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

2. ALP Community of Practice Dec. 2015

3. 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

4. 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.)

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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)

9. Community of Practice Development
Fall 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

10. ALP Community of Practice Dec. 2016

11. 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

12. 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.

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

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

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