Innovations
December
2013
I don't blow a whistle, wear a jersey, or give pep talks in a locker room, but I am a coach--an instructional coach. The players are the teachers at a community college, the field is the classroom, and I help a team to practice teaching methods that engage students and improve academic success. Instructional coaches are on-site professional developers who work collaboratively with teachers, empowering them to incorporate research-based instructional methods into their classrooms (Knight, 2007). Interest in coaching has grown dramatically in the last ten years with school districts and states...
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December
2013
Lone Star College System (LSCS) is joining colleges across Texas to encourage students to successfully complete their educational goals through participation in the Commit to Complete initiative. This initiative was created as part of Texas Completes, which brings together three community colleges and five community college systems—Alamo Colleges, Austin Community College, Dallas County Community College District, El Paso Community College, Kilgore College, Lone Star College System, Odessa College, and South Texas College—with a common vision to rethink college practices, transform community...
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December
2013
The Great Ideas for Teaching (GIFT) Center and the Teaching & eLearning Support (TeLS) team at Yavapai College recently ran a very unique professional development challenge that included Ben and Jerry's ice cream and generated over 300 pages of writing from faculty in just nine weeks!
In a nutshell, the two centers challenged the college faculty to write 25 sentences a week about teaching and learning for nine consecutive weeks. Out of about 300 possible full time and adjunct faculty, 17 rose to the challenge.
The faculty who signed up were asked to write the words online, where they...
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November
2013
The Centre of Excellence for Clean Energy Technology (Energy House) at the Dawson Creek Campus of Northern Lights College (NLC) in northeastern British Columbia has achieved LEED® Platinum certification by the Canada Green Building Council.
With the certification, Energy House becomes one of only a few dozen LEED Platinum buildings in the New Construction and Major Renovation category in Canada.
NLC Regional Facilities Manager, Murray Armstrong, andPresident and CEO, Laurie Rancourt, with LEED Platinum plaque.
According to the certification review report completed in June by the Canada Green...
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November
2013
The curtain rose in July on another Front Range Family Theatre production, and this year's production of Jackie and the Beanstalk at Front Range Community College (FRCC) brought total attendance to these summertime productions to nearly 20,000 children and adults since 2004.
Student Giovanni Martelli (Jackie) sells the family cow in a productionof Jackie and the Beanstalk.
Family theater is just one example of outreach activities central to the strategic priorities of FRCC, the largest community college in Colorado with campuses in Fort Collins, Longmont, and Westminster, and a learning...
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October
2013
Delta College, located in Central Michigan, is renovating its Health Professions Building with financial support from the State of Michigan and generous donors. The $20 million renovation will support new instructional methodologies and technologies by updating the facility that was built in the late 1970s. In keeping with its commitment to sustainability, Delta College is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for the building.
"We are confident we'll achieve LEED silver certification of the renovation, but we're still striving for the higher gold...
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October
2013
The William and Helen Thomas Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) Center at Indian River State College (IRSC) creates a unique synergy between the Florida college and life science institutes to support research and high-skill jobs. Located in the region's growing biotechnology corridor in Port St. Lucie, the $19.5 million Thomas Center serves as a multi-faceted resource for scientific research, economic development, collaborative projects, and student internships. Students gain laboratory experience in the latest procedures using cutting-edge technology, preparing them for...
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September
2013
There is no shortage of data illustrating the proliferation of mobile devices and mobile activity in the general population. This diffusion of devices, applications, and activity extends to the teaching and learning community, right down to the classroom level (see Figure 1).
Figure 1. Student Ownership of Technology Devices
Yet, mobile technologies, and even more so, mobile pedagogies are still considered very much an emerging area in higher education. It is critical that some sort of measurement strategy accompany our experimental and pilot programs. But measuring the ability of mobile...
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August
2013
As Iowa's economy slowly recovers and more local employers start hiring, the gap between the state's workforce and employer needs is becoming increasingly evident.
