Volume IV Number 1
March 1998
The Faculty Showcases have been so well received that the Advisory Board of the Faculty Center plans to offer two such events this semester. The first showcase, held on Thursday, March 12, from 5 to 7 pm, celebrated the twenty-fifth anniversary of Developmental Education at Bucks County Community College. The accomplishments of the department are many and the Showcase provided an opportunity to appreciate the students and faculty members who have contributed to the department's programs over the years.
The second Faculty Showcase of the semester is scheduled for Wednesday, April 29 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm. The theme will be scholarship. Presenters will report on their doctoral research and on the Faculty Center's Research Project on Learning Styles. The schedule thus far includes Susan Darrah, Lois Gilmore, and Maureen McCreadie, and the Research Team of Bill Ford, John Hartwick, Wendy Ullman, and Tom O'Keefe. Once again, refreshments will be part of the festivities.
Voices, the unofficial organization for those interested in issues affecting women on campus, will meet twice this semester. The first session, scheduled for Monday, March 23, 4:30 to 6:40 pm in the Faculty Center, will feature Rebecca Alpert, Director of Women's Studies at Temple University. Dr. Alpert's presentation is part of the Women's Studies Series.
As usual, dinner will be part of the festivities. RSVP to Barbara Korb (korbb or extension 8043) if you plan to attend. See page 16 for a full listing of programs planned this semester.
Thursday, February 19, Dean Annette Conn hosted a reception in honor of the many participants who have contributed to developing the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning. In-Service Day discussions began in 1993. Next, a planning group worked through the Spring 1994 semester to draft the philosophy, policies, and procedures of the Center, and prepared for our move into the Cooper Homestead in 1995. Our present series of programs, projects, and research is representative of the contributions to the work of the Faculty Center of hundreds of faculty members, other employees on campus, and members of the Board of Trustees.
First on the list are those who currently serve on the Advisory Board of the Faculty Center. Susan Darrah is our current Chairperson. Susan is our first part-time faculty member to chair the Board. In case you were wondering if part-timers were eligible, here's you answer -- yes, yes, yes! Maureen McCreadie has served as Facilitator of the Center since its inception. Barbara Korb is the Professional Development Coordinator. This year's Resource Faculty include Tom O'Keefe, Jean Konkel, and Lois Gilmore. Our Research Group, which is funded through a Strategic Initiative, is investigating learning styles. Team members are Bill Ford, John Hartwick, Wendy Ullman, and Tom O'Keefe.
Other Advisory Board members include Michael Schwartz (Chairperson during the previous two years), Jon Alley, Lyn Allison, Joanne Drechsel, Blaine Greenfield, Mary Ann Klicka, Kathi Knight, Pat Laser, Linda MacGregor, Lisa Martin, Tom Mazurek (the Board's first Chairperson), Kay Mengers, Marilyn Puchalski, Doug Rosentrater, Matt Rusnack, Arta Szathmary, Betty Tsai, David Weiss, Joan Weiss, and Helen Wilson. Past Advisory Board members include: Susan Bushnell, Margaret Dardis, Betsy Farber, Gene Ferri, Caren Friedman, Gwen Kerber, Diana Pazicky, Anita Rau, Milt Sigel, Carol Starrels, Judy Switzer, and Virginia Williams.
The list of those who have offered presentations through the Center is extensive and illustrative of an assumption of the Faculty Center -- that we all can learn from others and that every faculty member is accomplished in something that others want to learn. The names that follow represent this spirit of generosity and professionalism: Jon Alley, Lyn Allison, Lisa Angelo, Earl Arrowood, Ernie Bartow, Mark Benson, John Bradley, David Brahinsky, Mitch Bunkin, Chris Bursk, Susan Bushnell, Susan Darrah, Leticia El-Naggar, Drew Ermelin, Gene Ferri, Bill Ford, Jim Freeman, Arlene Franklin, Grace Gagliardi, Lois Gilmore, Blaine Greenfield, Mary Hamm, John Hartwick, Allen Hoey, Catherine Jansen, Marianne Kepler, Anne Kinnier, Mary Ann Klicka, Kathi Knight, Jean Konkel, Barbara Korb, Pat Laser, Catherine McElroy, Maureen McCreadie, Tom Mazurek, Sylvia Perelman, Marilyn Puchalski, Jeanne O'Neill, Steve O'Neill, Jan Radabaugh, Kathy Rankin, Doug Rosentrater, Jean Ryersbach, Gene Schaefer, Charlotte Schatz, Cara Schollenberger, Michael Schwartz, Mark Sfirri, Marie Stevens Cooper, Rebecca Stevenson, John Strauss, Debby Sussna, Judy Switzer, Arta Szathmary, Warren Troust, Betty Tsai, Manuel Tubio, David Weiss, Joan Weiss, Helen Weisz, and Tom Zaher.
