Absorbing Chapter 4 of Learning
in Adulthood on my own, and through the eyes of our very own James Cantrell
(who knew we were amongst such a talented performer!!!!), has definitely
provided some food for thought.First
off, I’m struck by what a fitting assignment our class blog is when considering
Knowles first assumption about the concept of Andragogy- that as adults mature
they become more independent and self-directing.This blog serves a blank canvas for our adult
group to do just that.I find a sense
of empowerment in knowing that this forum offers us the chance to take our
learning and discussions in all sorts of directions.I’m excited to see how each of grow and
mature in this endeavor.
I think perhaps of all the modes discussed in this chapter I’m
most intrigued by McClusky’s Theory of Margin.McClusky suggests that adults’ ability to learn is affected by a balance
of energy.Adults struggle to find the
amount of energy they need from the amount of energy they have available.This seems particularly relevant for
community college students.Too many of
our students enter our doors with an energy level that is pretty close to being
zapped.They have got financial
hardships, they have family responsibilities, they are underprepared
academically, and they are working and studying.It’s an exhausting load for a lot of them.I hope that each of us as future
administrators can play a role in providing our students with the margin of
power they need to be successful.I’m
hopeful that we can help our institutions to continue to take innovative
approaches to providing support services that truly make a difference for
students.
“Adults are busy people.”Uhhhhh…No kidding.Merriam,Cafarella and Baumgartner remind us that
adults have full time jobs, families, friends (as though any of us needed reminding).A juggling act, or too many irons in the fire, or sometimes it might
even feel more like juggling too many hot irons or actual fires…We
know how it feels because we are those
adults.We are the learners right now.Despite the fact that in our professional
lives we train, fundraise, coordinate, plan and teach, at the end of the day
(no…not the end of the work day—the end of the end of the day…after your
husband, kids, even your dog has already gone to sleep), we are students, and
this book is about us.
I love the community college as a concept because it is
the most inspiring place for learning to take place.People come to get better at something.They are more often here to learn a skill
than to sit around and philosophize, and they are most often sufferers of some
of life’s heaviest burdens.But they
come.They give up whatever they can
sacrifice to get better at something, only in hopes of their new skill
affording them the opportunity to get back everything they gave up, and then
some.The community college is full of
those “busy adults” that are referenced in The
Adult Learner.
Community college students aren't the only adult learners out there, (granted, they are the most relevant to not only this blog, but also to this CCA program, this chapter in The Adult Learner, and to us as professionals). We all get it. Anyone who has ever sat in a classroom (or professional development session, or CPR class, or...) can understand the concept that getting smart is hard work! Learning something, whether it's how to operate MasterCam or how to work with adult learners, is different once you have a little life experience under your belt. Needs change, attitudes change, and finances change. Suddenly there are infinitely more factors that impact your learning than there were in grade school.
Who are adult learners?Who participates in this contradictory phenomenon that requires us to
break our necks for a better job, a raise, title change?Chapter 3 examines who, specifically, we
as Community College Administration students are learning for.And the answer, I think, is everyone.Demographics prove that people from all adult
age groups, races, sexes, educational attainment are going to school.So, fellow future community college
administrators, I think the real question that surrounds this week’s readings,
is what are we going to do about it?How
are we going to develop our colleges to meet the needs of this group of
learners who come from vastly different backgrounds, and with a variety of
needs?
Do you have ideas for innovation in the classroom?What about campus activities that keep adults
engaged?How is your college recognizing
the needs of its students?
The definition of learning outcomes is "the evaluation of samples of student work for the purposes of measuring mastery of the stated learning outcomes for a paper, assignment, or course." (Web Definition.com). We are all familiar with assessment of student learning and most of our information comes from the knowledge of the pressure that is placed comes from the elementary, middle and secondary school level. However, of late, there is more and more pressure from the general public for community colleges to give information on the effectiveness of learning at the community college level (Occasional Paper, Nunley, Bers and Manning). In their article, the authors believe there is an extreme need to make student learning outcomes more effective and more transparent, primarily to provide the public with proof that a community college education is worthwhile and is helping as well as to be transparent to both the public and institutions of higher learning.
There has always been a perceived stigma attached to community colleges that suggests the education students receive there is cheaper, faster and not equal in quality compared to the same education and course work at a 4 year university. There is a bias among professors and administrators of 4 year institutions when it comes to looking at community colleges, with a good portion of professors at the PhD level doubting the effectiveness of a community college degree. The fact that a good portion of universities won't accept course work from a community college as being equal to the same course taught by a professor at their school is evidence enough that there is definitely a need for more transparent assessments of student learning at the community college level. And how are these assessments being used to both expose and improve deficits in learning.
And what are the reasons for deficiencies in providing such assessments? Part of the problem lies in the fact that community college faculty have to juggle tough schedules with base compensation. This alone provides little motivation to spend hours upon hours on assessment projects.
There is evidence that learning assessments in the community college arena is growing but at a fragile rate. I knew I was doing well in my CC classes because I was making A's. However, personal assessment and professional assessment are two different animals. I have always believed as a high school teacher that the most valuable and truest form of assessment of how my students were doing was in their improvement with the assignments and from my observation, were they learning the material to a mastery level. I didn't rely on tests to tell me that, but rather performance day to day.
So, what can community colleges do to better improve the way the assess student learning and knowledge of content being taught? And will this improvement in transparency of our assessments give us not only proof that students are learning but also give true legitimacy in the eyes of 4 year institution that are accepting our students and their course work?
I personally believe there will always be a divide or bias between 2 and 4 years schools, at least in the way our students are assessed and perceived, but I hope I am wrong.
