Collaborations Between and Best Teaching Practices Within Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math - Aims Community College
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TO T E A C H , TO L E A R N , TO I N S P I R E . . . AT A I M S C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E STEAM Collaborations Between and Best Teaching Practices Within Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts, and Math ISSUE 6 | 2018
CONTENTS
S I G N AT U R E EDITOR’S LETTER
2018 ISSUE
From Dr. Cerisa Reynolds:
EDITOR STEM education has long been heralded as an approach 4 Change is Inevitable; Transformation is 24 Building Self-Efficacy and Persistence with
Dr. Cerisa Reynolds
that can prepare graduates for careers in a changing, Intentional Classroom Projects: College Success Fair
increasingly connected, technologically complex world.
PRESIDENT But in recent years, there has been a push to recognize 5 Wonderful Programs; Wonderful People 25 From Astronomy to Philosophy: Building
Dr. Leah L. Bornstein the value in purposefully integrating STEM fields with Connections with Interdisciplinary Examples
“the arts” and “the arts” with STEM. The result: STEAM. 6 Using the Community Lab Maker Space for Class
EDITORIAL TEAM This issue of Signature explores this concept by working
Exercises and Assignments 27 On Belief and Understanding: Teaching Evolution in
Kendra Griffin within the theme of “STEAM: Collaborations Between
the College Classroom
Sarah Schwartzman Ramsey and Best Teaching Practices Within Science, Technology,
8 STEAM as Exemplified by an English and Biology
Meg Spencer Engineering, the Arts, and Math.”
Learning Community: An Interview with Amy Holly 29 3D Printers Foster Learning in the Classroom
and Dr. Chris Romero
GRAPHIC DESIGN While the merging of “the arts” with STEM fields may at
30 Meet the Ipevo-Ziggy HD DocCam
Bethany DuBois first glance seem rather inconsequential, there is actually much
to celebrate here. As explained by Anna Feldman (2015) in an 11 No Time to Waste: Preparing New Allied Health
article for Slate, Majors to Succeed with a Meta-Major Themed 31 Book Review: Teaching Statistics: A Bag of Tricks
PHOTOGRAPHY
AAA Course (Second Edition)
Allyson Byerly
Travis Tomlin “STEAM says we can be better engineers by learning
how to think artistically, and we can re-engage artists 14 The Hamilton Education Program: Project-Based 32 Faculty and Staff Awards
with science by letting them see how STEM can work Learning and Innovative Pedagogy
in the arts. It’s infinitely more exciting, especially in an 33 Part-time Faculty Engagement Stipend Recipients
AIMS COMMUNITY COLLEGE increasingly interdisciplinary and digital world. In STEAM, 16 Why “Them” Is Your New Best Friend
5401 W. 20th Street creativity is the central tenet. It not only revives and 33 2019 Submission Guidelines
Greeley CO 80634 modernizes STEM, it actually addresses, through real- 19 My Latest Tech Addiction: Google Sites in
970.330.8008 world projects, why the STEM subjects should matter to the Classroom 34 Looking Ahead ... Our New Strategic Plan
everyone. And that’s how we should all be learning.”
www.aims.edu
21 The Gallery Walk 35 Thank You to Our Contributors
While the sciences and arts are often described as two
different portions of academia, a STEAM approach suggests
23 Celebrating 50 Years of Aims Aviation
that the sciences need the arts, and the arts need the sciences.
This is true for our students and for us as scholars. And in
fact, when we learn from each other and collaborate with
each other, we help our students become well rounded and
engaged critical thinkers, problem solvers, and innovators. 5
8
GRE E LE Y | LOVE L AN D | FORT LUP TON | WINDSOR | ONL I NE
Aims Community College is committed to providing quality education for In this, the sixth issue of Signature, you will see some of the
our students. Our institution continues to make substantial investments
in teaching and learning. This magazine is one of those efforts. Our many ways our faculty are helping their students learn, grow,
annual teaching and learning magazine, Signature, is aimed at providing and thrive, and you will learn about the various opportunities
information about teaching and learning strategies and highlights our
important work in this area.
we all have to grow our teaching practices in deliberately
holistic ways. Some of the articles herein directly explore the
“The role of the Learning College at Aims Community College is to interdisciplinary nature of STEAM, while others focus on a
contribute and shape scenarios that empower learning through discovery,
specific discipline while providing applicable, key takeaways for
shared learning environments, and construction of knowledge.”
those in other fields.
LEARNING COLLEGE VISION STATEMENT
Aims Community College is an equal opportunity institution. The College This issue serves as an opportunity for us to learn about each
prohibits discrimination in its practices, programs, and activities on the
basis of age, race, color, religion, creed, gender, national origin, sexual
other, learn from each other, and perhaps open a dialogue for
orientation, or disability and is committed to maintaining an environment future connections between STEM and the Arts at Aims. Enjoy!
free from sexual or other harassment and retaliation.
For more information about our graduation rates, the median debt of Feldman, A. (2015, June 16). STEAM rising: Why we need to
students who completed the program and other important information,
please visit our website at http://www.aims.edu/academics/ge-disclosures/ put the arts into STEM education. Slate. Retrieved from
23
Aims Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission
http://www.slate.com
(www.hlcommission.org and 800-621-7440.)
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 3
Change is inevitable; Wonderful Programs;
Transformation is intentional
by Dr. Leah L. Bor nstein
Wonderful People
by Dr. Doug Strauss
I
T
arrived on the Aims campus on March 12, 2018. As I began
ransformation at Aims is exemplified my journey to learn about staff and faculty, and the neat
through inspiration, experimentation, things being offered at Aims, I spoke with my administrative
creativity, and discovery. As instructors, colleagues. I asked them which faculty were doing some “cool”
parents, supervisors, community and creative things in the classroom. I wanted to begin my time
volunteers, etc., we know that most folks at Aims by learning about the culture and the artistry that was
learn by doing. The learning paradigm of discovery and taking place throughout the campus. This search led me to three
the creative paradigm consist of gathering information, individuals: Heather Brown, Lee McMains, and Kenny McDaniel.
being inspired, formulating an idea, experimenting Wow! They are doing some amazing things, and I wanted to share
or creating, evaluating the results, and repeating what I found when I spent time visiting with them.
the process.
