ENGAGING ADJUNCT AND FULL-TIME FACULTY IN STUDENT SUCCESS INNOVATION

Transcription

1 CUTTING EDGE SERIES ENGAGING ADJUNCT AND FULL-TIME FACULTY IN STUDENT SUCCESS INNOVATION No. 1 Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 1

2 Dear Colleages: In recent years, stdent sccess and completion has skyrocketed to the top of the national edcation agenda, and for good reason. There is growing recognition that increasing the nmber of college certificate and degree-holders is critical to America s economic health. Commnity colleges are playing a vital role in addressing this national imperative, and instittions participating in Achieving the Dream: Commnity Colleges Cont (ATD) are demonstrating how it can be done. Over the last seven years, ATD instittions have fndamentally changed the way they operate. They have implemented the innovative ATD Stdent-Centered Model of Instittional Improvement and created a cltre of evidence in which data and inqiry drive efforts to close achievement gaps and improve stdent otcomes overall. While we are encoraged by this progress, and very prod of the rich national learning commnity that has been established, there is more to be done. Ultimately, increasing and accelerating stdent sccess and completion is what drives or work. It matters to the nation, and most importantly, it matters to every stdent in prsit of a market-valed credential and a better qality of life. A recent interim report by MDRC and the Commnity College Research Center allowed ATD the opportnity to reflect on aspects of or work that need deeper thinking and greater focs. The report, called Trning the Tide: Five Years of Achieving the Dream in Commnity Colleges, identified some vexing challenges in commnity college reform. The report conclded with recommendations for next steps: do more to involve adjnct and fll-time faclty; devote more attention to improving teaching and learning inside the classroom (especially developmental edcation classrooms); pay more attention to scaling p promising initiatives to reach more stdents; and consider more proactive ways of spporting colleges that enter with very weak data capacity. ATD welcomes these important recommendations, and this pblication is the first in a series of practical gides to address the challenges and ensre that every ATD instittion has the tools necessary to move the needle on stdent sccess and completion. This ATD series is prodced in partnership with Pblic Agenda, one of seven ATD Fonding Partners. This first pblication, called Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation provides the framework, principles, and practices that will help colleges sharpen faclty engagement. We hope this gide and the sbseqent gides will prove timely and helpfl. Sincerely, William E. Treheart President & CEO Achieving the Dream Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 2

3 Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation How to Use This Gide This pblication is intended to be sed as a tool that helps colleges design and implement effective faclty engagement strategies on behalf of instittional change for stdent sccess. Working within the ATD 5-Step Process for Increasing Stdent Sccess throgh Instittional Change, this report attaches a set of core principles for effective adjnct and fll-time faclty engagement to each stage in the process. These principles are then considered more closely, and a set of concrete recommendations and practices is offered for implementing each principle. Section 1, comprised of the framework, principles and practices, is designed to help college leadership make strategic decisions abot when and how to most constrctively engage faclty as partners in the difficlt work of instittional change. It is intended as a strategic resorce that can help colleges plan or rethink their efforts to engage adjnct and fll-time faclty in their stdent sccess work. This section (pages 7 to 12) can be sed as a freestanding deliberation gide for college leadership. Becase real stories and concrete examples are always helpfl for colleges as they plan or refine their own faclty engagement efforts, Section 2 of this report (beginning on page 13) offers a nmber of mini-cases of faclty engagement in action at colleges participating in ATD. For those who are interested in delving deeper into particlar aspects of the faclty engagement isse, the Appendix (pages 19 to 21) provides a list of resorces. This list incldes scholarly research, conference presentations and additional case stdies that colleges can se to learn more abot the challenges and opportnities relating to faclty engagement in the work of instittional change for stdent sccess. Finally, backgrond information on the Faclty Engagement Workgrop and other sorces of expert inpt into this tool may be fond on page 22.

4 Introdction This gide is based on findings from Pblic Agenda s research into the most promising practices for engaging fll-time and adjnct faclty in instittional change efforts toward increasing stdent sccess at commnity colleges. This crrent stdy was prompted by an interim report by MDRC and the Commnity College Research Center (CCRC) titled Trning the Tide: An Examination of Rond 1 Achieving the Dream Colleges Progress After Five Years in the Initiative. 1 As part of its comprehensive analysis of the early experience of the first 26 commnity colleges that have participated in Achieving the Dream since 2004 as Rond 1 colleges, the report concldes that the efforts of colleges that scceeded in establishing a strong cltre of evidence shared several key featres. One of the most important commonalities across these colleges has been the deep engagement and participation of fll-time and adjnct faclty in the instittion s reform agenda. This finding served as the primary impets for Pblic Agenda s latest investigation into how to effectively engage faclty. Over the past several years, Pblic Agenda a Fonding Partner to Achieving the Dream has cltivated a strong knowledge and experience base in stakeholder engagement in higher edcation reform, and faclty engagement in particlar. In 2010, Pblic Agenda pblished a report for Lmina Fondation for Edcation on promising strategies to effectively engage faclty and instittional leaders at two- and for-year instittions in conversations abot the difficlt work of higher edcation prodctivity. Drawing on insights from focs grops and interviews with a range of personnel, this work offered approaches for framing the prodctivity conversation, strategies for constrctive dialoge and avenes for fostering co-ownership of instittional prodctivity initiatives with faclty. 2 From 2007 to 2008, Pblic Agenda worked with for ATD colleges to develop a refined method of condcting faclty-stdent dialoges to share in the development of soltions that address the obstacles to stdent sccess. 3 In 2009, Pblic Agenda developed a short gide of principles and promising practices for commnity colleges to apply when engaging faclty in Achieving the Dream. 4 The crrent report bilds and expands most directly pon the earlier pblication and is informed by several layers of research and deliberation. This crrent work sed a mlti-methods approach to glean the best thinking abot and strategies for engaging faclty in commnity college sccess initiatives, beginning with a srvey of extant literatre on the sbject. Combined with existing expertise, this review helped to develop discssion materials for online and in-person deliberations. In cooperation with ATD and MDC, Pblic Agenda recrited a grop of twelve diverse experts in faclty engagement and commnity college change initiatives to provide inpt on faclty engagement based on their experience and research. The work grop participated in a week-long moderated online form, responding to the discssion materials and comments from their colleages. This online deliberation served as a lanching point for the in-person convening, dring which the work grop participated in facilitated large and small grop discssions to think critically abot the most promising faclty engagement practices. The online and in-person deliberations were smmarized in a draft report, which was sbmitted to the work grop for review. 1 Zachary Rtschow, E. et al. (2010). Trning the Tide: Five Years of Achieving the Dream in Commnity Colleges. New York: MDRC. Available at: 2 Pblic Agenda (2010). Changing the Conversation Abot Prodctivity: Strategies for Engaging Faclty and Instittional Leaders. Available at: 3 Pblic Agenda. Planning Gide: Faclty-Stdent Dialoges for Stdent Sccess. Available at: Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 4 Birnback, L. and Friedman, W. (2009). Engaging Faclty in the Achieving the Dream Initiative: Principles and Practices of Stdent Sccess. Report by Pblic Agenda to the Lmina Fondation for Edcation 4

