North Seattle Community College Program Review of Integrated Studies (Coordinated Studies and Linked Courses) Spring 2002 James Harnish

1. Background

NSCC's Associate of Arts degree requires that students have ten credits of Integrated Studies which can be fulfilled by taking Linked Courses or a Coordinated Studies course.

With Linked Courses, students enroll in designated stand-alone courses in which the individual faculty coordinate the course material and assignments to help students see the connections between the subjects.

Coordinated Studies courses offer an alternative to the traditional individual course model in that they fully integrate the content and skills from several different courses into one 10-15 credit, team-taught course, meeting two or three days a week for three or four hours. Although students receive credit for regular SCCD courses (like Science 100, Composition 101 or Philosphy100) they concentrate on exploring a theme, or question or problem like: "Ways of Knowing: How We Choose What to Believe"; "Beginnings: Reflecting on the Past, Speculating on the Future"; or "DNA, Destiny, and Decisions: What Makes Us What We Are?".

A major objective in these courses is to discover the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge by experiencing several different ways of knowing and discipline perspectives from a team of teachers in the same classroom. Seminars exploring good books and other small group work and a significant amount of writing are included to help students learn how to work in real- world, problem-solving groups, experience how writing is important in the learning process and develop the skills of an independent, critical thinker.

Credits in these courses fulfill several AA degree requirements, in addition to Integrated Studies and not only transfer to other colleges and universities, but provide an excellent preparation for several degree programs, especially ones with an interdisciplinary focus.

The first Coordinated Studies was offered in the Spring of 1986 with a team of four faculty and about 40 students exploring the theme of "American Values." Now this nationally recognized curriculum model is offered each quarter with up to five different choices including a dozen or so faculty and 240 students, the equivalent of 600 individual 5-credit student registrations in 25 sections.

North Seattle was a pioneer in the development of this curriculum, and with other 2 and 4- year schools in Washington helped create a consortium of over 40 schools (The Washington 2 Center) which has become a leader in a nation-wide reform in higher education, commonly referred to as "The Learning Community Movement."

In l996 the faculty in SCCD revised the AA with a focus more on learning outcomes than on department distribution credits. It was hoped that new curriculum would be developed which would be more inter or multi-disciplinary in order to acknowledge the importance of knowledge that has emerged in the gaps between traditional divisional boundaries. Specifically we realized that students needed to recognize and have an academic experience which taught them how to integrate knowledge from several fields.

2. Data Response:

(See 1997-01 data from Jerry Woodard NSCC researcher; 1994-98 results from Mark Bauman, SCCD researcher and two earlier published studies, one by Gail Wilke, 1986-90 and Scott Kerlin and Diane Moore, 1990-94).

a. What observations can you make?

 The rate of growth from l997-01 in terms of numbers of students and faculty participation? Number of unduplicated students enrolled doubled from 265 in 1997-98 to 532 in 2000-01. Annualized FTE Students (all funds) more than doubled from 67 to 148. Number of annualized faculty teaching in programs doubled from 3.53 FTEF to 6.67 (31 sections to 60).

 The student/faculty ratios? Student/faculty ratios improved from 19:1 to more than 22:1

 The impact of a Coordinated Studies experience on student success? Are students more successful compared to those who don't take a CS?

Completion rates (retention) within a quarter: More than 83% successfully complete these courses ( excluding W, NC, E, D grades).

Grades awarded--76% received an A or B grade: 41% A grade 35% B grade 8% C grade 2% D grade 1% E grade 5% W (Withdrawal) 8% NC (No Credit)

Persistence rates: Percentage of CS students enrolled in Fall, Winter, or Spring 1997-98 who enrolled for additional quarters: 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 3 87 % 73% 61% 55% 51% 39% 31% Persistence rates for all "academic transfer" intent students 55%, 38% 29% 23% 17% 14% 10%

Completion of AA degrees: 54% (139 out of 265) of those enrolled in Fall, Winter, or Spring of l997-98 and 55% (177 out of 330) of those enrolled Fall, Winter or Spring of 1998-99 completed AA degrees.

13%--College average for students with a “Academic Transfer” Student Intent the same period.

 How do students perform in relation to general education outcomes, or to the specific outcomes for Integrated Studies, or in their overall intellectual development?

