CHAPTER 12

Criterion Four

ACQUISITION, DISCOVERY, AND APPLICATION OF KNOWLEDGE

Phoenix College promotes a life of learning for its faculty, administration, staff, and students by fostering and supporting inquiry, creativity, practice, and social responsibility in ways consistent with its mission.

INTRODUCTION

            Phoenix College does more than simply provide degrees that are transferable to the university or certificates needed for employment.  Beyond these functions, Phoenix College provides a rich environment for its students and employees, an environment that instills a love for learning that continually stimulates their personal and professional growth.  The values of good citizenship, cultural sensitivity, responsible and ethical conduct, critical thinking, and creativity are pervasive, particularly in the general education curriculum, in employee policies, and in practices.  These values and characteristics serve students, graduates, and employees so they may lead productive lives in an ever-changing world.

            This chapter presents evidence and evaluates the four Core Components of Criterion Four, and summarizes the strengths and opportunities for improvement at Phoenix College in this area.  Supportive documentation is available on the Phoenix College HLC/NCA web site or on file in the HLC/NCA campus office, HC 3.

Core Components

Core Component  4 A

Phoenix College demonstrates, through the actions of its board, administrators, students, faculty, and staff, that it values a life of learning.

            Freedom of inquiry lies at the very heart of an institution’s ability to promote a life of learning.  The Residential Faculty Policies, section three, item one, “Rights of Members: Instructional Rights/Academic Freedom,” clearly ensures academic freedom in the classroom with regards to methods of discussion and presentation of subject matter.  While no one has formally breached this provision in the past ten years, anecdotal evidence suggests that questions regularly arise within the instructional departments about the appropriateness of classroom presentation or topics.  However, the departments resolve these issues by discussing them and using professional judgment.  At district level, issues have arisen over controversial material contained in faculty members’ websites and emails.  In Fall 2004, the Technology Resource Standards committee, composed of faculty and MCCCD’s Office of General Counsel staff, addressed this issue and recommended changes in related policies (Appendix ___, Criterion 4A Evidence).  Courses offered on controversial or non-traditional topics illustrate freedom of inquiry in practice at Phoenix College. (Appendix ___)

Not only Phoenix College and MCCCD policies, but also institutional planning and patterns of financial allocation clearly demonstrate that the college community highly values lifelong learning for employees.  Employee Policies support Faculty Professional Growth and staff development so that employees may model for students and others the importance of continuous learning.  Table 12-1, Employee Professional Development Opportunities, summarizes the primary professional development opportunities available to employees through the District.  The two “Results” columns report the approximate percentage of employees who took advantage of the opportunities in 2003-2004 and 2004-2005.  These results are only an approximation because some employees are counted more than one time in some categories of participation.

Overall, the data in Table 12-1 indicate that employees participate actively and continually in these opportunities, providing evidence that continued growth and learning inheres in the campus culture.  All the money set aside for travel, registration and tuition reimbursement as well as sabbatical leave is spent on a yearly basis showing that funding for growth and development is important, as are tuition waivers for District sponsored courses.

However, Table 12-1 indicates that some employees, particularly adjunct faculty and members of various support staff groups, do not participate as widely as others in growth activities.  Many report difficulty in taking time from their job responsibilities to attend professional development activities.  Some supervisors are reluctant or unable to replace the employees when they take off time.  In an effort to meet this need, the Maintenance and Operations group set aside an “M & O Learning Day” in Spring 2004 to provide a training activity for the employees, and plans to offer this event annually.  Other departments, such as Financial Aid, hold similar in-service learning days for their employees.