Pew Internet published a report in April 2012 by Kathryn Zickuhr and Aaron Smith that provides wonderful insight into to the topic of the digital divide: Digital Differences
The report found that age (over 65), income, and educational attainment are the strongest negative predictors for internet use. I found the most striking information in the report to be that 1 in 5 Americans today do not use the internet, and they state the biggest reason is because they don't think it is relevant to them. It's pretty startling to think that 20 percent of our country has voluntarily disenfranchised itself from the information age!
The report also provides insight about the types of devices individuals use to access the internet and the role disabilities play in accessing the internet. The report identifies "email and search" as the most common reasons individuals access the internet.
I believe these statistics are critical to any discussion we have about the digital divide. In an earlier post classmates express frustration over the "insufficient knowledge" so many individuals have about how internet technology can benefit them. I think this report provides some perspective as to why access, income, and age are contributing to this "insufficient knowledge".
It's certainly true that public internet access is available to masses through libraries, eateries, and even mobile devices. While access is available to all through these gateways, it does not guarantee that everyone has a positive experience. Those with means might have as many as 5-10 different devices to access the internet: personal computer, work computer, mobile phone, tablet, gaming device, etc. All provide a different experience for email and search functions. I think ownership of one of these devices allows an individual to reach a certain comfort or expertise with their device. They can use them when they want and where they want. When you are borrowing, renting, or making substantial efforts to use resources, I can understand why folks might struggle to gain knowledge.
These statistics provide evidence that we still have great to close the digital divide.
It has been said that the biggest obstacle to online
learning is unequal access to the internet, but is that really true? The text, Learning
in Adulthood, points out that high-income families are more likely to have
high speed internet access than low income families. However, according to FCC 2012
statistics, 94% of Americans now have access to broadband internet (Christian Science Monitor, 2012). While it is true that this leaves 19 million people,
mostly in tribal regions, without access to online learning, the implication is
that these resources are readily available to nearly all of the audience served
by our community colleges. So what is
the problem? Why do we still concern
ourselves with “the digital divide?”
Perhaps we need to consider redefining the digital divide. The
assumption has been that income is the primary determinant of access to
internet. I would like to suggest that
neither income nor access is the primary contributing factor. Free internet is available in nearly every
library, coffee shop, and even McDonald’s.
Something else is standing in the way.
As a community college instructor who works primarily with dislocated
workers, I believe the biggest barrier is an insufficient knowledge of how to
use internet technology to better position oneself in the workplace. The divide
is no longer between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” The lines are much more difficult to
define. Sometimes age is a factor, and
sometimes culture is a factor, including previous job experience. Regardless of the cause, inexperience with
technology is the great leveler. I have
worked with people from all walks of life. Some are high school drop-outs. Some are recently laid off managers. But they
all lack the ability to harness the internet for their own benefit. And sometimes, these same individuals do not
want to ask for help.
So what can we do to solve this dilemma? How do we reach a widely diverse population
to solve a common problem? Does the
answer lie in formal, non-formal or informal education methods? How do we
answer the question of “access” now?
Hypothetically think about how you would respond to the
following statement:
Community colleges are excellent examples of learning
organizations. To hazard even further, community
colleges are ideal environments for cultivating the best practices for learning
organizations.
Yes? No? Perhaps… Maybe?
If your daily schedule is anything like mine, you understand
it takes concerted and practiced effort to extend and disseminate
organizational knowledge. For an explanation of learning organization from David Garvin and Amy Edmondson, view the below video.
Consider the question: What can your institution change or
implement which increases the avenues and possibilities for organizational
learning? I am sure that each of us can identify areas that are indeed
appropriate examples for following best practices of learning organizations. On
the other hand, each of us can also most likely identify areas for improvement
and conditions which hamper our institutions from achieving a learned, best
practice model.
Let us look at one possible example. At my institution, a formal
registration committee meets regularly and discusses registration goals,
procedures, and potential improvements. What happens after the meeting
adjourns? Phones ring. Students approach us for help with records and transcripts.
There are more meetings for us to attend. The urgent gets our attention. It
takes extraordinary effort for each of those individuals involved in the
meeting to digest all the information, create plans, implement ideas, and
measure results.
In the course of daily activities, a learning organization
places importance into advancing organizational knowledge and securing ongoing
transfer of this knowledge while focusing on and advancing forward the goals of the organization.
Sounds like a mouthful. Consider for a moment how your organization might enhance
knowledge transfer.
Even though we all face growing demands on our time and
efforts, our institutions through individual learning, can utilize best
practices for learning organizations and create real change and improvements. Keep
in mind that learning occurs in three settings: formal, non-formal, and
informal. Employees attend formal
training by earning advanced degrees. They also may attend non-formal training
such as professional development opportunities. However; most knowledge is gained
informally.
The book Learning in Adulthood states that approximately
70% of workplace learning takes place in the informal setting. Most
learning happens as a course of ones day-to-day activities. Since informal
learning occurs as part of individual activity, it is private or restricted in immediate dissemination.
A large amount of learning and knowledge is held in tight individual pockets.
One way of getting at these pockets of information are by using After
Action Reports. AARs, as discussed by Garvin in his video titled Building a More Effective “Learning
Organization,” document actions taken and lessons learned and suggest
changes or modifications in approach to an activity after an event has occurred. These reports
have a semi-formal format and possibly could be used after college meetings or
events as a means of documenting lessons learned and knowledge gained.
Community college administrators, faculty, and
staff form a system of individuals. Organizations do not truly learn without
documenting knowledge gained and placing this knowledge into action. Organizational learning must be systemic in scope, supported
and encouraged as a matter of course, and repeated during everyday activities.
I am very interested in your comments on organizational
learning and your ideas for implementing best practices.
For more information on learning organizations see:
