Innovations
February
2013
The ePortfolio: A Workforce Definition
On October 27, 2011, a group of faculty and students from Trenholm State Technical College attended the Oracle Academy Student Forum Day at Alabama State University in Montgomery, Alabama. The forum was presented by the regional director of the Oracle Academy. As part of the Student Forum Day, the director explained what was generally expected of students in the workplace and specifically what Oracle required for employment. In addition to these skills, the presenter informed the group about a recent event that strongly suggested ePortfolios were...
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February
2013
What does it mean to live a better life? There is some truth in that we all may define this somewhat differently, and as individuals these definitions may even change throughout the cycle of life, but what are the commonalities? Most would say happiness and a positive outlook are key ingredients to living a better life; however, having a means to support yourself and your family is essential. Recently, positivity has been mapped by Gallop Inc. and while the results are interesting, what are they telling us? It would seem, from this evidence, that economic prosperity has little to do with it,...
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January
2013
In 2013, the League marks its 45th year of promoting community college innovation, experimentation, and institutional transformation. Through conferences, projects, publications, and other resources, the League offers opportunities for community college educators to explore the innovations of others and to showcase their own. As you celebrate innovation at your college, we invite you to use League events, publications, and project resources to stimulate discussion and foster innovation not only on your campus, but also with colleagues around the world. The following paragraphs describe...
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2013
Today's community college students need to know what research resources are available through their college's library, to learn how to efficiently access the information they need, and to be able to critically evaluate information. The term for this set of skills is information literacy.
Instructors who return to academia or work as adjunct professors have a learning curve to understand how information is now accessed. Full-time faculty with constant demands on their time to keep up with the developments in their field, perform community service, and be available to a larger number of...
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2013
When Wharton County Junior College (WCJC) opened its fourth campus in the small town of Bay City, Texas, in August 2007, it did so through a strong industry partnership. Bay City, home to nearly 20,000 residents, lies just 30 minutes from the Texas Gulf Coast and serves as the county seat for Matagorda County. Major employers in the county include the South Texas Project (STP) nuclear power generation plant and the Celanese and Equistar petrochemical plants, all of which have representatives on WCJC program advisory committees. In all, there are 40 plants within a 50-mile radius of Bay City...
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December
2012
Over the past decade, numerous states have ramped up efforts to improve high school graduation rates and college going rates, particularly for students deemed more likely to fail in these pursuits. As economic opportunities have dwindled and recession has gripped the country, these efforts have taken on increased significance due to a reinvigorated belief that a high school diploma and at least some college credit, if not a college certificate or degree, are critical to an individual's ability to find gainful employment.
In Eugene, Oregon, a partnership between the Eugene School District 4J...
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December
2012
Kelly Ward and Samuel Scott work diligently as a team, creating their company's new flat screen televisions. Talking about the details as they assemble tiny parts, the two act as if they own the place.
Today, they do.
These fifth grade students from Charles City, Iowa, have become something for a day that many students don't even have on their spelling tests: an entrepreneur.
Fifth grade students from all districts in North Central Iowa are invited to participate in a unique program offered at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), which they call Entrepreneur for a Day®.
The...
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December
2012
Heartland Community College (Heartland) in Normal, Illinois, has taken a progressive approach to General Education Program assessment. Typically, colleges develop standard program outcomes, generate rubrics for measuring those outcomes, ask faculty to use the rubrics and share results, and then report results that demonstrate student performance. These methods are fairly well established, can be employed quickly (some standardized measures and cut and paste rubrics for common learning outcomes are available), and can produce documented results that please Boards and accrediting bodies. The...
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December
2012
What is the role of higher education in our world today? Some say universities and colleges should prepare students to think and research critically. Others proclaim that institutions need to mold future citizens of the world. But there is one thing people agree on—schools of higher learning are supposed to ready individuals to fill the workforce needs of tomorrow. Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC), in north-central Oregon, has been ahead of the curve in stabilizing the fragile economy for the last decade. As the only postsecondary institution in a service area of 10,000 miles, CGCC...
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November
2012
Many students can reflect back on college as a time of personal and educational growth, but through the Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) of Central Ohio Technical College (COTC), this opportunity for growth goes beyond the traditional college years.
Launched in July 2004 and recently relocated to the COTC Pataskala campus, the LLI falls under the Workforce Development Innovation Center and provides noncredit educational opportunities for mature learners in Central Ohio. Members broaden and extend their knowledge, share their life experiences, become more attuned to community resources, and...