Measuring intellectual achievement is difficult to quantify but one early study (Wilkie) using a nationally normed instrument (The Measure of Intellectual Development. MID- based on the Perry model of cognitive development) indicated that development of complex cognitive thinking of NSCC coordinated studies' students was as great as at elite liberal arts schools around the country.

Next year a comprehensive research study is planned which will analyze three years worth of end-of-the-quarter student questionnaires and surveys of faculty that will provide more insights into the qualitative development that takes place in these programs.

The representative voices of students from those responses clearly communicate the variety of successes they experience:  It made you think differently and more in depth about a specific subject.  My critical thinking skill improved the most. I analyze everything in my life now.  I am not so quick to make judgments.  This really helped my reading, writing, and thinking skills.  I developed a better sense of being responsible for my learning.  It gives you a sense of belonging to a learning community.  I learned to ask for help which I haven’t done before.  I learned to read a book and not be afraid of writing an essay about it.  Interaction with students and seminaring are really helpful in preparing students for the workplace.  In this class, we learned to build relationships with each other, like a community and in turn ALL were able to contribute. b. Do you see any major changes (or continuing trends)? There has been a significant increase in:  number of students enrolling in CS  number of faculty teaching in CS  student/faculty ratio increased to more than 22 to one 4  retention and persistence rates have stayed consistently high and better than college averages since 1986 study  percentage of CS students completing AA degree are very high, four times higher than college averages c. What might have caused these changes or continuing trends? A faculty re-assigned time coordinator position was established in Fall, l999 which coincides with the start of a pattern of growth in number of programs, faculty participation, student enrollment, student/faculty ratio--in most categories the numbers doubled.

Successful retention rates are the result of several factors. National research indicates that one of the most important reasons students succeed in college is when they are closely connected to faculty and other students. In these Coordinated Studies, a sense of a "learning community" is created where students are encouraged to help one another. Within the structure of the class this supportive relationship is encouraged through the use of regular seminars, small research or presentation groups, and other collaborative activities in which students are made responsible for some of the "teaching" of each other.

The recent incorporation of online discussion groups provide an added mechanism for creating a sense of connection among students and faculty. Outside-of-class study groups and social gatherings often emerge.

Close faculty-student relationships are fostered because of longer blocks of time they are together each time they meet for class and also because each student can be an FTE (enrolled in a program for say 15 credits) each faculty has fewer "bodies" to assist therefore they can provide more individual attention to both academic and personal needs.

There is also something important about the collaborative culture that is established in which both students and faculty are learners together in exploring the program books for what they can discovered about the theme. For faculty, because the books often come from outside their particular field of expertise, they have to confront them as learners and so they also participate in the excitement of the discovery of new knowledge along with, and often because of the insights of, their students.

Multiple faculty, team-teaching is an important factor in producing these outcomes, especially the development of independent learners, and seeing things from different perspectives, and understanding the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge.

Because these students have committed 66-100% of their quarterly load in one integrated program, to withdraw means earning no or only a few credits for the quarter, thus encouraging students to persevere to the end of the quarter.

In these programs, whether it be because of elements in the curriculum model, the creation of a collaborative culture, extensive support systems, it seems that the label of "learning community" here captures what produces student success in North's Coordinated Studies. 5

d. What other questions do the data raise? How successful are students in the development of specific skills like writing? Or insights into a discipline?

Are there differences in success among different groups of students like: demographic groups; those who take a CSP in their first quarter; those having completed Eng 101; etc. How successful are these students who transfer to BA institutions?

3. Program Support

a. Facilities Coordinated Studies scheduling is handicapped because of the lack of rooms that can accommodate the kind of learning activities essential to this curriculum. We have one room (CC2153) which was specifically designed to accommodate Coordinated Studies, with capabilities of having a large group meetings and also separating the room with moveable walls for smaller seminar groups. A second room, inadequate in terms of size and location, no windows, and poor air circulation, has been used but lacks the features necessary to effectively organize the learning activities--especially the lack of seminar breakout rooms. This is like trying to teach science without dedicated lab space

The one room that some science programs use with labs is very limits the number of students that can be enrolled and limits the kind of interactive learning activities that can be conducted. There is a definite need for a custom designed room for Coordinated Studies which includes a lab science.