Others have contributed in additional ways by providing artwork, comfort items, or their time, talent, and good will. This list includes: David Bates, Bill Calkins, Lou Camp, Ken Crowther, Robert Dodge, Rhea Edgil, Hazel Fisher, Barbara Ford, Alan Goldstein, Mark Grisi, Sharon Gundrum, Bin Haviland, Warren Horrocks, Donna Iwancziewski, Ann Lamartine, Eric Lifson, Holly Madison, Marlene Miller, Esta Schwartz, Poonam Sood, Mart Sutton, and Monica Willis.
The success of the Faculty Center can be attributed to support from above as well as to cooperation from within. It was College President, Jim Linksz, who first proposed a faculty center on campus. The Academic Dean, Annette Conn, has provided guidance. Both have been consistent in their support of the Center and the directions, programs, and projects established by the Advisory Board. John Bradley and John Schweizer have also been particularly supportive of the Center's work.
The reception highlighted the Center as a force for positive and creative activity on campus, a locus for collaborative efforts, and a focal point for discussion on and professional development related to teaching and learning.
Three Resource Faculty Projects and one Research Project have been in the works this academic year. Reports follow.
Women's Studies Project
The Women's Studies Project has been headed by Dr. Lois Gilmore, of the Language and Literature Department. Her report, below, covers the Fall 1997 semester. This project continues in the Spring.
The overall goal of the Women's Studies Project is to establish a college-wide network for maximizing the effective teaching of Women's Studies at BCCC. What follows is a summary of events and some ideas for this semester and beyond.
I have contacted various institutions in the area: Lehigh University, Temple University, The College of New Jersey, and Villanova University. These colleges have provided materials relevant to their Women's Studies programs that offer models, advice, and teaching materials for our faculty. Dr. Ellen Friedman of The College of New Jersey sent syllabi and supporting information and recommended a text from the New Jersey Project -- Creating an Inclusive College Curriculum (1996) -- that we have obtained. These materials will be organized and/or catalogued, and available to our faculty. I will contact other institutions to create an informational and personal network of support. I have been collecting textbooks and materials from publishers. Mayfield Publishing, for example, sent several texts for examination. I have acquired a PBS satellite service program for viewing. This acquisition of materials will continue through the Spring semester.
Speakers met with faculty members in the Center in what became inspiring and informative discussions. On November 5, Dr. Patricia Ingham of Lehigh University came to campus to discuss the nature of Lehigh's program and the particulars of the Introduction to Women's Studies course, like course development, faculty, gaining campus support, and other topics. She also provided syllabi. Dr. Ellen Friedman, who directs the Women's Studies Program at The College of New Jersey and who has served on The New Jersey Project for integrating race, gender, ethnicity into the curriculum, visited us on November 12. She spoke about the program in New Jersey which has been developing over twenty-five years, noting that there are "lots of programs in New Jersey community colleges." One of the most significant assertions of her talk was that the Women's Studies Program should be a locus for scholarship. I believe that we should pay attention to that goal in our development of a program here at Bucks. Dr. Friedman invited us to visit The College of New Jersey and has offered her continued support in helping us achieve our purpose at Bucks. Furthermore, Dr. Friedman gave us valuable suggestions in developing community involvement and invited us to consider participating in New Jersey's Summer Institute. For example, we should make use of mechanisms and programs in place in the community like Women's History Month (March), make an effort to raise consciousness College-wide to include scholarship and new material into many courses in the College, and connect with experts in the community. Dr. Rebecca Alpert, Co-Director of Women's Studies at Temple University, will be the featured speaker at the next Voices dinner on Monday, March 23, 1998. I am also trying to arrange a visit from Dr. Ananya Chatterjea of Temple.
