Developing a Community of Practice for Faculty Training Katheryn McCoskey Butler Community College MRADE, Sept. 2017

ALP Community of Practice Dec. 2015

In the past, many Butler students faced a lengthy pipeline of English courses depending on their original placement at Butler, and took at least four semesters to complete their English requirements. ENGL 052 060 ENGL 101 ENGL 102

ALP Progression at Butler Pilot phase Spring 2013: 2 sections Fall 2013: 4 sections Spring 2014 & Fall 2014: 16 sections (This included sections of EG 060/EG 052)—Many of these instructors became mentors Fall 2016 Full Scale Up: 35 sections (2nd semester in which lowest-level English placers enrolled in ALP; 1st semester in which low-level Reading placers enrolled in ALP and also 1st semester for an online ALP section.)

Developmental Education Institutes at Butler January 2014: 2-day institute for ALP, math, & reading (developmental) faculty. Current national, state outlooks and research Best practice instructional strategies Participants who met the follow-up requirements received additional compensation Specific training in developmental area First major training for ALP instructors ALP Faculty Handbook and training notebook ALP shared resources Canvas shell Model syllabi and lesson plans January 2015 & 2016: 1-day institutes

Training Topics National research & evidence Butler data How ALP works Backwards Design Scaffolding Rigor Reading instruction cycle Active Learning Non-cognitive issues Walk through with model syllabi Use of ALP shared resources Canvas shell

The beginning of our “Community of Practice” ALP faculty mentors met with their small groups 2 times in the semester, starting in week 2 or 3 Discussed faculty progress & feedback on use of model syllabus; assignments; individual student progress; and best practice instructional strategies ALP model syllabi and writing assignments posted on Canvas for easy instructor access One-on-one mentoring appointments, 3 times in the semester Required to submit exercises (to share) and revised syllabi

Administrative Perspective Need to establish baseline, calculate results, and keep cyclical data Need to provide release time and funds for overload projects and mentoring to build and support program Need to document and “share our story” with leaders and public Need to provide funds & food for training (“carrots,” energy, and appreciation)! Need for ongoing training of ALP leadership team (conferences)

Community of Practice Development Fall 2015 - 2017 Large group and small group meetings, submission requirements End-of–semester event Spring 2016 & 2017: Less structured, but still with follow up and mentoring, ALP lunch or “Yack and Snack” sharing sessions

ALP Community of Practice Dec. 2016

Summer 2016 Training for Big Scale-Up Mandatory 2-day training, 9 a.m. – 4 p.m., offered in mid-July and early August Completion of “Intro to ALP” course in Canvas first (end with quiz) Compensation and good food! ALP Leadership-led sessions Combination of “lecture” and active learning Mentors for small groups set for fall

Where to go from here? Train & mentor new instructors as needed Continuous improvement, including simplifying training materials Encourage sharing, leadership, growth mindset, interest in new research and strategies No one has “arrived.” We need to continue to learn from each other and other programs.

Great Plains Conference on Acceleration, Feb. 2017 100+ attendees from 5-state region: Kansas, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Oklahoma

GPCA 2018: March 8 & 9 Widened focus to include developmental math Requesting proposals for presentations Increase regional impact & support

Also, feel free to contact me at kmccoske@butlercc.edu Questions? Comments? Also, feel free to contact me at kmccoske@butlercc.edu