5 To ensre that a diversity of voices was represented in this work, Pblic Agenda condcted a series of interviews with ATD coaches, fll-time faclty and adjnct faclty at for commnity colleges. The insights from these interviews were integrated with those from the work grop and helped to inform many of the recommendations that address adjnct faclty engagement in particlar. By integrating an array of perspectives, the report that follows offers strong hypotheses that can inform how colleges engage fll-time and adjnct faclty in instittional change efforts. Frther, the tility of this report can extend beyond the ATD circle to the host of commnity colleges across the contry that are working hard in their efforts to improve otcomes for their stdents. Consistent with Pblic Agenda s previos work with Lmina Fondation for Edcation, MDC, and ATD, this report provides additional spport for the well-established conclsion that faclty engagement is critical to the sccess of commnity college instittional change initiatives. 5 In particlar, faclty engagement can help sch efforts by: Shedding light on critical obstacles to stdent sccess Generating creative and practical soltions to close achievement gaps Leveraging faclty expertise in what works to inform, drive and sstain change Fostering a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for change efforts Minimizing faclty resistance to, and improving implementation of, new practices Inslating new practices from common derailers Keeping Adjncts at the Center Despite the lingistic clmsiness of the repeated se of the phrase fll-time and adjnct faclty, 6 we have made the conscios decision to explicitly and continosly inclde adjnct faclty when referring to faclty throghot the report. We se this phrase as a consciosness-raising exercise aimed at helping the reader remember to consider those individals who teach the majority of stdents at commnity colleges and yet have been comparatively neglected in conversations abot instittional change. By avoiding the temptation to take the standard approach and bracket ot adjncts in a separate section as a problem to manage, a temptation that indicates the longstanding challenge of integrating adjnct faclty into the life of the college and the core of reform efforts, or approach here has allowed s to sharpen or own thinking abot faclty engagement and highlight isses and opportnities that may be niqe to the circmstances of adjncts. We believe the self-conscios and rigoros inclsion of adjnct faclty, even at the expense of elegant prose, is a sefl exercise and one that can help colleges think more clearly abot the critical work of engaging all faclty in instittional change. 5 Kennedy 1995, Roeche 1995, McClenney 1996, Zemsky 1997, Gonzalez 1999, Pblic Agenda 2005, Throghot this report we se the terms fll-time and adjnct faclty, realizing that some adjncts teach fll-time and that there are other terms, sch as contingent faclty that might be sed to describe non-fll-time faclty. For or prposes, adjnct faclty are those individals who are not employed as fll-time faclty and who typically do not have non-teaching responsibilities otside the classroom. Fll-time faclty refers to those individals who do have non-teaching Ctting responsibilities Edge otside Series: the classroom Engaging and who Adjnct have been and hired as Fll-Time fll-time members Faclty of departments. in Stdent Sccess Innovation 5