In an effort to acquire material and to connect with others involved with Women's Studies programs and issues, I have joined Joan Korenman's Women's Studies discussion list -- quite a prolific one. This online discussion group offers help with current issues, access to materials like syllabi, text titles, and supportive faculty across the country.
Dr. Ananya Chatterjea graciously allowed me to sit in on Introduction to Women's Studies at Tyler School of Art at Temple University. The course ran throughout the Fall semester and was important in maintaining a connection with the faculty at Temple and in affording me a view of the cross-disciplinary, college-wide involvement of faculty and university schools in making such courses available to all students, and how Temple cross-lists writing intensive courses to improve enrollment. Not least is the enlightening view of art students working through the course, which included speakers from various organizations and prominent artists, as well as final projects developed by the students. The experience was invaluable.
In order to involve the County community in the program at Bucks, I took a first step through my appointment to the Women's Advisory Council supported by the Bucks County Commissioners. I have attended monthly meetings, been involved in A Day for All Women, met with the County service organizations to determine the award for Bucks County Women's History Week, and I am working toward some kind of mentoring program in the community. Marilyn Puchalski, another member of the Council, and I have made the group aware of what we are trying to do at the College to elicit support. So far, we have met with enthusiasm from the members of the Council, as well as from Susan Hauser, Director of A Women's Place. We intend to explore these connections further.
I have begun to gather the names of faculty members at Bucks who either teach courses that could be included in the program or who would be willing to teach a course like Introduction to Women's Studies, but much more needs to be done. I intend to meet with the Department Chairs to discuss these issues and possibilities. Although a women's center is not part of this project, I believe that some such entity might be possible in the future as the faculty put these programs in place. I met with Dr. Linksz on this issue and found him supportive.
A summary of what I would like to accomplish in the Spring 1998 follows:
Test Taking Strategies Video Project
Tom O'Keefe of the Behavioral & Social Sciences Department, initiated this project in the Fall semester. He anticipates the finished product will be available before the end of the Spring semester.
With help from Cara Schollenberger, of the Communications Department, Tom has been working toward development of a video that will demonstrate to students the techniques for preparing for and taking objective and essay tests.
Doing well in tests is an important part of college success. The video will be available to students in all courses and is directed particularly to students enrolled in distance learning courses who may not avail themselves of services offered on campus.
Tom wrote the script, explaining the various techniques for preparing and taking both kinds of tests. Cara reviewed the script, made production recommendations, and turned the script into a production story board for shooting and scheduling. Video footage was shot in several classes illustrating the test-taking situations. Students are also being filmed in staged situations to dramatize particular techniques. Appropriate graphics are being developed to enhance the video. A voice track will be recorded by Tom or (an) advanced communications student(s) experienced in voice-overs.
Feasibility Study: Faculty Center Intranet
Jean Konkel carried out an investigation into possibilities for establishing an intranet on campus. Jean's report, which follows, begins with an explanation of what an intranet is.
Intranet: A contained collection of computers and networks within an organization, connecting the organization's members and/or employees to a range of computer services, resources, and information. A set of network conventions and common tools are employed to give the appearance of a single large network, even though the computers that are linked together use many different hardware and software platforms. --Dr. Bob
The intranet is a computer-based tool that can increase communication and create a rich environment for information sharing. An intranet could be built on top of our current networking technologies to allow users of different platforms to access information from their own workstation.
An intranet is a TCP/IP network inside an organization that links people and information in a way that makes people more productive and information more accessible (Andreessen, 1996). The intranet takes advantage of the internet and applies it in a secure environment.
