Executive Summary
March - April 2012 Extraordinary Education Discussions
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Cloquet MN
During March and April 2012, the faculty of Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College held three
forums coinciding with Center for Teaching and Learning lunches and campus duty days to discuss
aspects of extraordinary education. The faculty defined “extraordinary education,” identified current
successful practices on campus, and planned areas of development for the immediate future. Some
academic programs took the opportunity to focus specifically on their disciplines while others engaged
general themes, such as tutoring, assessment of student learning, curriculum development/delivery,
recruitment, and professional development. Sixteen projects will be targeted as next steps during the 2012
– 2013 academic year. During spring 2013, we plan to host another set of similar discussions. Below are
the abridged highlights of the discussions.
Top five signature learning experiences at FDLTCC:
1. Respect for difference
2. A focus on rural and tribal communities
3. Hands-on learning experiences (skills-based learning, service learning, research, internships, and studio
classes/projects) with an available, approachable faculty and staff
4. From art to science, a well-equipped facility in a north-woods setting
5. Extensive learning/teaching collaborations with tribal, city, county, and State organizations in law
enforcement, mental health, chemical dependency treatment, health care, childcare, small business,
energy/utilities, and natural resources.
Projects for Upcoming Year Based on 2011 - 2012 Conversations:
1. Create a dedicated writing lab. (Status: First follow-up conversation has occurred and funds are being
located)
2. Provide science faculty with support for Master Naturalist training (Status: Completed during August,
2012)
3. Improve use of the simulation lab in nursing (Status: Release credit granted for simulation lab
coordination)
4. Each environmental science class will have a significant small group student based project. (Status: In
progress)
5. Improve success in online courses: Require students to take computer skills placement; those who do
not demonstrate adequate skills be required to take a 1-credit, 8-week CSCI 1002: Computing
Essentials course and allow co-registration in a hybrid course. Students would not be allowed to
register for online courses until they score adequately on the placement test or complete CSCI 1002
with a C. (Status: Discussion in AASC forthcoming. Providing Quality Matters course review and peer
reviewer training for online faculty.)
6. Due to the rigid credentialing system for instructors in the two-year system, it is difficult to hire
experienced artisans from the Anishinaabe community who often do not have MA degrees. If
FDLTCC provided mentoring by elders paid to work alongside credential-holding MnSCU instructors,
our art program could become a center for the preservation of traditional arts. Development of a
curatorial or museum studies certificate within the AFA could attract students seeking careers in
American Indian Studies, art restoration, and collection management. (Status: Further discussion will
take place during 2012 - 2013, with special emphasis on certificate development and finding a way to
support elders in the classroom)
7. Incorporate a “lab” component into ENGL 1001 and staff with English faculty and writing tutor
(Status: Prioritized and funded placing more tutors in classrooms wherever sought, especially writing
and math classes).
8. Promote team teaching, for example, have law enforcement faculty in forensic biology course, efficient
reading class coupled with general biology. (Status: Will be planning to implement in spring 2012,
particularly in PSYC 1030: Drug Use and Abuse and BIOL 1011: Forensic Biology)
9. Expand learning community model through the Center for Academic Achievement. (Status: Center
coordinator attended training and is working with Weekend College coordinator to develop learning
communities in the Center)
10. Establish learning community for pre-nursing students, including tutoring and lab-time with tutor.
(Status: Further discussion and development will take place during fall 2012)
11. Hold a Northeast regional community college science fair or symposium where every school sends a
certain number of students and we have guest speakers and discussion of best practices. Do similar
research at more than one institution and compare results. (Status: FDLTCC will attempt to create a
connection between the region's science faculty to pursue further discussion about the possibility of a
regional professional development opportunity. More generally, the Northeast region will be having a
regional conference during fall 2012 about promising practices in student success and college
preparation.)
12. Create a lab director position at FDLTCC to assure the best lab experiences possible for students in
our science classes. (Status: If credits allow, this will be further defined and implemented during fall
2012)
13. Explore the possibility of building a nature center/outdoor classroom on campus and increasing
collaborations with local agencies like Cloquet Forestry Center, Minnesota DNR, and the FDL
Natural Resources Program. (Status: This will be discussed and developed further by the biology
department during 2012 - 2013)
14. Support the newly reborn St. Louis River-River Watch project and provide assistance and support to
the Environmental Institute at FDLTCC in order to become a leader in tribal land grant programming.
(Status: Discussions about further funding and development are currently taking place with faculty,
staff, and Fond du Lac reservation)
15. Create classes with a global focus by bringing in guest lecturers through Skype and connecting with
classes from other cultures and offering the material jointly. (Status: Focus of a fall 2012 sabbatical
project)
16. Find a way to provide lap top computers to students that do not have a computer. (Status: Creating
and purchasing "mobile labs" for student and faculty use inside and outside classrooms)