The Institution as Learner Dr. Joyce C Romano Students In - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

The Institution as Learner

• Dr. Joyce C Romano

Students In Transition Conference 2011

Valencia College

 65,000 students annual headcount  5 campuses in 2 counties in Central Florida (Orlando area)  87% of students are degree-seeking  58% Associate in Arts (traditional transfer to bachelors)  42% Associate in Science (traditional workforce related)  45% Full time enrollment  72% age 24 or younger  16% African-American, 28% Hispanic, 40% Caucasian  50% students receive financial aid

Learning College = Improved Results

 Fall to Spring persistence of new students

increased to 86.2%

 Fall to Fall persistence of new students

increased to 67%

 Developmental education completion increased

20%

 #1 community college in associate degrees

awarded

 Leah Meyer Austin Award for Achieving the

Dream (1st recipient)

 Recently named in Top Ten Community Colleges

by Aspen Institute based on student outcomes.

Valencia Learning-Centered Journey

Title III Title III

Osceola

Title III

East

Title V Osceola Title III West Title III East

AtD

Pew Round- tables

Van- guard LC Coll

Student Success Course (SLS1122) ~ Learning-Centered Focus ~ LifeMap ~ Faculty Development Models ~

Strategic Learning Plan ~ Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) ~ Action Research ~ LinCs(Learning in Community)~ TVCA ~ College Prep Task Force ~ Teaching and Learning Academy ~ Scenarios ~ Atlas ~ Portfolios ~ Learning Evidence Team ~ Supplemental Learning ~ General Education Outcomes ~ Learning Assessment

Late 1980s 1994-1999 2000 2004 2009 Present

Foud

• f

Exc. Dev Ed Init. National Initiatives:

Valencia Innovations brought to Scale:

Focus

Anyone can learn anything under the right conditions.

Big Idea #1

What are the right conditions for learning?

• Learning environments
• Learning spaces
• Instructional variety(hybrid, online)
• Flexible class schedules (Flex Start)
• Academic support systems
• LinC (Learning in Commmunity)
• Supplemental Learning
• Academic Labs
• Advising and Counseling
• Campus Climate
• Welcoming, Safe, Supportive

Big Idea #2

Start Right

Start Right at Valencia

 Strategic Goal in 2001-2004 Strategic Plan  “Ensure that students experience extraordinary learning

success in their earliest encounters at the college…”

 Students develop an educational plan in first term.  Provide learning experiences in a variety of methods,

scheduling, approaches to address different learning styles.

 Firmly establish assessment, placement, pre-requisite and

progression policies to ensure students readiness to learn.

 Align the college’s marketing and recruitment messages

with its learning mission.

“Start Right” in action

(Degree seeking students)

 Application deadline 2 weeks before classes start (added

Flex Start parts of term)

 New student orientation required prior to class

registration

 Entry testing, placement and course enrollment required

in first term

 Required SLS1122 for students with course requirements

in all 3 developmental education areas

 Students cannot add a class once it has met (all students)  All course pre-requisites strictly enforced

Big Idea #3 Connection and Direction

Connection and Direction

Students are more likely to persist if they:

 Feel safe, welcome, respected, and acknowledged

 make social as well as academic connections  hold and sense from others a belief in their potential

 Are both challenged and supported academically

 can link new learning to prior knowledge  engage actively in their learning  have multiple opportunities to give and receive

constructive feedback

 Have a plan for completion

LEARNER

END-TO-END PROCESSES (Collegewide Engagement and Integration) TECHNOLOGY (ATLAS) DEVELOPMENTAL ADVISING (LIFEMAP) LEARNING OUTCOMES (TVCA)

LIFEMAP: Mission Statement

A system of shared responsibilities between students and the college that results in social and academic integration, education and career plans, and the acquisition of study and life skills.

LIFEMAPsm: Ideal Model of Student Progression

College Transition Introduction to College Progression to Degree Graduation Transition Life Long Learning

Each LIFEMAPsm Stage

Outcomes Performance Indicators Guiding Principles Interventions http://valenciacollege.edu/lifemap

Big Idea #4

The college is how the students experience us, not how we experience them.

What the students experience

(conceptual model/working theory)

 Students will succeed if they:

 Have a career goal.  Have relationships with others on campus (peers, faculty,

advisors, mentors, etc.)

 Experience high engagement at the college. (Clarify

definition of engagement)

 Are self-sufficient.

A As AS aS S

Conceptual Model Goal: Student Self-Sufficiency

Bring to Scale

 Innovation Management System

1000’s of

• pportunties

tried. Maintain a Research and Development Component. Climate of Innovation Level I Level II Level III “Eye for Evidence”: More rigorous at each level. Standard of evidence increases at each level.

100 are selected for support as Phase I Innovations. “Angel Capital Stage” Prototype

10 supported as Phase II Innovations. “Venture Capital Stage” Pilot Implementation (Limited Scale) 1 or 2 are brought up to scale and Institutionalized. Level II Innovations must be scalable and must show potential to bring systemic change and “business-changing results.”

Challenge is in moving from Level II to Level III.

Systemic Change at Valencia 1995-2003

LifeMap Conceptual Model: 1995 – 1999 LifeMap system development: 1999 – 2002

(and continuing)

Atlas system design and development: 2000-

2002 (and continuing)

Re-designed Student Services (Integrated

Services Model) design and development: 2001-2003 (and continuing)

LifeMapsm

Valencia’s Developmental Advising Model The “brand name” that:

 describes to students what they should do and when.  links all of the services/program/activities that form the

developmental advising system.

 describes to faculty and staff how they contribute and participate

with students in developmental advising

 presents to students visual cues in the physical college

environment as to where they can obtain different forms of assistance towards their career/educational goals.

 links together written publications that are designed to assist

students in achieving their career/educational goals.