6 Common Obstacles to Engagement Faclty Challenges Heavy workloads: Administrative dties demand a large share of faclty time (especially among fll-time faclty), and the reqirements of new promising practices are often labor-intensive. Bsy faclty might tend to think of new initiatives as add-ons to those dties, and as nwanted distractions, instead of as opportnities to improve practices. Heavy workloads also make it more difficlt to solicit faclty participation in professional development activities. Initiative overload ndermines engagement: Adjnct and fll-time faclty are more likely to engage with reform that they think is operationally feasible and that has long-term commitment from leadership. Becase the presentation of new best practices is so common an experience, faclty may hesitate to invest their time in an initiative that feels like a flavor of the month. Lack of intellectal connection and goal congrence : Adjnct and fll-time faclty may not readily see the connection between a new initiative and their personal/professional goals and commitments. Researchers observe that many of the best-engaged faclty have highly personal motivations for engagement, while many sccessfl engagement efforts have fond ways to help faclty relate new practices to their own vales and beliefs. Resistance to mandates from above: Adjnct and fll-time faclty often mistrst initiatives that they see as completely top-down efforts; this gives an impression that central leadership is insensitive or indifferent to the opinions of faclty and/or the needs of the school at grond level. Top-down efforts are also especially vlnerable to being viewed as faddish or fleeting, and therefore nworthy of spport. External, rather than internal focs: Adjnct and fll-time faclty are often, and increasingly, overwhelmed by a high volme of nderprepared stdents or stdents who face a mltitde of pressres, and therefore tend to natrally look to the failings of the K-12 system or other external challenges as the sorce of the problems and soltions. Refocsing faclty on instittional change can be a challenge. Lack of adjnct faclty integration: Many colleges have yet to develop effective infrastrctre and practices for commnicating with adjnct faclty and integrating them into important instittional efforts. Instittional Challenges Compensation, tenre and promotion policies encorage old vales over new ones among both adjnct and fll-time faclty: In some cases, adoption of new practices is hindered by existing instittional reward strctres. These are especially discoraging to those faclty who are less established and more sensitive to concerns abot professional stats. An intervention s deliverables may not be the kind in which adjnct and fll-time faclty are most interested: For example, the stdent data collected and prodced throgh ATD might not inclde all of the stdents they teach or might not directly address the leading concerns of faclty (for example, stdent opinions of their past corses, instead of jst stdent performance). Faclty atonomy and governance cts two ways: A strongly atonomos faclty (or faclty with great inflence in school governance) might be able to minimize strctral constraints on faclty engagement, sch as nfavorable hiring and promotion practices. However, a faclty cltre that encorages atonomy might also inslate teachers from pressres whether from administrators, stdents or peers to adopt new practices or take on new responsibilities. Leadership trnover/instability: Freqent trnover in leadership threatens the stability of any initiative or practice that is not flly instittionalized. Trnover also creates ncertainty abot the stability and level of spport that an initiative will receive. Silos ndermine engagement: Aside from impeding commnication and collaboration among faclty in general, the presence of silos between departments, between types of faclty and between staff and faclty ndermines efforts to engage faclty as reliable partners in instittional change efforts.

7 SECTION 1: Engagement Throghot the Process of Instittional Change For colleges doing the hard work of transforming themselves to become more focsed on and accontable for stdent sccess, it is helpfl to think abot faclty engagement in the broader context of the change process and to consider how specific engagement practices might be employed at each point in that process. To encorage this kind of systematic thinking, we apply the sggested principles and practices to the ATD framework for increasing stdent sccess a five-step process to gide instittional improvement. As articlated in the ATD Field Gide for Improving Stdent Sccess, 7 the five steps are as follows: Step 1. Commit. Step 2. Use data to prioritize actions. Step 3. Engage stakeholders. Step 4. Implement, evalate, improve. Step 5. Establish a cltre of continos improvement. To emphasize the importance of engaging faclty throghot the process of instittional change, in the sections that follow we have maintained the five-step strctre, bt have modified the langage sed by ATD to label the steps. By thinking abot how to engage fll-time and adjnct faclty early and often in developing stdent sccess initiatives, colleges will be in a better position to sstain and bring to scale the most sccessfl of them. 8 One of the advantages of examining faclty engagement throgh the process of change lens is that it becomes easier to consider how to deploy strategies that are appropriate to the goals of the change effort, and that are appreciative of the obstacles and opportnities that exist at varios steps along the way. Of corse, change is never as simple and linear in reality as it is on paper, bt this straightforward framework can help colleges make decisions abot when and where to invest energy and resorces in engaging fll-time and adjnct faclty in ways that will maximize the power of stdent sccess initiatives. 7 Achieving the Dream: Commnity Colleges Cont. (2009). Achieving the Dream Field Gide for Improving Stdent Sccess. MDC Inc. and Lipman Hearne. Available at: 2 Pblic Agenda (2010). Changing the Conversation Abot Prodctivity: Strategies for Engaging Faclty and Instittional Leaders. Available at: 8 Effectively scaling p sccessfl interventions reqires thinking from the otset abot how to bild and deepen the commitment reqired to move an effort from pilot phase to standard practice. This is an area where the challenges of faclty engagement and scaling p intersect in important ways. Insights on scaling p sccessfl interventions will comprise the next installment in this Ctting Edge Series. Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 7

8 Five-Step Process for Increasing Stdent Sccess throgh Instittional Improvement 9 I. Commit to instittional change and improvement. II. III. IV. Use data to identify achievement gaps, assets and obstacles relevant to stdent sccess and to prioritize actions. Design practices/policies. Implement, evalate and improve practices/policies. V. Sstain, continally improve and validate practices/policies. A Framework of Faclty Engagement Across the Five-Step Process I. When making the commitment to instittional change and improvement, it is important to exercise leadership that inspires a willingness among adjnct and fll-time faclty to become active partners in the difficlt and often ncomfortable work of change. II. When sing data to assess achievement gaps and decide on specific interventions, invest in instittional research capacity to create both a cltre of evidence and a cltre of engagement, one that treats fll-time and adjnct faclty as valable partners in making sense of data. III. When designing strategies, provide the resorces, incentives and recognition for fll-time and adjnct faclty to engage intensively as tactical partners on the front line of instittional change. IV. When implementing, evalating, and improving strategies, instittionalize expectations and opportnities for continos engagement in order to deepen fll-time and adjnct faclty commitment to change efforts. V. When creating the conditions for sstainability and continos improvement, work to span silos and nrtre a college cltre that is inqiry-based, collaborative and transparent. 9 We have modified the langage of ATD s Five-Step Process in order to demonstrate opportnities for faclty engagement throghot the change process Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 8