My first stop took me to Lee McMains (Industrial Technology) and
This process—specifically experimentation and Aims’ “Craft Closet.” Talk about hands-on learning! This creative
creation—are the keys to transformation. space beckons students and community members to roll up
their sleeves and delve into “playing” with ideas and inventions.
Experimentation and creation are the combining and I mentioned to Lee that my 12-year-old son wanted to build a
recombining of ideas until value is delivered in a new grappling hook, and Lee just smiled. He told me to bring him
way. We all engage in this process by constantly trying by in the evening to interact with all the “fun” equipment in the
new ideas and prototyping new ways of delivering room. My son is very excited to operate a 3D Printer and Laser
excellence to our learners, to one another, and to Cutter. Lee mentioned that one goal of the Craft Closet is to have
our communities. instructors think outside the box as they utilize technology. For
example, if students wrote poetry in their creative writing course
One exciting feature of our 2018-2023 Strategic Plan is they could learn how to bind their poems in a book, or students
that it is modeled with experimentation, creativity, and in an anthropology class could create some creative artifacts. The
discovery in mind. Most of the activities/tasks include sky’s the limit in the Craft Closet. (See inset, next page).
a research/investigation period, a testing/pilot step,
an identified baseline/benchmark, and an assessment/ Speaking of the sky, another thing I learned about Lee is his
discovery period after execution. This entire process passion for space, and the space I’m referring to is outer space.
allows us to intentionally transform (learn, share, test, Lee sponsors a NASA Space Grant CubeSat program where his
discover, and create anew). students collect data on gases in our atmosphere. Students divide
into various teams (coding team, structural team, etc.) and work
Through BOTH experimentation AND creativity, Aims on different components that culminate in the launching of a
Community College stays ahead of the curve. You, balloon carrying a satellite that collects data before coming back
Aims faculty and staff, are incredibly creative, inspiring, The Aims CubeSat students on the day they launched their to land. His students have great enthusiasm for this unique and
and transformative. You are leading your disciplines, satellite. Photo provided by Aims student Phoenix Ventura. wonderful opportunity at Aims.
your professions, our region, and our nation. That’s
transformation by intention! Another exciting educational opportunity at Aims is our Cyber
Security Certificate. This certificate is offered through the
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 5
Computer Information Systems/
Using the Community Lab Maker Space Computer Science department. When
for Class Exercises and Assignments I went to visit their instructor Kenny
McDaniel, I found another faculty
member who is extremely excited about
by Lee McMains
his students and the work they are
doing. Kenny actually began teaching
Have you checked out the Community Lab (“Maker networking classes at Aims, but in 2017,
Space”) in our Applied Technology and Trades Center? due to popular demand and need, he
It’s a place for teachers to break the lecture model and help students explore began offering Cyber Security night
collaborative learning—all without having to rearrange their classroom at the end classes, as there is a significant shortage
of the project. of employees in the field. Kenny
admitted that he had to attain many
Here are 10 fairly diverse projects that I think would be great in our Maker Space: certifications himself, thus enabling
1. Students in a Business or Marketing class could make pieces him to share his knowledge with
of jewelry, and then develop sales promotions for items made by his students.
different groups.
Since many students are already working
2. Students in a Spanish class could build and decorate an LED candle for
in technology departments and other
Dia de Los Muertos, and then explain their build process and thinking in
industries during the day, his students
Spanish. Advanced groups could decorate a skull and likewise report back
take their classes in the evening. The
in Spanish.
certificate classes are also offered
3. A Creative Writing assignment may ask students to imagine and describe a online as well as in hybrid formats to
society from a faraway time or place. Students would then craft an artifact accommodate a variety of schedules.
left behind. One thing consistent in all of the classes
4. Chemistry students could fabricate elements that include protons, is the strong virtual components. And,
neutrons, and electrons, accommodating any incomplete valence shells. If summer internships provide students
Nurse Aide students practice their skills in the lab in the Allied Health Building on the Greeley campus.
built properly, they could make a 4-foot wide caffeine molecule! with invaluable experiences. Kenny
mentioned two challenges with this a partnership between Aims and local school districts, allowing
5. Students in the ESL program could create a product that allows them to and TechSmith Relay to video record the students performing
highly marketable curriculum. First, junior and senior high school students to simultaneously earn
practice target vocabulary, grammar, and conversation skills. the skills. Then, each student would critique their own skill
since technology is constantly changing, credit toward a college degree while obtaining credit toward a demonstration as well as provide feedback to two classmates.
6. An Early Childhood Education group could regularly meet with and read to he has to stay very current with the high school diploma. One challenge confronting this innovative This process not only helped skill improvement, but it also
young elementary school kids, with the expectation that the ECE students latest hardware and software changes. program is keeping high school students focused and ultimately helped students develop better “soft skills.” In addition, the
will get to know their reading buddy well enough to create and publish a Second, and this I found to be a rather getting them to pass their state exam. videotaping process helped students become more comfortable
hardcover book unique to their buddy. unique challenge, is how to create mock
in front of the camera, which translated into being more
7. Biology or Anatomy students could build an articulating joint with problems (viruses/malware/etc.) when Last year, eight Med Prep students (out of 55) did not pass their comfortable with patients. The ultimate result was an increased
“muscles” that contract and relax. computers are hooked into the network. class exams, and while the statewide Med Prep pass rate is just pass rate of 91% with the State Board of Nursing.
After all, students need to practice on under 70%, the Nurse Aide/Med Prep team was not satisfied. So,
8. Students in a Physics class could design and print the front and back ends
contaminated systems, but you can’t they took a creative approach to solving this problem. Instead of As I mentioned in the beginning of this article, Aims has
of a rocket fashioned from a Pringles can.
have viruses that infect other Aims just teaching students what to do and observing them perform wonderful programs and wonderful people. My exploratory
9. Geography students might be assigned to create continent puzzles. computers and systems. Kenny and his the skills (which are very precise), their team created sample journey took me to three such faculty who as you can tell are
Likewise, History students might use LEDs on a map to highlight the students are working with IT to figure videos and a booklet that depicts the exact skill. There are 22 doing some incredible things. I realize that none of our faculty
location of different events during a historical period. out this virus conundrum. testable skills and with this new approach, all students are now are particularly comfortable tooting their own horns, but I can.
10. Aviation students could construct (i.e. not simply 3D print) wings of receiving identical training no matter who is instructing I firmly believe that we all need to share the neat things we are
different shapes. (This would be a great excuse to build a wind tunnel!) This virus puzzle led me to my last their class. doing, especially when these things are benefiting our students
fascinating faculty member and her
and our community. I hope by sharing some best practices from
We don't currently have all of the materials needed to complete these projects, program where viruses are dealt with As Heather explained to me, part of the challenge is getting their Lee, Kenny, and Heather that other faculty will step forward to
but that shouldn't stop anyone from coming by and seeing how we can support daily. Heather Brown and her team students to be receptive to correcting their errors (remember, share their stories, and I hope to visit with many of them as I get
their class or program. offer two certificates, Med Prep and the skills must be performed precisely or the students don’t pass acclimated to Aims.
Nurse Aide. The Med Prep program is their exams). Nurse Aide/Med Prep faculty used a Double Robot
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 7
What inspired you to create a learning community between Chris and Amy: On a quantitative level, students who take
English (the arts) and Biology (the sciences)? learning community courses tend to be retained longer
STEAM
and take more credits in subsequent semesters. We’ve
as Exemplified by an English and Chris: When I was dean from 2008-2010, I observed Shawna also measured that student grades tend to be better on
Biology Learning Community: Van and Matt Stilwell [from the English and Literature assignments compared to the previous standalone classes,
departments at Front Range] in their learning community particularly on tests and Formal Lab Reports. Qualitatively,
and found it fascinating and decided then that when I went students form stronger relationships with each other and with
back to the classroom that I wanted to do this. In my previous us, there is a greater sense of community. Students seem to
An Interview with Amy Holly and Dr. Chris Romero standalone BIO 112 class, I assigned a “research” paper, understand and value the commonalities between the
that definitely needed work as an assignment, but I didn’t courses and learn how to transfer skills to other classes
by Allison Easley want to get rid of it. Having this type of assignment was also outside the learning community (students have stated this in
motivation for wanting to work with an English teacher in order course evaluations).
to make it more effective and useful for the students, and also
to ensure a writing component in the course. Do you have any data about student retention or
persistence in the learning community model?
Learning communities by their very nature encourage Amy: When I moved from part to full-time, [the department
Learning communities have been a
the kind of collaborations between science, Chair, Shawna Van] approached me about the opportunity to Amy: Again, retention and persistence rates are higher for
household name in higher education for at least the
technology, engineering, the arts, and math that pair with Chris, who was looking for a teaching partner. They students subsequent to enrolling in a learning community
last several decades. As two scholars recently put it,
constitute the STEAM movement in education. While both explained the issues Chris was having with the research course, so much so that the ROI results in a net profit for
they “are now so ubiquitous ... that they have their
traditional classes tend to offer “departmentalized assignment and I thought it would be interesting to give the program as a whole. Graduation rates are pretty much
own category in the U.S. News and World Report
modes of learning that fail to establish any connection my ENG 122 a thematic focus using the content of another even with the norm, but for learning communities that pair
rankings” (Fink & Inkelas, 2015, p. 11). A number of
from discipline to discipline” (Minkier, 2002, para. discipline even though I really knew nothing about Biology at developmental courses, those students tend to perform
studies published in the 1990s and early 2000s confirm
11), learning communities provide a more intentional the time. better in the subsequent college-level course. And while
that learning communities can offer many benefits to
space for interdisciplinary thinking. But, what might we have not documented this within our own program, a lot
students such as higher grades, increased retention,
one of these learning communities look like in In your learning community, how of research shows that the LC model especially benefits
and better student satisfaction (Minkier, 2002, para.
practice? For instance, how could a science class and do you combine the content and students from underrepresented groups, like low-income and
41). More recent reviews of the research also point to
an arts class be paired, and what impact might this skills of English and Biology? minority students.
learning communities as part of the reform efforts in
have on students?
higher education at the turn of the twenty-first century,
Amy: We take an outcomes-based What are the challenges, if any, of teaching your
as colleges aim to better engage
We do not have to look far to approach using both the CCNS learning community?
students and prepare them for
find examples of successful course outcomes for each course
further study or the workforce
learning communities bridging as well as the five [Front Range] Chris: At least early on in the process of development, it’s hard
(Fink & Inkelas, 2015, pp. 11-12).
the sciences and the arts. Front student learning outcomes (critical to have another teacher in the room all the time. It makes each
Range Community College thinking, effective communication, teacher really pay attention to what they are doing.