While the 5% participation rate of adjunct faculty in district-funded professional growth activities appears to be low, this result is partially due to competition for limited professional growth funds available through MCCCD for adjunct faculty.  The issue has been addressed in a number of ways such as improved communication and promotion of early application for the limited funding available.  These efforts, primarily by the Learning Technologies and Development Department (LTD) and Department Chairs, have been heightened over the past several years, and an increase in the adjuncts’ participation to % was noted in 2004-2005.  Adjunct faculty also participate actively in additional professional activities that are reflected in Table 12-2, Faculty Practices Survey, as well as in Tables 12-3 and 12-4, which are activities available at Phoenix College.

A reason cited by faculty and staff for not taking advantage of the available professional growth and travel funds is that employees are reluctant to pay out of pocket for expenses, sometimes months ahead of the event, and then have to wait for reimbursement.  To address this need, LTD provides support to employees to assist them in completing the professional growth and travel applications, and to find alternative methods of funding.  For example, LTD offers several workshops each year on the application processes for professional growth, sabbatical, travel and various grant applications.  Airfare, hotel and registration fees may be pre-paid through purchase orders so the employee does not have to incur these out-of-pocket expenses.

Table 12-1:  Employee Professional Development Opportunities

*N = number of employees in each employee group

**Results = percentage of employee participation in professional development and/or travel opportunities

note:  this table reflects funding available primarily through MCCCD, but also includes some provided through Phoenix College budgets

At the end of the Fall semester 2004, Phoenix College conducted a Faculty Practices Survey among all residential and adjunct faculty that measured, among other things, the value that faculty place on a life of learning.  The results, cited in Table 12-2, Faculty Practice Survey Fall 2004 (partial results), indicate professional practices additional to those listed in Table 12-1, and reflect a culture of continuous learning and participation in a variety of professional activities.  Most notable is that 90% of the respondents belong to a professional organization.

Table 12-2:  Faculty Practices Survey Fall 2004 (partial results)

In 1996, Phoenix College dedicated major support towards promoting a life of learning by establishing the Learning Technologies and Development (LTD) Department .  This office is dedicated to continuous revitalization of teaching and learning through staff development. It also encourages scholarship and creation of knowledge by promoting and supporting grants dedicated to instructional technology and improvement.  Tables 12-3 and 12-4 cite various activities and programs facilitated by LTD and the Faculty and Staff Development Committee (supported by LTD) over the past two years.  These tables show the tremendous support provided to Phoenix College employees in the form of training in software and other technology, as well as in personal development.  In addition to these accomplishments, LTD promotes the numerous grant and personal/professional development opportunities available from the District such as the Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction and Employee and Organizational Development.

Table 12-3:  Learning Technologies and Development Activities

Table 12-4 Faculty/Staff Development Committee Activities

As indicated in Tables 12-3 and 12-4, LTD, along with the numerous grant opportunities stimulates faculty and educational improvements.   Staff Development Committee programs have resulted in measurable instructional improvements (Appendix ___).

As indicated in Tables 12-3 and 12-4, LTD has been most successful in providing and supporting a broad range of development opportunities for employees.  In planning for the future, the department cites the following areas as goals for improvement.  These are presented in more detail in their end of year report:

·         Assess online WebCT courses more comprehensively

·         Increase faculty participation in training workshops by providing incentives such as flexible scheduling, alternative modes of presentation (eg., online), and re-assigned time

·         Offer more advanced skills workshops

·         Meet the demands of one-on-one support requests

·         Measure the effectiveness of training workshops as well as Faculty and Staff Development Committee activities

·         Offer workshops on the pedagogy of online teaching

·         Meet the demands of the growing number of online courses and the needs of increasing numbers of students enrolled in online or hybrid courses (an estimated 10% of PC students)

·         Fulfill and maintain the staffing needs of the department and provide the training staff needs in order to provide cutting-edge instruction to the campus

·         Meet the budget demands of WebCT licensure, testing, Hotline maintenance, and faculty training needs, resulting from increased student enrollment

(note: the info in  this paragraph is pending approval) The Faculty and Staff Development Committee has developed a plan for reorganization that will align its activities more closely with MCCCD’s Employee and Organizational Development Team.  The new committee will be named “Employee and Organizational Development Team”, and will consist of four sub-committees:  Staff Development, Faculty Development, Adjunct Development and Service Excellence.  This restructuring will allow greater emphasis on the development needs of the individual faculty groups, and closer collaboration with the Service Excellence Committee in training efforts. 