9 Principles & Practices of Constrctive Faclty Engagement In the following section, we take a closer look at each of the principles of engagement that were mapped onto specific steps of the change process above. By nfastening these principles from the five-step process, we hope to show that these are flexible concepts that may operate in many, if not all, of the steps depending on the specific context and goals prsed by the college. We also aim to add some textre and depth by offering specific examples and recommendations gleaned from both the literatre and or many conversations with practitioners at commnity colleges. 1. Exercise leadership qalities that inspire constrctive faclty engagement Recognize fll-time and adjnct faclty accomplishments in pblic venes sch as camps gatherings or college pblications. Catalyze the energies of college administrators, staff and faclty by cltivating those who are willing to be early adopters and champions of instittional change. Appreciate that adjnct faclty teach for a variety of reasons and find opportnities to partner with those faclty that demonstrate a particlar commitment to the instittion and the sccess of its stdents. Make themselves accessible to adjnct faclty to give the instittion a face and bild investment among adjnct faclty in the college commnity as a whole. College leaders who are particlarly effective at engaging fll-time and adjnct faclty tend to embody certain attitdes and exercise certain practices. They tend to: Consistently articlate the broad vision for change and diligently connect the dots between varios initiatives and the central vision in order to combat a sense of initiative overload or mission creep among faclty. Establish an atmosphere of collaboration and co-ownership by coming to fll-time and adjnct faclty with qestions, not answers, and by viewing faclty as expert resorces for deepening the college commnity s nderstanding of challenges, assets and opportnities. Respect the knowledge, expertise and commitment of fll-time and adjnct faclty with respect to their sbjects and stdents, valing what they already contribte to the college and bring to the classroom. 2. Develop instittional research (IR) capacity to cltivate not only a cltre of evidence bt a cltre of engagement as well In data-informed initiatives like ATD, finding ways to engage faclty in data collection, interpretation and se is critical for sccess, yet creating data systems that are both accessible to and informed by faclty has proven qite difficlt. A nmber of strong themes emerged in or conversations abot the role of instittional research practices in relation to faclty engagement. Engage faclty leaders in helping yo create data presentations that are relevant and meaningfl to faclty overall, and that piqe their criosity and inspire their involvement in yor stdent sccess work. Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 9

10 Principles & Practices of Constrctive Faclty Engagement Establish rotine systems for information exchange at the departmental level in order to effectively engage faclty in instittional research activity. For instance, IR personnel or college administrators may attend department meetings to offer opportnities for faclty to interpret, elcidate or inqire into data. When possible, hire IR staff who have not only technical bt also social competence, and who are able to serve as data translators (not only nmber crnchers). Increase capacity of presidents and other college leaders to act as commnicators and translators of data to the broader college commnity. When the leaders demonstrate command of the data, faclty will feel more confident that improvement decisions are well-informed. Take the time to show fll-time and adjnct faclty how data are collected and analyzed; investing this time from the beginning can help to bild transparency and trst in the data. Frther, involve fll-time and adjnct faclty in data collection and analysis activities by drawing on their skills and experience. Provide professional development opportnities sch as workshops for flltime and adjnct faclty to learn how to se or apply instittional data. Establish channels of commnication so that faclty can reglarly advise IR personnel and college leaders on performance measrement indicators based on their first-hand interactions with and knowledge of their stdents. Develop vehicles for IR and faclty to collaborate on research that aligns with instittional change efforts. For instance, create opportnities for IR to spport and facilitate faclty-initiated pedagogical research. 3. Provide the resorces, incentives and recognition to inspire and sstain engagement One of the most important keys to engaging faclty is providing the right kinds of incentives to inspire their intensive participation as tactical partners on the front lines of instittional change efforts. There are a nmber of ways to provide incentives and inspire faclty engagement: Give release time and stipends dring those phases when engagement reqires extensive time and involvement of fll-time and adjnct faclty. Provide pedagogical resorces to more deeply engage fll-time and adjnct faclty who are sbject matter experts, bt perhaps not pedagogy experts in isses of stdent sccess. Offer high-caliber professional development opportnities that empower fll-time and adjnct faclty to participate in the cltre of inqiry and evidence at the college (bild their data collection/analysis capacities). Reward fll-time and adjnct faclty throgh formal recognition of faclty achievements, and acknowledge existing efforts made by faclty to boost stdent sccess. Extend departmental resorces sch as space, professional development opportnities, and classroom research awards to adjnct faclty who may not be as closely connected to the Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 10

11 Principles & Practices of Constrctive Faclty Engagement instittion as their fll-time conterparts, and make special efforts to recognize adjnct faclty achievements. 4. Instittionalize expectations and opportnities for continos engagement Regardless of their stage in the change process, colleges shold look for ways to instittionalize expectations and opportnities for continos engagement of fll-time and adjnct faclty. By embedding engagement in instittional practices, it will be easier to bild the trst and infrastrctre necessary for a cltre of collaborative problem solving. In or conversations abot this, a few pieces of advice for leaders and instittional reformers emerged repeatedly: Make se of reglar events, like convocations and orientations, to engage fll-time and adjnct faclty, bt infse an element of interactivity into these existing channels. For example, a convocation might be sed as an opportnity to engage fll-time and adjnct faclty in dialoge in small breakot grops. Make se of existing channels of commnication to engage fll-time and adjnct faclty in new ways, and create strctres that bring adjnct and fll-time faclty into more creative and collaborative contact. For example, establish a process by which adjnct and fll-time faclty are paired as instrctional collaborators. Increase tilization of technology, mltimedia and the Internet to connect and comm nicate with adjnct faclty on college initiatives, news, data and opportnities to engage. Establish the expectation for faclty involvement in stdent sccess initiatives at the hiring stage for both fll-time and adjnct faclty, while reinforcing an expectation of engagement throgh faclty performance reviews. With faclty collaboration, create a stdent centered college mission, and ensre that change initiatives are linked to that mission for consistency and clarity of prpose. Keeping the focs of change efforts on stdent sccess will help to gain the confidence and participation of faclty. Capitalize on adjncts indstry experience and connections when condcting crriclm and degree design (e.g., invite their participation on committees). Develop and disseminate standard operating procedres for fll-time and adjnct faclty to tilize college resorces that enhance stdent sccess, for example, research grants or event space. 5. Work to span silos and nrtre a college cltre that is inqiry-based, collaborative and transparent There are a host of s/them pitfalls that can obstrct or stymie instittional change efforts. The most common divisions exist between developmental and general edcation, between faclty and staff, between faclty and administration, between academic affairs and stdent services, between faclty and stdents, and between fll-time and adjnct faclty. Below are a nmber of engagement tactics and tools that can help span varios silos, create transparency and foster collaborative problem solving in which faclty are centrally involved. Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 11

