For MCC Faculty & Staff: Workshops

The Promise of High Impact Practices is a workshop series for MCC staff and faculty to explore a variety of proven and emerging innovative practices that support student retention and completion -- the twin themes that continue to dominate the postsecondary landscape.

The series includes events held over three days, October 1, 3, & 5, 2012.

This series is a follow up to the first of MCC's Essential Discussions - Completion: Our Community's Next Promise, a one-day colloquium held on September 24, 2012, led by our own Dr. Anne Kress and featuring Kati Haycock from The Education Trust, SUNY Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, and many national and regional leaders.The Promise of High Impact Practices will support the themes explored on September 24 and will help MCC faculty and staff to find immediate "take-aways" that can be put in place in MCC classrooms and service offices.

This workshop series is co-sponsored by Academic Services and Student Services with support from the Teaching and Creativity Center. Please note: This series has been developed for an internal audience and will not be open to the public.

October 1, 2012
Speaker: Arleen Arnsparger, Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE)
Location: Brighton Campus, Monroe A/B; videostreamed at Damon City Campus 4193

• 12:00-12:50 p.m.: "A Matter of Degrees - Promising Practices for Community College Student Success"
  What are the educational practices that are showing the greatest potential for improving community college students' learning, persistence and completion? What steps can college leaders take to help identify and implement those practices that will make a difference for their students? This session will highlight results from the first national surveys of students, faculty and community colleges that show to what extent these promising practices are part of the experience of community college students.
• 1:00-1:50 p.m.: "From the Starting Gate to the Finish Line"
  "Stand here, sit there, read the syllabus, the first test is WHEN?" From the registration process to the early weeks of class, many new students say they feel lost in a culture that is foreign to them. Hear what community college students have to say about college and classroom practices that help them get off to a strong start and stay in college until they achieve their goals.
• 2:00-2:50 p.m.: "Creating an On-Ramp from High School to College"
  "I'm ready for college...or am I?" Students coming from high school to the community college say they are motivated and are academically prepared, yet college data show that many fail their first college classes and drop out within the first year. Hear what recent high school graduates have to say about how they experience their transition into college and consider the implications for your own college's practice and relationships with your feeder high schools.

About the Speaker:

Arleen Arnsparger is project manager of the Initiative on Student Success at the Center for Community College Student Engagement (CCCSE) at The University of Texas at Austin. In her role leading the qualitative work of the Center, Arleen works with community colleges throughout the country, conducting focus groups and interviews with students to learn about their college experiences, interviewing presidents, and listening to faculty and staff. Arleen is co-author and producer of the recently released book and DVD, Students Speak - Are We Listening? Starting Right in the Community College.

October 3, 2012
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Title: High Impact Educational Practices at MCC: Recent Accomplishments and Paths to Further Success
Speaker: Jonathan Iuzzini, Coordinator of MCC's Teaching and Creativity Center
Location: Damon City Campus 4193; videostreamed at Brighton Campus, Monroe A/B

This presentation will define and present evidence for the effectiveness of several high-impact educational practices. We will focus on how these practices have been used successfully by MCC faculty and staff and we will discuss opportunities to more deeply integrate these practices into our teaching and services.

About the Speaker:

Jonathan Iuzzini joined MCC in 2011 as Coordinator of the Teaching & Creativity Center. His academic training is in social psychology and he has been teaching in higher education since 1998. His classroom experience ranges from large lectures of 200 students (introduction to psychology; social psychology) to small seminars of 12 students (political psychology; psychology of prejudice and discrimination). His recent publications include "Using an intersectional approach to deepen collaborative teaching" (New Directions in Teaching and Learning, 2011); "Intersecting identities and the work of faculty development" (To Improve the Academy, 2011); and a co-edited special issue of the Journal of Social Issues (2012) entitled "Systems of Privilege: Intersections, Awareness, and Applications."

October 5, 2012
12:00-1:00 p.m.
Title: MCC High Impact and Innovative Practices and Networking Session
Speakers: MCC staff and faculty
Location: Brighton Campus, Forum

Current MCC staff and faculty will host poster sessions to showcase the excellent work happening on our own campus related to college completion initiatives. The topics of twelve posters have been carefully selected to promote high-impact educational practices and innovative student services. This activity will be an excellent networking opportunity for all who participate.