Affirmation of Phoenix College’s focus on students’ success in becoming life-long learners is evident in grant funding and in Phoenix College campus programs.  This section will discuss a Title V Grant and the support programs under the Office of  Students Affairs.

In the fall of 2000, Phoenix College received major funding through the Federal Title V grant program designated for Hispanic-Serving Institutions in order to improve instruction.  This grant is designed to strengthen existing college systems so they can better serve underrepresented minorities and low-income students.  The major goal and activity of the grant has been to improve student success by integrating technology into learning assistance and classroom instruction.

The Title V Grant supports the mission and strategic goals of the college.  One of the college goals is to support the increased use of technology, and the focus of the grant is the infusion of technology into classroom instruction and learning assistance.  The end of the five year grant cycle shows an additional 200 computers for student use on campus, including free access to those classroom computers located in three different learning centers.  Also, more than half of the residential faculty, along with affiliated adjunct faculty, has worked with the grant. These faculty members have researched and piloted content -specific software.  They have also redesigned their course curricula and delivery methods to support the use of technology in instruction and have served on grant committees to insure meeting grant objectives.  Even though the actual grant ends in 2005, the college and departments will continue to provide the necessary support to keep the objectives and processes provided by the grant in place.  The grant will very likely be re-applied for, with different objectives, in two years (after the mandatory waiting period). 

Table 12-5 cites the major grant activity, objectives and impact.  The Title V Grant gave the faculty in the English and math departments a strong foundation in the use of computer technology in their classrooms.  The faculty was able to try various soft ware programs to see which ones might be useful in classroom instruction or in providing students with extra practice and learning.  Some packages and equipment, such as “Smart Board” have become a permanent part of two electronic English classrooms, and computer instructor teaching stations have been added to two others.  As a result of dedicated electronic classrooms with student computers being added to some English classrooms, students and faculty are able to use computers in classroom teaching and learning.  The Title V Grant has definitely provided a useful and firm technology base in both providing equipment and training for the English Department, the Math and Science Department, the Reading Department and electronic class rooms in other areas, as well to enhance student learning.

Table 12-5:  Title V Grant

            The information in the Table 12-6 comes from the Title V Annual Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Education in December 2004 for the period of October 1, 2003 to September 30, 2004, PC Grant Year IV, and indicates many successes of the grant.  It shows improvement in all areas measured, including greater student and faculty use of technology, student retention and student grade point average.

Table 12-6:  Title V Results – Grant Year IV

The Office of Student Affairs provides comprehensive programs to recruit, retain, and support students (add verbiage from SDS Mission) and ensure their ability to pursue a life of learning.  Appendix ________ lists these programs and college functions, and a few examples will be described here.  The Adult Re-entry Center provides a warm, caring, welcoming, and supportive environment for prospective, new, and continuing students who have been absent from education for three or more years.  Facing a diversity of issues and barriers, this at-risk population encompasses a wide age range, which can include the fifteen-year-old that dropped out of high school and returned to PC three years later through senior adults.  It is estimated that over 56% of PC students fall into this category, based on 2004-2005 data counting students 25 years of age and older.  (unique in District?) Services provided include:  academic advisement, information and referral services, assistance with financial aid and scholarship application, and workshops with speakers that promote personal, academic and professional growth.

