The Academy Experience: The Academy Experience:A Plan for Integrated EducationA Plan for Integrated Education

Imagine:Imagine:

Students aren’t justStudents aren’t justenrolledenrolled at a community college. at a community college.

Students are Students are membersmembers of of Queensborough academies.Queensborough academies.

The world of higher education The world of higher education

has traditionally been called has traditionally been called

academia or academe or the academy, academia or academe or the academy,

the place of scholarship the place of scholarship

and dissemination of learning and dissemination of learning

to new generations of students.to new generations of students.

At Queensborough, At Queensborough, academies are academies are cohorts of students cohorts of students

by curriculum. by curriculum.

Each academy has three Each academy has three dimensions:dimensions:

An educational An educational philosophyphilosophy A place for learningA place for learning A community of learnersA community of learners

The Academy has an The Academy has an

educational philosophy:educational philosophy:

An integrated educational experience An integrated educational experience incorporating academic and social incorporating academic and social connectivity to their curricula, the college connectivity to their curricula, the college community, and their peers will enable community, and their peers will enable students to develop and apply critical students to develop and apply critical lifelong learning skills.lifelong learning skills.

The AcademyThe Academy

is a place:is a place:

The designated space for the The designated space for the academy is the focus for academy academy is the focus for academy activities, where faculty, students, activities, where faculty, students, and academic support staff can and academic support staff can engage one another in learning.engage one another in learning.

The AcademyThe Academy

is a community of learners:is a community of learners:

Curricular cohorts of students partner Curricular cohorts of students partner with faculty and academic support staff with faculty and academic support staff to achieve learning objectives and to to achieve learning objectives and to enable the completion of degree enable the completion of degree requirements.requirements.

In a QCC academy, students are actively In a QCC academy, students are actively engaged in the literature and discourse, engaged in the literature and discourse, underlying fundamentals, and overarching underlying fundamentals, and overarching philosophies specific to their own discipline:philosophies specific to their own discipline:

Engineering Tech

Process Analysis

Sciences

Scientific Method

Business

Numeracy / Comparative Thinking

Biology / Nursing

Vocabulary Building / Interpersonal Skills

Mathematics

Numeracy / Problem-Solving

Education

Socratic Method

Liberal Arts

Critical Analysis / Interpretation

A degree from the Academy A degree from the Academy means:means:

Students have demonstrated Students have demonstrated both fundamental and more both fundamental and more specialized competencies in specialized competencies in preparation for the world of work preparation for the world of work or the continuation of their or the continuation of their academic pursuits.academic pursuits.

How does the Academy prepare How does the Academy prepare students for their careers or for students for their careers or for

higher education?higher education?

Through the Integrated Education

model.

The blueprint for, The blueprint for, and archive of, and archive of,

students’ students’ academic academic planningplanning

Academic Academic support outside support outside the classroom: the classroom: tutoring, and tutoring, and

information and information and technology technology

literacyliteracy

The doorway to The doorway to partnership partnership

in the academy in the academy experienceexperience

An online gallery An online gallery highlighting highlighting

student student benchmark benchmark

performancesperformances

Writing-to-Writing-to-learn as a learn as a

critical critical thinking thinking

mechanismmechanism

Linked courses Linked courses reinforcing reinforcing students’ students’

identity in their identity in their AcademiesAcademies

Establishing a Establishing a solid solid

foundation for foundation for coping with coping with academic academic

rigorsrigors

CETL

WAC / WI

e-Portfolio

Campus Learning Center

Learning Communitie

s

Remediation / ST100

Advisement / MAP

Learning Academie

s

What is Integrated What is Integrated Education?Education?

Exploration, Exploration, assessment, and assessment, and modification of modification of

best practices in best practices in the the

teaching/learning teaching/learning partnershipspartnerships

1. Communicate effectively through reading, writing, listening and speaking.

2. Use analytical reasoning to identify issues and evaluate evidence in order to make informed decisions.

3. Reason quantitatively and mathematically.

4. Use information management and technology skills effectively.

Through the integrated education model, students will be able, at

graduation, to:5. Integrate knowledge

and skills in students’

programs of study.

6. Differentiate between and

make informed decisions

about issues based on multiple value systems.

7. Work collaboratively in diverse groups to accomplish learning objectives.

Competencies

Q: What is the role of e-Q: What is the role of e-Portfolio in Portfolio in students’ Integrated students’ Integrated Education Education experience?experience?

CETL

WAC / WI

e-Portfolio

Campus Learning Center

Learning Communitie

s

Remediation / ST100

Advisement / MAP

Learning Academie

s

Integrated EducationIntegrated Education

A: In the academies, students A: In the academies, students will experience and document will experience and document formative achievements that formative achievements that build toward and culminate in build toward and culminate in a major curricular project. a major curricular project.

Milestone

Capstone

0 - 12 13 - 44 45 - 60Credits:

Cornerstone

e-e-PortfolioPortfolio

Milestone

Capstone

0 - 12 13 - 44 45 - 60Credits:

Cornerstone

Project-based learning tasks Project-based learning tasks uploaded to students’ e-uploaded to students’ e-

Portfolios can mark Portfolios can mark Cornerstone, Milestone, and Cornerstone, Milestone, and

Capstone achievements.Capstone achievements.

Therefore, e-Portfolios Therefore, e-Portfolios evolve as students evolve evolve as students evolve

as learning as learning partners in their partners in their

respective communities.respective communities.

Our Institutional Our Institutional ChallengesChallenges

How can we implement How can we implement the plan for Integrated Education the plan for Integrated Education so that it appears transparent so that it appears transparent and seamless for students?and seamless for students?

Challenge 1:Challenge 1:

Our Institutional Our Institutional ChallengesChallenges

How can we ensure that the 8 How can we ensure that the 8 Integrated Education initiatives have Integrated Education initiatives have established learning objectives established learning objectives corresponding to the General corresponding to the General Education objectives? Education objectives?

Challenge 2:Challenge 2:

Our Institutional Our Institutional ChallengesChallenges

How will we ensure that these How will we ensure that these General Education objectives can be General Education objectives can be demonstrated and assessed through demonstrated and assessed through Cornerstone, Milestone, and Cornerstone, Milestone, and Capstone experiences? Capstone experiences?

Challenge 3:Challenge 3:

Our Institutional Our Institutional ChallengesChallenges

How will we ensure that these How will we ensure that these Cornerstone, Milestone, and Capstone Cornerstone, Milestone, and Capstone experiences become artifacts of each experiences become artifacts of each student’s e-Portfolio? student’s e-Portfolio?

Challenge 4:Challenge 4:

Imagine the Possibilities!Imagine the Possibilities!

Members of Queensborough academies don’t Members of Queensborough academies don’t just meet credit requirements:just meet credit requirements:

• They acquire unique, discipline-specific They acquire unique, discipline-specific perspectivesperspectives

• They apply these perspectives and critical They apply these perspectives and critical analyses in Cornerstone, Milestone and analyses in Cornerstone, Milestone and Capstone e-Portfolio presentationsCapstone e-Portfolio presentations

and…and…

• They achieve proficiency in They achieve proficiency in 3 critical literacies…3 critical literacies…

Numeracy / Mathematical

Literacy

Information Literacy

Social / Interpersonal

Literacy

Imagine This Result!Imagine This Result!

QCC students leave the academy QCC students leave the academy

better prepared for global better prepared for global citizenship citizenship

as they transition to the workplace as they transition to the workplace

or continue their academic or continue their academic pursuits.pursuits.