SJC

1
SJCs Quality Program Value Educational Access
and Student Success

• Dr. Connie Jacobs
• English Program Coordinator and Outgoing
  Co-Director of the Honors Program

2
Overview

1. Support Classes
2. Learning Communities
3. Honors Program
4. Mentoring Program

3
Support Classes

• Math
• Grew out of Title III Grant, 2001
• Began Math 050 and Math support classes
• Initiated Learning Communities with Math support
  for Math 095 and 096 2005
• Offered support class for Math 115
• Increased completers and persistence from Fall to
  Spring

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Support Classes

• English 050
• Started in response to concerns about student
  writing at the sentence level, 2002
• Serves as a support class to any other English
  writing class
• Provides alternative delivery, more hands-on
  instruction
• Classes are multi-level and work with students at
  any stage of the writing process

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Support Classes

• English 105
• In response to low completion rates
• Support class for English 111, Freshman
  Composition, a required class for all college
  programs, piloted Spring 2007
• 1-hour supplemental instruction
• Plans for additional English 111 support classes
  as well as a support class for English 211,
  Advanced Composition, Fall 2007

6
Learning Communities

• Began as cluster classes Reading 095, Math 095,
  English 095, 2001
• Evolved into three different models with linked
  or paired courses and integrated content
• Academic support, i.e. Math 095 and LRNS 095
• First Year Experience, i.e. College Success and
  English 099
• Interdisciplinary, i.e. English 099 and
  Interpersonal Communication, English 111 and
  Psychology 120, American History and American
  Literature after 1865

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Learning Communities

• Creates a cohort of learners
• Includes a proposal process, different levels of
  assessment, and professional development
• Offered Spring 2007
• 9 courses
• 4 courses made
• Plans to increase marketing efforts and refine
  enrollment procedures for learning communities

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Honors Program

• Provides students with an enriched, challenging
  educational experience
• Prepares them better
• For their careers
• For scholarships
• For transferring to four-year institutions

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Honors Program

• Must complete
• 12 hours in honors courses
• With a 3.25 g.p.a.
• Are recognized at Graduation
• Have Distinguished Scholar recorded on their
  transcript

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Honors Program

• Fall 2004
• 4 disciplines
• 4 courses
• 5 sections
• Fall 2005
• 7 disciplines
• 12 courses
• 16 sections
• Spring 2006
• 12 disciplines
• 21 courses
• 26 sections
• Spring 2007
• 12 disciplines
• 28 courses
• 41 sections

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Mentoring Adjuncts

• Developed in English from portfolio system where
  all instructors work for common goals
• Assessment driven
• Humanities department model
• English Adjuncts assigned a Mentor for their
  first semester
• Read assignments together
• Observe one another
• Share calendars
• Work with Lead Instructor

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Mentoring Adjuncts

• All English adjunct instructors meet at the
  beginning of each semester
• Discuss focused topics retention, responding to
  student papers, library databases
• Meet with Lead Instructors
• School-wide adjunct meeting follows
• Al Buyok and Allan Nass took meeting to new
  level with booths and information sessions

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Mentoring Adjuncts

• First offering of Adjunct Symposium, February 10,
  2007
• Three sessions of workshops
• Stipend for adjuncts attending
• Another planned for Fall 2007

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Mentoring Adjuncts

• Adjunct Seminars
• Dr. David Bramhalls Distinguished Teaching Award
• Professional development opportunity for all
  adjuncts
• Sessions offered beginning Fall 2005
• Topics covered include Developing Students
  Sense of Self, Alternative Teaching and
  Learning Styles, and Developing Relevancy in
  Subject Matter
• Currently focusing on Ken Bains book What Great
  College Teachers Do

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Value Educational Access and Student Success

• Questions
• Comments