12 Principles & Practices of Constrctive Faclty Engagement Faclty Work Grops and FIGs: There are a nmber of tactics fitting the acronym FIG that can be of particlar vale at varios points in the change process. Faclty Inqiry Grops, Faclty Interest Grops and Faclty Innovation Grants are three FIGs that are employed by colleges intent on gaining strong participation by faclty in instittional change. FIGs often work best when they are designed to help engage fll-time and adjnct faclty across silos sch as those that often exist between developmental edcation and general edcation programs, departments and types of faclty. Adjnct/Fll-time Faclty Dialoges: The colleges that have an easier time engaging adjnct faclty are those that think strategically abot creating connections between adjncts and fll-time faclty by fostering collaborative dialoge on isses of stdent sccess and workforce development. In addition to respecting all faclty as experts in their sbjects and as deeply knowledgeable abot stdent sccess, sch dialoges honor adjnct faclty as having niqe insights by virte of their more direct connection to the workforce. Since many adjnct faclty work in the indstries they teach abot, tapping their knowledge abot the real world application of classroom learning may be a valable strategy at varios points in the change process that can deepen adjnct engagement while also strengthening stdent sccess efforts. Camps Conversations and Faclty-Stdent Dialoges: Apart from engagement efforts focsed on helping faclty commnicate more effectively with each other, change efforts reqire silo-spanning efforts that extend beyond faclty themselves and help link faclty to staff, administration, stdent services, stdent voices and the broader commnity served by the college. Camps Conversations and Faclty-Stdent Dialoges are two approaches that have been sed with great sccess by many colleges. Detailed manals developed to help colleges deploy these tactics for engaging faclty are available to all ATD colleges in the resorce section of the Achieving the Dream website. Data Smmits: A large grop gathering focsed specifically on the meaning of new stdent achievement data to advance the college s stdent sccess effort is a promising strategy for bringing together fll-time and adjnct faclty. Data smmits may be sed as vehicles for bringing stdent services staff, administrators and faclty together in collaborative inqiry. It is important that these are designed careflly to create an atmosphere of collaboration instead of one of blame and defensiveness. Discssions abot data can also be integrated into the context of some form of FIG, as discssed above. Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 12

13 SECTION 2: Engagement in Action: Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges We offer examples from several Achieving the Dream colleges that have developed innovative ways to engage faclty more broadly in efforts to improve stdent sccess. These colleges have overcome many of the challenges highlighted in the previos section. Frther, their stories illstrate how the principles and promising practices we have presented may be operationalized by ATD colleges and beyond Engaging Faclty in Data Collection and Analysis and in Redesigning Corses at Sinclair Commnity College Even before joining Achieving the Dream, Sinclair Commnity College had an active instittional research (IR) department. However, faclty rarely saw the data that the IR office collected and even more rarely discssed or thoght abot how to se the information. One of the first things the college did after joining the initiative was to bring faclty and staff together at a data retreat to examine and discss stdent sccess data. Participants in the retreat fond that their most at-risk stdents were strggling with math and English especially and decided to involve faclty from developmental stdies, along with the math and English departments, in a problem-solving grop to address the challenge. Ultimately, they merged the work of faclty in these priority areas into two Academic Qality Improvement Program (AQIP) projects the college developed for reaccreditation: math and writing sccess. The work teams for these two AQIP projects were led by faclty and were composed of faclty and staff from across the college. While most of the attention at the initial data retreat and other planning meetings was on qantitative data, it became clear that there was also a need to collect qalitative data from stdents to nderstand why stdents were experiencing difficlty and to help design appropriate strategies. Sinclair s ATD Project Director asked permission to interview stdents in ten developmental math and English classes to find ot abot their experiences in these corses. The faclty were assred that all information collected wold remain confidential. Stdents were asked abot varios aspects of their experience in the given class, sch as where their needs were being met, where they were strggling, and how the corse cold be improved. After the notes were compiled, the ATD Project Director met individally with each faclty member to discss what had been heard, and finally the entire grop met to look for patterns in the data and discss possible soltions to the problems identified. The developmental corse faclty who had been involved in these interviews greatly valed hearing what stdents were saying abot their classes, and for their part, stdents appreciated the opportnity to talk abot their experiences. Despite some early fears that stdents wold focs on personal problems and gripes, responses focsed on practical ways in which stdents thoght things cold be improved, sch as the sggestion that stdents be allowed to work in the compter lab and that faclty post notes and worksheets online. The faclty conclded that these class interviews shold be held dring the middle of the term, so Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 13