The full service intranet model supports many functions. The intranet could eventually be used to support library, Datatel, and collegial communication applications. Flexibility of the intranet would allow the Faculty Center to install just the components it is ready to utilize. The Faculty Center could institute an intranet with initial functionality limited to information sharing and management. When the remaining administrative areas of the college are ready to implement their applications for intranet access those functions could be added.
Information Sharing and Management: Users of the intranet can easily create and publish their documents. The language of the intranet as well as the internet is HTML (hypertext markup language). Most major word processing and desktop publishing software is HTML-ready. This means that all computer users, regardless of their skill level in HTML, will be able to create information to share on an intranet. Everyone with access and rights can publish their work on the intranet, making it instantaneously available to all users. The ability to add hyperlinks, multimedia, and embedded objects makes the intranet a highly interactive and personalized environment. Management on the intranet can be handled seamlessly by a small number of administrators. These administrators keep the information and links current and support all users.
Navigation: The intranet can make finding information easier than ever. The use of search engines can simplify the process of sorting through vast amounts of information. Users can make a single query and the result could be an organized list of all matching information from all sources within the college organization. The use of access control allows all users a customized view of the information they can access.
People Directory: The intranet can be used to update all public information listings like e-mail and phone and office listings. In addition, information that changes, like office hours and committee appointments, can be easily and seamlessly shared among all users through a single post to the intranet.
Security: The intranet's security can be as sophisticated as need be to secure important and confidential information. The use of user grouping and application control can be managed centrally and simply.
Collaboration: The intranet opens new avenues for collaboration among faculty members. These opportunities include confidential discussion groups, synchronous communication through the use of real-time audio or video, and text and graphic information-sharing through web pages.
Timing: The faculty at Bucks County Community College could realize the above advantages of the intranet. We currently have an infrastructure that links the buildings that house faculty offices. The recent increase in the number of faculty with access to desktop computing, coupled with the wiring of Penn Hall, make it an ideal time to implement an intranet. In addition, the migration of the College internet site to a new server may provide the needed server space to implement a faculty intranet.
Software: The intranet can be implemented by using free software. Web browsers, the client used by each workstation, are available for download free to educators on the world wide web. The two most commonly used browsers, Netscape and Internet Explorer, are currently installed on many workstations on campus.
The server software, Netscape's Enterprise, is already available on campus. The Faculty Center, in fact, has a copy provided free by Netscape for educational use. This server software was used on the WWW server, Shemp, prior to the migration of the site to Storm.
Implementation: To implement the intranet we may choose a certificate server, which provides an easy way to manage security keys to individuals and groups according to the security needs. Initially, the intranet may be limited to identified IP (Internet Protocol) addresses included within the College backbone. As the management of intranet security becomes easier, the Faculty Center may choose to allow dial-up access.
Certificate servers issue digital public key certificates, enabling encrypted communication with rich functionality over the intranet. Certificates allow the organization to provide the ability for each user to log in to multiple servers at once.
Most faculty are familiar with the use of browser software so there should not be heavy training needs associated with the use of the intranet. However, most faculty are not familiar with the procedures for making HTML documents or posting information to servers, so training and support will be needed to support creation of educational materials.
Recommendations: The intranet would be a valuable tool for the faculty at the College. To support the idea, the College needs to plan for the cost of support and training. The intranet needs a resource for technical support. The current webmaster position is only half-time and cannot support another effort, given the current workload demanded by the internet. While the intranet will not require a full-time support position, it will need some dedicated effort initially. The maintenance work will not be as time-intensive. The second cost is training and support for users.
There is currently no training or support for internet users even though this is a priority need. I think to effectively use the intranet, faculty must be comfortable with the tool. This would require a training effort for at least two semesters to raise timid users' skills to the level that is required to be productive. To employ the use of video and audio, the intranet will need additional hardware and software. Audio- and video-streaming software is currently expensive and hardware-intensive, but changes in the industry are reducing the costs on a daily basis.
Three faculty members, Bill Ford, John Hartwick, and Wendy Ullman, initiated work in the Fall to investigate learning styles among Bucks County Community College students. The report of their accomplishments follows. During the Spring semester Bill is on sabbatical leave. Tom O'Keefe joins the team in Bill=s stead.
