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Mt. San Antonio College’s Earth Sciences & Astronomy Department is conducting an investigation entitled “Designing Field Trips That Improve Critical Thinking, Writing, Communication, and Quantitative Skills: Incorporating Basic Skills Into Natural Sciences Courses.” Team members will develop a suite of activities and field trip materials to increase active learning, analytical writing, speaking, and quantitative and qualitative problem-solving during field trips. Faculty and student mentors will work together in the field to provide small-group instruction. The primary focus is to investigate how applying Math, English, and critical thinking in these real-world environments affects students’ basic skill development.

Team Leader:
Rebecca Walker / Earth Sciences
909-594-5611 x 6339 Fax: 909-468-4036
rwalker@mtsac.edu

Team Members:
Dr. Terri Long / Earth Sciences
Dr. Mark Boryta / Earth Sciences
Karen Bridges / Earth Sciences

Mt. San Antonio College Proposal

Santa Ana College

Posted by Sandra Wood on March 4, 2009 in Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIG), Proposals with No Comments

Santa Ana Mid-term Inquiry Update Video

Revised Inquiry Plan

Generation 1.5 Survey

Using standard anthropological tools of participant-observation, in-depth interviews, and student writing samples and portfolios, the goal of this inquiry is to better understand Generation 1.5 students and their educational needs. This ethnographic student-faculty inquiry will explore: 1. Who are our Generation 1.5 students and how do we identify them? 2. How do we accurately assess their English language skill levels? 3. What experiences, characteristics, and needs do they bring to our classrooms and college? This inquiry will be used to examine the existing English/ESL curriculum with an eye toward designing new curriculum. An equally important goal of the inquiry is to illuminate the institutional and professional benefits of the scholarship of teaching and learning.

Team Leader:
Sandra Wood / Anthropology Chair
714-564-6536 Fax 714-564-6505/6508
wood_sandra@sac.edu

Team Members:
Dr. Bonita Jaros / Institutional Effectiveness
and Assessment Coordinator
Shelly Jaffray / English Department Co-Chair
Elissa Hassel / English Department Co-Chair (ESL wing)
Dr. Gary Bennett / English
Kathy Paterson / English
Rachel Sosta / English
Courtney Wadman / English

Santa Ana College Proposal

College of the Siskiyous

Posted by Renata Funke on March 4, 2009 in Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIG), Proposals with No Comments

College of the Siskiyous Mid-term Inquiry Update Video

College of the Siskiyous Movie

Revised Inquiry Plan

Revised Budget

College of the Siskiyous is focusing on the intersection between student learning and students’ identities as outsiders or insiders in the college environment. The Inquiry team will use video footage to capture student reflections and experiences, as well as classroom and athletic activities. One student group to be included are African-American student athletes adjusting to the isolation they find in the small rural community of Weed, California near the Oregon border. Another group will be students from a course called “Math for the Confused,” who will describe and analyze their experiences in the basic skills curriculum. By closely examining data on students’ performance and experiences, the Inquiry team aims to identify blind spots in the college’s approach to basic skills and, ultimately, find ways to “light the fire” in students with histories of low educational attainment.

Team Leader:
Renata Funke / Director, Yreka Campus
530-842-1245 Fax: 530-841-5221
funke@siskiyous.edu

Team Members:
Deborah Randolph / Math
Eve Thompson / English
Les Courtemanche / Football and Track assistant coach
Patrice Thatcher / ECE Program Coordinator
Catey Olivolo / Nursing
Mark Oliver / Videographer

College of the Siskiyous Proposal

San Diego Mesa College

Posted by Tracey Walker on March 4, 2009 in Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIG), Proposals with No Comments

Revised Inquiry

Revised Budget

San Diego Mesa College: Student Footage

Another Mesa Assignment/ “Where I’m From”

Mesa Cribs Writing and Video And Video Assignments

San Diego Mesa College: Video Reflection

At San Diego Mesa College, a team comprised of English faculty, a counselor, and an institutional researcher is investigating a key question in basic skills: What keeps students from being as engaged in critical inquiry as faculty might like? The team has a hunch that student motivation in basic skills English classes will increase if they have the opportunity to make their writing public, so that their work takes on a significance beyond the classroom’s confines. As part of a basic writing-reading/writing-learning community, students will make videos of their homes and communities (like the TV show Cribs), expressing where students come from and how they got to where they are. When presented to the class, the videos will prompt questions that will be answered through writing and research. The Faculty Inquiry team will study the impact of this project on students’ motivation and sense of ownership over their own writing.

Team Leaders:
Tracey Walker /Basic Writing and Reading Co-Coordinator
Wendy Smith /Basic Writing and Reading Co-Coordinator
619-388-2313 Fax: 619-388-5814
twalker@sdccd.edu / wsmith@sdccd.edu

Team Members:
Cynthia Rico-Bravo / Counselor
Anthony Lattner / Student Co-Inquirer
Susan Mun / Researcher

San Diego Mesa College Proposal

Santa Barbara City College

Posted by Michele Peterson on March 4, 2009 in Faculty Inquiry Groups (FIG), Proposals with No Comments

Revised Inquiry Plan

Revised Budget

One Planet Faculty Fellows was designed by the Center for Sustainability and the Office of Campus Diversity, and holds a central philosophy that integrates environmentalism, equity, and social justice “to meet the needs of our growing population, while maintaining the health of our environment and working toward social, economic, and educational equality.” One Planet faculty want to know and understand the important transformative moments that occur when basic skills are discussed within a nexus of diversity and sustainability. The inquiry aims at understanding: How does teaching in a context of One Planet themes (i.e., ecological responsibility and educational equity) promote active learning and meaningful engagement; and particularly, what specific changes can be made in pedagogy and classroom practices to increase active learning and meaningful engagement?

Team Leader:
Michele Peterson, English Skills and Alcohol and Drug Counseling
IDC 322, (805) 965-0581, X-2445
Peterson@sbcc.edu

Team Members:
Dr. Dixie Budke, Culinary Arts, Counseling
Dr. Patrick Foster, Construction Technology
Peter Rojas, Math

Santa Barbara City College Proposal

About FIN

The Faculty Inquiry Network’s (FIN) purpose is to support professional development which includes: conducting faculty inquiry; revisiting basic skills assumptions; interpreting and integrating data; accessing student voices; developing students as co-inquirers; making visible; using technology for teaching and learning; creating and supporting new initiatives, curriculum and program development; constructing educational tools using digital media; and hosting dialogue around student and faculty learning.

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