NISOD 2012-Austin-The Last Day

I have been too busy stuffing my brain to write in some time, and that especially applies this past week. Attending the 2012 NISOD conference has been a rush in many ways and a great opportunity to learn from folks who have traveled from across North America to share their problems, solutions, ideas, and aspirations. Here are some significant take-aways (from my perspective) from this great event.

People are Concerned about Adjuncts

There were a number of sessions focusing on supporting adjuncts. From professional development to mentoring to online orientation (the one I just attended), community college professionals are trying to develop tools that help these important instructors succeed. While all instructors are important, adjunct instructors (referred to as "part-time instructors" in colleges such as mine) are unique in that they are expected to provide instruction commensurate with that offered by full-time instructors, but without the professional development support, colleague network, and compensation offered to the full-time folks. There's an equity issue here, but it gets more interesting. The presenter in the session I just enjoyed stated that the ration of adjunct to full-time instructors in her institution is 80:20. No, this isn't a typo. And this isn't unusual. It does make sense when you consider the increased costs associated with delivering instruction. Community colleges cannot generate enough revenue through various means to retain a full-time corps of teaching professionals. Therefore, adjuncts make sense from an economic standpoint, but this only pencils out if they are properly supported and equipped so that the quality of instructor, student support, and classroom management combine to provide a world-class experience in EVERY class for EVERY learner.

People are Concerned about Completion

There were a number of sessions on the completion agenda, and the importance of completion AND access was front and center. Sessions on student success and teaching/learning as it drives student success were numerous and well attended. The preconference seminar that I attended on Sunday highlighted the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Completion Pledge and shared the work of Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) as a strong partner in driving work around completion from the perspective of the students. This is for good reason: many institutions may soon be supported financially based on their completions (measured by some obtuse algorithm, I'm sure) rather than by their enrollments. This is healthy and makes sense, because it rewards the right behavior. Still, this constitutes a major change in praxis. We have traditionally enrolled students and have hoped for the best. Now, we need to help students hone their skills and find their individual motivations to finish what they start.

AACC Completion Challenge: http://www.aacc.nche.edu/About/completionchallenge/Pages/default.aspx

PTK Completion Corps: www.cccompletioncorps.org

As one example of community college professionals supporting students and driving concepts that promote completion, Bunker Hill Community College is doing some amazing work around learning communities relative to student success. Check out their work at www.bhcc.edu/learning-communities.

People are Positive about the Future

There is a great deal to do, but attendees I met this week are optimistic about the ability to support persistence, retention, and success among colleagues and students. The "can-do" people are here in droves and are passionate about sharing their solutions with others. On balance, I would recommend this conference to all community college practitioners. It has been a hectic but wonderful week...and I'm already thinking about my next NISOD.