Anderson Conference 2016: Professional development

The National School Reform Faculty™ organization is a professional development initiative of the Harmony Education Center in Bloomington, Indiana.

Community-Based Learning at PCC is an academic program that provides support across all disciplines through assistance with community-based learning course implementation, professional development, and resources.

From The Glossary of Education Reform.

Knowledge of learners' assets beyond the traditional structure of school can provide preservice teachers with essential gateways to connecting learners with the content to be studied, and with forming beneficial social relationships that can enhance learning. This article describes ways that preservice teachers responded to community-based activities located in the home communities of their learners. Analysis of work samples, interviews, and observations indicated that revelations about the preservice teachers themselves were confronted, stereotypical beliefs about their learners' communities were challenged, and new discoveries about community's strengths were acknowledged. Evidence suggests that community cultural-immersion activities incorporated in teacher-preparation programs can not only help preservice teachers correct misperceptions about, but also build relationships with their learners that can potentially impact student achievement.

In recent years, national tragedies—both man-made and natural—have forced Americans to see how much we rely on strong neighborhoods, communities, and democratic institutions. We’ve seen how lack of attention to their well being affects us all. These events lay bare the moral imperative that underlies the mission of public education—to develop active, engaged citizens who are able to participate in and contribute fully to a democratic society.

by David Wiley. "What is the relationship between [OER's] additional capabilities and what we know about effective teaching and learning? How can we extend, revise, and remix our pedagogy based on these additional capabilities?"

by Rajiv Jhangiani. Discusses application of open pedagogy principles to courses in psychology, most notably in cognitive psychology. Emphasis on designing assignments through which students create deliverables they could use after completing the course.

by Mary Burgess, Tracy Kelly, Amanda Coolidge. Delineates effective and ineffective open pedagogy resources and approaches compared to traditional "non-open" materials and methods.

by Josh Bersin, Forbes, Jan. 5, 2016. Reports on study by Class Central on trends in online education, discusses contributing factors to surge in course offerings and online students, and offers predictions for future developments from a market perspective.

Jordan Friedman, USA Today, Jan. 5, 2016. "Experts agree that online education certainly has its benefits for introverts, particularly when it comes to partaking in group discussions and thriving in more personal settings. Introverts are also usually good listeners and can better express themselves through their writing rather than verbally."

by DJ Bebell, R Petersen. Despite widespread interest, excitement, and skepticism about massive online open courses (MOOCs) from the post-secondary educational community, few studies describe the ways MOOCs have been implemented in residential classes and their impacts. This paper explores the development, implementation, and evaluation results from an initial empirical study exploring the efficacy of integrating massive online open course (MOOC) content in a traditional, for-credit community college setting. In addition to demonstrating the “proof-of-concept” of this “blended” approach with students, the paper highlights some of the learning conditions, obstacles, and opportunities in using MOOC resources in residential learning, particularly for underserved student populations.

by Amy Wise. The purpose of this study was to determine perceptions of community college students at a rural community college in Southeast Alabama, to identify the barriers they faced in being successful, and the strategies they recommended to improve the online learning program. The study also examined the extent to which differences existed between successful students and unsuccessful students regarding the barriers they faced in online learning. The overall population for this study consisted of 491 community college students who were enrolled in community college’s distance learning and traditional classroom programs during any of the academic terms of calendar year 2012–2014. The population consisted of two groups of students: those who were successful in online and regular classes and those who were successful in regular classes, but unsuccessful in online classes. The case study, conducted at a community college in Alabama, used a mixed methods design to gather quantitative and qualitative data.
It was concluded that, overall, distance learning students experienced a high level of student satisfaction in regards to online courses. Four themes emerged from the analysis and were identified as Instructional Strategies, Interaction and Communication, Personal Issues and Technology. Categories within these themes were also identified. This study found differences between the general population of online students and unsuccessful students.
Implications and recommendations addressed an organized orientation program, expanded quality control and professional development initiatives. Recommendations for future research were also offered.