Surry Community College - Distance Education

Objective A: Establish College Teams

The College will support the formation of teams to lead the implementation of activities focused on making SCC more learning centered.

Four major teams were developed to implement the project: Council on Innovation and Student Learning (CISL), Student Engagement Team (SET), Learning Outcomes Team (LOT), and Enhancing Systems and Processes Team (ESP). The organizational chart link below displays the committee structure for the Quality Enhancement Plan, including sub-committees. Team membership can be found at the "team" link on the left.

Council on Innovation and Student Learning

CISL’s purpose is to serve as the Steering Committee for the SCC Quality Enhancement Plan. This involves the following responsibilities:

Serve as college think tank
Lead transformation
Coordinate all QEP committee activities
Serve as change agents
Help to form policies and procedures to become a learning college
Educate institution and campus committees
Document change process and committee work

CISL involves the entire SCC community in choosing specific strategies for improving learning that best fit the College’s environment. The Council convened on September 2, 2002, when Dr. Steve Atkins met with a small group of faculty and administration interested in promoting the learning college concept. Dr. Atkins researched the objectives of the League for Innovation’s Vanguard College project, which funds learning college initiatives across the nation and Canada, and presented the five Vanguard College project objectives to this group.
Meeting throughout the fall of 2002, CISL completed the following tasks:

Winnowed SCC’s quality enhancement plan to three project goals
Created a logo and a name for the quality enhancement plan (SCC Learning Initiative)
Researched and selected a college-wide assessment model (the Institutional Portfolio)
Created and named three key project teams (Student Engagement, Learning Outcomes, and Enhancing Systems & Processes)
Established the chairs and early membership of the three project teams
Drafted definitions of the college-wide learning outcomes

During this time, CISL also began the early work of data collection related to faculty perceptions of college policies, college-wide learning outcomes, and student engagement.

Over the summer and fall of 2003, CISL expanded to its present membership of 32, representing faculty, staff, and administration. Members include all Division Chairs, Deans, the Vice-President for Instruction & Chief Academic Officer, and the President of the College. Representatives from Continuing Education, Institutional Planning and Research, Distance Education, Academic Support Center, Student Services, and faculty representing both transfer and career technologies programs also serve on the Council.

Student Engagement Team (SET)

SET’s purpose is to analyze and develop strategies to enhance student engagement in academic tasks. Its responsibilities include the following:

Utilize CCSSE survey results, faculty input, and literature to develop and implement strategies for improving learning
Develop strategies and curriculum initiatives that increase students’ active engagement in challenging and meaningful academic tasks
Identify and plan professional development programs that prepare all staff and faculty to become more effective facilitators of learning

In the fall of 2002, Dr. Dwight Atkins, Math Division Chair, was asked to lead SET. After establishing SET’s membership, Dr. Atkins convened the first SET meeting in the winter of 2003. The Team has continued to meet regularly to develop and implement strategies for improving student engagement college-wide. Note: Specific progress of the three project teams (SET, LOT, and ESP) can be found by choosing the link titled “Progress to Date" and clicking on Project Objectives.

Learning Outcomes Team (LOT)

LOT’s purpose is to establish a comprehensive assessment initiative. Its responsibilities include the following:

Develop learning outcomes relevant for all degree programs, an assessment process to measure the acquisition of learning outcomes, and means for documenting achievement of outcomes
Direct and implement assessment plan
Conduct ongoing assessment training

In the fall of 2002, Dr. Steve Atkins (Vice-President for Instruction) and Dr. Susan Worth (Developmental Studies Division Chair) became co-chairs of LOT. They immediately surveyed faculty to determine what college-wide learning outcomes SCC should adopt. These outcomes were presented to CISL, and after discussion, CISL agreed to five major learning outcomes and established sub-teams to work on creating rubrics. Dr. Atkins and Dr. Worth chose qualified faculty to serve as chairs for each of the sub-teams. These teams have been meeting since the winter of 2003.

Enhancing Systems and Processes Team (ESP)

ESP’s purpose is to analyze college processes from a learning perspective. Its responsibilities include the following:

Review all institutional processes and procedures
Identify barriers to learning
Recommended changes

In fall 2002, Paula Gupton, Math Instructor, was chosen to chair the ESP Team. The Team’s main task was to plan mandatory college-wide forums for the purpose of reviewing college processes and procedures. Meeting regularly from December, 2002, through June, 2003, the ESP Team planned and conducted these forums, summarized the resulting data, and submitted recommendations to CISL. Two ESP sub-committees were formed in November, 2003, in response to ESP Team recommendations: the Calendar Committee and the Sub-committee on Plagiarism and Cheating.