Campus Conversation Retreat Three

The Leadership had its third retreat on April 30, 1999. At this retreat, the group finalized plans for sharing some of their work with a larger group of faculty at the campus in-service Flex Day on May 7^th. (On Flex Day, representatives from the group did, in fact, "model" discussions on teaching/learning issues at the opening session and also coordinated several break-out sessions on on-line education and student diversity.) A second primary topic at the retreat was discussion of recent research on relevant topics (e.g., "What's The Difference? A Review of Contemporary Research on the Effectiveness of Distance Learning in Higher Education" prepared for the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association by The Institute for Higher Education Policy; April, 1999). Finally, the group had an in-depth discussion on the implications of technology and student diversity on the traditional general education curriculum, requirements for student research, and private-sector competition for providing mass education. The final retreat for the group was scheduled for May 21, 1999, from 10:30-2:00 with the location to be announced.

Campus Conversation Retreat Two

The Leadership Group met again off campus for a four-hour retreat on March 19, 1999. At this retreat, they discussed strategies for disseminating information and for involving larger groups of faculty in discussions on teaching and learning. They reviewed current research on on-line education and proposals and memos by various faculty. They also drew up an initial listing of benefits and detriments to both on-line and face-to-face delivery models from the faculty and student perspective. Additionally, they identified information areas for a Spring survey that will help us develop a more accurate and comprehensive profile of on-line students. The group also invited Sandi Watkins to participate in the core leadership group.

Campus Conversation Retreat One

The Leadership Group met for a four-hour retreat off-campus at the Cupertino Garden Hilton HOtel on February 19, 1999. At this retreat, Elizabeth Barkley explained how the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, the Pew Charitable Trusts, and the American Association for Higher Education are collaborating in a fine-year effort to create a scholarship of teaching and learning that will improve the quality of student learning and raise the status of teaching through the founding and supervision of the Carnegie Teaching Academy. She also described the three components of the Carnegie Teaching Academy: the Pew Scholars National Fellowship Program, the Teaching Academy Campus Program, and the upcoming phase of work with the scholarly societies.

The Leadership Group then reviewed once more, and ultimately accepted, Lee Shulman's definition of the scholarship of teaching. It also discussed the Carnegie Teaching Academy "suggested questions" regarding scholarship of teaching, as well as the cultural differences between four-year and two-year colleges in respect to the scholarship of teaching. The remainder of the retreat was used to discuss identification of issues related to on-line education and student diversity and the intersection of those two areas (e.g., that minority populations and populations with special needs enroll proportionately higher in on-line education that white males). The retreat closed with discussion of initial formation of research projects in this area and the decision to begin by 1) identifying the benefits and detriments to on-line education and traditional, on-campus education; and 2) developing the means by which we can create a more complete and accurate profile of on-line students.

1999 Identification of Leadership Group and Campus Conversation Consultants

Elizabeth Barkley met with President Bernadine Fong, Dean of Faculty Warren Hurd, Academic Senate President Larry Rouse, and the nine Division Deans of Foothill's academic divisions to identify outstanding faculty who had special expertise in on-line education and/or student diversity. Invitations to participate also went out to the entire faculty through two president's memos and the Academic Senate. Out of these discussions, nine faculty were selected because of their special expertise in the two issue areas and because they represented a wide range of disciplines; transfer, vocational, and student services areas; and consisted of both new and "seasoned" faculty. As faculty and staff have responded to the open invitation to participate in the Campus Conversations, and through suggestions of potential faculty and staff made by the Leadership Group, the Academic Senate, and College Administration, additional individuals have been identified to participate as consultants. These consultants will work with the Leadership Group on an ad hoc basis for specific topics.