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November
2012
When the doors opened to the Phoenix College Hannelly One-Stop Enrollment Center on January 3, 2012, a new era of student services at the flagship institution of the Maricopa Community Colleges was launched.
With 74 employees on hand to help staff the center, enrolling students were the first to experience the school's new strategies and processes for handling all aspects of enrollment services. Whether their issues involved Admissions & Records, Financial Aid, Advisement, the Cashier's Office, Recruitment & Retention, or Veterans Services, they were able to get their enrollment needs...
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October
2012
Cerner Corporation, a global health information company with headquarters in North Kansas City, has roughly 10,000 employees and licenses health information solutions to more than 9,000 facilities worldwide. Now in its fourth decade, the company has an annual revenue of $1.9 billion—and there is no slow-down in sight. To meet the workforce needs of current and future growth in the constantly transforming industry of digital medical records, Cerner needs a constant pipeline of sharp, skilled prospective employees. That's where the company's partnership with Metropolitan Community College-...
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October
2012
In southern California, no resource is more precious than water. After years of drought and water sources from northern California drying up, saving every possible drop of water has become increasingly important.
Cuyamaca College's water/wastewater technology program is addressing this vital issue and providing job training for what is sure to be a growing field as more residents and businesses look for ways to save water while irrigating their landscaping.
The college, located in eastern San Diego County and serving about 9,000 students, has received a $535,000 grant from the state...
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October
2012
Exit 7 off Interstate 24 in Paducah is significant to West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC) for more than being the path taken from the highway to get to the campus; it's also the clever name of the college's new literary journal that launched its inaugural issue last spring.
Exit 7: A Journal of Literature and Art is an annual collection of poetry, short stories, creative nonfiction, and artwork that features established and emerging writers and artists from around the country. "It's important for our students to have access to quality, professional work to read and edit,"...
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September
2012
Lone Star College (LSC)-University Park's investment in students and innovation recently paid big dividends as its students and advisor won the 2012 National Education Startup Challenge with their entry known as the Educational Positioning System (EPS). This breakthrough innovation provides students with the ability to develop a career pathway by placing their educational information in their hands, assisting them in assessing their skill capabilities and then guiding them through the educational requirements to obtain future employment. The National Education Startup Challenge is part of the...
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September
2012
The Walmart Brighter Futures Project features a cooperative effort between the Walmart Foundation and a select group of the nation's community colleges led by the League for Innovation in the Community College. The League received a $3.5 million grant from the Walmart Foundation in March 2009 to implement a project involving community colleges across the country for two purposes: to help dislocated workers acquire 21st century job skills and obtain jobs that require those skills; and to increase academic progression, retention, and completion rates for dislocated workers.
Eight community...
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August
2012
Housatonic Community College (HCC), in Bridgeport, CT, has unveiled a two-certificate Advanced Manufacturing Program at the college's new regional advanced manufacturing center. The program, which is currently accepting applications for the fall 2012 semester, will prepare students for advanced manufacturing positions that include machine operator, Computer Numeric Control (CNC) operator, CNC programmer, assembler, and quality control inspector, positions that can pay in the $15-20 range.
Demand for employees with these skills has been spurred by a resurgence of manufacturing in this one-time...
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August
2012
The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC) and Howard Community College (HCC) of Maryland have teamed up to create Global Distinction, a new academic enrichment program for students. Global Distinction recognizes students who have pursued a globally intensive curriculum through identified general education courses, world languages, and international experiences. The mission of Global Distinction is to provide a framework to ensure that students become global citizens prepared for both academic and professional endeavors in the interconnected and interdependent world of the 21st century...
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July
2012
Law enforcement officers and first responders from throughout the region are using the training opportunities at the Rural Justice Training Center (RJTC) at Central Wyoming College (CWC).
The RJTC offers a wide assortment of programs and is able to customize the training needs for individual departments at an affordable price. "Rural law enforcement agencies face the difficult challenge of providing cost-effective and realistic training because of limited budgets," said RJTC Director Eric Heiser. With its central location in Riverton, WY, officers may travel without significantly burdening...
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July
2012
The state-of-the-art Transportation Technology Center at Forsyth Technical Community College (Forsyth Tech) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, hit the ground running not a minute too soon. For the past five years, enrollment has been increasing in all the college's transportation programs: Automotive Systems Technology, Collision Repair and Refinishing Technology, Heavy Equipment and Transport Technology, the Richard Childress Race Car Technology program, and Recreational Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technology. Shop space, computer lab space, and classrooms at the main campus were heavily...
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