Its All About Learning:

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Its All About Learning Teaching Teachers How
to Improve Student Learning
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Presented by San Antonio College Robert E.
Zeigler, Ph.D., President Thomas Hoy, Ed.D.,
Executive Vice President Johnnie Rosenauer,
Ed.D., Reaffirmation Chair Susan Espinoza, Lead
Writer for the QEP Joanne M. Wilson, Assistant
to the President
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Institutional Background and Selection of
Leadership for QEP Development
Presented by Robert E. Zeigler, Ph.D. President,
San Antonio College
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Institutional Background

• San Antonios population is more than 1.4 million

• 58.7 Hispanic
• 6.5 African-American
• 31.8 Anglo-American

• Largest single-campus community and technical
  college in Texas

• Fall 2004 enrollment of 22,141 with additional
  14,000 in Continuing Education

• With 10,707 Hispanic students (Fall 2004), SAC
  has one of the largest concentrationsof
  Hispanics on one campus in the U.S.

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Campus Community

• 454 Full-time tenure track faculty

• 670 Adjunct faculty members

• 472 Full-time staff members

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Faculty Profile - Fall 2004

• Thirty percent full-time faculty (450) have been
  with the college more than 30 years

• Additional 20 percent have been at SAC more than
  20 years

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QEP Committee
Chaired by Robert E. Zeigler, Ph.D., President

• Members
• Betty Lee Birdsall Director of Academic
  Development
• Susan Espinoza Director of Grants and College
  Development
• Manuel L. Flores, M.A. Director of Enrollment
  Management
• Angelica Gutierrez Part-time Research Assistant,
  Department of Business
• Thomas Hoy, Ed.D. Interim Executive Vice
  President at San Antonio College
• Conrad Krueger, M.A. Chair, Department of
  Mathematics and Computer Science, Associate
  Professor of Mathematics
• Emma L. Mendiola, M.S.S.W. Director of Title V
  Hispanic Serving Institutions Strengthening
  Institutions Grant Program, Assistant Professor,
  Counseling
• David Mrizek, M.A. Chief Financial Officer,
  Professor of Theater and Communications

• Ignacio Nacho L. Orozco, Jr., M.A. Professor
  of English
• Sarah Padilla 2004-2005 Treasurer, San Antonio
  College Student Government
• Cynthia Price Senior Statistical Research
  Specialist for the Office of Institutional
  Research
• Johnnie Rosenauer, Ed.D. Professor/Real Estate
  Program Coordinator, Business Department
• Nancy Saunders, Ph.D. Chair, Department of
  Sociology, Anthropology, Social Work, and
  Gerontology, Professor of Sociology.
• Kavita Surya, M.A. Research Specialist, Student
  
• Carol Swanson, Ph.D. Chair of the Foreign
  Languages Department
• Richard White, M.A. Dir., Center for
  Professional Development Continuing Ed
• Joanne M. Wilson, M.A. Assistant to the President

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President Zeiglers Outreach on QEP
August 2003 February 2005

• Discussed in College Council monthly meeting

• Faculty Senate and Staff Council

• Discussions in visits to department staff
  meetings Nursing, Child Development, Business,
  Kinesiology, Computer Information Systems,
  Sociology, English, Mortuary Science, Math,
  Allied Health, Counseling and Services to Special
  Populations, Psychology, Biology, Chemistry,
  Continuing Education, Library

• QEP as subject of keynote address for 2004
  Convocation

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Selection of the Focus for the QEP
Presented by Thomas Hoy, Ed.D. Executive Vice
President, San Antonio College
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Sources of QEP Focus

• SAC drew upon internal research/study

• Title V
• Retention Task Force Report
• CCSSE (Community College Survey of Student
  Engagement) results
• Lumina Achieving the Dream project research

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Quality Enhancement Plan

• QEP Focus

A college-wide professional development
initiative utilizing teaching and student support
strategies that improve student learning.
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Student Learning

• Definition

Student Learning is defined as a process that
leads to the mastery of material, the improvement
and utilization of analytical and cognitive
abilities, and the acquisition and enrichment of
physical, technical, personal and interpersonal
skills.
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Student Learning Outcomes

• Definition

Student Learning Outcomes are defined as
improvement in students knowledge, skills, and
behaviors.
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Student Learning Outcomes

