El Centro College

NISOD celebrates teaching and leadership excellence by inviting
proposals from college faculty and staff leaders, presidents, and
other key administrators including deans, department chairs, and
college teams. To submit a presentation proposal for the 2005
International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, to be held May 29-June1, visit their website at
http://www.nisod.org/conference.

Archived Innovation Abstracts 2003

Innovation Abstracts 2004

"M. Vali Siadat, Professor and Chair of Mathematics, and Director of the Keystone Mathematics Project at Richard J. Daley College (IL) describes an innovative approach to teaching and learning mathematics, tracing the sources of students' difficulties with math to behavior patterns that can be addressed in the classroom. In "Keystone Method: A Dynamic System for Teaching and Learning," Siadat points to significantly improved student performance outcomes at all levels of algebra instruction. "

"In "That, And...," June Karweick, Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at Bay de Noc Community College (MI) describes a useful strategy for stimulating student-to-student interactions in her online classes. The strategy can be employed in any discipline, helping students "think out" the details of a subject collectively while talking with each other in a conversational, yet structured, format."

"Some Rules of the Road for New Teachers"-Bruce Gans, Professor of English at Wright Community College (IL), provides a list of "certain hard truths," or information that can reduce frustration in new teachers as they enter their college classrooms. Especially written for rookies, these "truths" are also useful suggestions and reminders for the more experienced-all in the interest of searching for and rewarding "evidence of (student) engagement."

"Getting Them Excited the First Day," by Alice Reinke, Karen Kemp, Rod Somppi, and Paul Johnson, members of the Curriculum and Technology Planning Team, at Confederation College (CN), describes the results of a collegewide strategy for getting all students off to a great start-first-day activities that keep them coming back for more. Classes focus on answering the usual first-day questions, faculty and staff team up to get students connected with the college and with each other-sound engagement with individuals and programs that continues to promote improved academic success and retention.

In "Making the Research Paper Relevant," James Mayo, Assistant Professor English and Foreign Languages, at Jackson State Community College (TN), challenges the value of the traditional academic paper and offers another approach-students conducting research on topics and about questions that they want to answer for themselves. They play a proactive role in developing the research question and then going about answering it, driven by their own curiosity or "need to know."

Vol. XXVI, No. 13

In "'Playing in the Mud': Teaching Goofy (or Otherwise) Personal Research," Wade Tarzia, Assistant Professor of English, at Naugatuck Valley Community College (CT), describes an extraordinarily successful approach to getting students involved and excited about active research.

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Make plans now to attend the 26th annual International Conference on Teaching and Leadership Excellence, May 23-26, 2004, in Austin, Texas.

The conference program is available online to browse and plan your itinerary. Go to http://www.nisod.org/conference.

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Vol. XXVI, No. 12:

"College 101: Helping Dislocated Workers Transition to College," by Angela Oriano-Darnall, doctoral student in the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin; and Joan Williams, Vice President for Student Services and Athletic Director at Southeastern Community College (IA), reports on a highly successful college initiative to inform and welcome new students to college. Retention and academic success data challenge traditional notions about what orientation sessions should do and demonstrate what orientations must do, especially for today's first-time college students!

"Make Connections! Bonding Freshmen, Student to Student," Kay Dean Bethea, Writing Instructor at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College-Jefferson Davis Campus, describes Connections, a mentoring program that combines sponsors, mentors, and students for improved student retention.

"Making Biology Lab Lovable," Wei Zhou, doctoral student in the CCLP, and Dee Silverthorn, Senior Lecturer in the School of Biological Sciences in the College of Natural Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin, describe a successful strategy for developing students' multidimensional skills required in future professional positions-strategies that break from tradition, requiring critical work before the lab begins and building on critical student portfolios.

In "Abolishing Late Registration," Hank Dunn, Vice-President for Student Services, and Anna Mays, Director of Student Success Services at Sinclair Community College (OH), describe the development, implementation, and outcomes of a revolutionary plan to eliminate the student casualties caused by traditional registration policies. Improved registration policies improve retention and student success.

In "Building Student Accountability in Group Work Through Student-Generated Criteria," Lauren Servais, English Instructor at Cascadia Community College (WA), describes a process for helping students take ownership of their own assessment via collaborative efforts and built-in accountability strategies.

In "Effective Collaborative Writing Assignments," Bob Hurt, Professor and Department Assessment Coordinator at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, describes a collaborative process in which students best learn from each other to improve their individual compositions.

Alicia Ellison, Librarian, at Hillsborough Community College (FL), shares tips for ensuring that students' library assignments are successful for everyone involved-including what to avoid and what to include in planning, collaborating, and "friend-making"-in "Positive Relationships for Productive Library Assignments."

In "A Practical Approach to Preventing Plagiarism," Jennifer Dorhauer, Professor of English, and Crystal lee, Library Faculty and Director of Library Services, at River Parishes Community College (LA), describe a collaborative research project that has improved students' abilities to locate and use information, and to respect the intellectual work of others.

In "Academic Coaching: A New Approach to Supporting Student Success," Thomas Greene, CCLP doctoral student at The University of Texas, describes an academic coaching program at Lake Tahoe Community College (CA), modeled after the corporate world's "executive coaching" strategies, designed to better serve at-risk students. Coaches, counselors, and students collaborate for improved student success with personalized services.

"Some Thoughts on 'Interactivity,'" by Bill Waters, Director of Staff and Program Development at Pensacola Junior College (FL), explores some responses to a student's question: "What am I doing here?" The concept of interactivity, or information exchange, is spilling over into our traditional views of "on-site" and "distance" learning.

In "Community Colleges as National Partners," Solomon Iyobosa Omo-Osagie II, Associate Professor of Politics and History at Baltimore City Community College (MD), seeks to entice students into more critical analysis of government in action with public policy option, studying policies from practical perspectives.

Adriana Palacios, a doctoral student in the Community College Leadership Program at The University of Texas at Austin, describes College Jeopardy, a college's highly successful outreach strategy for increasing 10th-grade students' interests in going to college, in "Financial Aid for 30: Engaging High School Freshmen and Sophomores."

In "Student Perspectives on an Educated Person," Alice Williamson, Assistant Professor of Mathematics at Sussex County Community College (NJ) describes an opportunity to answer students' eternal question: "Why do we have to take this course?" Read about how turning the tables on this question paid off.

In "A Teacher Training Academy," Toni Holloway, Project Leader for the Teacher Training Academy at Mountain View College (TX) and Allatia Harris, District Director of Faculty Development and Core Curriculum Evaluation in the Dallas County Community College District (TX), describe a model one-stop shop for student services, including support networks and academic tracks, and a strategy for identifying and training potential teachers to fill a critical shortage in area public schools.

In "Florida Construction Institute: Putting Students on the Fast Track for Home Building Jobs," Edythe Abdullah, Downtown Campus President, and Donald Green, Executive Vice President for Instruction and Student Services at Florida Community College at Jacksonville, describe an innovative program that combines work and training for students, and offers an effective, financially sound approach to training students for fast-growing, stable occupations.

NISOD Innovation Abstracts 2004

NISOD -- National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development

Archived Innovation Abstracts 2003

Innovation Abstracts 2004