While definitions of learning
has offered various learning information/technology literacy, quantitative reasoning,
communities vary, according
communities for several years. and professionalism). Once we identified where we address Amy: It can be hard if the teaching styles are very different or
to the guidebook Creating
At the nearby Larimer campus common outcomes, we designed summative assessments if each teacher has differing perspectives on pedagogy. It can
Learning Communities, these “initiatives share basic
in Fort Collins, eight to 10 learning communities are first that would target multiple outcomes. We went from the be hard to learn the content of your partner’s course, but it is
characteristics,” including “organizing students and
offered each semester. Among these is a partnership outcome to the assessments in a backward design fashion, also one of the most rewarding parts (and fun). It also takes
faculty into smaller groups; encouraging integration
between faculty members Amy Holly in English and then built our course schedule to align outcomes that would a lot of extra time to develop the curriculum, grade student
of the curriculum; helping students establish academic
Dr. Chris Romero in Biology. According to Amy, “We already overlap, scaffolding in different elements of our work, be in class that much ... Enrollment can be challenging
and social support networks ... [and] bringing faculty
teach two different pairings: BIO 111/ENG 121 and respective course content to support the outcomes that at times, if not enough students need both classes. Sometimes
together in more meaningful ways” (Shapiro & Levine,
BIO 112/ ENG 122 in a two semester sequence. each assignment was meant to address. We then developed it’s better to offer learning communities in only one or the
1999, p. 3). In many cases, learning communities “link
We actually developed the second-semester course lesson plans, activities, formative assignments, etc. to get the other semester (fall vs. spring) to keep up with enrollment
or cluster courses with other courses ... an intentional
(122/112) first, which focuses on argument and students ready for these assessments. trends and address this issue.
restructuring of students’ time, credit, and learning
Evolution [and] Ecology.” Amy has eight years of
experiences” (Minkier, 2002, para. 8). Often, these
teaching experience at the community college Now that you have taught this English and Biology What have each of you learned about the other instructor’s
pairings include an English or math class—that
level, and Chris has 25; together, they have been learning community for several years, what do you see as discipline through your Learning Community?
nearly every student needs—with another class in a
co-teaching in the learning community model for six the strengths and benefits in this pairing—for you and
specific content area, such as Psychology, History, or
years. They graciously shared their insights with me in for students? Chris: I think one of the things I’ve learned is how important
a CTE course.
the interview below. understanding rhetorical concepts is to the scientific method
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 9
and scientific inquiry. They really are very much the same in terms Chris and Amy’s experience—along with their colleagues at
of stating claims with reasons, and then providing evidence to Front Range who teach other subjects in the learning community
support those reasons. model—could inspire us at Aims as we look at the possibilities
No Time to Waste:
of such course pairings at our College and simply rethink the
Amy: I feel like I have learned pretty much everything about ways we allow other, even seemingly opposite disciplines, into
Biology since beginning the Learning Community. I didn’t our own teaching. Dean of the Arts and Sciences division Scott Preparing New Allied Health Majors to Succeed
have to take hardly any science classes in college, and I think Reichel explains how learning communities may develop at
my last Biology class was as a sophomore in high school. But
with a Meta-Major Themed AAA Course
Aims in the 2018-2019 academic year and beyond, as
less specifically, I feel like I’ve learned about the difference developmental education changes encourage us to rethink
between teaching content and teaching skills, and how what pathways for students: by Denise Pearson & Francie Rottini
we traditionally think of as a “content” discipline really still
is about skills and vice versa. And also what Chris said about Part of our efforts to institutionalize some best practices
understanding the process of scientific inquiry and its relevance from AAA 090 will include a pilot program with learning
S
to any research or writing task (which is what I would call the communities. These learning communities will be designed
Composition “content”). Basically, I think when we get down to for first semester students, and they will likely consist of tudents may enter Aims Community College with a strong desire to
the skills level, we are all really teaching the same thing; it’s just three core courses set up as nine co-requisite credit hours. pursue a career in the Allied Health field but flounder from having unclear
that we each have different content that we utilize through which The intent is to capture some of the community building career knowledge or a limited understanding of options and goals. Since
to teach those skills. that has traditionally happened in our AAA 090 courses, 2013, Advancing Academic Achievement (AAA) has offered an Allied
along with emphasizing the transferability of reading and Health themed course designed to provide students with a strong start.
What advice would you give to colleagues at other schools writing skills by creating complementary assignments across They get the experience of being in a cohort with other students pursuing Allied Health
trying to start new learning community programs? multiple disciplines. programs and are guided in advancing their understanding of career options in Allied
Health, creating academic and career plans, as well as developing strong academic skills to
Amy: There has to be administrative support for compensating Ultimately, learning communities are valuable not just for our achieve their goals. Student feedback from focus groups and course evaluations, as well as
the additional time it takes to design and run the LC effectively, students, but for ourselves when we reach across disciplines, other quantitative data, show the themed approach to be a promising model to help the
in the form of faculty load assignment. There also has to across the College, or even across to other institutions to find persistence and retention of new students.
be institutionalized program leadership when it comes to connections and embrace our role as lifelong learners.
scheduling, mentoring, training, recruiting, and coordinating with A Career Course as an Intervention
student affairs and advising. There has to be an emphasis on Amy Holly may be contacted at Amy.Holly@frontrange.edu; Many student services reforms and retention interventions have been implemented in
pedagogy over content. There has to be an assessment model Dr. Chris Romero may be contacted at order to improve completion rates and help community college students attain their
in place for the program as a whole, to make sure it is achieving Chris.Romero@frontrange.edu. educational goals. The structure of many of these interventions is based on data that
the intended outcomes. It’s also important to remember that suggest that degree completion and retention can be improved when students gain
not all learning communities look the same—even across FRCC, Fink, J. E. & Inkelas, K. K. (2015). A History of crystallization of vocational self-concept and can develop an academic plan (Jenkins &
References
different campuses offer different iterations of the LC model. learning communities within American higher Cho, 2012; Scott-Clayton, 2011). Much of the success for these interventions rides on
Different institutions implement differently with various levels of education. New Directions for Student Services, the assumption that students are equipped to adequately identify appropriate programs
integration. Compatibility between instructors is very important. 2015(149), 5–15. doi:10.1002/ss.20113 of study and then have the ability to connect those programs to their longer-term
Holly, A. Personal communication, March 6, 2018. academic and career goals. However, many students who enter a community college do
Chris: You have to check your ego at the door and open up to
so with little understanding of career options and have unclear academic, personal, and/or
different ways of teaching and assessment. Minkier, J. E. (2002). ERIC review: Learning
professional goals.
communities at the community college.
Is there anything else about your learning community Community College Review, 30(3), 46-63.
In addition, there is evidence to suggest that students highly benefit from taking a course
experience that you would like to share? Reichel, S. Personal communication, March that provides a combination of career education and academic course work. “Career
30, 2018. development learning integrates students’ workplace experiences, clarifies their career
Chris: This is the best professional development I’ve ever had,
Romero, C. Personal communication, March plans and provides a better understanding of the curriculum and relevance of university
primarily because it is ongoing and you never stop thinking
6, 2018. academic experiences” (Smith et al., 2009). In one study, Reddan and Rauchle (2012)
about new ways to do things in the classroom.
noted that all surveyed students responded positively in response to the question “Do you
Shapiro, N. S. & Levine, J. H. (1999). Creating
believe career education should be a part of a work experience course?” Many reasons
Amy: It is important to remember that this benefits the faculty as learning communities: A practical guide to
were provided, including that they valued “learning how to behave in a professional
well as the students. It also benefits the institution as a whole in winning support, organizing for change, and
manner,” and that career education “gives you knowledge of a variety of jobs” and
the implications it has for supporting a pathways model, where implementing programs. San Francisco, CA:
“provides a clearer career path” (Reddan & Rauchle, 2012).
LCs can be aligned with various academic plans. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 11
AAA Offering an Effective Model curriculum for this themed section, students are given a tour of with similar career interests positively impacted their success in “As an administrator in the Allied Health area, as well as
In 2013, AAA first introduced a meta-major themed course for the different labs for their respective program. Students also the course and beyond. a former medical professional, I truly believe that ANY
new incoming students who were interested in one of the Allied attend a professional panel of Aims Allied Health faculty. During additional information we can give our students to
Health Careers. The model was piloted to provide new students this panel and open forum, students are able to ask specific AAA focus group participants described the benefits received help them prepare for their future careers is beneficial.
an environment rich with opportunities to help them better questions of their future faculty. In addition to hearing directly from themed courses as follows: People who are proficient in their careers have layers
understand and navigate emerging and divergent college and from faculty, students also obtain information about program and layers of knowledge that they draw upon, and
career pathways and opportunities. It has become a consistent expectations, professionalism, and real life experiences from “It just seems like to me, so far out of all the classes I have this is especially true in health care. Why wouldn't we
course offering for fall and spring semesters ever since due to the field. Students benefited from this experience, as one taken, [AAA] has been the only class where I have been want to customize course content to meet the specific
strong quantitative and qualitative data. student described here: able to just talk about our careers and where we want interests of students? This can only benefit them, and the
to go, and our similar interests and even our differences patients they will treat in the future” (P. Rand, personal
The format is effective because students are offered career- “Thank you so much for having the board [panel], that was have helped us grow. In my AAA class, we can talk to each communication, March 28, 2018).
related course material immediately while they also develop amazing and super helpful. Very thankful to be in this class, other, we can just get feedback and that has been very
basic academic skills. In turn, this improves their motivation it has been amazing and I feel so much more prepared invaluable that I will take with me and it has just made As we look for ways to improve our college’s persistence,
to persist in their academic goals. This model offers students because of it. I’ve gained many valuable skills through this me feel secure in what I am doing and what I am going to retention, and graduation rates, programs and courses that
vital information about their career in order to make informed class” (Z. Cornelius, personal communication, October accomplish. It makes me more determined to overcome proactively help students engage in career exploration and
decisions. Research suggests it is important that college staff 31, 2017). anything” (AAA Student, Focus Group, November development will be essential. The Meta Major Allied Health
and faculty “focus on how they can help college students 17, 2015). themed AAA class is one such intervention.
develop behavioral and adaptive components of exploration and
planning” (Fouad, Chang, Gifueiredo, & Bachbuber, 2016). “I learned that the healthcare field is full of options, “Being in a class with others interested in the same References
opportunity and a great career field to go into. It was very career has helped greatly, it is motivating and makes me
Fouad, N. A., Ghosh, A., Chang, W. H., Figueiredo, C., &
exciting and encouraging listening to the chairs share about feel more involved. It also makes having this career seem
Bachhuber, T. (2016). Career exploration among college
their experiences and love for the field. Also, it was super more attainable” (AAA Student, Focus Group, November
students. Journal of College Student Development, 57(4), 460-
informative to hear their wisdom and get a better idea 17, 2015).
464. doi:10.1353/csd.2016.0047
of the process. I feel very encouraged and definitely
Additionally, the AAA meta-major themed course has Jenkins, D., & Cho, S. W. (2012). Get with the program:
solidified my decision to pursue a career in healthcare”
produced better results than the existing AAA model for Accelerating community college students’ entry into and
(Cornelius, 2017).
improved retention. In fact, on average, students who take completion of programs of study (CCRC Working Paper No.
AAA courses are retained from fall to spring at a higher rate 32). New York, NY: Columbia University, Teachers College,
Another benefit to this themed course model is the sense
(by 10%) than those who do not take a AAA course; however, Community College Research Center.
of belongingness and comradery that is built within the
learning community: students enrolled in the meta-major themed AAA section were Reddan, G., & Rauchle, M. (2012). Student perceptions of the
retained, on average, at a 16% higher rate from fall to spring value of career development learning to a work-integrated
“I would say that having a lot of people in my class with the compared to the general student population. learning course in exercise science. Australian Journal of
same interest as me allows for them to understand some Career Development, 21(1), 38-48.
different things that I may [be] thinking or going through… No Time to Waste
Scott-Clayton, J. (2011). The shapeless river: Does a lack of
So having that in a class really brings a sense of comradery As Aims Community College strives to “transform student
structure inhibit students’ progress at community colleges?
and there is not tension, the ice is broken. I love having pathways from access to completion,” there is no time to
(CCRC Working Paper No. 25, Assessment of Evidence
AAA students in an Allied Health classroom on the a sense of comradery in a class like that” (AAA Student, waste in a student’s first semester. The AAA Meta Major Allied
Series). New York, NY: Columbia University, Teachers College,
Greeley campus. Focus Group, November 11, 2015). Health themed course offers new students a timely opportunity
Community College Research Center.