• Measures

• Pre- and post-tests of change in knowledge
• End-of-course tests or projects that measure
  mastery of skills instruments measuring
  behavioral change (e.g., the LASSI, CAAP critical
  thinking section)
• Observation and/or student portfolios
• Grades
• Licensure examinations
• Achievement in sequential coursework
• Persistence/retention rates
• Graduation/transfer rates

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Building Consensus and Broad-Based Participation
Presented by Johnnie L. Rosenauer,
Ed.D. Reaffirmation Chair, San Antonio College
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Campus Feedback
Presentations to solicit feedback on the QEP
Focus and the Murguia Learning Institute
2003-2005

• Faculty Senate (three meetings)
• College Council Monthly Meetings (QEP permanent
  item on agenda 2004-05)
• Employee Development Day (Keynote speech and two
  workshops)
• Joint Chairs Council Meeting
• Problem-Based Learning Faculty Cohort
• Student Success Advisory Committee

• New Faculty Orientation
• Adjunct Faculty Meeting
• Womens Center
• Counseling and Special Populations Department
• Admissions and Records Department
• Staff Council
• Learning Resources Center

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Promotional Activities

• Student newspaper
• Buttons
• Banners
• Flyers
• Screen Savers (especially on Onsite Teams
  computers)
• Regular item on College Council agenda
• Focus on Excellence newsletterwww.accd.edu/sac/sa
  cmain/HTML/pdf/Focus.pdf

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Murguia Learning Institute

• Five components
• Semester-long best practices course for new
  faculty about student-centered teaching/learning
• Graduate coursework for faculty and staff
• Professional development best practices workshop
  for faculty and staff
• Mentorship for new faculty
• Master/Teacher Program for faculty

Components include training in the
measurement and assessment of student learning
outcomes.
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Narrowing the Scope of the QEPs Goals and
Objectives
Presented by Susan B. Espinoza Director of
College Grants Development QEP Lead Writer, San
Antonio College
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The Literature Review for the QEP included
studies on

• Learning styles assessment in curriculum
  development and instruction
• Effectiveness of student-centered teaching as
  opposed to teacher-centered teaching
• Faculty-student and faculty-faculty mentorship
  programs
• Learning communities
• Cooperative learning
• Peer tutoring and Supplemental Instruction
• Problem-based learning, peer mentoring programs
• Transitional bridge programs
• Orientation programs
• Academic alert systems

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Leaders who keep things simplest the longest
are the most successful.

• Bits and Pieces Leadership, November 2005

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QEP Objectives Draft 3

• Process Objectives
• Process Objective 1 By August 31, 2009, San
  Antonio College will have participated in the
  design and development of a planned
  District-level data warehouse with the functions
  of providing data related to outcomes of programs
  supporting student learning, tracking students
  progress while here at SAC and after they leave,
  and comparing SAC with similar institutions.
• Process Objective 2 By October 31, 2005, a
  Teaching and Learning Center will have been
  established at SAC with the goal of helping
  faculty and staff learn about and implement best
  classroom practices and student support
  strategies for improving student success.
• Process Objective 3 By May 31, 2007, at least
  25 of faculty members will have received
  training in pedagogical strategies proven to
  increase student success and/or student
  persistence, such as student-teacher interaction,
  collaborative/active learning, development and
  implementation of new Learning Communities and
  Service Learning programs, problem-based and/or
  inquiry-based learning, Supplemental Instruction,
  and learning styles.
• Process Objective 4 By May 31, 2007, XX of
  counselors and student support staff will have
  received training in strategies proven to
  increase student success and/or student
  persistence, such as peer mentorship or student
  development interventions.
• Process Objective 5 By September 30, 2010, at
  least 25 faculty will have revised their syllabi
  to include utilization of strategies proven to
  increase student learning.
• Process Objective 6 By September 30, 2010, SAC
  will have established XX new Learning Communities
  for developmental, entry-level and gateway
  academic courses.
• Process Objective 7 By September 30, 2010,
  Student Development 0370 will have been enhanced
  to include expanded faculty mentorship/counseling
  for at risk students.
• Outcome Objectives
• Outcome Objective 1 By August 31, 2010, over
  7,000 SAC students (33) each semester will be
  receiving instruction in classrooms that utilize
  best practice strategies proven to improve
  student learning in a culturally diverse
  environment.
• Outcome Objective 2 By August 31, 2010,
  Productive Grade Rates for a scientifically
  selected random sample of students in sequential
  courses will show a statistically significant
  increase from a baseline established in Fall
  2005.
• Outcome Objective 3 By August 31, 2010, for
  professional technical programs whose passing
  rate is below 90, the composite passing rate on
  licensure exams at SAC will have increased by at
  least one percentage point from a Fall 2003
  baseline of XX.
• Outcome Objective 4 By August 31, 2010, results
  of employer satisfaction surveys will show that
  at least 80 of scientifically sampled employers
  rate employees trained in SACs Professional and
  Technical programs as above average or better.
  (baseline how do we do this?)
• Outcome Objective 5 By August 31, 2010, the
  percentage of Pell grant recipients completing
  50 of core requirements within two years of
  initial enrollment will have risen from a Fall
  2005 baseline of XX to at least XX.
• Outcome Objective 7 By August 31, 2010,
  graduation rates for Pell grant recipients will
  have risen from a Fall 2004 baseline of X to
  X1.
• Outcome Objective 6 By August 31, 2010, transfer
  rates to public 4-year institutions, as measured
  by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board,
  will have risen from a Fall 2004 baseline of 9
  to at least 10.
• Outcome Objective 8 By August 31, 2010, CCSSE
  results will show that students rate student
  teacher interaction and collaborative/active
  learning at SAC at levels above the average for
  community colleges of our size.

