TCCTA Blog

Facebook Sessions Planned for Convention

In response to abundant interest from TCCTA members, the association will sponsor two seminars on Facebook at the annual convention. Facebook is a global social networking Web site that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users typically add selected friends, send them messages, and update their own personal profiles to notify individuals or groups about themselves or matters of common concern.

The seminars will be offered on Friday, March 5, beginning at 2:30 p.m., at the Westin Galleria Hotel. Room locations will be printed in the convention program, which is distributed at registration.

Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook with his college roommates and fellow students at Harvard University. The site has since grown steadily to more than 350 million active users worldwide, and is now used by individuals and organizations as a networking tool that extends far beyond socializing in its utility. 

TCCTA maintains a Facebook presence, which is accessible from the home page of the association’s Web site at www.tccta.org.

The first seminar, planned for 2:30, offers “Facebook 101,” and will be presented by David Sorrells, associate professor of English at Lamar State College–Port Arthur. Dr. Sorrells will provide a basic introduction, paying particular attention to how to “build” a Facebook page, how to maintain an appropriate level of privacy, how to upload images, and other basic functions of participation.

The second session, at 4:00,  will concern “Social Media Engagement,” with Ashley Cruseturner, instructor of history at McLennan Community College. 

Topics for consideration at this session will include various issues related to effective online networking with colleagues, students, and friends. Practical advice will be offered to help insure users that the new tool provides experiences that are entertaining and productive.

More convention information is available here. 

Spending Cuts Proposed

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst is reportedly floating a plan to ask state agencies to cut spending about 2.5 percent or more per year over the next four years. Health and human services programs and public schools—a majority of the state budget—would be exempted, he said. The plan was recently reported in the Austin American Statesman in an article by Jason Embry.

Because of shrinking revenue, Texas may need $15 billion to balance its budget. Legislative leaders might soon ask universities, regulators, state parks and other branches of state government to trim their spending as Texas starts to prepare for a historic budget shortfall, according to the piece. 

There was no mention of community colleges in the article. 

Educators at two-year colleges are very concerned that the surge in enrollment will not translate into a comparable rise in state revenue under the funding formula. The current biennium is being funded partially by federal stimulus funds. When this money runs out, things could get very interesting. If sales tax revenues increase over the next few weeks due to a recovery from the recession, it would help considerably. But so far, the comptroller's office has not signaled an end to the downturn in sales tax receipts. 

Full Time Students Fuel Enrollment Boom

A new study by the American Association of Community Colleges indicates that full time students are comprising much of the recent surge in enrollments nationwide. Here's the link.

Head count in credit courses is up 11.4 percent over the last year, and 16.9 percent over two years, according to the survey, which included data from hundreds of colleges from every region of the country. Importantly, given that about 60 percent of community college students are enrolled part time, one of the most dramatic parts of the new surge is that it is coming in large part by full time students. Over the last two years, the percentage gain in full time students has been more than twice the rate as for part timers.

The rates of increase were about the same across urban, suburban, and rural community colleges. The Rocky Mountain region has seen the largest increases and is the only region where part time enrollments outpaced full-time enrollments, according to the report.

The above information was reported in Inside Higher Ed.

"Lightning Talks" Added to Program

The 2010 convention agenda will include an exciting new feature: Lightning Talks, from 8:00–9:15, on Friday morning at the Westin Galleria in Houston.

Structured similarly to the highly popular GIFTS Sessions, the Lightning Talks will emphasize quick discussion and group interaction on a wide range of topics that are each revealed prior to consideration by turning over a card. Lightning Talks will occur while standing at group “tall boy” tables, to enhance the speed of conversation before moving on to the next topic. 

TCCTA members have often commented that many of their best convention experiences occur informally while in the hallways between sessions. 

“The idea of Lightning Talks,” says David Lydic, Austin Community College, chair of the TCCTA Professional Development Committee, “is to bring these hallway conversations into the conference program and provide broader access.”

Members wishing to offer topics for consideration in the Lightning Talks are encouraged to send them to Carole Hawkins at chawkins@tccta.org.

"Learning Styles" Debunked in Study

Many faculty members, at the outset of each semester, survey their classes to determine the preponderant "learning styles" of the students in each class. Then they adjust their technique of instruction accordingly. Some students, according to this approach, learn better with "hands on" instruction, others in group and collaborative settings, or through individual experimentation, and so forth. Those who are critical of traditional lecture tend to advocate a student-centered pedagogy. 