14 Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges that instrctors wold still have time to make changes before the end of the corse. They also believed that other faclty members wold enjoy learning abot their stdents experiences. They became the first faclty to become interview facilitators and note-takers for Sinclair s midqarter stdent interviews, a process that had a faclty grassroots beginning. Each qarter, all fll- and part-time faclty are invited to participate in a mid-qarter class interview. The interviews are facilitated by two faclty volnteers who ask the class ten qestions and share the responses with the faclty member. At the reqest of the writing sccess AQIP team, faclty interviewed the stdents in all sections of developmental English as well as those enrolled in the first credit-bearing English corse more than thirty classes in all. The English and developmental writing faclty created a best practices website where they cold share what they had learned with the larger college teaching commnity. In addition, they worked together to write a sccessfl learning challenge grant that enabled them to hire an otside expert on the teaching of grammar for professional development sessions. Next, the ATD Project Director sggested to the math AQIP team that it se mid-qarter interviews to gather stdent information to gide a revision of MAT 101 Introdction to College Algebra, a corse with a high failre rate. A team of for math faclty developed a qestionnaire to ask stdents abot compter-based instrction. Faclty also visited twenty-five sections of MAT 101 to interview stdents and to complete the qestionnaire. The ATD project director met with for math faclty to review the raw data, ensring that there wold be no misinterpretation and empowering the faclty to perform the analysis themselves. Based on the data, the corse was sbstantially reworked, and faclty designed a pilot corse to improve stdent sccess by sing compter software, class ttors, lab time and other stdent engagement activities. Ultimately, as a reslt of the math AQIP work, the crriclm was revised into a new, slower-paced three-corse series MAT 191, 192 and 193 which prodced a measrable, if modest, increase in stdent sccess. Following the pilot year, fll-time math faclty members, along with the math and English departments, collaborated in a problem solving grop to address the challenge. Sinclair reports that the process of working together on stdent sccess has been valable for the math faclty who have been involved to date, improving working relationships and collegiality within the department and prodcing concrete reslts for stdents. The next step is for the college to find ways to engage faclty throgh its new Center for Teaching and Learning, which will provide spport for faclty to learn more abot effective teaching methods. Using Large-Format Meetings to Strategically Engage Faclty in Achieving the Dream Hoston Commnity College (HCC) At the beginning of the college s first implementation year, the Hoston Commnity College system focsed its annal all-college meeting on Achieving the Dream. Attendees inclded everyone from the Chancellor to the maintenance service staff, and the meeting Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 14

15 Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges provided an opportnity to bild on growing interest in ATD among the faclty and staff. The college s ATD coach was invited as the keynote speaker and was able to let the entire college commnity (nmbering in the thosands) know more abot the initiative s overall goals and processes, as well as to begin a discssion of the college s specific ATD implementation strategies while sharing some preliminary data. The meeting also inclded smaller breakot sessions where attendees cold discss each strategy with a facilitator and their colleages. HCC also partnered with the faclty senate for its annal conference, attended by roghly percent of the faclty. Capitalizing on good relationships with the city and the Chamber of Commerce, the college secred the free se of the local convention center and invited the srronding Glf Coast colleges that were also ATD participants to attend the meeting, share sccessfl strategies and compare notes on their ATD work. Speakers were invited from other, non ATD colleges and niversities to share their knowledge with the grop in plenary session; for example, a representative from Kingsborogh Commnity College spoke abot his instittion s sccess with learning commnities. HCC was awarded an additional grant from the Hoston Endowments to spport this meeting. Valencia Commnity College s Big Meeting Valencia Commnity College in Orlando, Florida, offers an additional example of how a college can strategically se a large meeting format to effectively engage college stakeholders in decision making and data analysis. At the end of the college s Achieving the Dream planning year, Valencia held what they called a Big Meeting, inviting faclty, staff, stdents and stakeholders from across the college (inclding a few commnity members) to present and discss the strategies the college was considering for its Achieving the Dream implementation phase and for inpt into the strategic plan. The daylong meeting was comprised of several plenary sessions, each setting the stage for small grop table discssions with a facilitator and someone taking notes on a flip chart. Participants were asked to help narrow down roghly 100 possible strategies into a final three based on the following criteria: Were the strategies ripe, scalable and effective? The core team presented work it had done ahead of time to narrow the strategies and clster them into three categories (spplemental learning, learning commnities and stdent sccess initiatives), bt participants were still free to discss any of the other options. In the end, the notes from the small grop discssions were collected and the data from the meeting were a part of the final decision making by the core team and college leadership. Valencia s Achieving the Dream Director, who attended the meeting in her capacity at that time as professor of mathematics, reported that becase of the meeting s strctre, people felt that their opinions were actally heard and their inpt wold have an effect on the process. Faclty-Led Task Forces and Engagement in Stdent Advising at Soth Texas College Soth Texas College (STC) has worked hard to involve a diverse grop of faclty in its Achieving the Dream work. Mch of the college s sccess can be traced to the attitdes of college leaders, who told faclty early on, We are going Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 15

