering of
seven “Beginnings” faculty, participants identified what they had learned about teaching and
learning in this program, which helped to provide coherence and new methodologies and ways of
assessing student learning (see Appendix 21). In the September 05 Integrated Studies retreat, we
read and had a seminar on how to assess interdisciplinary work. We also had a fishbowl
discussion, focusing on the science faculty who teach in CS and what issues they bring to the
model. In the winter we gathered CS faculty who were involved in teaching and evaluation of
writing to identified how best to incorporate writing into the program (see Appendix 15).
21
However, expanding the early-fall retreat and planning session into an extended opportunity to
learn about best practices in our own work and elsewhere would enhance our skills and sense of
ourselves as an inter-disciplinary “department.”
More Involvement in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL)
We need to encourage and support Scholarship of Teaching and Learning projects to make
public, both on campus and for wider audiences, what we learn from our research in learning
communities. This can also create opportunities for students to participate in regional and
national research and scholarship, as has been happening in the last year through the SoTL
Student Voices project. The “Learning Communities as Public Homespaces” SoTL project
(2003-04) added a great deal of new learning about the need for safe spaces in order to foster
affective, cognitive, and relational learning experiences for students. Some of the principles
voiced in this research project are now incorporated into other coordinated studies courses.
A future in-depth study of how team-teaching influences faculty needs to be funded. (See Action
Plan).
Identify resources necessary to support these efforts
Recruit and train student teaching and research assistants to aid in research, assessment, SOTL
projects. (Need for work study funds, stipends.)
Provide funding for a 1/3-time coordinator.
Use designated Assessment Funds to help CS and Linked teams design and carry out
research/assessment projects.
Identify and apply for large grants which could fund many of these projects in the name of
innovation, assessment, and scholarship. (Support time for research and application process.)
Collaborate with Student Development Services to fund orientations and teaching assistants and
peer mentors.
7. Commitment
Identify questions faculty will be address in coming years.
In the coming years, faculty will continue to ask:



how IS pedagogy supports the development of both general education outcomes and the
skill sets associated with particular disciplines;
how learning communities support the growth of the whole person, including not only the
cognitive, but also the emotional, psychological, and spiritual lines of development;
what are the best ways to foster development of excellent seminar skills in students and
faculty, and how seminaring as a practice can support learning;
22





how our work at North can be enhanced by familiarity with, and participation in, regional
and national dialogue among learning community advocates and practitioners – how
taking part in these larger conversations can make us more effective and provide more
opportunities for our students;
what are the long-term effects on our students of their experiences in IS programs, and
how these influence their choices and success as scholars, professionals, and citizens over
time;
how the benefits of IS programs can be made available to more students, and how this
unique pedagogy can serve the needs of other degree programs in business, science, art,
and professional and technical certification;
how the experience in IS programs influences the ways that instructors approach their
work in all their courses, how it affects their relationship and participation in the college
as a whole, and how it may affect their lives as citizens, family members, and lifelong
learners; and,
how Integrated Studies – as a practice, a pedagogy, and an experience – can support the
health and vitality of our college, of our communities, and of the world we live in.
See attached "Action Plan Summary Forms"
Main Items:

Expand the role of IS coordinator from eight hours a week to 13 hours a week
(comparable to other coordinators) to include developing an annual assessment plan,
marketing the program to students, and extending the program’s signature pedagogies to
both the internal and external communities. (These goals all relate to the college’s
strategic plan.)

Develop “How to Seminar” video to develop strong seminar skills in students, to
facilitate the learning curve in new seminar practitioners, to help faculty anchor effective
seminar skills, and to help place CS and seminar skills at the center of the college
pedagogy.

