Education Commons^™

Large Scale Open Educational Resources (Oer) Initiative In Mathematics, Alioune Khoule, Abderrazak Belkharraz Idrissi, Sandra Sze

Publications and Research

A team of LaGuardia Community College math faculty designed and launched the OER (Open Educational Resources) project in Spring 2017 to allow to take mathematics courses at zero or low textbook cost. Our first pilot phase started with 10 sections in Fall 2017 using three different OER platforms: Myopenmath, Webwork and Khanacademy. One out of the three platforms, Myopenmath used in phase 1 was selected to pilot 34 sections in Spring 2018. In Fall 2018, the OER team moved to a full-scale implementation on all remedial and gateway courses of 164 sections including Fundamentals of Algebra, Intro to Algebra, Elementary …

Linguistically Responsive Instruction In Corequisite Courses At Community Colleges, Heather B. Finn, Sharon Avni

Publications and Research

English Learners (ELs) attend community colleges at a greater rate than four-year schools, making community colleges primary sites of ESL education in American higher education. These institutions’ recent embrace of the corequisite structure – a pairing of a non-credit developmental course with a credit-bearing disciplinary content course in order to accelerate students’ progress in their coursework – has direct implications for ELs. As corequisites are enacted in a wide range of content areas, professors will need to attend to students’ language development in a wide range of disciplinary courses. This qualitative study applies Linguistically Responsive Instruction as a framework to …

Implementing Excellence In Diversity, Equity, And Inclusion In The Library Workforce: Tips To Overcome Challenges, Kanu A. Nagra, Bernadette M. López-Fitzsimmons

Publications and Research

Diversifying the library workforce is challenging, with the graduation data of library and information science degrees not representing equity in demographics for diverse populations. Is this the reason for the lack of diversity among library staff or are recruitment practices not based on measurable performance standards? Both questions call upon the library and information science (LIS) profession to address diverse staffing issues to remedy these challenges.

Getting To Work: Information Literacy Instruction, Career Courses, And Digitally Proficient Students, Alexandra Hamlett

Publications and Research

This article discusses how following graduation, students often enter the job market unprepared to find, evaluate, and use information in the digital environment effectively. Essentially, there is a disparity between the skills students attain in college coursework, including information literacy (IL) skills, and those required in the workplace, which impacts graduates’ success as new members of the labour market. The article highlights how collaboration between a librarian and an instructor of a career centered course influenced instructional design for IL instruction in their courses. Librarians and instructors will benefit from practical examples from Guttman Community College’s innovative IL Program and …

Using Phet Simulations To Improve Scientific Skills And Attitudes Of Community College Students, Rex Taibu, Lloyd Mataka, Vazgen Shekoyan

Publications and Research

In this study, conceptual and algebra-based physics students were engaged in scientific inquiry using Physics Education Technology (PhET) interactive simulations via semester-long group projects. The instructor and students used the Scientific Abilities Assessment Rubrics (SAAR) to evaluate project presentations and papers (formative assessment). The overall research project was evaluated using Lab Skills Self-Assessment (LSSA) survey (pre and post) and the post reflection survey. The Science Process Skills Inventory (SPSI) was used to analyze some of the students‟ responses to the reflection survey. Quantitative analysis of the LSSA survey showed a large effect size for both conceptual and algebra-based physics students …

Academic Assessment: Best Practices For Successful Outcomes With Accreditation Evaluation Teams, Tammie Cumming, M. David Miller

Publications and Research

This chapter describes the role of faculty in conducting quality assessment and includes suggestions for preparing for successful meetings with reviewers on accreditation teams.

How Adjunct Faculty At Community Colleges Describe Their Sustained Motivation To Teach, Maureen E. Sheridan

Publications and Research

There is mounting concern over the influence that hiring larger percentages of adjunct faculty has had on the quality of instruction delivered in higher education. Studies have noted these contingent workers are being hired as an economic resource or commodity rather than viewed as academic partners. This basic inductive study on adjunct faculty in northeast U.S. two-year colleges was important to add to the existing body of knowledge. Utilizing a basic inductive approach allowed the researcher to explore adjunct faculty experiences and to gather data through individualized, semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was examined through the lens of hygiene-motivation theory that …

A Tale Of Two Placements: Influences Of Esl Designation On The Identities Of Two Linguistic Minority Community College Students, Jennifer Maloy

Publications and Research

This article draws upon interviews with two Generation 1.5 students at an urban community college with a large multilingual student population, demonstrating the ways in which ESL designation and writing placement affect students’ constructions of identity. It compares and contrasts the experiences of one student who is placed into an ESL-­‐designated developmental writing course and one student who is placed into a developmental writing course for native English speakers (NES), exploring the extent to which this placement validates and/or challenges their self-­‐conceptions as students and writers. It also promotes investigation of placement procedures that perpetuate divisions between ESL and NES …

In Her Own Words: Make A (Mission) Statement, Diana V. Macri

Publications and Research

Creating a personal mission statement will allow faculty to remain focused on what their core purpose is. Remaining focused on this purpose will facilitate career growth and personal happiness.

Beyond Physical Space: Implementing A Virtual Learning Commons At An Urban Community College, Heba Elsayed, Carlos Guevara, Rebecca Hoda-Kearse, Isabel Li, Kate Lyons, George Rosa, Varun Sehgal

Publications and Research

The administration, faculty, and staff at Hostos Community College strive to improve students’ computer and information literacy skills while meeting the distinct needs of Millennials. In 2007, Hostos initiated a project to reconfigure physical spaces throughout the campus (areas in the Library, Academic Learning Center, Educational Technology Office, and Academic Computing Center) and establish a unified virtual space, creating a cross-divisional entity: the Information Learning Commons (ILC).

This case discusses the formation of the ILC Committee, the group that envisions and manages physical ILC spaces’ renovation and also develops virtual spaces; the planning and implementation of physical learning commons spaces; …