NVC FACULTY FORUM
March 28, 2012
Education should bring to light the ideal of the individual – Paul F. Richter
Faculty Development
Opportunities
Linking Learning & Community
For a list of all faculty development opportunities,
Click Here
Vincent Tinto, distinguished University Professor at Syracuse,
has carried out much research in higher education with a
deep focus on student success and the impacts of learning
communities on overall student development and
achievement. He tells us that classrooms, when used as
smaller communities of learning, can be at the very heart of
the academic community. These meeting places provide
students the opportunity to connect and become engaged in
the academic and social environment of their institution
(Braxton, 2000).

Friday, March 30
Real World in the Classroom: Using Case Studies
in (Almost) Every Discipline, led by Andrea
Anderson and Liz Wright
9:30am Faculty Snack Time
10:00am-11:15am – MZH Innovation Center
In this presentation we'll discuss why case-based
learning is important and useful, as well as help
you get started using case studies in your classes.
We'll warn you of the pitfalls to avoid and how to
deal with them, as well as help you practice
writing case studies for your classes. Arrive at 9:30
to chat with colleagues and enjoy a cup of coffee
and snacks.
Friday, April 7
No Development: College Closed
We encourage ALL faculty, both full and part-time
from any of the Alamo Colleges to join us at our
faculty development sessions. For those unable
to attend, slides and notes from the sessions are
available on the SharePoint drive. Videos from
presentations are being edited and uploaded to
Mediasite.
Faculty Development is led by Dr. Melody
Crenshaw. Please feel free to email Melody at
[email protected] with any questions,
comments, or suggestions.
The Faculty Forum is produced by
NVC Interdisciplinary Programs.
Mary Dixson, PhD, Dean
[email protected]
Bonnie Sellers, Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
Our team can be found on
the second floor of Manzanillo Hall
or at (210) 486-4937
Learning communities, in their most basic form, allow
students to register for two or more courses that are linked
together and oftentimes share a common theme. The same
group of students enroll in both linked courses, creating a
“community of learners,” where concepts studied in one
course can be applied in the linked course. This process
ensures that students experience a shared curriculum and
have an interdisciplinary experience that promotes deeper
learning, more than in “stand alone courses” (Braxton,
2000). This type of learning is shown to raise student
involvement, learning, persistence, and bridge the academic
and social divide!
For the fall term, faculty are encouraged to create themed
learning communities that will appeal to students, while
meeting the basic need for core coursework. An excellent
example of this is Sharon Colangelo and Mimi Duvall’s
Women’s Studies learning community. It combines two core
courses, English 1302 (Composition) and Humanities 2319
(American Minority Studies), where students research
notable women and the history of the women’s movement.
This learning community incorporates museum visits, panel
discussions, drumming circles, special projects, and film.
Student reviews have been positive, and the LC continues to
be offered term after term.
NVC’s learning community program hopes to offer students
valuable and memorable learning experiences. We are
currently seeking faculty who may be interested in teaching
a learning community in the fall and/or next spring. For
more information please visit our NVC Learning Communities
home page. Read about additional benefits and see samples
offered at other institutions on the Faculty Resources page.
There you will also find a faculty proposal for learning
community form to submit your ideas.
Upcoming Activities and Events
The Academic Calendar Can Be Found Here
March 28, 10am: Career Expo and Job Fair for Students, CCC Lago Vista
th
March 29 – April 14 – Come see CABARET, presented by NVC Drama Dept.
and the Allegro State Company
April 18, 7pm – NVC Spring Music Festival in PCA 109 & 19
Mary 12, 6pm – Graduation!
At the end, go back to the beginning
Student use of the syllabus
Student use of syllabi, or lack thereof, has often frustrated
faculty. The lost syllabus conversations, the neglected
syllabus conversations, and the “what’s a syllabus?”
conversations we have each semester make us wonder why
we put energy into a document that seems to hold such a
transient place in students’ consciousness.
Yet, research on syllabus use suggests that while students do
use their syllabi regularly, they tend to look at it the day
before or the day of class, leaving little time to prepare for
the day’s activities. Another study found that at the end of
the semester, students focused most heavily on such things
as readings covered by tests/quizzes, types of assignments,
1
schedules of topics, and available support services.
While the study reinforces what many faculty already
perceive, namely that many students have time
management issues, it also provides important information
about syllabus use that can help faculty make them more
effective classroom tools. This may include adding more
information about learning outcomes or study suggestions in
the calendar/assignment sections and reviewing the syllabus
at the beginning of each week.
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cool links and information about teaching
and faculty development.
Is Cooperative Learning the
Cure for Senioritis?
Senioritis, that epidemic of short-timers who have
graduation, new jobs, transfer acceptances, and summer
on their minds, is the bane of many a faculty member.
According to Ronald Maggiano, “The symptoms of this
crippling disease include laziness, excessive apathy, and
chronic tardiness. Additional symptoms may include a
general lack of studying, repeated absences, and
a casually dismissive attitude.
Victims of this illness frequently shrug their shoulders
and say things like "whatever" and ‘yeah right.’” Students
who had once worked hard now devise mathematical
formulas to assess how little work they can do and still
get their desired grade in the course.
Maggiano suggests trying more cooperative learning at
the end of the semester to overcome this viral disease.
When doing homework checks, “most of the groups in
each class had actually completed the assignment!
Students were generally well prepared” and did better
on quizzes than expected. Because students become
more dependent on each other, peer pressure and
encouragement by peers can serve as an antidote.
1
Becker, A. H. & Calhoon, S. K. (1999). What introductory psychology
students attend to on a course syllabus. Teaching of Psychology, 26,
6 - 11.
Source: Washington Post
A Teaching Moment: Review Games
Ideas for getting students to study – By Frances Stephenson, Mass Comm
“Last term, I asked my top 6 students to create a game to help the class review the chapters which would be
covered on the final. If they agreed, I gave them the teacher's guide for that chapter, plus they could draw on their
own notes and all the class materials. In exchange, they were given 15 points grace on the final.”
“The students came up with some extremely creative ideas...one created an online Jeopardy style game, one did
News Pong where you had to throw a ball into a red cup and then answer the question in the cup. Another created
a crossword puzzle and one did a rapid fire quiz style game. The students each took 15 minutes to play each table
game and the student gamer gave them a tip sheet or review sheet from which they could study.
The process made studying for finals much more enjoyable, especially because I created the final based on the
materials used by the students. It did seem to elevate the grades of students who were in danger of failing and for
the students who were doing well, their grade remained stable. “