Research Project Narrative. We began our research by investigating a deceptively simple question: What constitutes the construct, "personal thinking style?" After reviewing numerous sources, it became clear that current measurement of, and research in, thinking styles fell into two general camps: The Kolb model and the Sternberg model. Our task then became one of accessing secondary sources in order to ascertain the validity, efficacy, and efficiency of these models, and further, to review recent research and applications of these models.
As a result of this phase of our research, we selected the Sternberg model over the Kolb model for three over-riding reasons:
Subsequently, we designed and implemented a pilot study involving 28 college students utilizing a portion of Sternberg's inventory of thinking styles. Initial analysis of the empirical data from this study, combined with scholarly intuition, helped us to design a more focused measurement to be implemented on a broader scale.
Our initial question has evolved into a more specific research question: What insights can current scholarship and field research on thinking styles shed on understanding the characteristics of post-secondary learners in general, and on our student population in particular, especially as they relate to our common concerns for improving the quality of education that we deliver at Bucks County Community College?
From this central question a daunting number of peripheral questions, both heuristic and theoretical, continue to spin off. Our task in the semester ahead is to implement our revised study, to analyze the resultant data, and, we hope, to derive observations and insights that will be useful to us and to our colleagues.
Description of the Pilot Study. The pilot study investigated several of the thinking styles measures contained in Sternberg's (1997) scales of "mental self-government." Sternberg defines a thinking style as a preference that a person develops for applying the thinking abilities they have at their disposal. Two persons, for example, with equally strong abilities in logical and critical thinking might prefer to apply this skill very differently. The following five thinking styles were selected for the pilot study from the 13 included in Sternberg's theory:
Each thinking style was represented by eight items on the survey; these items were taken from Sternberg, 1997. A copy of the survey is available from team members. The survey was administered to 125 students enrolled in introductory accounting, psychology, and composition classes.
Results. Percentile norms were calculated for each thinking style for both men (n = 53) and women (n = 72). These norms were compared with norms reported by Sternberg (1997) for Yale University students. In general, male BCCC students tended to identify more strongly with the legislative style than the female students; the average legislative score for males was 5.2 (as measured on a 7-point scale) and for females it was 4.8 (t (123) = 2.48, p = .015).* In contrast, female BCCC students tended to identify more strongly with the executive thinking style; the average executive score for males as 4.2 and for females it was 4.7 (t (123) = -2.3, p = .02). There were no significant gender differences on the judicial, internal, and external scales.
For all respondents average scores on each scale were correlated with the average scores on all of the other scales. Preference for an internal style tended to be associated with preference for the legislative style (r = .52, p = .00001).** In addition, there was a moderate tendency for people who prefer the legislative style to also prefer the judicial style (r = .33, p = .0001). As would be expected, those who preferred the external thinking style tended not to prefer the internal style (r = -.39, p = .00001).
Directions for Future Research. One component of Sternberg's research program (Sternberg & Grigorenko, 1997) is an investigation of the implications of a match/mismatch between the student's preferred styles and the thinking preferences of the instructor. This would appear to be a fruitful area of research at Bucks County Community College. Some questions that might be asked are:
Copies of the thinking styles survey instruments developed by Sternberg and his colleagues will be obtained and adapted for use at Bucks County Community College. These instruments include: Thinking Styles Inventory, Thinking Styles Tasks for Students, and Thinking Styles Survey for Instructors. The task for the research team will be to enlarge the norming sample for the instruments at BCCC and identify the specific questions to be investigated in the Spring 1998 semester.
* For those not initiated in the mysteries of inferential statistics, the t values represent a mathematical estimation of the likelihood that the difference observed between men and women on the legislative and executive scales was due to chance alone. Since the probabilities of that happening (the p values reported) are about 1 in 100, we are willing to assert that the differences in the mean scale scores represent a genuine difference in the way men and women responded to those items.
**The coefficient (r) is a mathematical estimate of the relatedness of two measures. The closer the r is to 1.0, the more predictable one measure is if given the other.