to be immersed in content and conversations related to their
Is This Approach Successful? major and career goals. The relationship between developing Smith, M., Brooks, S., Lichtenberg, A., McIlveen, P., Torjul,
Patricia Rand, Dean of the Allied Health and Wellness Division,
The AAA department assesses student learning and experience vocational self-concept and persistence with career, academic, P., Tyler, J. (2009). Career development learning: Maximising
states, "I had the distinct privilege of being able to teach
through a variety of techniques both inside and outside and personal goals cannot be overstated. By integrating the contribution of work-integrated learning to the student
the AAA for Allied Health course in fall of 2017. I was able to
the classroom. Each semester, AAA courses conduct a Pre- career development and academic skill-building, students experience. Final project report, June 2009. Wollongong,
customize much of the course content to help them get a leg up
Assessment and Post-Assessment to monitor effectiveness. gain a better understanding of the relevance of their college NSW: Careers Central, Academic Services Division, University
on information that I knew would help them in the medical field.
In addition, when new AAA courses are designed, the AAA academic experience. In addition, it provides a vehicle for of Wollongong.
Now I realize that it makes so much sense to customize courses
to specific student interest." department conducts student focus groups to gain feedback students to develop professional contacts, build transferrable
on student experiences, perceptions, and motivations. A focus skills, and clarify academic goals, all of which lead to increased
In the meta-majored themed AAA class, students are introduced group was conducted in fall 2015 to assess the impact of the academic motivation.
to many degree and certificate programs offered at Aims, and meta-major themed sections. From those assessment measures,
are encouraged to begin building their professional portfolio students indicated personal, academic, and professional growth Here, the Dean of the Allied Health and Wellness Division
and skill set early on in their academic journey. As part of the and agreed that being a member of a “community of learners” describes the positive effects of customized content:
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students understand how historical documents could be In completing this assignment, my students succeeded at
interpreted and put into different words and yet still create higher rates than on other formative assessments that seek
THE accurate interpretations of the past. to develop similar skills. For example, I have had students
engage with primary sources through the writing of brief
H A M I LT O N The final stage of the curriculum was for the students to
apply the skills they had developed to create their own
performance pieces. Students spent a number of days outside
analytical essays. This is a much more common approach to
developing the skills of historical inquiry, but many students
struggled to develop those skills through these assessments.
E D U C AT I O N P RO G R A M : of class tracking down sources; working in groups, with other In contrast, the creativity required in the creation of a
students, or individually to draw information from these performance piece made the students dive deeper into
Project-Based Learning and Innovative Pedagogy sources; and drafting scripts or song lyrics for performances. the source materials and develop a more sophisticated
When students finished their performance pieces, they understanding of the underlying content. When giving lower
by Casey Clay submitted their written work and performed the pieces for stakes formative assessments in class similar to this one, I
their peers in class. In this way, my students demonstrated typically have a number of students who fail to complete
their ability to use information from the past to create the assignment. In the case of this particular assessment,
IN MARCH OF 2018, more than 70 Early College Academy an interpretation of historical events and to present those interpretations and analyses of historical events. I had a 100% completion rate. The engaging nature of
(ECA) students traveled to Denver to see Hamilton at the Buell interpretations in the form of a brief performance piece. We the assignment, the fact that students had a great deal
Theater. They were able to attend due to their participation began the project in class by reading some interviews that the The projects that of freedom to choose their topic and explore their source
in the Hamilton Education Program (EDUHam), a program creators of the musical provided that described the process they students completed in materials, and the scaffolding activities in setting up the
that requires faculty to integrate performance and Alexander went through to bring history to life in the form of this Broadway class align with a number assignment allowed my students to have the confidence in
Hamilton into their history curriculum. Below, the history faculty musical. We discussed, as a class after reading and viewing of the learning outcomes their abilities to complete the assignment and to excel at it.
member responsible for ECA participation describes the ways in these interviews, the ways in which historical information can be expected in HIS 122.
which his students interacted with the curriculum to qualify for translated into performances such as Hollywood films, historical In HIS 122 students After my students spent a number of weeks working on
the program. reenactments, and musicals such as Hamilton. work toward the development of their critical thinking skills. their projects in class, they were able to travel to the Denver
Specifically, students are expected to formulate arguments, Center for the Performing Arts and view a special student
When Lin-Manuel Miranda created his musical, he After these class discussions we used one of the incorporate evidence, and understand the implications or matinee of Hamilton. As we arrived at the Buell Theater, we
relied heavily on the biography Alexander Hamilton songs from the musical as a specific case study make conclusions about past events. This particular project were seated by school, and we had an opportunity to view
by Ron Chernow. In interviews about his musical, in how Miranda translated historical sources required students to work toward the development of each some of the work produced by other students from Colorado.
Miranda mentions that he was inspired by the into his performance piece. The song became a of these core competencies. In choosing a specific topic to While none of the ECA students’ performances were picked
drama embedded in the story of the founding era model for the project the students themselves create a performance piece on, students developed research to be performed on stage, the students from Colorado who
of the United States, and that he was fascinated by were expected to complete for class. We spent questions based on their individual interests. From there, did perform were quite impressive. Both my students’ and
how the perspectives and experiences of historical time in class analyzing a couple of sources that students were expected to draw on multiple primary source other students’ abilities to draw on information from the
actors often influenced their descriptions of events. provided the foundation for the song, “Farmer documents which required them to synthesize different past and create compelling pieces was amazing to see.
These factors are central to the academic study of Refuted.” Students worked through a series historical actors’ perspectives and to ultimately take a The students also had a chance to create questions for some
history. Understanding different perspectives and of questions that I provided for each source in position as they decided which pieces of information they cast members and learn about how they were able to embody
being able to create an interpretation of the past small groups and then shared their responses would incorporate into their projects. In order to create the historical figures in their performances. Finally, after our
through the study and use of sources from the out with the entire class. After they had read their arguments, students had to track down and evaluate lunch break, we were reseated in the theater and given
historical record are essential skills that we seek to and summarized the sources, we listened to the primary source materials and synthesize the information in a chance to view one of the most renowned musicals in
impart on students in their studies of history at the collegiate level. song and used the lyrics to complete a comparative analysis. them to create coherent and compelling performance pieces. recent history.