16 Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges to transform this instittion and we want yo to play a big role in that. Faclty were actively involved in the initial data collection work that was part of the early ATD planning process, and most attended a college-wide professional development day that focsed on condcting a SWOT analysis of the college. Faclty were engaged in planning for instittional change from the beginning of the college s ATD work in a variety of ways. For instance, faclty leadership positions were established on the college s Planning and Development Concil (STC s eqivalent of a data team). Frther, leaders from the faclty senate, the Concil of [Department] Chairs and others were inclded on the Academic Concil (which incldes the Vice President for Academic Affairs, academic deans and other key academic leaders). Key faclty leaders were asked to serve as co-chairs of the original ATD task forces (comprehensive advising and stdent accontability) and the sbcommittees that were formed as part of those task forces. At STC, faclty members have led task forces in topics sch as advising, assessment, placement and matriclation, and stdent accontability. The college has developed a very strctred approach to task force creation and fnction that involves five key steps: (1) identify the isse; (2) condct a literatre review to find ot what the experts say; (3) identify promising practices at other colleges, sometimes directly contacting other instittions to find ot what they are doing that is working; (4) examine the relevant data on stdent sccess and review crrent STC practices; and (5) make a series of formal recommendations to college leadership and other faclty on how to make progress on the isse at hand. Rather than signaling the end of faclty engagement in the process, sch task force recommendations mark the beginning of a new and broader rond as task force co-chairs work with the Vice President of Information Services and Planning to take the recommendations to all five campses. There they hold dialoge sessions on the recommendations with a mch larger grop of faclty and staff, and explain the process by which the recommendations were developed. This serves at least two prposes. First, it informs a mch wider swath of the college commnity abot the isse and what is being done to address it, bilding awareness and, hopeflly, a degree of consenss at the same time. Second, dring the dialoge sessions, the task force gains ideas from a broader grop of colleages abot how to effectively implement their recommendations. After this broader process of engagement and problem solving, the task force presented its findings and recommendations to the ATD core team, along with an implementation and assessment plan. In almost every case, the college has implemented the recommendations of these committees, validating the effort that faclty and others have devoted to the process, and cementing their commitment to the ATD stdent sccess agenda. STC has also sed the power of faclty engagement throgh its work on faclty advising. One of the recommendations of the Comprehensive Stdent Advising task-force, co-chaired by the Dean of Stdent Spport Services and the Chair of the Faclty Senate, was that the college shold develop a faclty advising training program. Acting on this recommendation, the college institted a new Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 16

17 Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges program to train faclty in advising, which also allows faclty to flfill the service reqirement in their contracts. Since 2006, more than 400 faclty have completed level-one advising training. Faclty members sggested ptting a level-two program in place for those who wanted more advanced professional development on the topic. The faclty involved in the advising program meet with an assigned nmber of stdents at least three times throghot the term to make sre they are progressing and to offer spport and assistance with problems. The faclty advising training was the first largescale collaborative strategy between academic affairs and stdent affairs. Aside from the semester-long training program, faclty also worked alongside the advisors in the advising center. The faclty advising training was also sed to train all stdent affairs staff that holds a baccalareate degree, so that they cold serve as Beacon Mentors (staff assigned to gatekeeper corses for a semester). The Beacon Mentors mst work closely with faclty, as they are reqired to meet with stdents in the class a minimm of for times per semester. Dring this time, stdent affairs also modified the job description for the conselors to inclde teaching one College Sccess corse per semester as part of their 40-hor week. STC believes that this effort has accelerated the breaking down of silos between academic and stdent affairs, reslting in greater collaboration in addressing isses and prodcing new strategies to spport stdents both in and otside of the classroom. Faclty-Stdent Dialoges and Camps Conversations at Coastal Bend (TX), Capital (CT), Cyahoga (OH) and Bnker Hill (MA) Achieving the Dream has recently developed a set of tools for strctred faclty-stdent dialoges and camps conversations to help engage faclty and other stakeholders in problem solving to help more stdents scceed. These tools and processes were piloted at for diverse ATD colleges: Coastal Bend (TX), Capital (CT), Cyahoga (OH) and Bnker Hill (MA). The faclty-stdent dialoges are designed as a series of three separate two-hor sessions, each with a facilitator/recorder team and comprised of some combination of faclty, staff and stdents. In these grops, participants work throgh discssions abot obstacles to stdent sccess, select stdent achievement data and brainstorm varios soltions that might improve stdent otcomes. The camps conversations involve a larger nmber of participants from the entire camps commnity, with a combination of large grop plenary sessions and smaller moderated discssion grops. The reslts are then reported to the ATD core and data teams and incorporated into strategic planning. In some instances, colleges reported that the data they received from the dialoge grops helped to confirm and/or legitimize the strategies they were already planning to prse as part of their ATD implementation efforts, giving them greater confidence to proceed. In other cases, administrators were made aware of new areas where they cold address isses or problems relatively qickly, withot a big infsion of resorces. For example, stdents at one college complained that they had no place Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 17

18 Examples of Sccessfl Faclty Engagement Efforts at ATD Colleges to store their lnches if they were going to be on camps for the greater part of the day, meaning that they either had to spend money to by food or go withot. Immediately the college boght a refrigerator that wold be available for stdents, saving them both time and money. By addressing sch low-hanging frit isses promptly, the college leadership was able to provide concrete assistance to address stdents concerns and signal its seriosness abot helping stdents scceed and establishing a cltre of continos improvement. Many of the colleges that participated in the pilot described seeing meaningfl attitde changes in how faclty related to stdents. In one case, a fll-time professor who had participated in a series of faclty-stdent dialoge grops told an evalator, I sed to be able to se my office hors as qiet time to get my work done. Since being in the dialoge grop, the word has spread that I m actally a pretty OK gy, and can help. Now I ve got stdents coming to my office to talk to me who aren t even in my classes! Finally, the facltystdent dialoge and camps conversation processes can contribte to bilding a cltre o f evidence at the college. For example, at Coastal Bend College, the college s instittional research department completed a fll content analysis of the qalitative data revealed in the dialoges and camps conversations they held on each of for campses. The IR staff created a detailed presentation for the President, the core and data teams, and the Board of Trstees. The data are being sed to inform the college s new strategic plan. At Cyahoga, the ATD core team is sing the data from its dialoges and conversations in deliberations as the college ends the demonstration phase of ATD and moves toward policy decisions that will facilitate more widespread implementation of stdent sccess strategies. The core team created a final report based on the engagement experiences that were shared with the strategic planning team, which is sing the reslts to create action plans for the FY09 14 strategic plan. Overall, the dialoges and conversations were a positive way to promote nderstanding and bild relationships between stdents and faclty. Participants in the conversations were excited to be involved in a respectfl dialoge in which their concerns, sggestions and strategies for action were taken seriosly. Faclty and stdents both expressed great appreciation for the opportnity to interact with each other otside the classroom environment and said they wold like more opportnities for this kind of relationship bilding. Ctting Edge Series: Engaging Adjnct and Fll-Time Faclty in Stdent Sccess Innovation 18