However, our brains may not be wired to learn best in any particular style, a new paper argues. The study is the subject of a recent (Dec. 15) article by David Glenn in the online version of the Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription). The piece should appear in the forthcoming paper version of the CHE, and will perhaps be available in your college library. Not surprisingly, the online conversation in response to the article is quite extensive.

"Almost certainly," the article states, "you were told that your instruction should match your students' styles. Now four psychologists argue that you were told wrong. There is no strong scientific evidence to support the 'matching' idea, they contend in a paper published this week in Psychological Science in the Public Interest. And there is absolutely no reason for professors to adopt it in the classroom."

What this means for instructors, the lead researcher says, is that "They should not waste any time or energy trying to determine the composition of learning styles in their classrooms. (Are 50 percent of my students visual learners? Are 20 percent of them kinesthetic learners?)."

Not surprisingly, critics have responded. 

Robert J. Sternberg, dean of arts and sciences at Tufts University and a psychologist who has done considerable work specifically on learning styles, responded in an e-mail message that the researchers did not fully survey the scholarly literature, and thus "come across looking either biased about or largely ignorant of the field," the article reports. 

One should probably read the entire piece to get the picture. Also, the speaker at the TCCTA Professional Development Seminar, during the annual convention in Houston, will likely have some thoughts on the matter of learning styles, citing the latest in brain research. "The Multiple Pathways Model: Using Brain Research to Orchestrate Learning," will be presented by Janet Zadina, a cognitive neuroscientist, reading specialist, and former high school and community college instructor. Here's the link.

Will E-Books Last…Or Fade?

Hand-held electronic books are reportedly selling well this holiday season. The new e-books may have interesting implications for college instruction, since the rising cost of traditional texts has attracted considerable legislative attention. Plus, the public schools are already moving in this general direction. The new devices apparently seem to have all the advantages of traditional books, while potentially costing much less less per unit (not to mention all the trees to be saved and the lighter back packs).

Still, an important discussion concerns whether e-books are going to catch on like, say, iPods, or fade from view quickly, as with eight-track stereo systems or CB radios. Almost always, new devices are eventually replaced with something else that is faster, cheaper, or just more comfortable. It's hard to tell a fad from a trend. 

The answer to this question will likely be complicated. For now, it may be better to examine the business model, rather than simply observe whether bibliophiles are happy with their new toys, or whether people generally just like the idea. Is there competition in the market? Are young people flocking to purchase the new devices? Is a laptop just as good, in terms of downloading texts? What hybrids may be available?

A recent piece in the Wall Street Journal by Geoffrey A. Fowler gets into all this. It's worth a read as discussions continue on campus, at the Coordinating Board, and in the Texas Legislature. If e-books are profitable with general readership, then college bookstores are likely to get into the business that much quicker. Many are already offering digital books, but it may still be in the experimental stage. 

Here's a passage from the WSJ piece:

"If you have the disposable income and love technology—not books—you should get a dedicated e-reader," says Bob LiVolsi, the founder of BooksOnBoard, the largest independent e-book store. But other people might be better-off repurposing an old laptop or spending $300 on a cheap laptop known as a netbook to use for reading. "It will give you a lot more functionality, and better leverages the family income," he says.

And:

Still, it's unclear how—and on what sort of device—most people will be comfortable reading e-books. Many people seem perfectly happy reading books on their PCs: Reading Web site Scribd.com, which offers millions of amateur and professional works, is attracting 50 million readers each month. LibreDigital Inc., a distributor of e-books for publishers, says the overwhelming majority of e-book buyers are women who read e-books on an ordinary computer screen, mostly between 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. A growing number of readers are also perusing books on cellphones.

GIFTS Sessions Announced

The Great Ideas for Teaching Students (GIFTS) Sessions are a popular fixture of the annual TCCTA convention. These brief ten-minute workshops are presented by campus practitioners, allowing faculty members an eclectic menu of programs to sample during a brief period of time. The GIFTS will be presented at 8:00 a.m., on Friday, March 5, at the Westin Galleria Hotel in Houston.

Please consult the TCCTA Web site for updates.