In 1997, the Adult Re-Entry Center relocated to join with the International Center to occupy a larger space for students to hold meetings, enjoy coffee, read the newspaper and magazines, study, eat, form study groups, and network.  Another change was the installation of a student computer station that is used for exploring university transfer and articulation options, scholarship opportunities, applying for and accessing financial aid information, working on scholarship applications and personal statements, completing homework, and working on club activities.  The Adult-Re-Entry Center acts as a conduit to advertise campus and community activities and information to PC re-entry students.  The Adult Re-Entry Center has been instrumental is providing motivation and support, enabling students to realize their goals, and frequently has been useful in aiding students to continue with learning and surpass their original goals.

Since 1967, the Adult Re-Entry Center has sponsored the Adults Who Are Returning to Education (A.WARE) Club, one of the most active student organizations on campus.  Committed to the development of leadership and networking, the Adult Re-Entry Center and the AWARE Club have worked closely together to provide workshops, and service to the campus and the community.

The list below shows how the Adult Re-Entry Center evaluates its impact on students.

• Satisfaction survey
• AWARE Club and Re-Entry Center jointly develop a calendar of events each semester.  Many activities are scheduled according to the requests and plans of students.
• Debriefing and event surveys conducted following events.
• Student feedback to Coordinator
• Student visits to the Center.  Participation in the Center varies, with some students visiting daily to others who come in once or twice a semester.
• Feedback from faculty and staff 
• Feedback from community members following jointly sponsored events

The Adult Re-Entry Center’s annual reports are available in the HLC/NCA Office, and reflect major findings and recommendations from the evaluation tools listed above.  The Center has seen increasing numbers of students particularly in the evening hours, and would like to expand its facility space, computer workstations, as well as hours of operation.  Increased staffing is also needed to meet these goals.

The Learning Center (LC) is another major support program for students in their pursuit of a life of learning under the Office of Student Affairs.  The Learning Center helps all Phoenix College students become independent, lifelong learners by providing tutoring, study skills development, multi-media support materials and services for students who speak English as a Second Language (ESL).  Tutors include students, faculty, and community members and may be paid or work on a volunteer basis.  New tutors in the LC receive an orientation to the general philosophy of the LC which is to help students become self-directed learners.  The orientation also includes training in tutoring skills, including sensitivity to diversity and disability issues.

This Center also houses the Disability Resource Center (DRC) which provides reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities so they have equal access to educational opportunities required by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).  These accommodations may include interpreters, note takers, and adaptive technology.  Interpreters are provided in the classroom as well as for out-of-classroom college events.  The Director of Instructional Support Services and Student Development (director of the LC and DRC) co-chairs the college’s ADA/Access/Safety committee which monitors institutional compliance with the ADA.

For the past twenty-five years the Learning Center has operated a federal Student Support Services grant program (a federal TRIO grant program).  This grant targets low income, first generation and disabled community college students.  The grant program provides learning support above and beyond that which is available to all students, e.g., individual tutoring, cultural events, university tours, academic and life skills workshops, scholarships for students with unmet academic need and funds for students with unmet financial need.

The LC also supports Phoenix College’s Title V grant by providing lab technicians and a wireless computer lab in which students can access learning support software for math, science, English, reading and ESL.  The wireless capability is an inclusive approach to learning support which allows the lab to serve students at the point of need.  Funding is also received from the Carl Perkins Grant which supports tutoring for students in occupational programs.

Program advisors from the DRC and TRIO programs collaborate with the Academic Advising Center by providing academic advising to students from the Advising Center during peak advising periods.  The LC is seeking other collaborative efforts such as working with other departments on campus who provide tutoring to offer a joint tutor training program.  This would help to provide continuity in terms of well-trained tutors across campus and would be more cost effective than offering multiple training programs.

The LC staff maintains a student database for the LC, DRC, and TRIO program. This database is used to track student progress, assess program effectiveness, and make changes to improve service to students.