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QEP Goal Objectives Final

• GOAL By the end of the QEP implementation
  period, San Antonio College will have
  significantly improved student learning through
  enhanced teaching and support strategies.
• Process Objectives
• Process Objective 1 By October 31, 2005, a
  teaching and learning institute, the Raúl S.
  Murguía Learning Institute, will have been
  established at SAC with the goal of helping
  educators learn about and implement best
  instructional practices and student support
  strategies for improving student success.
• Process Objective 2 By May 31, 2007, 100 of new
  tenure-track faculty members (n gt 50), at least
  35 faculty who teach developmental Math, English
  or Reading, or gatekeeper courses, and key staff
  will have received training in student-centered
  pedagogical strategies proven to increase student
  success, including increased student-teacher
  interaction and collaborative/active learning,
  development and implementation of new Learning
  Communities and Service Learning programs,
  problem-based and/or inquiry-based learning,
  Supplemental Instruction, teaching based on
  learning styles, assessment of student learning,
  and other best educational practices.
• Process Objective 3 By August 31, 2011, at least
  25 of full-time faculty will have incorporated
  strategies proven to increase student learning
  into their classroom practice as a result of
  dissemination of these practices through the
  Murguía Learning Institute.
• Process Objective 4 By August 31, 2011, over
  7,000 SAC students (33) each semester will be
  receiving instruction in classrooms that utilize
  best practice strategies proven to improve
  student learning in a culturally diverse
  environment.

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QEP Goal Objectives Final

• Student Learning Outcome Objectives
• Outcome Objective 1 random samples of students
  in classes of teachers participating in Murguía
  Learning Institute training/education activities
  will show more improvement in critical
  thinking/problem solving skills than random
  samples of students in classes where teachers
  have not participated in the Murguía Learning
  Institute.
• Outcome Objective 2 students in classes of
  teachers participating in Murguía Learning
  Institute training/education sessions on
  inquiry-based teaching will have gained
  analytical skills in the utilization of the
  scientific method or key mathematical concepts.
• Outcome Objective 3 in-class retention and
  productive grade rates for students in classes
  taught by faculty participants in the Murguía
  Learning Institute will be higher than
  departmental averages for that course.
• Outcome Objective 4 productive grade rates for a
  random sample of students in courses sequential
  to courses taught by Murguía Learning Institute
  participants will show a statistically
  significant increase from a fall 2005 baseline
  established for those courses.
• DRAFT - Goals Objectives
• www.accd.edu/sac/selfstudy/html/responses/pdf/qep/
  goals_objectives_061004.pdf
• FINAL - Goals Objectives
• www.accd.edu/sac/selfstudy/html/responses/pdf/qep/
  San_Antonio_College_Quality_Enhancement_Plan_8-9-0
  5.pdf (p 31)

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How to Assess the QEP
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Methods for Assessing Institutional and Unit
Learning Outcomes

• Traditionally-Used Quantitative Indicators
• Productive grade rates
• Retention/Attrition rates
• Course completion rates for developmental and
  non-developmental courses
• Graduation rates (degree and certificate)
• Transfer rates to four-year schools
• Passing rates on licensure exams
• Employment rates, especially for
  technical/professional students