Develop a new department for Interdisciplinary Studies and General Education oversight.
8. Accomplishments: Some highlights
Student Successes
Development of the Student Club
It is not unusual for students to want to continue learning about the themes and ideas they have
studied in coordinated studies classes after the quarter has ended. This has been particularly
noted in the aftermath of the “Beginnings” courses which are offered in the fall each year. In
Fall 2003, Diana Ma and Karen Stuhldreher taught a Beginnings course during the day. At the
end of the quarter the students formed a campus group which they called “The Path of Greater
Resistance,” a concept they borrowed from the class text Privilege, Power, and Difference, by
Allan Johnson. The purpose of the new student organization was twofold: to provide academic
23
and personal support to members in order to insure student retention and success at North; and to
continue learning through reading, viewing films, attending lectures, and holding seminars about
issues concerning race, class, and gender. The group worked hard to write their mission
statement and applied to student government to become an official campus organization. They
were successful and continued to meet through that spring and the following fall and winter
quarters in 2004 and 2005. The group continues to stay connected through a listserv and has
continued to support its members in their ongoing academic endeavors.
Students’ Intellectual Involvement
A number of these same students, along with students from another Coordinated Studies class,
read Allan Johnson’s The Gender Knot in the winter, 2004. They met with Dr. Johnson when he
came to campus and discussed his book in a seminar with him. He invited them to give him
feedback on the book that he could incorporate into the upcoming second edition, which he was
working on at the time. The students took his invitation seriously and collaboratively wrote a
15-page letter with detailed comments about the book. In May 2005 Dr. Johnson responded to
their letter saying that he felt “challenged, deeply impressed, moved, and honored” by their
response. He thanked them for their “clarity…insight…candor, and honesty and courage.” He
responded in some detail to their thoughts, and ultimately included the group in the
acknowledgements for the second edition of Gender Knot.
Student Presenters
A number of these students have attended and presented sessions with faculty at conferences on
the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning in San Diego and Indiana. Sheleigh Solis and Jan
Essmeier were invited to give a presentation with Karen Stuhldreher on “Programs to Emulate”
at the National Washington Center Conference in February 2004. Students Farah Nousheen and
Shonet Newton presented with faculty members Jane Lister Reis and Carol Hamilton on
Affective and Cognitive Learning at a Washington Center conference in 2005.
Continuing Scholarship
Since leaving North Seattle Community College, these students—who came to NSCC in the fall
2003 as returning or new students to college--have continued their academic pursuits. In Spring
2006 a number will graduate with Bachelors Degrees:
 Sheleigh Solis is graduating from the University of Hawaii and has applied to the Masters
program in Hawaiian Studies;
 Luis Congden is graduating with a major in English Literature from Seattle University and
plans to study Modernism in Paris and Literature in Ireland this summer;
 Paul Rogers and Marianna Stahn will graduate from the Human Services program at
Western Washington University.
 Dar Diaz is currently a student at California State University in Geography.
 Ema Billings has been accepted for fall admission to Brigham Young University in Hawaii
and to Seattle University where she received a generous scholarship;
 Shonet Newton will attend the State University of New York in New Paltz majoring in
English.
 Farah Nousheen is the Director of Tasveer and has produced three South Asian Film
Festivals for which she has received a number of grants and much acclaim. She has just
received the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation scholarship awarding her up to $90,000 for
24
three years of education.
 Donna Waldhausen, Ema Billings, and Jan Essmeier have all served as intern Teaching
Assistants in Women Studies.
The Integrated Studies program is proud of the accomplishments of these and other students who
have clearly attributed their commitment to learning and academia to their experiences in
coordinated studies courses at North.
Outsider’s View of Collaborative Learning
Our students in Integrated Studies continue to make a strong impression in their research and
inquiry. In October 2005, Coordinated Studies students in the “Beginnings” program spoke on
the phone with Mike Rose, author of Lives on the Boundary. Here is some of what he told them:
"I have an observation: and I'm not blowin' smoke here when I tell you this -- you guys are
impressive! I do this kind of [phone] conversation a lot with folks around the country who
are reading something that I wrote. It ranges from high school students to people in
graduate schools, but this has really been a memorable one
.
You folks are very thoughtful and I'm very impressed with the kind of reading you have
done with this book and the questions you have posed. Just about every question you have
asked me has sparked a thought, sparked me thinking about some of these issues in a
somewhat different way or take. I want to commend you on that. It has been a really
engaging thing for me and I'm very taken with the kind of reading you are doing of the
book and I'm grateful to you for it.
You've got a really good thing going up there. I am very impressed with the [Beginnings
Coordinated Studies class] materials. This is a hell of a program you are in."
Conclusion
The assessment of student learning, recording of students’ and faculty feedback, along with the
national data that has emerged over the last five years, continue to support what IS faculty,
advisors, and students have known for years – that integrative and collaborative learning
provides a unique and rich learning experience for everyone involved. These learning
experiences needs to be protected, and even expanded into other degree areas of the college as
our students (and faculty) continue to face complex challenges in our local, national, and global
world.
It is the hope of the authors of this document, supported by the Integrated Studies Committee,
that we have presented the college with a compelling argument not only to continue to support
the Integrated Studies program at the college, but also with the data to support its expansion, and
its movement from the margin to the center. Such a shift would provide not only all of our
students (AA, AB, AFA, AS, and professional technical) with unique and collaborative learning
experiences around the college’s general education (and related instruction) learning outcomes,
and but also with rich integrative or connected learning opportunites through which to
25
understand and successfully engage in our world. Or as a “Beginnings” (Dec 2005) student said
when giving advice to future IS program students:
“Expect to work harder, learn more, be challenged and excited and to be a part of a
dynamic, engaged, enthusiastic group of learners. You will carry the skills and
knowledge you learn in the Coordinated Studies environment through your lifetime.”
The compilation of this program review has been a collaborative and positive experience for the
Integrated Studies group.
26