Changing Lives
in a Global City
2004 AAHE Learning to Change
Conference
LaGuardia Community College/CUNY
J. Elizabeth Clark, Maureen Doyle,
Bret Eynon, Nancy Gross, and
Nakiso Maodza
Background on LaGuardia

12,000 academic students; 20,000 continuing
education students
 Dizzying diversity: 39% Hispanic-American,
18% African-American, 20% Asian-American,
and 16 % white. Also, 66% of the student
body is foreign born, of these students, 49%
have been in the U.S. for fewer than 5 years
 21st Century Lower East Side
Background on LaGuardia, continued
3rd largest number of graduating Hispanic
students
 More than half of the college’s students
speak a native language other than English,
for a total of 108 different first languages
 The college’s students are largely 1st
generation college students and are poor and
working-class—over 64 % have annual
household incomes of $25,000 or less, and
45% of new students have jobs, with 63%
working more than 20 hours per week

Teaching and Learning Diversity
Multiple definitions of diversity
 Multiple definitions of difference
 Multiple definitions of identity
 Multiple definitions of success
 Moving toward the 21st century means finding
new definitions of inclusivity and democracy

Connecting @ LaGuardia

Collect: Students collect their work
Select: Students choose samples of work
that demonstrate evidence of their learning

Reflect: Students identify & articulate
their educational growth

Connect: Students use the web to share
work w/ family, friends, employers, etc.

Assessment and ePortfolios @
LaGuardia





Need to assess learning & program
effectiveness
Create a richer picture of student learning
Prepare for Middle States Review
Overcome failed attempts
Create a faculty-led planning process
Connecting the Whole Student
Democratic Transformations
and Diverse Classrooms
How does diversity affect student relationships?
 How does diversity change
teaching?
 How does diversity
transform classrooms?
 How does diversity inform
institutions?
 How does new technology
allow us to think about
authority and authorship in different ways?

Sample Student ePortfolios

Kyoung Kang (1st ePortfolio): Kyoung is a Fine Arts major working
towards her A.S. degree. Her interests in Art Therapy and
traditional Asian medicine have led to an desire to become an Art
Therapist. She also holds a B.S. (Biology) from the University of InJe in Pusan, Korea. Kyoung previously worked as a researcher in
an institute for traditional medicine and as a mathematics teacher
for middle school students in Korea. (Most Recent ePortfolio)

Yvonne Jahn: Yvonne is a Human Services major focusing on
Mental Health. As a member of Phi Theta Kappa, Yvonne credits
her interest in reading as being instrumental to her success as a
student. Upon completion of her Associates degree, Yvonne will
pursue a Bachelors degree in Social Work at a four-year college.

Violeta Khaimova: Violeta is a recent immigrant from Uzbekistan.
She arrived in New York City with her parents and siblings, just ten
days before 9/11. She began college in fall 2003 as an ESL
student. She is now taking freshman composition along with other
college courses. Violeta wants to be a Physical Therapist. She is a
young woman with many interests and a true zest for living. Her
experiences, this past fall, in her Learning Community cluster of
courses helped bring many concepts together for her and provided
her with the context for genuine intellectual engagement.
Education in the 21st Century
Publishing my work and my reflections on the Web
has been very exciting. And it has changed the way I
think about my writing. Throughout my life I’ve been
asked to write about my future goals. After a while, my
response became routine; I would answer within
minutes, without much thought. This all changed when I
wrote a reflective essay for my ePortfolio. My essay
would be read not only by my professor, but by a much
broader audience. I couldn’t be so facile; now my life,
my self-perception and my goals would be showcased
for everyone.
As I tried to write this essay, days passed and I
found that I was still staring at a blank screen. I believe
words are powerful and can be used for negative or
positive motives. Words can help you attain respectable
positions; they can give us incentive to get up and try
again. Sharing my dreams and visions with the world,
my words would gain in significance and impact.