19 APPENDIX Faclty Engagement Resorce List Birnback, L., & Friedman, W. (2009). Engaging Faclty in the Achieving the Dream Initiative. New York: Pblic Agenda. Boylan, H. R., & Saxon, D. P. (2005). Affirmation and Discovery: Learning from Sccessfl Commnity College Developmental Programs in Texas. Astin: Texas Association of Commnity Colleges. Brock, T., Jenkins, D., Ellwein, T., Miller, J., Gooden, S., Martin, K., MacGregor, C., & Pih, M. (2007). Bilding a Cltre of Evidence for Commnity College Stdent Sccess. New York: MDRC. Covington, D., Petherbridge, D., & Warren, S. (2005). Best Practices: A Trianglated Spport Approach in Transitioning Faclty to Online Teaching. Online Jornal of Distance Learning Administration, 8. Retrieved from ed/~distance/ojdla/ Gonzalez, K.P., & Padilla, R. (1999, November). Faclty Commitment and Engagement in Organizational Reform. Association for the Stdy of Higher Edcation: Proceedings of the ASHE Annal Meeting, San Antonio, TX (pp. 1-46). Retrieved from eric.ed.gov/ Gskin, A.E. (1996). Facing the Ftre: The Change Process in Restrctring Universities. Change, 38, Hagner, P. R., & Schneebeck, C. A. (2001). Engaging the Faclty. In C. A. Barone & P. R. Hagner (eds.), Technology-Mediated Teaching and Learning (pp. 1-12). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Hagner, P.R. (2001). EDUCAUSE/NLII White paper: Interesting Practices and Best Systems in Faclty Engagement and Spport [white paper]. Retrieved from InterestingPracticesandBestSys/ Haviland, D. (2009). Leading Assessment: From Faclty Relctance to Faclty Engagement. Academic Leadership: The Online Jornal, 7. Retrieved from Hora, M. T., & Millar, S. B. (2008). A Final Case Stdy of SCALE Activities at UW- Madison: The Inflence of Instittional Context on a K-20 STEM Edcation Change Initiative (WCER Working Paper No ). Madison: University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Center for Edcation Research. Retrieved from workingpapers/papers.php Hora, M. T. (2010). Factors Inflencing Change Initiatives to Improve K-20 STEM Edcation at California State University, Domingez Hills: Final Case Stdy of SCALE Activities. (WCER Working Paper No ). Madison: University of Wisconsin Madison, Wisconsin Center for Edcation Research. Retrieved from workingpapers/papers.php Immerwahr, J., Friedman, W., & Ott, A. (2005). Sharing the Dream: How Faclty, Families and Commnity Leaders Respond to Commnity College Reform. New York: Pblic Agenda. 19

20 APPENDIX Faclty Engagement Resorce List Jenkins, D., Ellwein, T., Wachen, J., Kerrigan, M. R., & Cho, S. (2009). Achieving the Dream Colleges in Pennsylvania and Washington State: Early Progress Toward Bilding a Cltre of Evidence. New York: MDRC and Colmbia University, Teachers College, CCRC. Kafman, A., Mennin, S., Waterman, R., Dban, S., Hansbarger, C., Silverblatt, H., [ ] & Wiese, W. (1989). The New Mexico Experiment: Edcational Innovation and Instittional Change. Academic Medicine, 64 (6), Kennedy, D. (1995) Another Centry s End, Another Revoltion for Higher Edcation. Change, 33, Leach, W. D. (2008). Shared Governance in Higher Edcation: Strctral and Cltral Responses to a Changing National Climate. Sacramento: Center for Collaborative Policy, California State University. McClenney, B. N. (1997). The Commnity College of Denver Creates a Climate for Learning. In A Learning College for the 21st Centry, O Banion, T., Phoenix: Oryx Press. McClenney K. M. (2003). Learning Abstract Becoming a Learning College: Milestones on the Jorney. Phoenix: Leage for Innovation in the Commnity College. McClenney, K.M., McClenney, B. N., Peterson, G. F. (2007). A Cltre of Evidence: What Is It? Do We Have One? Planning for Higher Edcation, 35 (3), Pblic Agenda (2010). Changing the Conversation Abot Prodctivity: Strategies for Engaging Faclty and Instittional Leaders. New York. (2009) Engaging Faclty in the Achieving the Dream Initiative. (2007) Strengthening Achieving the Dream Planning Throgh Stakeholder Engagement: A Gide for Commnity College Leadership Teams. (2005) Sharing the Dream: How Faclty, Families and Commnity College Leaders Respond to Commnity College Reform. Rogers, E. (1995). Diffsion of Innovations (4th ed.). New York: Free Press. Roeche, J. E, Milliron, M. D., Roeche, S. D. (2003). The Power of Practical Magic: Perspectives from Teaching Excellence Award Recipients. Celebrations: An Occasional Pblication of the National Institte for Staff and Organizational Development. Roeche, J. E., Roeche, S. D., and Milliron, M.D. (1995). Strangers in Their Own Land: Part-Time Faclty in American Commnity Colleges. Washington, D.C.: Commnity College. Roeche, J. E, Roeche, S.D. (2009). The Art of Visionary Leadership: Painting a Face on the Ftre. Celebrations: An Occasional Pblication of the National Institte for Staff and Organizational Development. 20