Creating A Community of Learners in IT……Are You Serious?! Wanda Burwick Elaine McLeod

Rethinking Tradition Creating A Community of Learners in IT……Are You Serious?! Wanda Burwick Elaine McLeod

Midlands Technical College Columbia, SC • Open admissions policy • Non-residential college • Multiple campuses • Diverse student population • Nontraditional students • First-generation students

Profile of Nontraditional Students • Jobs and joblessness – economic stressors • Family responsibilities – emotional and psychological stressors • Childcare – lack of access to affordable, safe daycare facilities; overreliance on family and friends • Health care – lack of insurance, overreliance on walk-in clinics • Housing – homelessness, substandard housing, frequent moves • Transportation – no access to reliable public transportation, unreliable private transportation

Create Community of Learners to Help Students Succeed • Creating cohorts for academic and cultural support • Connecting students to resources and promoting engagement with the college community • Promoting cooperative learning, active learning, inquiry and exploration • Facilitating independent and mutually-supportive learning • Providing opportunities for in-class and out-of-class interaction

Community of Learners in Information Technology “For students who commute to college, especially those who have multiple obligations outside the college, the classroom may be the only place where students and faculty meet, where education in the formal sense is experienced. For those students, in particular, the classroom is the crossroads where the social and the academic meet.” Vincent Tinto (1997)

Rethinking the Course: The First Week • Shifting the focus from content to community building • Developing an identity as a learning cohort with shared responsibilities: • Establishing mutual expectations • Accessing and using resources effectively • Constructing learning • Achieving course outcomes • Creating opportunities for student interaction, communication, and interdependence • Building a stronger connection between students and faculty

Rethinking the Course: Activities to Build Metacognitive Skills • Creating motivation – scaffolding success, competence, and self-esteem • Promoting independent and interdependent learning • Building academic success skills and becoming a better learner • Connecting to college resources • Promoting participation in the academic community – mutual expectations and responsibilities

Learning Community • Exploring expectations • Building community and metacognition • Connecting students to college resources • Reinforcing students skills and providing opportunities for independent learning

Faculty Perspective • Shared Curriculum – Focus of Learning Communities • Who are our students? • What are their strengths and weaknesses? • How can success competencies be incorporated into the curriculum? • How can students be engaged? • How can students be connected to the college?

CPT 104 Activities • D2L Assessment • Scavenger Hunt • Personal Profile Assessment • Syllabus Assessment • Course Contract • Email to student not passing test

CPT 104 Activities • Team Building assignments • QEP Pre-test and Post-test • Socrative exercises • Write-Pair-Share • Self-Evaluation Tool • Time Management Tool • Impromptu Trainings

Personal Profile Assignment CPT 104 Personal Profile Assignment Your full name: _____________________________________________ Name you prefer to be called if different from first name: MTC ID#: _______ Major:__________________ Directions: Write a brief, legible essay that conforms to the following outline. Please skip lines as you write, and do not write on the back of your paper. When finished, staple this sheet to the FRONT of your essay. Write a paragraph in which you introduce yourself to me. Here are some suggestions to help you get started: What is your name? How long have you been a student at MTC? What are your educational goals? Do you plan to transfer to another college? To study what? What are your career goals?

Sample Course Contract COURSE CONTRACT Please read your syllabus very carefully and totally before completing and submitting your course contract. STUDENT INFORMATION: Your Course Number & Section (Example: CPT 290A02) _____________________________ Name:_____________________________ Student ID#______________________________ Preferred Email Address:___________________________ Preferred Telephone Number:_________________ COURSE CONTRACT: 1) My instructor’s name is ______________________________. 2) My instructor’s email address is _______________________ and the contact phone number is _______________________. 3) _________ absences are permitted in this course. 4) ______ tardies represent an absence. 5) A tardy is defined as being up to ______ minutes late for class. A student entering the classroom after roll is called is considered absent. Leaving class early counts as an absence unless discussed with instructor. 6) True or False: Cell phones are permitted, as long as they are on vibrate and are not misused. 7) What is the lowest passing number score? (Like 25 or 97. Not a letter grade) 8) True or False: There are D's in this course. 9) True or False: MTC Alerts! is a free service to all MTC students. 10) True or False: A student may exempt the final if their overall average is an A. This form indicates that I understand how to access the syllabus, course of study, and other information on the IST website. It is my responsibility to understand the requirements of the course, the grading scale and attendance policy. Signature___________________________ Date__________________________