• Presenter: Pam George, Amarillo College. “Walking in Someone’s Shoes.” An activity to enhance sensitivity to the disabled and elderly. This activity has received extremely positive response from health care students.
• Presenter: Mary Dodson, Amarillo College.“Using Students to Teach.” An activity to encourage students to take the stage and teach their peers.
• Presenter: Sabra Gore, Amarillo College.“Using Local Issues To Engender Student Involvement and Critical Thinking.”
• Presenter: Monique M. Dupuis, Amarillo College. “Click Your Way Better Student Feedback in Ten Minutes.”
• Presenter: Katherine Allen, Midland College. “Thinking Frames.” Useful tools for instructors and students in learning critical thinking.  Frames are 3-4 step “skeletons” that help students work through critical thinking steps. They are already developed so teachers don’t have to come up with them!
• Presenter: Jan Anderson, Central Texas College. “Passports for Student Success.” Created by Constance Staley, Professor of Communications at the University of Colorado, this simple technique has multiple applications to encourage good attendance, adherence to deadlines, completion of projects, or any other areas where students need incentives to give them that extra boost toward success.
• Presenter: Lois Brokenbourgh, Blinn College.  “Collaborative Testing: Another Learning Opportunity for Students.” Our adult learners want to perform well on exams and need to learn material for long-term retrieval. You will learn briefly how to set up such testing and to access a review of the literature, with  a more detailed PowerPoint presentation.

Technology Seminars Announced

The TCCTA Professional Development Committee will sponsor a number of the highly popular Technology Seminars in conjunction with the annual convention in Houston, March 4-6, 2010.

The seminars, which will cover many aspects of the use of new technology in the classroom, are designed to provide practical instruction on the latest teaching innovations. All seminars will be held on Friday afternoon, March 5, at the Westin Galleria Hotel. No pre-registration or fees are necessary for members who are registered for the convention, but seating may be limited. Room locations will be published in the program, which is distributed at registration. Attendees who have laptop computers may wish to bring them for any “hands on” training or software that may be available at some sessions.

“Beyond E-Texts: How Open Textbooks are Bringing Instructional Quality Up and Costs Down”

Presenter: Eric Frank, Co-Founder, Flat World Knowledge

Education is the black gold of the 21st century. Increasingly, technology enables the free flow of information and knowledge to those who need it. Old business models, however, often stand in the way. Whereas e-texts are Act I in the transformation of educational publishing, this session looks beyond to Act II. Specifically, this session covers what open textbooks are and how an open approach can result in higher quality textbooks that deliver (1) cost savings to students (2) enhanced choices for students to access textbook content in the format that best suits their learning style and (3) flexibility for faculty to adapt textbook content to better suit their teaching style and control timing of new editions and (4) a forward-looking compensation model for authors.

“Millennials: Reaching and Teaching Digital Natives with Web 2.0”

Presenter: Manoucher R. Khosrowshahi, Professor of Government, Tyler Junior College

The Millennials (born after 1980) are bringing more to the colleges than tattoos, flip flops, low hanging saggy pants that expose body parts or undergarments, IPhones, and IPods. They have new ways of learning, communicating, collaborating and getting things done via new technology. This presentation will explore the millennial generation and Web 2.0, identify their unique characteristics, and provide some strategies for teaching and working with these students. Furthermore, we will talk about evolution of Web 2.0, related concepts and technologies, and Web 2.0 applications to teach and reach millennial students.

“Introduction to SoftChalk LessonBuilder”

Presenter: David Evans, Trainer, SoftChalk Learning

Discover the power of SoftChalk LessonBuilder! That’s what you’ll do in this session. SoftChalk is an easy-to-use Web lesson editor for which every public, two-year college in Texas holds a perpetual site license. Colleges that didn’t already have a license at the start of this school year were provided one by the Virtual College of Texas. With SoftChalk, you create engaging, interactive Web lessons without knowing any HTML or programming. You spend your time developing content, not learning how to use complex software. And the results are impressive: polished, professional-looking online lessons that include interactive learning games, multiple types of questions, pop-up text annotations, friendly navigation, and other student-engaging features. Mr. Evans will demonstrate its key features, answer questions, and convince you that creating sophisticated, student-appealing, interactive eLearning lessons is within the reach of every instructor.

“Hybrid Courses 201: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”

Presenter: Carol Barbay, Professor of Psychology, Lamar State College–Port Arthur

Dr. Barbay will discuss the pros and cons of hybrid courses. Do you know what to expect if you venture into this course format? She will discuss how you and your students can benefit from this course format as well as pitfalls that can cause problems for everyone. This discussion will offer strategies for enhancing the positive features  and minimizing the potential negative aspects. You will leave the discussion with a toolbox of tips and strategies that will give your hybrid courses a sparkle, offering you and your students the best advantage!

“The Texas Network for Teaching Excellence in CTE: Everything You’ve Been Looking For —and More!”

