Chapter 4

Chapter 4 revolves around helping under-prepared student succeed in the community college environment. A large part of this chapter outlines the problems with developmental education and the generally poor track record of student outcomes when placed into these programs. This chapter tends to stand out a little because the authors do not spend much time engaging in the pathways theme that is pervasive throughout much of the other chapters. However, they recognize that remedial education has not served many (most?) students well and they advocate for an overhaul of this model. Three key elements that they argue in their redesign advocacy is assessment, curriculum and instructional reform. Curriculum reform, they argue, should take place within the context of a pathways model - thereby enraging the student and connecting content to their larger career and academic goals. Instructional reform is generally along the same lines as was presented in chapter 3. Generally, students need instruction that is engaging and curriculum that is integrated to their larger goals - as opposed to curriculum that is isolated and disconnected from their college level academic goals.

Chapter 3

Of all the chapters, this is definitely the most applicable for teaching and instruction. Chapter 3 is all about reforming / enhancing instruction in the community college classroom.  The chapter begins with an in-depth look at what the authors call procedural vs conceptual learning. Procedural learning focuses on rote learning while conceptual learning focuses on enhancing critical thinking (patterns, relationships, evaluating data, etc.).  The authors contest that the majority of instruction in the community college cafeteria style college is based on the "knowledge transmission" model that focuses more on procedural learning vs the "learning facilitation model" which is student focused and organically enhances motivation.

A part of this chapter, as with every chapter actually, revolves around suggestions for community colleges to make the changes that authors suggest (and that they state are researched based). They advocate for having strong instructor to instructor relationships where there is an open culture of observing other instructors and reflecting on ways to develop a more "learning facilitation" model that they suggest. The book makes a brief mention of "lesson study" a practice that was developed in the US but is primarily utilized in the Japanese education study. Basically, the practice revolves around intensive mentoring and work with fellow teachers to develop facilitation skills.

The rest of the chapter revolves returns to the main premise of the book in that a guided pathways model provides a better framework with which to create an environment of conceptual learning. The authors suggest that by better aligning curriculum into pathway programs, instructional design can better enhance skills, concepts and habits of mind that students will need to be successful in future classes (which is consistent with learning facilitation). They argue that an instructors main job is help develop student mental models (scaffolding of learning) and not ply them with facts and rote learning. The author refer to this concept as inductive learning (aka inquiry-based learning problem based learning, etc.) which they claim tend to improve student learning and motivation.

Chapter Two

In chapter 2, the authors discuss two main ideas that impact newly matriculating students at many community colleges. One, community colleges do not have good relationships with local high schools and two, the student orientation and advising process is generally very brief and surface level. The advising perspectives that the authors mention is what I will discuss in this post. This chapter delves into the importance of advising - especially what the authors define as "developmental advising". This theory of advising, according to the authors, encompasses helping students build self-awareness regarding their academic and personal strengths and skills and helps them draw connections to various careers and occupations. This process however, is more intensive and long term.

The authors also discuss how students success courses can do a lot to improve academic (cognitive) and non-cognitive skills such as perseverance.  Additionally, the authors suggest that e-advising tools and early alert systems (used in conjunction with effective advising staff) can be useful student supports in the helping students succeed.

Although long-term developmental advising and student support courses tend to be correlated with positive student outcomes, the majority of community colleges do not have these resources available to incoming students. One strategy, suggests the authors, is to employ e-tools that can free advisors up from more mundane activities (like course selection assistance) so they can free more time up for doing more intensive developmental advising with students.

To contextualize these ideas, the community college I work for has just implemented a pathways advising model that pairs one advisor to one student and moves away from programmatic advisors which change as the students' degree pathways changes (evolves). I feel that this one-on-one longer term student relationship has the potential for better and more consistent advising - which will hopefully lead to improve student engagement and persistence.

Chapter ONe

Chapter one introduces some of the more disheartening statistics regarding the completion rates of community college students. While many community college students plan on obtaining a bachelor degree in the future, only a small percentage of them wind up even transferring - much less completing a 4 year degree within six years.   The authors point to a variety of causes - poor transfer agreements, , limited advising, and what they term as "curricular incoherence".

It is this idea that frames this chapter. The cafeteria style college, as opposed to a guided pathways model, does not structure the curriculum in a way that builds off other curriculum in previous classes. For example, many electives have no relevance or applicability to the students ultimate degree aspirations (if known). Exploring unique and different areas of study is not harmful in and of itself, however, it does not contribute to helping students scaffold knowledge in a systematic way. The authors suggest that aligning program outcomes with students goals is the most appropriate way to not only maintain student motivation but to effectively build student skills and achieve desired learning outcomes (both for students and the college) .

Introduction

The introduction of the book lays out the main premise The authors suggest that the "cafeteria" style model of most community colleges is not serving the population of community college students well. Rather, they suggest that a "guided path model" would more effectively serve community college students.  The concept of the guided pathways, suggest the authors, is that the model is more effective in aligning employment, career and academic goals. This is especially true for the majority of community college students who may lack intrinsic motivation and career clarity. In the introduction, the authors allude to studies which show that guided pathways programs that have been researched and have been shown to improve student success and student outcomes,

In upcoming posts, I will outline the ideas and concepts laid out in future chapters regarding challenges to reform in the community college system as well as a more detailed look at how deficiencies within the current cafeteria model.