To me, Miranda’s play provides an excellent example of different Students used their summaries and the primary sources they Finally, students had to ultimately draw conclusions about
ways in which the study of history can be used and presented. So had analyzed to draw parallels between the song lyrics and the the significance or importance of their chosen historical The experience for the students of ECA was, as many have
often, students are used to engaging with the discipline of history primary source materials. They filled out a graphic organizer that figures, historical events, or historical concepts. These were informed me since, one of the highlights of the year. For
in textbooks or academic articles that, while excellent works of placed specific passages from the source material alongside displayed through the written dialogue or song lyrics. The weeks students came to school wearing hats and t-shirts
scholarship, are often dense and uninspiring to the average specific lyrics from the song. We next held a discussion about the project also required students to develop information literacy emblazoned with the Hamilton logos. Snippets of musical
non-historian. I felt that using the play as a way to inspire difference between summarizing/distilling historical information throughout the process. Students had to evaluate information numbers could be heard in the halls. Students recounted their
students to engage in the process of historical inquiry could be into historical writing, and taking direct quotes and passages critically in choosing which sources they viewed as useful or experiences to their peers with pride and excitement. Surely,
very motivating. from source materials in historical writing. Students provided authoritative in developing their scripts and lyrics. Students the experience these students had will stick in their minds for
examples of ways in which they might be able to use direct had to effectively use that information to create a historically years, if not a lifetime. How many of us can say the same of
As part of this curricula, students in my class were required quotes or summaries drawn from sources to create their own accurate interpretation that was both compelling and our experiences in history class?
to explore a number of primary sources in order to create interpretations of historical events. This exercise helped the interesting to the audience.
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WHY order to avoid any possible offense. This was at times clunky in I began my curriculum transformation slowly, updating my
“THEM”
a roundtable workshop class, which required me to consistently handouts and course content to contain the pronoun “they”
allude to and build upon each other’s comments, but I was afraid whenever possible and removing gendered language.
using “they” in public would “out” Mikey. Surprisingly, I realized that replacing pronouns, especially
gendered pronouns, is also just good teaching. We should
Why didn’t I simply ask Mikey and their best friend what already be continuously modeling such discipline conventions
prounous they preferred I use? Was it my unfamiliarity with in our own handouts. For example, in academic writing, sources
the topic that kept me from asking, or my fear of mishandling should be referenced by the author’s last name, not pronouns
IS YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND the situation and perhaps making a student feel marginalized? at all except in the rare instance when the researcher themself
Unsure, I reached out to colleagues for advice before the next has related their demographics to their conclusions. And when
semester began. Thus, on the first day of class in January, I wrote teaching my students to write about literature, my reinforcement
out brief “get to know you” questions on the board, the last of of terms such as “the protagonist” instead of “he/she,” helps
by Kendra Griffin which included a note to please share one’s preferred name and/ them absorb course terms in context.
or preferred pronoun(s).
My next step was to allow students the use of “them” for a
After class that night, lo and behold, another student whom I singular example. As a composition teacher, this makes good
had assumed to be a woman approached me alone and thanked sense. For years, I have painstakingly corrected students who
me for asking. He explained that he preferred to go by “he,” say, “a health insurance purchaser” in one example and then
but that he was also fine with “they.” Relieved at my success in transition to “they/them” in the next. Not only has attending
creating a safe space, I relaxed until the next class in which others, to this rather insignificant lower order concern been a waste of
uninformed, referred to him as “she.” The anxiety returned, but my valuable time, it has unfortunately reinforced the idea that
T
this time I pulled the student aside at the gender is a fixed, binary concept when, in
his past spring, after 15 years of teaching English and end and simply asked if he wanted me to fact, gender identity and the perception of it
scrupulously correcting pronoun and antecedent errors, I correct others. It turned out that he did not. vary widely from culture to culture (Jacobs,
decided to flout the conventions of grammar and not only Thomas, & Lang, 1997; Nanda, 2014).
allow the use of “them” in reference to a singular person, This past January, two more students in
but encourage it. other classes contacted me through email To place things into an artificial set of binary
to let me know that their preferred gender choices is what’s called a “false dilemma” or
It wasn’t the buzz surrounding the Bathroom Bill, or Aims’ compelling pronouns and preferred names differed a “false dichotomy.” As a teacher of rhetoric,
Diversity Statement, or even my own desire for social equality that from that of their given names. In addition, it seems hypocritical to me to encourage
snapped me out of my addiction to accepting only the “correct” because of my new first-night get-to-know- nuanced, ethical thinking and yet conduct my
grammar. It was simply a conversation with a student’s best friend before you approach, when Mikey took a second class own classroom from a viewpoint that would
class last fall that went something like this: with me, Mikey also requested I use “they” not only tolerate, but perpetuate, a logical
for them. This left me wondering if this shift were a zeitgeist I fallacy. My job is to encourage broad-minded, contextualized
Me: “Is Mikey sick today? Do you know if she’ll make it in to had caught on to just in time, or if the shift in my own thinking critical thinking skills that surpass “left and right,” or “good and
present her work tonight?” and actions, both conscious and unconscious, might have bad,” or “true or false” dichotomies that inevitably stunt our
BFF: “They’re going to come in late and just stay for the encouraged students to reveal themselves to me with more trust. intellectual growth. Not only do I not have the right to decide
workshop. They’ll be here soon.” what someone’s gender is, I also haven’t the right—and certainly
When a student tells us clearly how they want to be identified, haven’t the ability—to decide what one’s gender isn’t. Much
Me: “They? She’s bringing another friend? Is she nervous
the issue is simple to address, if not always simple to apply. less do I possess the ability to determine what gender is at all,
about presenting?”