Presenters: Terry Mouchayleh, Director of Professional Development and Evaluation, Austin Community College, Marcos Molina, Technical Support Manager, Fund for Professional Excellence in the Community College, and Richard Moore, Executive Director, Texas Community College Teachers Association

Join this session to learn about this Perkins-funded project, The Network, which is the result of a unique partnership between community colleges, statewide professional development consortia, and TCCTA. The Network provides online modules, webinars, a portfolio system, a variety of resources, and a robust search function, all at no cost to the user. The session will provide a demonstration of the site content and capabilities.

“Taking Teaching to a New World: Introduction to Second Life and Its Many Uses in Teaching”

Presenters: Frances Crawford, Dawn Elmore-McCrary, Jon McCarter, and Fred Kinman, San Antonio College

Find inspiration in a Second Life! Transform yourself, your students, and your teaching with this virtual world platform. Second Life is a user based program that every person can use for free. You don’t need special equipment to use this product. There are no licensing fees. With Second Life, you can have synchronous and engaging classes, field trips, and other learning experiences without knowing any HTML or programming.

“Professional Development Modules: Free Web-Based Assistance for Texas Teachers in Critical Thinking, Language Acquisition, Reading Comprehension, and Online Instruction”

Presenter: Allen Michie, Program Director, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board

The Coordinating Board has sponsored four grants for institutions to produce Professional Development Modules in areas that reach across academic disciplines and address core concepts within the College Readiness Standards. The modules, which will be available free to all instructors in all Texas public institutions, address the “best practices” for improving both teaching and learning. They include teacher interviews, sample lesson plans, overviews of key concepts, recent research, bibliographies, discussion forums, and more. Each module can be taken in its entirety, or in stand-alone units that can be viewed as needed.

Those &%$#* Community Colleges!!

You probably believe that your chosen profession serves a noble, if not saintly, purpose, and that society is improved, albeit perhaps in a modest way, because of your efforts. You believe that students are better off because of your presence at a two-year college. That the community college movement has been a good thing. That the years of toil have been worth it, all things considered, even with the grading of papers, bad student behavior, soul-crushing in-service training sessions, and loopy curriculum meetings. That your efforts have mattered. That your professional life has meaning.

But no.

Alas! (as Mark Twain would say), not according to a new study by the National Bureau of Economic Research, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In a paper titled, "Why Have College Completion Rates Declined? An Analysis of Changing Student Preparation and Collegiate Resources," researchers have determined that the growth of community colleges is at least partially responsible for declining completion rates by students. 

In fairness, one should probably read the full report, but here's a key sentence from the abstract: "Comparing two cohorts from the high school classes of 1972 and 1992, we show eight-year college completion rates declined nationally, and this decline is most pronounced amongst men beginning college at less-selective public 4-year schools and amongst students starting at community colleges." The researchers say more attention should be paid to the "supply side" of the equation, perhaps reflecting an economic, rather than educational, perspective. 

Hey, Cambridge, could it be that more people who never would have attended college in the first place are now doing so? And that these individuals tend to be less prepared now than during the Nixon years? 

Clifford Adelman, a senior associate at the Institution for Higher Education Policy and former Department of Education researcher, told Inside Higher Ed. that he detects at least one methodological problem with the study: “The failure of literature review.” Plenty of other studies have used the same NCES data to study degree completion rates, he said, but those studies weren't taken into account in designing and implementing this study.

Dr. Adelman may regret one statement in the piece: “Your grandma could have told you that students who start out at a community college—controlling for level of academic preparation—would be less likely to graduate than those who first enroll at a flagship or private institution."

Well, grandmas? 

Art Section Offers Tour of Mansion

Friday, March 5th, from 2:30–5:00 p.m., the TCCTA Art Section will feature a tour of the Rienzi Mansion in Houston. Bus transportation from the Westin Galleria will be provided. The departure location will be printed in the convention program, available at registration for the annual convention.

NOTE: While the tour is open to all members and their guests, it does require a $20.00 entrance fee per person. Reservations are required no later than March 1. Please send e-mail to Karmien.Bowman@tccd.edu.

Opened to the public in 1999, Rienzi is the Center for European Decorative Arts at the Houston Museum of Fine Arts. Comprising a remarkable art collection, a house, and gardens, the mansion was given to the museum by arts patrons Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III.

The handsome residence is situated on 4.4 acres in Homewood Addition, surrounded by Houston’s River Oaks neighborhood. The structure was designed in 1952 by John F. Staub, the same architect who designed Bayou Bend. Rienzi served as both a family home and a center for Houston civic and philanthropic activity from its completion in 1954, through Mrs. Masterson’s death in 1994, and until Mr. Masterson’s death in 1997.

For more information on the venue, visit www.mfah.org/rienzi.