Rubber, Meet the Road

1
Rubber, Meet the Road

• Reflections on Piloting a Workforce Readiness
  Certificate Program

2
Introduction

• Ivy Tech Community College
• Past Efforts in Workforce Training
• Planning Phase
• Pilot Phase
• Subsequent Steps

3
Ivy Tech Community College

• Ivy Tech was founded in 1963 as Indiana
  Vocational Technical College
• Re-chartered in 2005 as Ivy Tech Community
  College of Indiana
• It is the nation's largest state-wide community
  college with single accreditation.

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Ivy Tech Community College

• Consists of 14 regions, 23 campuses.
• Serves approximately 120,000 students
• Offers nearly 200 academic programs

5
Ivy Tech Community College

• The Indianapolis-based region is the largest
  single region
• Serves approximately 18,000 students

6
Past Efforts In Workforce Training

• Necessity
• Workforce Readiness Institute (WRI)
• Originated in 1997
• Incorporated 64 contact hours of basic workforce
  readiness skills
• Presented at Innovations 2001 (Atlanta, GA)

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Past Efforts In Workforce Training

• Challenges
• The WRI program was seen as an accessory
• Why invest in what should be free?
• Curriculum transferred to Ivy Techs Workforce
  and Economic Development department

8
Past Efforts In Workforce Training

• New effort began in summer, 2007
• Phases
• Planning Phase
• Pilot Phase

9
Planning Phase

• Cross-functional task force
• Charge Develop and implement a Workforce
  Readiness Certificate simultaneously awarded to
  students completing a certificate or degree at
  Ivy Tech Community College-Central Indiana
• Not an add-on
• Incorporated within the body of existing or
  proposed certificate or degree programs
• Timeframe Report delivered to college leadership
  in April 08

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Planning Phase

• Composition of Task Force
• Academic 3 Student Services 2
• Admin Staff 2 WED 1
• Student 1 Community/Business 2
• Organizing Its Work
• Identify basic/advanced workforce readiness skill
  sets
• Identify appropriate courses to include WFR
  skills
• Propose instructional processes and
  administrative structures to integrate skill sets
  into existing courses and programs.

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Planning Phase

• Identifying Workforce Readiness Skills
• Discussion skills needed for the workplace
• Discovery members paired for research
• Debate what gets included
• Definition two groupings
• basic skill set
• advanced skill set
• (not sequential, but more like a loop)

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Planning Phase

• Basic Skill Set (handout)
• Meeting Deadlines
• Attendance
• Punctuality
• Quality Work
• Interpersonal Skills
• Basic Math
• Basic Reading
• Writing

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Planning PhaseAdvanced Skill Set (handout)

• Goal Setting
• Problem Solving
• Teamwork
• Cross Cultural
• Critical Thinking

• Common Sense
• Self Esteem
• Leadership
• Customer Service
• Professionalism

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Planning Phase

• Aligning Skill Sets w/Curriculum
• Assumptions
• Survey program chairs (handout)
• Do classes address the skills?
• How are they evaluated?
• Unstated, secondary purpose of survey
• Assumptions affirmed

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Planning Phase

• Aligning Skill Sets w/Curriculum
• Review of general education courses common across
  certificate and degree programs (27)
• List of gen ed courses for basic skill sets
• Assign advanced skill set to program level courses

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Planning Phase

• Administration of WRC Program
• WED reports
• Instructional council oversees delivery
• Implementation
• Measurement
• C or better for the course
• Portfolio as an option
• Marketing
• Video
• Website

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Pilot Phase

• Description
• Pilot Committee
• Implementation and Evaluation
• Results
• Recommendations and Concerns

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Pilot Phase - Description

• Three 100-level courses were selected
• BIOL 101 Introductory Biology
• COMM 101 Fundamentals of Public Speaking
• IVYT 101 First Year Seminar
• Basic skills instruction
• Faculty provided considerable leeway
• Syllabi submitted to newly formed pilot committee
  for review (handout)

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Pilot Phase Pilot Committee

• Consisted of lead faculty in selected courses
• Spirited discussion took two forms
• Philosophers with Principles
• Pragmatists and Process

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Pilot Phase Pilot CommitteeConclusions from
Discussions

• Community colleges are all things to all people
• Tools for classroom management
• Some skills problematic
• Personal hygiene and appearance
• Self-esteem
• Manage by exception

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Pilot Phase Implementation and Evaluation

• Implementation - all sections of BIOL 101, COMM
  101, and IVYT 101
• Evaluation (handout)
• Survey given to pilot faculty (11 Likert, 2
  open-ended).
• Compare current students to previous students
• Subjected to Chi-square test

22
Pilot Phase Results (all courses)
23
Pilot Phase Results (all courses)

• Small effect size
• Expected for a single class instance
• Behavioral changes may be cumulative
• Qualitative results were mixed (reflects small
  effect size)

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Pilot PhaseQualitative Results

• Best retention yet! Best on time attendance.
• NO early walkouts anymore. They sign in. They
• hand in class activity sheets. They sign out.
  They
• fuss over getting all their points ? hand in
  late
• activity sheets to improve attendance grade.
• This is a good policy!

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Pilot PhaseQualitative Results

• I dont think a certificate makes any difference
  to
• students. All the external motivation in the
  world
• wont move someone until they find a dream so
• powerful it will ignite the change process. Then
• were talking about intrinsic motivation, and at
  that
• point students do what it takes to succeed.

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Pilot Phase Results (all courses)

• No effect in BIOL 101
• All statistically significant variables were
  Undecided (reflected in qualitative results)
• Potentially reflects a self-selection bias (BIOL
  101 dominated by transfer students)

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Pilot PhaseBIOL 101 Qualitative Results

• Students seem similar to those Ive had in the
• past some I would hire some I wouldnt
• No noticeable improvement. Many excellent
• students, but prior classes had just as many
• Student performance is unchanged

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Pilot Phase - Recommendations

• Determine method for tracking students
• Develop introductory video
• Orientation/training session for faculty
• Balance higher education principles against
  workforce training

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Pilot Phase - Concerns

• Statewide distance education courses
• Transfer students (bronze, silver or gold?)
• Raise the standards (C ? B)
• Form of Recognition? (haves and have-nots)

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Subsequent Steps

• Additional Basic Skills classes for Spring, 2009
• ENGL 111 English Composition
• SCIN 111 Physical Science
• PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology

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Subsequent Steps

• Add Advanced Workforce Readiness Skills
• Fall 2009
• 2XX level, program specific content

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Contact Information

• Dr. Nancy DiLaura, Exec. Dir. Instructional
  Development
• [phone]
• ndilaura_at_ivytech.edu
• Dr. Michael Hall, Professor CIS
• [phone]
• mhall_at_ivytech.edu