The Learning Center has identified the following goals for improvement, both current and ongoing:

• Teach students the skills they need to become independent learners and to effectively use learning support resources. The goal is to help them improve their critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• Increase evaluation and feedback given to the tutors to improve their effectiveness; evaluation may be from students, peers, supervisors, or a combination of the above
• Develop more efficient and effective tutoring so that less tutors will be needed, and more funding for each tutor will be available
• Provide incentives for improvement and retention/longevity of tutors through pay increases
• Encourage “drop in” tutoring rather than tutoring by appointment so that students feel that services are available at any time, and will come more often to the LC as they feel the need
• Offer more study skills workshops related to specific courses, rather than as stand-alone workshops.
• Offer tutoring and study skills services on Saturdays to the ACE (high school) students
• Continue converting the computers in the LC to wireless technology so they can be used in a more flexible manner; for example, taken to different areas in the LC for individual or group work as needed
• Improve communication with and coordination of all tutoring centers and activities across campus
• Develop a writing center within the LC
• Collaborate with community agencies to provide service to the community and benefit to the college

Measures for various outcomes demonstrates PC’s commitment and effectiveness in helping students become educated people capable of a life of learning.  One example comes from the Department of Dental Programs’ Center for Health Professions which provides continuing education for community dental professionals.  In Spring  2004, 35.1% of their participants were PC graduates, and 75.8% had attended credit classes at PC in the past.  This data indicates that graduates and former students value continued learning, and they regularly rely upon and return to PC in pursuing it.

The Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE) was conducted in 2003 and 2004, and it helps measure educational strengths and challenges that relate to acquisition, discovery, and application of knowledge at Phoenix College.  (CCSSE Successes and Challenges at PC, CCSSE Results 2004).  The items included in Table 12-7 are partial results of this survey from 2003.  Other areas of the CCSSE reports will be discussed under Core Component 4 D of this chapter.  Table 12-7 shows select areas where Phoenix College is either significantly out-performing (Successes) or under-performing (Challenges) as compared to other large CCSSE schools.  The survey results in 2004 showed that there was no significant difference in these areas compared to similar CCSSE schools.

Table 12-7: CCSSE Strengths and Challenges at PC, 2003

(Related to Students’ Value of a Life of Learning - partial results)

The Phoenix College assessment committees, described in Criterion 3, have reviewed these survey results and have brought them to the attention of department chairs so that they may consider the results in their work.  In 2005, Department Chairs were asked to include in their annual report their department’s perspective on the CCSSE results, and to develop a plan to improve future CCSSE results.

Phoenix College does an excellent job in acknowledging the achievements of students, faculty, and staff in their acquisition, discovery and application of knowledge.  In 2005, the President appointed a committee composed of all employee groups to evaluate the traditional employee recognition awards given at Phoenix College.  The charge of the committee is to make sure employees are appropriately recognized for their accomplishments.  The Bear Essentials, a weekly bulletin published through the President’s office, is the primary vehicle through which major accomplishments of students and employees receive public recognition.  In response to campus-wide requests for improved communication from the President’s Office about significant college activities and concerns, the Office of Institutional Advancement (IA) initiated this publication in October 2003.  The college distributes it to all employees through email and posts it on the college home page where it is available to students and the general public.  A “Readers’ Survey” is available on the Bear Essentials bulletin, and IA office staff tabulates and reviews responses from readers.  These generally indicate positive appreciation for the communication, as well as suggestions or requests for further information, and the results are available to the President. 

In addition, the IA office serves as a major source of information to the campus and the external community through regular news releases of major campus events and accomplishments.  Three hundred and eighty three (383) news stories generated from PC press releases were published in area new papers in 2003 – 2004, and # in 2004-2005  News releases are posted on the PC home page on the same day they are released to the media, thus serving as a dynamic college “newsletter”.  The following are typical daily headlines of information and news releases posted on the home page:

·        “Fine Cuisine and Conversation Breakfast Brought High School Counselors to PC”

·        “Phoenix College Captures Two National Marketing Awards”

·        “Dance and Sing the Night Away with the Phoenix College McConnell Singers”

·        “Develop Leadership Skills by Participating in the Elite Six-Day LeaderShape Retreat”

·        “Celebrate Women's History Month with Phoenix College Acting President”

·        “Destination 2015: From New York to Phoenix, Visions of the Future Art Scene Symposium”

Other evidence is cited in Appendix ___, Criterion 4A Evidence, that demonstrates how Phoenix College values a life of learning.  Included there is a listing of traditional, ongoing awards and recognition given through various campus departments as well as through the District.  Documentation and further description of these can be found on the HLC/NCA website or in the HLC/NCA office.