. In any one room it is difficult to schedule more than one daytime Coordinated Studies on MWF and another on TTh . We need additional dedicated space.

b./c. Equipment/technology This year we finally got a computer projection system and computers for students to use to facilitate small group discussion process and research groups. Unfortunately they were all stolen so we are now back to using butcher paper for small groups to post information during report out sessions. Computers in the room are desperately needed for daily teaching and learning activities. Moveable table and chairs should be on a wish list in order to better facilitate the learning atmosphere. We need to provide a low-cost software access platform like First class for students and faculty to effectively communicate and critique each others work.

d. Supplies Up to this point we have all the supplies we need.

e. Staffing 6 The secretarial support has been outstanding. Many aspects of Coordinated Studies don't fit neatly into the traditional existing institutional structures, so the staff must continually create new procedures to respond to unique problems. Working across three different divisions, with three different chairs, and secretaries each quarter creates many headaches. The programs change each quarter so do the course description, there are multiple courses, times, rooms assignments that are unique to this program. Just figuring out how many students are registered is a separate task that has to be done by hand counting. Many glitches in how students are registered appear each quarter necessitating personal phone calls to students. Books and desk copies have to coordinated with faculty across three divisions Programs have to be advertised each quarter--flyers and posters produced and distributed. This all would lead to disaster if we didn't have the cooperation and expertise of our two excellent support people. Five to ten hours a week by the staff and another five-10 hours by the coordinator dedicated to Coordinated Studies is not unusual.

Faculty staffing is a major task done by the coordinator to recruit, match, schedule, coordinate with several divisions. Whereas stand-alone course staff is fairly routine, for Coordinated Studies it is an ongoing activity. Up to this point we have had great response from all areas of Liberal Studies faculty wanting to participate and division chairs willing to allow their faculty to participate.

4. Mission and Goals (Objectives from the Strategic Plan)

 Students will be fully supported in their efforts to complete their programs, or realize their personal academic and professional goals. Given the evidence in this report showing retention and persistence rate this program clearly responds (successfully) to this item.

 College-wide assessment mechanisms that help improve the quality and effectiveness of our work will be implemented. The extensive use of on-going assessment both within the courses and for overall evaluation is a model for other programs.

 Ensuring that diversity as a value permeates the culture of the institution. The collaborative pedagogical model provides students a daily experience of interacting with peers and learning practically how to deal with people and ideas different than their own. Faculty, trained in diversity work, can be more effective in sharing their expertise in a team-teaching arrangement--thus producing a quarter long diversity train for other faculty.

 Developing a realistic student enrollment base that is sustainable. Being this program is recognized nationally as a model for producing quality outcomes, and given the outstanding student response, this program could be promoted as magnet to attract new students. "Come North for a unique small Liberal Arts College experience!"

 All college-wide policies, priorities, and daily operations will support high employee morale. 7 Because of the positive outcomes for faculty participating in these programs participation should be encouraged.

5. General Education and Program Outcomes

a. Which general education outcomes Along with several others the main General Education Outcome under "Attitudes" that Integrated Studies addresses, and one that is unique to it and the primary objective of the program is:

Discover the interdisciplinary nature of knowledge. Other outcomes result because of the curriculum and pedagogical models involved are: Demonstrate a willingness to learn from many cultures, persons, methods, and viewpoints.

Find joy in the process of self-discovery, in expressing oneself creatively, and in life-long learning.

From the Skills lists of attitudes the following are emphasized:

Outcome 1. Think critically in reading and writing. Outcome 3. Discover, develop, and communicate one’s own creative and critical ideas in writing and to respond in effective writing to the spoken, written, and visual ideas of others.

Outcome 4. Access, evaluate, and apply information from a variety of sources and a variety of contexts.

Outcome 6. Work and communicate effectively in groups.

Outcome 7. Deal constructively with information, ideas, and emotions associated with such issues of diversity and conflict as culture, ethnicity, race, gender, religion, age, sexual orientation, and abilities.

In some programs the following would apply:

Outcome 5. Apply computer competency appropriate to general education and occupational goals.

Depending on the program theme and the mix of faculty any of the "Knowledge" outcomes might apply. In fact because this curriculum is designed as a general education experience, student are more likely to have exposure to a variety of these outcomes. 8 Outcome 8. Understand major ideas, values, beliefs, and experiences that have shaped human history and cultures.

Outcome 9. Understand artistic expression as an essential human and cultural phenomenon.

Outcome 10. Identify and understand fundamental concepts of the physical and life sciences and the effects that the uses of these concepts and resulting technologies have on the individual, on society and on the biosphere.