 Promotional marketing campaign of LIFEMap

LifeMap Student Handbook

 Chapters follow O’Banion model (life, career, and

educational goals, building a schedule, success tips, learning

• utcomes)

 College services are listed in the chapter related to the goals

they support.

 Includes self-assessments and interpretations.  Calendar pages like “Day-Timer” include key college dates.  “To Do” cues are listed on each calendar page and are tied to

Developmental Advising Stages with icons.

 “Been There” quotes add advice from peers.

From a Model to a System

 “Gap” Analysis and Re-alignment

LifeMapsm

 Faculty Alliances  Computer-Based Planning Tools: My Education Plan,

My Career Planner, My Portfolio, My Job Prospects, My Profile

 Faculty/Staff Development  Atlas: Learning Support System  Engagement Model: Re-engineer Delivery of Traditional

Student Services

 Measure and Evaluate Results

Faculty Alliances

Career or Education Plans as part of Student

Motivation

Inclusive classrooms Engagement in learning strategies Connection and Direction critical to student success A “Competency” of Valencia Faculty Included in Teaching and Learning Academy

curriculum (tenure process)

Faculty LifeMap Groups Faculty LifeMap Guidebook corollary to LifeMap

Student Handbook

Atlas: Learning Support System

 Designed to support “Connection” and “Direction”  Integrated Portal: single sign-on to numerous separate

applications

 Enhance student planning (My LifeMap) and self-

sufficiency

 Encourage connection through on-line learning

communities.

LifeMap in Atlas

 Meinthemaking.com  User: catlas Pin: ca1111  My LifeMap tab

 LifeMap stages and resources  LifeMap tools

 My Career Planner  My Educational Plan  My Portfolio  My Financial Plan  My Job Prospects

Engagement and Commitment

Big Idea #6

Collaboration yields a dialog that drives improvement.

Collaborative Technologies

 Governance Structure (Learning Council, Planning

Council, Operations Council, Faculty Council)

 Big Meetings (high bandwidth discussion of progress and

ideas, next steps)

 Innovation Funnel (strategic initiatives process)  Campus Plans  Strategic Plan (expressed in meaningful “short hand”)

 Build Pathways  Learning Assured  Invest in Each Other  Partner with the Community

Re-Design of Student Service Delivery

With Student LEARNING as the design principle:

 Emphasize level of assistance students are seeking

rather than the content.

 Create staff positions whose primary job is working

directly with students and staff positions whose primary job is processing and verifying information .

 Focus on students LEARNING process, not just

getting answers to questions.

 View technology as a tool to enhance learning, not to

drive our processes

Learning-Centered Student Services

 Information Station

– Directional Information

 The Answer Center

 General Information (End-to-End Process)

 Student Services

–More complex and specialized transactions

 District Offices

 Information processing

Meaningful Data and Systematic Improvement

Big Idea #5 The purpose of assessment is to improve learning.

Levels of Learning

Student Learning Program Learning Outcomes Institutional Learning

Achieving the Dream Data Team Insights

 Composition of members  Development of Data Review Model  Term-based strategy level and overall strategy evaluation  From Snapshots to Trends  From “Data Driven” to “Data Informed”  From “Culture of Evidence” to “Culture of Inquiry”

Data Processing Defining the Message Information Sharing Identify needed Changes based on reflection Identify Intended Outcomes New / Revised Assessment Activity

From Data to Meaningful Information

Our Data Processing Model is part of an Institutional Effectiveness process Data Collection

Meaningful Improvement

 Statistically significant improvement in target quantitative

measures.

 Significant improvement relative to a comparative group.  Economic efficiency in relationship to difficulty of

improving the success of students.

 Reflection on the human impact in terms of the goals of

the initiative and the mission of the institution.

 A consideration of faculty /staff perception of benefit

versus cost.

 A consideration of student perception of benefit.

Strategic Indicators Report

http://valenciacollege.edu/IR/pdf/Strategic%20Indicators%20Report.pdf

 Build Pathways – to, through and beyond Valencia

 Student Growth  Diversity & Equity  Enrollment Patterns  Targeted Initiatives

 Learning Assured

 College Prep Completion  Graduation Rates  Graduation Rates Cohort Comparison

 Partner with Community

 AA Degree Transfers  Efficient Learning Environments

Key Elements to Systemic Change

Focus on measurable results – what is the

motivation for change?

Conceptual model for foundation (Big Ideas) Look from the student perspective outward Start with reality but design for ideal The “whole” is more than the sum of the

parts (system alignment)

How are we doing? (Feedback to

stakeholders – Keep going deeper)

“Culture will trump strategy everytime.”

References

 Shugart, S., Romano, J., Phelps, J., Puyana, A., & Walter, K.

(in press) “Valencia’s Big Ideas: Sustaining Authentic Organizational Change through Shared Purpose and Culture.” In Focus on Learning: A Learning College Reader, League for Innovation in Community Colleges

 Shugart, S. and Romano, J.(2008) Focus on the front

door of the college. In Schuetz, P. and Barr, J. (editors) Are Community Colleges Underprepared for Underprepared Students? New Directions for Community Colleges, no. 144, Wiley Periodicals.