However, creating a generally safe space that does not considering that every culture ascribes different expectations
BFF: “No…” (Awkward fumbling for words.) “They … contribute to the idea that there are only two genders is a little upon its gender roles (Nanda, 2014).
They’ll drive themselves. It’s just them. Just Mikey.” more complicated. There’s a time investment there, of course, as
Me: “I don’t...” (A longer, even more uncomfortable pause on there is for any revision and improvement of curriculum. But just Therefore, I now enact a twofold approach for writing: accept
my part.) “Oh! Oh, okay! Great!” as I would update with an eye for any other microaggressions, I the neutral gender pronoun in students’ work, but encourage all
am now actively considering the importance of not perpetuating students to use plurals when providing theoretical examples. This
As I called the class to order, I wondered if it was Mikey’s choice to go this particular, and sometimes hurtful, logical fallacy. is in line with advice given by Thomas and Hirsch (2016), authors
by “they/them,” or if it was Mikey’s friend’s choice to refer to all people of “A Progressive’s Style Guide”:
that way. Anxious to respect any of their possible wishes, I began
referring to both of them throughout the semester by first name only in
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S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 17
... it is my job to
teach as well as I MY LATEST TECH ADDICTION:
can, and to do so,
I must approach
Google Sites in the Classroom
each student as by Chelle Costello, Jennifer Ridgeway, and Meg Spencer
a learner. And to
learn well, we must CHELLE COSTELLO: My favorite part of using Google Sites is how beautiful it looks
feel comfortable. I never thought about creating websites for classes until fellow on mobile, so much so that students have begun simply using
English professor Jenn Ridgeway asked for advice on having their cell phones instead of turning on computers when they
her students create them. Without thinking, I suggested Google don’t need to. This is also a great help when we have technical
Sites, since all Aims.edu email addresses have access to it. I difficulties with the computers, as every professor knows is
hadn’t made a site myself, but Google’s Docs and Drive system bound to happen once or twice per semester.
seemed easy enough to use, so why not?
A few months later, I took my own advice.
Teaching Humanities 123 (Medieval to Modern) required a place
to bring all of my open-sourced videos, pictures, text, links,
maps, music, and documents seamlessly together, and the goal
was a multi-modal experience of a particular subject. A survey
course spanning over 400 years is hard enough to cover in a
semester without leaving out important, beautiful topics, so if we
“If a gender-neutral term is available and does not change As a teacher, it is not my job to tell students how to feel about a were focusing on Baroque science that day, I wanted a Baroque
the meaning, consider using it. Often this means just social issue or to expound upon my personal realizations on the atmosphere of art, music, and philosophy to be present and
pluralizing the antecedent to avoid use of singular pronouns: topic of gender identity. However, it is my job to teach as well as accessible as well.
‘Employees should read their packets carefully,’ not ‘Each I can, and to do so, I must approach each student as a learner.
employee should read his packet carefully.’; ‘Invite your And to learn well, we must feel comfortable. Therefore, any step Google Sites was the easiest
spouse or partner,’ not ‘Invite your boyfriend or husband’” I can take to help reduce a student’s anxiety and to help them way to do this. Students
(p. 15). feel more grounded in a comfortable identity is a step towards bookmarked the URL (https://
improving their learning environment and ultimate success. sites.google.com/view/hum123/
Truthfully, I found it most difficult to implement my new approach home) on their devices so they
when speaking off script in front of the class. I began by using References could easily tap on the page
first names and possessives of such whenever possible (“Mikey’s” Jacobs, S., Thomas, W., & Lang, S. (Editors). (1997). Two- of the day. These pages now I used Google Sites for a class page, but there are about as
instead of “his”), and I of course used the pronouns and names Spirit people: Native American gender identity, sexuality, and hold all of my multimodal jazz: many ways for students to create their own Sites as there are
provided by the students. I also continued my practice of using spirituality. Champaign: University of Illinois Press. for locations and architecture, for professors.
“they/them” for theoretical examples. There were some awkward there are embedded Google
Nanda, S. (2014). Gender diversity: Crosscultural variations.
moments to be sure, as I faltered with 40 plus years of language Street View maps; for music, Jenn Ridgeway has transitioned a final project in LIT 255
Second Edition. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc.
patterns, my own attachment to grammatical correctness, and Google playlists provide us with (Literature for Children) and an annotated bibliography for ENG
sometimes, inevitably, my own attachment to my culture’s gender Thomas, H., & Hirsch, A. (2016). a Progressive’s style guide. background sounds of the times 122 (Composition II) into student-created websites.
norms. Despite my occasional blunder, at the end of the second Sum Of + Us, 15. Retrieved from https://s3.amazonaws.com/ we are studying.
class that Mikey took with me, they thanked me for having been s3.sumofus.org/images/SUMOFUS_PROGRESSIVE- JENN RIDGEWAY:
so considerate with their name and gender pronouns. I quickly STYLEGUIDE.pdf. Documents and videos are also I first used Google Sites last semester for my online Children's
admitted that I knew I had erred a few times and once called embedded straight to the page Literature class. I needed a way to translate my final project from
them “she” simply out of habit, because I had known them as for easy access. There is no a traditional classroom to the online environment. Children's
she for months before learning their preference. Mikey said, “Yes, extra clicking or linking needed, Literature is popular with early childhood and elementary
I know it’s awkward, especially for some of my older relatives. All which means no extra tabs in which to get lost and no sneaky education majors. For my in-seat class, students design and
that matters is that you’re trying.” And after Mikey left, Mikey’s broken URLs. present a curriculum idea to the class. They select an age-
friend added, “I really appreciate that Mikey felt welcome in your group that they'd like to teach, a genre or topic, books for their
class and felt like they could be who they are.” Images above: Pages from Chelle’s HUM123 Google site. imagined classroom bookshelves, and craft some sample lesson
18
S I G N AT U R E 2 0 1 8 S I G N A T U R E 2 0 1 8 19You can also read