References
Sternberg, R. (1997). Thinking Styles. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Sternberg, R. & Grigorenko, E. (1997). Are cognitive styles still in style? American Psychologist, 52, 700-712.
The Faculty Center is in the process of developing a world wide web site. You will be able to access it before the end of this semester. From the home page you will be able to click on links that will provide the latest schedule of Center-sponsored events as well as the Policies and Procedures of the Faculty Center. It will include a directory of Advisory Board members and will make it easy to subscribe or send a message to FLC, the Faculty Center discussion list. Professional development opportunity announcements will be a click away. Watch for our grand opening.
If you would like to carry out a project in support of teaching and learning that you feel supports the goals of the Faculty Center, consider applying for one of the Faculty Center positions for next year. All faculty members (full- and part-time) are invited to submit proposals for Resource Faculty positions and/or to participate on the Center's Advisory Board. In addition, applications are invited from full-time faculty members who have served a minimum of one year on the Advisory Board for the positions of Professional Development Consultant and Facilitator of the Faculty Center. Resource Faculty projects must support the goals of the Faculty Center. The goals are:
The scope of proposed projects should require at least the equivalent of time and effort expended to teach a three-credit course, as Resource Faculty are awarded release time for their projects.
Projects are selected by the Advisory Board through a blind review process, on the basis of merit of the proposed projects, considering the degree to which the proposed projects support the goals of the Faculty Center, the likelihood of accomplishing the proposed project, and funding/positions available.
Adaptive Technologies Workshops (Marie Cooper)
Do you have students in your classes who may have disabilities and are struggling with their classwork? Attend this workshop to familiarize yourself with adaptive technologies available to our students. These technologies are particularly helpful in overcoming barriers for students with disabilities who may be in your classes. See actual demonstrations and try out helpful devices for yourself. Call extension 8104 to reserve a space OR to schedule individual training another time.
Presentation: The Secret Guide to Computers (Russ Walter)
National computer expert, Russ Walter, author of The Secret Guide to Computers, will be on campus to offer his light-hearted approach to anything you ever wanted to know about purchasing or using computers. Tickets ($10) are available in advance at SLIC or through Arta Szathmary. If you purchase your ticket in advance, Russy's terrific book is included. Tickets purchased at the door will also be $10, but will not include the book.
Women's Studies Series (Voices Dinner Dr. Rebecca Alpert)
Rebecca Alpert, Director of Women's Studies at Temple University, will be the guest speaker. Join others interested in issues affecting women for a dinner meeting and conversation. Please RSVP to Barbara Korb (korbb@storm.bucks.edu) to reserve a seat.
Women's Studies Roundtable Discussions: (Dr. Lois Gilmore & Susan Darrah )
These roundtable discussions are scheduled to develop plans for a Women's Studies program at BCCC. The Women's Studies program will have an interdisciplinary approach. Representation from a range of disciplines is welcome.
Cardiovascular Disease (Dr. Earle Meyers)
Earle will present an informative session on cardiovascular disease, its causes and preventative measures.
Menopause (Kathy Webb)
Kathy Webb, Chairperson of the Department of Science and Technology, will present an information session on menopause.
Faculty Showcase: Scholarship
The scholarly accomplishments of several faculty members will be presented. Susan Darrah, Lois Gilmore, and Maureen McCreadie will report on their doctoral research. Bill Ford, John Hartwick, Tom O'Keefe, and Wendy Ullman will report on their investigation of learning styles among BCCC students.
Group Processes and Conflict Resolution
The Faculty Center will provide a training session for faculty on how to incorporate conflict resolution techniques into group work. There will be two offerings of this important session.
Notices regarding calls for papers, conference notices, and other professional development information are available through the Faculty Center discussion list. The discussion list allows all subscribers to receive posts to the list at individual e-mail addresses. Once you have subscribed, you are encouraged to initiate or participate in discussions related to teaching and learning by posting to flc@storm.bucks.edu.
Hard copies of professional development events are in the Faculty Center in the blue binder available for your use.