According to a report by Iowa Workforce Development (2012), roughly 50 percent of Iowa's available jobs and growing career areas are considered middle skill, requiring more than a high school education but less than a four-year degree. However, 66 percent of Iowa's unemployed or underemployed have no recognized educational credentials past high school. The same study highlights worker shortages stretching far beyond the current...
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August
2013
When I first started working in a college testing center in 1999, one of the first things I had to do was to become College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) certified. I had no idea what that meant exactly, but it was something that needed to be done so I did it. Little did I realize at the time how much interest I would eventually have in CLEP exams and the overall impact on student success.
Today, over 1,700 college testing centers administer CLEP exams, and the exams are accepted at roughly 2,900 colleges and universities (The College Board, 2012). According to the College Board,...
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July
2013
How do we engage students in meaningful, community service activities that reinforce classroom learning? Germanna Community College (GCC), in northern Virginia, makes a dedicated effort to engage in programs and support activities that help students connect classroom knowledge with community needs and service learning. GCC engineering students participated in the local CANstruction competition held January 18-21, 2013, in Fredericksburg, Virginia. The event was held as one of many National Day of Service events in tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. During the CANstruction competition,...
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July
2013
The League for Innovation recognized and highlighted many outstanding programs, events, and achievements by its member colleges in the League Alliance Member Spotlight, a segment in our monthly newsletter—League Connections. Colleges showcased in this year's Member Spotlight included:
Housatonic Community College
Lone Star College - University Park
Cuyamaca College
Metropolitan Community College-Kansas City
Central Ohio Technical College
Phoenix College
Columbia Gorge Community College
Heartland Community College
North Iowa Community College
Nebraska Indian Community College
Brookdale...
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July
2013
While community colleges have increased their sustainability practices and devoted more attention to sustainability in the classroom, few have assessed student learning of sustainability. Despite increased attention to sustainable practices at colleges across the country, little is known about how much community college students know about sustainability and where they need to improve. Moraine Valley Community College has conducted a project that captures data on sustainability in a variety of courses, provided instructors with a concise measurement device, and established a way forward for...
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June
2013
Neosho County Community College (NCCC) was recognized at the Community College Futures Assembly annual meeting held January 31, 2011, in Orlando, Florida, as a finalist in the Planning, Governance, and Finance category, sponsored by Council for Resource Development. The presentation, titled, "If You Build It, They Will Come," highlighted the construction of the Ottawa Campus completed in nine months using no state or local tax dollars. As one of the 10 finalists, NCCC presented at the Assembly and one winner was then selected from each category by a panel of national experts. The Community...
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June
2013
Congratulations to the faculty, staff, and administrators who are this year's recipients of the League's Innovation of the Year Award!
The League launched the award three decades ago to recognize local community college projects and initiatives that reflect extraordinary achievement and the spirit of innovation and experimentation on which the League was founded. The competition provides an opportunity for member colleges to showcase their innovative programs, practices, policies, partnerships, and resources; to celebrate the dedicated educators who are responsible for such exceptional work;...
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June
2013
Salem Community College (SCC) is meeting the need for unique and high-demand careers, regionally and nationally. Located in Carneys Point, New Jersey, SCC offers two-year degrees in Scientific Glass Technology and Nuclear Energy Technology which support industry's need for employees with specialized skills.
Scientific Glass Technology
SCC's flagship program is the only one of its kind in the United States, and therefore attracts students from across the country. The associate degree program—which teaches students how to create glass apparatus for scientific research in laboratories,...
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May
2013
Foothill College, located in the high-tech heart of California's Silicon Valley, has partnered with the Philippine government to present a custom professional development program that focuses on training educators throughout the Philippines to use today's technology to transform student learning across the country. This program focuses on student-centered learning, educational technology enrichment, and collaborative professional development experiences.
The program centers on training teachers to use today's technology to enhance the current science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM)...
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