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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

Barbara Anderson, Pierce CollegeKenneth Bearden, Butte College Marybeth Buechner, Cosumnes River College Janet Fulks, Bakersfield CollegeSteve Reynolds, College of the SiskiyousAnthony Samad, East LA CollegeLinda Umbdenstock – Long Beach City College

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

How do you develop dialogue on a campus? Are there ways to provide incentive for faculty

participation? What issues arise when dialoguing with faculty and

how do you respond to them? How do you initiate positive and productive program

dialogue to develop SLOs that everyone can agree to? Nuggets of wisdom What techniques that work and don’t work Tying program assessment to Program Review Mapping SLOs across programs

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

“Excellent” chocolate? “Chocolaty” outcomes?Characteristics

assessed? Aroma Flavor Texture Satiety Nutritional value

Rubric creation

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

Dialogue that is Inclusive Informed Ongoing Self-reflective Intentional

About Student learning Institutional quality/Effectiveness Systematic improvement

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

Based on evidence and information that is Accurate and current Responsive Quantitative and qualitative

About Courses and course-level outcomes Programs and program-level outcomes Support Services and their outcomes And institutional outcomes

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

Setting the Stage Academic Freedom Philosophy Statements Moderate the expectations What is already happening on your

campus?

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Barbara Anderson, Los Angeles Pierce College Using what we have

Pulling from Curriculum Documents Objectives or outcomes?

Meeting in a department with course syllabi asking What are we doing What do our students need? What could we be doing better? What are we doing well? Aligning course to outcomes

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Linda Umbdenstock – Long Beach City College

Summer projects w/workshops (departments/program)

Sharing the results on flex day 2 two-hour sessions 4-6 departments share each session Followed by hands on

Scholars’ Retreat

College-wide colloquium on Ed Master Plan goal

Use for documenting dialogue for Self-Study

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Kenneth Bearden – Butte College Embedding the discussion in existing committee

work Curriculum Review Program Review Unit Plans and Strategic Planning Chairs and Coordinators meetings Learning communities

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Dr. Anthony A. Samad – East L.A. College ELAC Academic Senate Set The Tone for a “faculty-

driven, ‘go slow’” approach Incorporated into Opening Day Agenda (in 2005 and again

this coming Fall, 2007) Have held two campus-wide faculty workshops Held an Open Academic Senate meeting to address faculty

concerns SLO Reports have a standing agenda position in the

Educational Plan Sub-Committee, Student Success Committee and Academic Senate meetings

Bi-weekly SLO committee meetings open to all faculty

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Steve Reynolds – College of the Siskiyous Integrating into current practices

Curriculum Development/Review Strategic Planning Program Review

Initiating into current practices Annual Planning Basic skills Faculty evaluation???????

Lessons learned (Pitfalls)

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful DialogueExamples

Marybeth Buechner – Cosumnes College

Philosophy: Value what we currently do. Find the overlap between what we find most useful and what WASC wants.

Practices: Use course outlines as one way to align assessment with outcomes/objectives. Define programs based on common set of outcomes - including student services

Question: How do we document the dialogue?

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Practical Approaches to Doing the Dialogue

Lets Dialogue. Reassemble into groupsTalk about practical approaches you think will work on

your campus What types of dialogue are currently occurring? How will you promote dialogue at your college? Any other creative ideas you have heard to stimulate

dialogue? Any new ideas after hearing those shared today? How will you document this dialogue? What is WASC looking for in our dialogue and

documentation?Write your ideas on the flip charts to report out later.

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Practical Approaches to Doing the Dialogue

1. Lets Dialogue Conclusion

2. Groups will report out and as they do

Marybeth will model the use of a Venn Diagram to get a visual on how what we are already doing overlaps with WASC standards

Useful practices

WASC standards

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Some Not-so -Good Practices for Robust Dialogue

Don‘t say anything that devalues the expertise and abilities of your faculty - they have been and are doing this work

Don’t say “this will be a measuring stick for retaining faculty and programs

Don’t say “ If you fail to participate you will … Don’t let people with agendas monopolize the

discussion Don’t focus on only the positives (everyone will

have things that don’t work and sometimes you learn more from this)

Don’t talk about what you will do – focus on what you are doing

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Good Practices for Robust Dialogue Start with questions relevant to the group. Use local culture and organization as the rule of thumb. Make the dialogue meaningful and important to daily work

and . Make dialoging safe; develop assessment philosophies or

contracts. See the samples handed out. Be prepared to moderate personal agendas Be attuned to the language and ideas – clarify your campus

terminology; talk in ordinary English but connect it to WASC terminology.

Make it fun. Close the loop soon; share the positive outcomes campus-

wide. Use follow up questions.

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Barbara Anderson of Pierce College SLO philosophy statement10 reason's why we'll love working together

(or, the top 10 reasons you should love working with me!) ;) 1) I recognize that you’re the experts in your field. 2) I won’t waste your time. (Let’s keep it meaningful.) 3) I love your students. (Your student’s success should be the

focus of SLO creation.) 4) The process will (should) result in course and/or program

improvement. 5) I believe in academic freedom and I respect faculty. (SLOs

should be faculty driven.) 6) I see the value in the process. (“Failure” can be harnessed to

lead to success.) 7) I value “in the box” and “out of the box” thinking. (I believe in

using what we have as well as creating/discovering what we need.) 8) Two heads are better than one: I value teamwork and the power

of brainstorming. (Collegiality is invigorating!) 9) I’ll go the distance with you. (I’ll follow through with you on

the full cycle of assessment and beyond.) 10) Celebrating success should be part of the process! (I believe in

the power of laughter and I have a beer budget I’m willing to tap into.)

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Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

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Happy dialoguing!