San Bernardino Valley College

1
San Bernardino Valley College

• The Journey Towards Becoming a Model Learning
  Centered College

An Appreciative Inquiry
2
Principles of a Learning Centered College
From A Learning College for the 21st Century by
Terry OBanion
3
The Process

• Core Team develops the focus of the inquiry.
• Interviews are piloted with students, faculty
  members, and classified staff
• Interview guides are finalized
• Summit format established, and dates selected
• Invitations sent to the campus with requests that
  administrators sign up and encourage
  participation by division
• 5 summit meetings are held
• Approximately 125 Faculty, staff, managers and
  students participate

4
Appreciative Inquiry SummitsInterviews

• Participants, using interview guides, shared
  personal stories which exemplified
  learning-centered experiences.

5
Appreciative Inquiry SummitsCommon Threads

• In small groups, participants looked for the
  common threads which represented significant
  learning experiences at SBVC

6
From Common Threads Come Core Values

• Participants identified those concepts which
  represent the core of SBVC as a Learning Centered
  College.

7
Appreciative InquiryDream The Model Learning
Centered College

• Participants created and described a model
  learning-centered college

8
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We the faculty of SBVC are committed to
  providing an atmosphere that promotes continuous
  learning and our students educational success.

9
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We are a college of professional, skilled,
  caring staff dedicated to student learning
  through instructional modeling and validation of
  achievement as evidenced by course completion,
  graduation, transfer, job attainment and
  self-fulfillment.

10
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We at SBVC are committed to
• a solid foundation for education,
• empowering students to learn,
• sensitivity and compassion,
• integrity and
• a respect for diversity and interconnectedness.
• Building upon integrity and honesty, we at Valley
  College are all agents of positive change.

11
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions
Empowered Students have the tools to reach their
goals
We instill confidence and are confident in our
ability to empower students.
Synergy connects us and keeps us focused
Honesty and integrity cross all boundaries
Committed to excellence of learning
Cultural Diversity is valued and integrated
12
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We create a learning environment by encouraging
  growth and stimulating success based on trust and
  inclusion of the college community.

13
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We, the faculty, staff, and students create a
  fertile environment where we all come together to
  learn and grow.

14
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• With faculty, staff and money
• SBVC
• Hope
• Future
• Education
• Trust
• Safe environment

15
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• SBVC accepts the responsibility of providing a
  quality inquiry-based learning environment that
  supports all learning styles and promotes real
  world application and life-long learning.

16
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We are
• Committed
• Passionate
• Learning-Centered Educators
• Opening Doors
• And
• Changing Lives

17
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We provide students with a healthy, safe
  environment with basic and advanced education to
  become life-long learners.

18
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• SBVC is committed to empowering our students
  with the opportunity to grow and develop their
  careers and lives in an educational environment
  through the support of dedicated staff and
  faculty and SBVCs many resources.

19
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• SBVC has a positive environment
• that draws students from diverse backgrounds and
  abilities
• that focuses on students identifying and
  achieving their goals with a can do attitude
  instead of a have to.
• Valley College, a college of choice, serves our
  community, and is where students are assured of a
  quality education from a dedicated and caring
  faculty.

20
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We are becoming the new butter with an olive
  oil base. We are healthy and good for our
  students. With a solid nutritional basis, we can
  achieve the taste of rich butter but not raise
  students cholesterol. We are including butter
  knife technology to facilitate the learning
  process.

21
Appreciative InquiryProvocative Propositions

• We are a caring and committed college that
  recognizes problems and works together for
  solutions. We want to work with our students to
  develop their self-regulation skills so they
  become more strategic learners through the
  refinement of their rehearsal, elaboration and
  organizational skills. In the process we become
  an even more dynamic learning environment by
  facilitating this process.

22
The learning college creates substantive change
in individual learners

• SBVC
• Provides an opportunity to change lives
• Teaches students to learn
• Provides support for life-challenged students
• Develops life-long learners
• Stimulates interests
• Enables students to help students
• Creates opportunities
• Empowers students
• Teaches faculty and staff to learn from students
• Transforms learners from entrance to exit

-From common threads core values
23
Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college creates substantive change
in individual learners.