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Methods for Assessing Institutional and Unit
Learning Outcomes

• Qualitative Indicators
• Alignment of course work with course descriptions
  and syllabi
• Student satisfaction
• Employer satisfaction (professional/technical
  programs)
• Learning portfolios
• Communication skills (reading, writing, speaking,
  listening)
• Computation skills (understanding and applying
  mathematical concepts and reasoning, analyzing
  and using numerical data)
• Community skills (citizenship appreciation of
  diversity and pluralism community, global, and
  environmental awareness)
• Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
  (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, decision
  making, creative thinking)

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Methods for Assessing Institutional and Unit
Learning Outcomes

• Qualitative Indicators (continued)
• Information management skills (collecting,
  analyzing, and organizing information from a
  variety of sources)
• Interpersonal skills (teamwork, relationship
  management, conflict resolution, workplace
  skills)
• Personal skills (ability to understand and manage
  self, management of change, learning to learn,
  personal responsibility, aesthetic
  responsiveness, wellness)
• Technology skills (computer literacy, Internet
  skills, retrieving and managing information via
  technology)
• Some indicators were taken from Miles Wilson
  (2004).

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Evaluation of Murguia Learning Institute

• Process measures used
• Planning and development
• Staff/faculty and evaluation meetings
• Schedules of workshops
• Curriculum revisions
• Faculty mentorship
• Institutionalization of effective strategies
• Inventory of courses taught using MLI
  methodologies
• Quantitative measures used
• Productive grade rates and
• Successful course completion rates
• Student success in sequential courses for core or
  gatekeeper courses taught by MLI participants

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Evaluation of Murguia Learning Institute
Qualitative measures used

• To measure change in affective skills and
  behaviors
• ACT Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency
  (CAAP) Critical Thinking Skills test
• Learning and Study Skills Inventory (LASSI)
• Community College Survey of Student Engagement
  (CCSSE)
• Assessment of Learner-Centered Practices (ALCP)
• Course or skill-specific pre- and post tests,
  such as CAAP subject tests
• To measure knowledge and mastery of
  technical/physical skills
• End-of-course tests or projects
• To measure satisfaction with QEP strategies and
  get feedback
• Internally-developed student and faculty surveys
  will be designed

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San Antonio Colleges Accreditation
Website www.accd.edu/sac/selfstudy Learning
Outcomes Website www.accd.edu/sac/iic/staff/scacer
es www.accd.edu/sac/iic/staff/scaceres/Program20
Outcomes/AssessPlanDesign.htm
www.accd.edu/sac/selfstudy www.accd.edu/sac/iic/
staff/scaceres www.accd.edu/sac/iic/staff/scacere
s/Program20Outcomes/AssessPlanDesign.htm
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Lessons Learned
Presented by Johnnie L. Rosenauer, Ed.D Director
of Murguia Learning Institute
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Lessons Learned in the QEP Process

• Involve your college at all levels early
• Get help (SACS liaison, other schools, SACS
  meeting, outside consultant if necessary)
• Dont be afraid of false starts
• Keep your big picture clear
• Inform your colleagues
• Use lots of methods
• Keep in mind that nothing is perfect
• Keep your QEP Report focused on goals and easy to
  read
• Flash drives with all material on it
• Develop a slogan/logo (It's All About Learning)

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Lessons Learned During On-Site Visit

• Have someone pick up visitors at airport
• Make sure you have students who know the QEP
  inside and out
• Meeting/lunch with Board members, well-briefed
• Have your President available to the Committee at
  all times
• Have President prepare with a brief response to
  every QEP criteria

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Murguia Learning Institute www.accd.edu/sac/murgui
a
www.accd.edu/sac/murguia
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(No Transcript)
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Presidents Last Thoughts
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References

• Miles, C. Wilson, C. (Summer 2004). Learning
  outcomes for the twenty-first century
  Cultivating student success for college and the
  knowledge economy. New Directions for Community
  Colleges, 2004 (126). San Francisco Jossey-Bass.
• San Antonio College Office of Institutional
  Research. (2004, August). SAC factbook 2003-2004.
  San Antonio, TX LaDawn Reid.
• San Antonio Colleges Self Study
  www.accd.edu/sac/selfstudy

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San Antonio College Create Your Tomorrow