Outcome 11. Understand the nature of the individual and of the relationship between the self and the community.

Outcome 12. Understand the United States as a multicultural society.

Outcome 13. Understand the elements of a global society. b. What other outcomes are specific to your program In addition to the college-wide General Education learning outcomes those more specifically targeted in Coordinated Studies are the following:

 Discover the Interdisciplinary nature of knowledge.

 Learn how to investigate complex questions or issues using methodologies and sources from different disciplines.

 Experience how teachers from different disciplines interpret the same issues, evidence and sources with different perspectives.

 Learn how to prepare for and participate in structured group-discovery and problem-solving processes or research projects.

 Learn how to explore primary sources and other important books in book seminars.

 Experience how writing is important in the discovery, development and communication of new knowledge. c. How effectively does the program curriculum deal with these outcomes? We have been collecting student feedback at the end of each quarter for more than two years. Last summer, we began to process that data with the help of the district resource people (Marsha Brown and Michele Sibernagel). But because of their other district priorities this project was put on hold. The preliminary work is attached along with an example of the raw data. One faculty member has been granted a sabbatical for next year to finish this extensive project and publish the results.

Other assessment techniques used in individual programs include SGID (see attached) and student self evaluations, where they are asked to self report on specific aspects of the learning outcomes. (see attached) 9

d. What are the program strengths and needs? [For "needs" see #7 below] Produces independent, critical and complex thinkers able to make connections among fields of study. Changes students perceptions of what higher education can mean to them personally. Students experience the excitement that comes in intellectual activity. Provides an efficient schedule for students--more credits, fewer days a week in one class which is especially attractive for evening students. Provides an alternative model for teaching and learning. Brings faculty from across the campus together to create new curriculum easily. Integrates the teaching of writing with other discipline content. Catalyst for an on-going faculty development activities within daily instructional duties. Helps faculty feel more responsible for a student’s overall development in a quarter.

e. What proposed changes will address these needs? [See #7 below]

6. Student Success

a. How do faculty define student success? Retention rates from beginning to end of the quarter. Quality achieved as indicated by grades earned Development of ability to express themselves in writing and orally at an increased level of complexity. Students become excited about their own intellectual development. Students challenge ideas of faculty and other students. Students show interest and skill of carrying on conversations around great books and ideas. Able to discover their own connections among the books and ideas they have encountered. Transfer their new intellectual skills to other academic endeavors.

b. How successful are students? According to grades: 75% earn a B grade or higher (41% A; 35% B; 8 % C; 2% D; 1% E; 5% W and 8% NC--No Credit). See assessment project results

c. What methods are used to assist students who are having difficulty Clearly define the faculty/program expectations in terms of hours of outside-of- class study. Incorporate student success modules (HDC) into curriculum. Encourage study groups and teach how to make them effective. Individual mid-quarter response to self-evaluations. Coordination with The Loft. Small group, peer tutoring. Online discussions, email connection to faculty and other students Online individual and group feedback in the writing process One-on-one faculty/student consultations

7. Changing Needs 10 a. What changes will the program need? i. How to administer the program within a new organizational structure especially with the elimination of a faculty coordinator. Restructure and expand the IS committee.

Designate budget, FTE's and core program faculty under a "supra-divisional" administrator. Identify faculty interested in allocating a percentage of their annual load to this program.

ii. Design (a year or two in advance) a more coherent annual schedule to allow students, especially at night, to proceed toward fulfilling several different AA degree requirements each quarter.

FORM A TASK FORCE ((FUNDED BY A CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT GRANT) IN FALL 04 (WATCH VIDEO) AND WINTER 05 (BEGIN PROGRAM DESIGN) TO LOOK AT THE DESIGN OF A YEAR-LONG LEARNING COMMUNITY (“BEGINNING EXPERIENCE AT NORTH”) THAT WOULD TAKE STUDENTS THROUGH ENG 101, ENG 102, US CULTURES, COMMUNICATION, AND GLOBAL STUDIES (AND ADDRESS THE ISSUES OF CRITICAL READING, WRITING, SPEAKING, THINKING) AND A “SECOND YEAR EXPERIENCE AT NORTH” THAT WOULD ADDRESS OTHER KEY COURSE REQUIREMENTS (LAB SCIENCE, ETC.) AS WELL AS TRANSFER ISSUES AND PLANNING A MAJOR. FIRST YEAR ENDS WITH CAPSTONE PROJECT; SECOND YEAR SERVICE LEARNING PROJECT.

iii. Coordinate with student success initiative, Loft, Library, SDS activities.

iv. Develop new programs and refine existence offerings. Recruit new faculty from all areas of the college. Link Course model needs more study and development to better produce IS outcomes. Expand Link Course offerings to provide more IS opportunities for students.

v. Build on what we have learned in terms of curriculum design and unique pedagogy. Develop collaborative teaching techniques which take advantage of multiple faculty.