• Create initiatives to increase self-awareness and
  monitoring of student learning
• Establish a variety of mentoring programs

24
The learning college engages learners in the
learning process as full partners, assuming
primary responsibility for their own choices

• SBVC
• Helps students to create vision
• Is flexible to the students needs
• Provides instructional project choices that
  support team and student concerns
• Provides resources for students to help
  themselves
• Provides assessment and placement to assist
  students in making appropriate class choices
• Allows all groups (students, faculty, staff,
  administration) to work together
• Empowers students
• Incorporates values
• Makes everyone a learner-as well as a teacher
• Provides students with programs and resources to
  help them to solve their own problems
• Recognizes problems and works together to solve
  them
• Creates courses with/by both students and faculty

-From common threads core values
25
Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college engages learners in the
learning process as full partners, assuming
primary responsibility for their own choices

• Create initiatives to increase self-awareness and
  monitoring of student learning
• Establish a variety of mentoring programs
• Develop innovative assessment models

26
The learning college creates and offers as many
options for learning as possible

• SBVC
• Supports multiple learning styles
• Provides Work/Certificate programs campus-wide
• Has access to technology
• Helps to provide student activities that are
  conducive to learning
• Employs various teaching methodologies
• Provides cultural events which are supported by
  teachers, staff and students (everyone!)
• Has a program for virtually everyone
• Has reading, writing and math labs, and
  specialized programs to help students to succeed
• Values faculty innovation
• Offers technology-based learning options
• Offers a diverse curriculum to meet student needs
• Offers courses through distributed education to
  students who may not be able to attend courses on
  campus

-From common threads core values
27
Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college creates and offers as many
options for learning as possible

• Explore other campus technology programs
• Expand opportunity for students to learn in
  different locations and on different schedules
  (distributed education/on-line college)
• Provide convenient information locations and
  processes
• Promote campus-wide activities such as integrity
  day
• Develop a Service Learning program

28
The learning college assists learners to form and
participate in collaborative learning activities

• SBVC
• Offers instructional projects that support team
  work
• Promotes team building
• Encourages the sharing and exchanging of
  information
• Allows for smaller classes that can effectively
  incorporate collaborative learning projects
• Encourages all groups (students, faculty, staff,
  admin) to work together (synergy) and learn
  together
• Offers the opportunity for collaboration between
  different departments (development of learning
  communities)
• Sees a willingness to get involved in projects
  and problem-solving (faculty/staff/students )
• Includes all SBVC employees in the learning
  process
• Recognizes problems works together for
  solutions
• Provides for shared experiences (new faculty
  orientation) to help faculty work collaboratively

-From common threads core values
29
Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college assists learners to form and
participate in collaborative learning activities

• Promote college-wide activities such as
  integrity day.
• Establish a variety of mentoring programs
• Enhance and encourage participation in learning
  communities

30
The learning college defines the roles of
learning facilitators by the needs of the
learners

• SBVC
• Provides support for students in a variety of
  formats and locations and from a variety of
  professionals
• Promotes a variety of learning experiences in the
  classroom, and in the world
• Trains employees in new/emerging techniques and
  technologies to assist the learning process
• Emphasizes real world applications
• Focuses on student outcomes
• Encourages faculty members to incorporate
  different methodologies to meet the learning
  styles of the students
• Supports students in achieving all types of goals
  (career, classroom, personal)
• Is establishing classes and services on-line
• Values diversity and incorporates it into our
  culture
• Promotes an environment in which EVERYONE assists
  with learning
• Uses assessment to appropriately place students
  and encourages their continued growth and
  development
• Learning is based on student needs (in spite of
  barriers)

-From common threads core values
31

Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college defines the roles of
learning facilitators by the needs of the learners

• Expand opportunity for students to learn in
  different locations and on different schedules
  (distributed education/on-line college)
• Establish a Student Services Retreat with service
  as the focus
• Provide additional opportunities for personal
  student contacts
• Establish a variety of mentoring programs
• Provide convenient information locations and
  processes
• Create Safer Campus initiatives

32
The learning college and its learning
facilitators succeed only when improved and
expanded learning can be documented for its
learners

• SBVC
• Is focused on student learning outcomes, and the
  assessment required to measure them
• Has high expectations for students and employees
• Encourages the development of writing skills
  across the curriculum
• Maintains a vigorous curriculum and offers a
  variety of courses
• Emphasizes mastery learning
• Has faculty who care about student outcomes

-From common threads core values
33
Next StepsPilot Projects
The learning college and its learning
facilitators succeed only when improved and
expanded learning can be documented for its
learners

• Work to institute campus-wide student learning
  outcomes and the assessment to measure its
  success
• Establish a variety of mentoring programs
• Provide additional opportunities for personal
  student contacts
• Create initiatives to increase self-awareness and
  monitoring of student learning

34
San Bernardino Valley College

• The Journey Towards Becoming a Model Learning
  Centered College

An Appreciative Inquiry