Sample Email Hello, student name : I am concerned with your recent test grade. I would like to help you identify positive actions you are already taking, as well as come up with a few other ideas that may help you be more successful in this course. Below is a student behavior survey I would like you to complete and email back to me. Place a (x) next to each statement that applies to you. Outside Class _____ I study at least 2 hours outside class for each hour spent in class. I do the homework, as follows: _____ I start working on the homework as soon as it is assigned, so that I can get help if needed before the homework is due. _____ I first review my notes and read the text section. _____ Then, I try each assignment. _____ If given the attempt, I redo any questions that have the incorrect answers. If I get stuck on a question/issue, I use the following resources to better understand the problem: _____ Read the textbook _____ Visit the textbook website for support/additional study resources _____ Email instructor _____ Fellow classmates

Sample Email _____ In addition to homework, I study for tests by reviewing my notes and doing practice reviews at the end of the chapter. _____ I have read the course information to know what is expected. _____ I have the name and phone number of at least one other class member so that I can call if I miss class, or perhaps to help each other when we get stuck. _____ I know my professor’s office hours and location of the office. I don’t hesitate to stop and ask questions during office hours if needed. In Class _____ I attend each class, and arrive on time. I do not make appointments or plans that would cause me to miss class. _____ I participate in class activities and take notes when appropriate. _____ If I am easily distracted, I sit toward the front of the class. _____ I pay attention so that I don’t miss something important. I don’t disrupt class by talking with friends or texting. Briefly describe which items above (that you are not already doing) you could begin integrating into your study habits/behaviors to help you perform better on the next test. Please know that I am here to assist you in any way possible. These are just some thoughts and possibilities that might help you to do better in the class. I care, and I want you to do well, so please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to me if you need to. Thanks in advance for taking a few minutes to do this. I am hoping it will help us both in the class.

Socrative Socrative is a smart student response system that empowers teachers to engage their classrooms through a series of educational exercises and games via smartphones, laptops, and tablets. http://vimeo.com/27564554

Write-Pair-Share Write/Pair/Shareis an oral language support strategy that allows students to formulate their thinking in writing before oral interaction with a peer. It increases student accountability for talk and supports the more hesitant speaker by providing written rehearsal. Peers quickly write down a response to a focus question provided by the teacher, then read the brief response to a partner and follow it with discussion of ideas.

Self-Evaluation Inventory Midterm Self-Evaluation on Survival Skills: How Am I Doing So Far in College? Name: ___________CPT 104____________Date______ Please evaluate whether you are engaging in the following behaviors:

Time Management Survey TIME MANAGEMENT - AM I TOO BUSY? How many hours do you work on average each day, plus commuting time? ________ How many hours a day are you in class on average, plus commuting time? ________ How many hours on average do you spend a day watching TV, reading, exercising, relaxing, etc.? Watching TV ______ Reading _______ Listening to Music ______ Playing with/Feeding pets ______ Eating ______ Grocery Shopping ______ Cooking ______ Exercising ______

Impromptu Training Take out a piece of paper…… Write down steps to make a PB&J

Meta-Cognitive Skills Learned • Creating motivation – scaffolding success, competence, and self-esteem • Promoting independent and interdependent learning • Building academic success skills and becoming a better learner • Connecting to college resources • Promoting participation in the academic community – mutual expectations and responsibilities

Soft Skills Learned • Public speaking skills • Communication skills • Team work skills • Leadership skills

Questions? • Wanda Burwick • IST Instructor, CPT Program Coordinator, • IST Department • 803.738.7761 • burwickw@midlandstech.edu • http://www.midlandstech.edu/edu/ed/ism/burwick/burwick.html • Elaine J. McLeod • IST Instructor, IST Development • 803.822.3423 • mcleodej@midlandstech.edu • http://www.midlandstech.com/edu/ed/ISM/mcleod/

Creating A Community of Learners in IT……Are You Serious?! Wanda Burwick Elaine McLeod