NEED FOR QUARTERLY IS FACULTY FORUMS – SHARING BEST PRACTICES (COULD OPEN UP THE END OF THE IS MEETING TO INVITE IS FACULTY TO JOIN US WHERE A PRESENTATION IS MADE)

2:30 – 3:30 MEETING TIME

3:30 – 4:00 OPEN TO ALL FACULTY – BEST PRACTICES

vi. Designate practical classroom space. Identify/develop course designations that more accurately reflect the interdisciplinary nature of learning in these programs. (See IAS Proposal)

vii. Coordinate with IS programs at SCC and SSCC. 11 viii. Research impact on faculty development

WINTER AND SPRING 05 -- IMPLEMENT FACULTY LOG PROJECT – TO TRACK IMPACT ON FACULTY DEVELOPMENT (ANN MURKOWSKI AND STEPHANIE OWINGS)

b. How is the program planning for these changing needs? Work with Deans and VP and reorganization task force to define role of new dean assigned to administer Integrated/ Interdisciplinary Studies. Redefine the responsibilities of the IS committee. Send a team to PEW-sponsored National Learning Communities Project, summer of 2003. Organize a summer faculty development Integrated Studies institute. Identify space and staff to respond to needs (similar to Distance Learning Office)

c. What college resources will be required? Space allocation. More computers. Reassigned time for faculty coordinators. Invest in Firstclass software for online components.

d. Faculty development interests How to integrate the teaching of writing. Development of seminar and other collaborative learning skill. How to orient new faculty from across the campus/district. How to identify, develop and disseminate "best practices." How to incorporate online components to enhance collaborative learning.

e. Other comments

8. Action Plan

a. Identify timeline to accomplish proposed changes The Short-Term plans below should be addressed before Fall 2002. The Long-term plans should be addressed in the next two years.

b. Summarize resources needed to carry out Action Plan Time and expertise from institutional researchers. Outside consultants to review program. Registration fees for PEW Institute. Registration fees for large contingent at Washington Center Annual conference, Feb. 2003.

(i) Short-term Incorporate the administration of IS into reorganization plan. Expand faculty committee to take over coordinator's tasks. Identify or create more rooms to accommodate CS. Re-enforce/renew District commitment to IS requirement for AA degree. Develop policies and methodology for teaching of writing in Coordinated Studies. Gather data for Linked Classes to compare with Coordinated Studies on IS outcomes. Develop a study of impact on faculty development and morale. Market uniqueness and quality of program to attract new students to college. 12

(ii) Long-term Develop the curriculum in Link Courses to better relate to IS outcomes. Develop a faculty development summer institute. Develop IAS course designations. Create an integrated studies AA degree tract. Incorporate more staff and administrators into teaching of programs. Develop an archive of materials to both document the history of this program and for use by new faculty in developing curriculum. Develop more coordination across the district. Enlist graduate student interns. Do longitudinal study to gather data support anecdotal evidence that this curriculum produces unique learning outcomes. Articulate with 4-year institutions programs. (COULD DO MORE WORK HERE ABOUT CONNECTING WITH UWBOTHELL Renew role in the Washington Center and national reform effort.

c. Identify any issues arising from this review The specific responsibilities for the new Dean in the library needs to be defined.

The leadership, direction and responsibility, for the ongoing development of the program needs to be expanded or redirected so as not to be so closely associated as it is now with the present coordinator.

Given the outstanding results in terms of student success (retention, persistence, AA degrees, development in terms of General Education Outcomes) this program needs to be given priority in support and promotion as essential for student success.

NSCC has been invited to host the February 2003 Washington Center Conference which could stimulate both campus and district renewal of commitment to IS.

9. Response to the External Program Review

By participating in the National PEW Institute next summer there will be required an in- depth review of the program but also two follow-up visits by Institute consultants to assess the progress on goals defined at the Institute.