Philosophy of Community and Technical College Education

Transcription

1 Philosophy of Community and Technical College Education CTL0900 Course Description Minnesota State Colleges & Universities Phone: Fax: SYLLABUS (Download PDF) This non-credit introductory course focuses on the evolution, mission, purpose, and operating features of community and technical colleges. Topics include their missions, philosophies, programs and services, students and staff, administrative and governance structures, financing structures, and patterns of development. The course provides an overview of how the organization and operation of community and technical colleges in Minnesota reflect their historical development, their position in the contemporary postsecondary education market, and their prospects for the future. The course: Provides a foundational knowledge base to support a faculty member s role within the community and technical college and Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Assists the faculty member in developing his/her personal philosophy of teaching and learning in a community or technical college and ideas for a professional development plan. Course Outcomes You will develop a personal philosophy of teaching and learning at one of Minnesota s public community or technical colleges and you ll develop ideas for continuing professional development. Course Expectations This course is intended to be completed as a noncredit, self-directed online tutorial. It is expected that faculty participating in the course will read the material in each unit; participate in at least one discussion per unit; complete the unit quizzes; and prepare the philosophy of teaching and learning statement. This course is required for newly hired unlimited-appointment faculty as part of the teaching and learning competency requirement of the Minnesota State Colleges and University Board of Trustees Policy 3.2 College Faculty Credentialing and Procedure Course Objectives Analyze the 21 st Century college students at open-door, two-year institutions and explain how this information affects your teaching philosophy Summarize how historical, political, social, and economic events have shaped the development of community and technical college education, particularly in Minnesota Differentiate the curricular functions and the academic programs in community and technical colleges as they meet the needs and goals of the students they serve Examine the institutional and systematic aspects of governance, finance, and administration in community and technical colleges in Minnesota Evaluate the impact of community and technical college education Summarize the faculty roles and responsibilities in community and technical colleges in Minnesota Philosophy of Community & Technical College Education 1

2 Course Topics Mission of Community and Technical Colleges: Designed to Serve the Learners A Short History of the Community and Technical College Curricular Programs in Community and Technical Colleges The Structure and Operation of Community and Technical Colleges The Impact of Community and Technical Colleges Roles and Responsibilities of Faculty in Community and Technical Colleges Course Material All the materials for this course are provided online. The topics and material for this course were developed from interviews with subject matter experts throughout the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Faculty, students, administrators and staff share their perspectives on community and technical college education in all segments of the course. Videos of students, faculty, administrators and college campuses have been added to show the variety of institutions and the rich culture of the two-year college campuses. No textbook is required. Please check out the course glossary and the attached bibliography of references for faculty in community and technical colleges. Develop a Journal As you are moving through the course, you will have readings and activities with reflection questions to help you organize your thoughts about the specific content. It may be helpful for you to create a course journal to record your thoughts so you can refer to them as you prepare your philosophy of teaching and learning statement, seek ideas for continued professional development, join in discussions with other faculty, and/or make modifications to your course syllabus. Electronic Portfolio As you progress through this course, you may want to use an electronic portfolio to create a living showcase of your education, career, and personal achievements that includes your philosophy of teaching and learning statement. Use any of these helpful, free electronic portfolios for this purpose: Google Sites Evernote.com Foliospaces.org Edublogs.org Unit Assessments/Quizzes Each unit will have a unit assessment or quiz to complete. You will need to participate in at least one discussion for the unit before you complete the assessment. These unit assessments are available in the QUIZZES section. Once your unit assessment is completed it will be recorded in the GRADEBOOK and you can continue through the course. Discussions Philosophy of Community & Technical College Education 2

3 You will need to participate in at least one discussion per unit. There are discussion questions listed for each unit in the DISCUSSION section. Please feel free to post other questions, share your thoughts, or debate issues as you work through the course. Philosophy of Community & Technical College Education 3

4 Unit Self-Assessment You have a short written self-assessment assignment in each of the units on the objectives page. These self-assessments are for your personal learning, and for sharing in class discussion if you d like. Course Assignments Based on your reflections from this course, write a philosophy of teaching and learning statement to express your personal commitment to teaching at your two-year college. Details of the assignment, as well as a rubric for self-assessment of the teaching and learning statement, are contained in the course assignments unit. Once you have completed all the unit assessments, place your philosophy of teaching and learning statement in the course DROPBOX in D2L. If you desire feedback on your Teaching and Learning Philosophy Statement, please ask an interested and knowledgeable peer on your campus. We would suggest your Academic Dean, a colleague in your department, or the faculty development coordinator on your campus. There is a helpful rubric for the self-assessment of the Philosophy of Teaching and Learning Statement provided in Unit 7. Many faculty alumni of the course have chosen to share their philosophy statements online. You can read them here. Based on your reflections from this course, develop a professional development plan. A planning form for this plan is contained in the course assignments unit. You may review this professional development plan with your academic dean. Performance Standards for Course Assignments: A clear philosophy of teaching and learning statement: is consistent with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' and college's mission reflects the importance of being learner-centered describes learning and the learning situation describes the teaching process shows value for diverse learner populations transforms philosophy into classroom activities places a value on life-long learning and its importance to meaningful, productive, rewarding work places value on the role of faculty member A personal professional development plan: is a clear plan with short-term and long-term goals is consistent with Minnesota State Colleges and Universities' and your college's mission reflects the importance of being learner-centered reflects the importance of being knowledgeable in a discipline or in program content values teaching and learning activities values respect for diverse learner populations places value on service to the college and the community places value on the role of faculty member Course Completion Once you have completed the course by finishing each unit assessment (seven quizzes and six discussions) and posting your philosophy of teaching statement to the course dropbox, you will then log back into the registration site and complete the end of course checklist. In the checklist, you confirm that you completed the course quizzes, submit your teaching statement for publication (if you wish), and print your Certificate of Course Completion. Finally, you will need to enter the information into Philosophy of Community & Technical College Education 4

5 your personal profile of the College Faculty Salary and Credentialing Web System and provide a copy of your Certificate of Course Completion to your campus HR department. Philosophy of Community & Technical College Education 5