Practical Approaches to Developing Useful Dialogue

1. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue Barbara Anderson, Pierce College Kenneth Bearden, Butte College Marybeth Buechner, Cosumnes River College Janet Fulks, Bakersfield College Steve Reynolds, College of the Siskiyous Anthony Samad, East LA College Linda Umbdenstock – Long Beach City College

2. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue • How do you develop dialogue on a campus? • Are there ways to provide incentive for faculty participation? • What issues arise when dialoguing with faculty and how do you respond to them? • How do you initiate positive and productive program dialogue to develop SLOs that everyone can agree to? • Nuggets of wisdom • What techniques that work and don’t work • Tying program assessment to Program Review • Mapping SLOs across programs

3. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue • “Excellent” chocolate? • “Chocolaty” outcomes? • Characteristics assessed? • Aroma • Flavor • Texture • Satiety • Nutritional value • Rubric creation

4. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue • Dialogue that is • Inclusive • Informed • Ongoing • Self-reflective • Intentional • About • Student learning • Institutional quality/Effectiveness • Systematic improvement

5. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue • Based on evidence and information that is • Accurate and current • Responsive • Quantitative and qualitative • About • Courses and course-level outcomes • Programs and program-level outcomes • Support Services and their outcomes • And institutional outcomes

6. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue • Setting the Stage • Academic Freedom • Philosophy Statements • Moderate the expectations • What is already happening on your campus?

7. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Barbara Anderson, Los Angeles Pierce College • Using what we have • Pulling from Curriculum Documents • Objectives or outcomes? • Meeting in a department with course syllabi asking • What are we doing • What do our students need? • What could we be doing better? • What are we doing well? • Aligning course to outcomes

8. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Linda Umbdenstock – Long Beach City College • Summer projects w/workshops (departments/program) • Sharing the results on flex day • 2 two-hour sessions • 4-6 departments share each session • Followed by hands on • Scholars’ Retreat • College-wide colloquium on Ed Master Plan goal • Use for documenting dialogue for Self-Study

9. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Kenneth Bearden – Butte College • Embedding the discussion in existing committee work • Curriculum Review • Program Review • Unit Plans and Strategic Planning • Chairs and Coordinators meetings • Learning communities

10. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Dr. Anthony A. Samad – East L.A. College • ELAC Academic Senate Set The Tone for a “faculty-driven, ‘go slow’” approach • Incorporated into Opening Day Agenda (in 2005 and again this coming Fall, 2007) • Have held two campus-wide faculty workshops • Held an Open Academic Senate meeting to address faculty concerns • SLO Reports have a standing agenda position in the Educational Plan Sub-Committee, Student Success Committee and Academic Senate meetings • Bi-weekly SLO committee meetings open to all faculty

11. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Steve Reynolds – College of the Siskiyous • Integrating into current practices • Curriculum Development/Review • Strategic Planning • Program Review • Initiating into current practices • Annual Planning • Basic skills • Faculty evaluation??????? • Lessons learned (Pitfalls)

12. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful DialogueExamples Marybeth Buechner – Cosumnes College • Philosophy: Value what we currently do. Find the overlap between what we find most useful and what WASC wants. • Practices: Use course outlines as one way to align assessment with outcomes/objectives. Define programs based on common set of outcomes - including student services • Question: How do we document the dialogue?

13. Practical Approaches toDoing the Dialogue Lets Dialogue. Reassemble into groups Talk about practical approaches you think will work on your campus • What types of dialogue are currently occurring? • How will you promote dialogue at your college? • Any other creative ideas you have heard to stimulate dialogue? • Any new ideas after hearing those shared today? • How will you document this dialogue? • What is WASC looking for in our dialogue and documentation? Write your ideas on the flip charts to report out later.

14. Practical Approaches toDoing the Dialogue • Lets Dialogue Conclusion • Groups will report out and as they do Marybeth will model the use of a Venn Diagram to get a visual on how what we are already doing overlaps with WASC standards Useful practices WASC standards

15. Some Not-so -Good Practices for Robust Dialogue • Don‘t say anything that devalues the expertise and abilities of your faculty - they have been and are doing this work • Don’t say “this will be a measuring stick for retaining faculty and programs • Don’t say “ If you fail to participate you will … • Don’t let people with agendas monopolize the discussion • Don’t focus on only the positives (everyone will have things that don’t work and sometimes you learn more from this) • Don’t talk about what you will do – focus on what you are doing

16. Good Practices for Robust Dialogue • Start with questions relevant to the group. • Use local culture and organization as the rule of thumb. • Make the dialogue meaningful and important to daily work and . • Make dialoging safe; develop assessment philosophies or contracts. See the samples handed out. • Be prepared to moderate personal agendas • Be attuned to the language and ideas – clarify your campus terminology; talk in ordinary English but connect it to WASC terminology. • Make it fun. • Close the loop soon; share the positive outcomes campus-wide. • Use follow up questions.

17. Barbara Anderson of Pierce College SLO philosophy statement 10 reason's why we'll love working together (or, the top 10 reasons you should love working with me!) ;) • 1) I recognize that you’re the experts in your field. • 2) I won’t waste your time. (Let’s keep it meaningful.) • 3) I love your students. (Your student’s success should be the focus of SLO creation.) • 4) The process will (should) result in course and/or program improvement. • 5) I believe in academic freedom and I respect faculty. (SLOs should be faculty driven.) • 6) I see the value in the process. (“Failure” can be harnessed to lead to success.) • 7) I value “in the box” and “out of the box” thinking. (I believe in using what we have as well as creating/discovering what we need.) • 8) Two heads are better than one: I value teamwork and the power of brainstorming. (Collegiality is invigorating!) • 9) I’ll go the distance with you. (I’ll follow through with you on the full cycle of assessment and beyond.) • 10) Celebrating success should be part of the process! (I believe in the power of laughter and I have a beer budget I’m willing to tap into.) 

18. Practical Approaches toDeveloping Useful Dialogue Thank you. Please fill out an evaluation form. Happy dialoguing!