Appendix ___, Criterion 4A Evidence

• Academic Freedom issues
• Technology Resource Standards
• Faculty Association Report
• Discrimination lawsuit

• Examples of curricular offerings that illustrate freedom of inquiry
• ASB 214  Magic, Witchcraft and Healing:  An Introduction to Comparative Religion
• ENH 117  Rap Literature:  The Oral Tradition
• ENH 120  The Literature of Science Fiction
• HUM 105AE  Cultural Perspectives:  Middle Eastern Ideas and Values
• HUM 120  Cultural Viewpoints in the Arts

·         Examples of policies, practices and programs that promote a life of learning for employees

• Employee Policies
• Adjunct Faculty Policies
• College Safety Policies
• Crafts Policies
• Maintenance and Operations Policies
• Management, Administrative, Technical Policies (MAT)
• Professional Staff Policies (PSA)
• Residential Faculty Policies
• Specially Funded Policies
• PC Onebook; Onebook Arizona
• The Lifelong Learning Program
• The Silver Sneakers Program
• MCCCD Programs
• Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI) (partial list of programs and support offered):
• Learning Grants
• Maricopa Learning Exchange
• Ocotillo
• Faculty Professional Growth
• Maricopa Institute for Learning
• Maricopa CARES (Center on Aging, Resources, Education and Services) & PC Lifelong Learning Program
• Maricopa Faculty Internship
• Employee and Organizational Development
• Creative Pathways
• Renewal

• Learning Technologies and Development Department Evaluations and Reports

• Faculty and Staff Development Committee Evaluations and Reports

• Examples of projects that have resulted in educational improvements (reports on file in HLC/NCA Office)
• Online course and e-Portfolio example
• Hybrid Courses
• Unseated Courses
• Technology in Instruction Grants
• Ocotillo Group of the Technology Committee
• Writing Assessment Committee rubric
• Oral Presentation Assessment Committee “…Recommendations for PC Students…”
• Curriculum Development Process:  New Program, New Course and Experimental Course Development; Course Modifications
• Math and Science Center

• Support provided through the Office of Student Affairs that promote a life of learning and student success
• Admissions & Records
• Advisement, Transfer & Testing Center
• Recruitment & Retention
• Financial Aid
• Re-Entry Center
• Women’s History Month
• Phoenix Women’s Economic Forum
• Community Information Fair
• Disability Awareness
• Learning Center
• Disability Resource Center
• Counseling
• Career Center
• Student Life and Leadership
• Campus Safety
• Athletics
• International Student Center
• Examples of annual awards and special recognition given at Phoenix College
• Distinguished Teaching Award
• Alumni Office
• Alumni Awards
• Scholarship Dinner
• ACE Program CASE Award for Best Practices in Alumni Relations (2004)
• Ursa Student Leadership Awards
• ESL Ceremony
• Poetry Contest Readings
• BSU Storytelling event
• Athletic All Academic Team awards
• National Student Mathematics League
• PC Art Gallery
• Interior Design Students’ award (Wrigley Mansion)
• Theatre awards
• MCCCD Awards
• Innovation of the Year
• Reality English for ESL: Bringing Community Into Your Classroom, Phoenix College Innovation of the Year 2004 – 2005
• Artists of Promise
• Women’s Leadership Group Spring Recognition Luncheon
• Women’s Leadership Group Women of Distinction Award (MCCCD)