COTE NOTE
The Center for Online Teaching Excellence What I know about Constructing BRIDGE Programs with K-12 Colleagues
Eric Machan Howd
Eric Machan Howd currently works with Binghamton University’s Center for Learning and Teaching as an Instructional Designer. Previously, he worked with Cornell University (Instructional Designer/Project Manager) and Tompkins-Cortland Community College (Director of Academic Technology). He has taught online and f2f courses in English, Writing and Business since 1993 and is currently teaching with Ithaca College’s Writing Department and Broome Community College’s English Department. Eric is also collaborating with SUNY’s POSAC subcommittee on Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) as well as a SUNY-wide working group on electronic portfolios (ePortfolios). He previously served SUNY as a member of a 2012-2013 ePortfolio Task Force, a 20062008 Technology Sub-Committee, and a 2005 Learning Management System Task Force. His current academic interests include: ePortfolios and reflective-based pedagogies, the impact of space on learning and teaching, bridging the instructional gap from secondary education to higher education, and tapas-courses. He lives in Ithaca, NY.
“With bridge
programs, ‘We learn more about one another, our best practices, processes and resources.’
I would like to share what I know about BRIDGE Programs As educators, we should be supporting our learners in developing life-long learning skills. There are many examples of the fantastic work in educational technology, blended learning and online learning that K-12 educators are using today. Equally, there are many examples of the same in Higher Education. We need to build BRIDGE programs between these two areas, not only to continue fanning the fire of knowledge in our learners, but also to streamline the passing of the educational baton between K-12 educators/instructional designers and their Higher Education counterparts.
What is it How can we predict our future technological and pedagogical needs in Higher Ed. if we are not paying attention to our “rear view mirrors”? How can K-12 educators prepare their learners for success in Higher Ed., as well as careers, if they are not looking at the horizon ahead of them? Building Bridge programs between K-12 and Higher Education has many facets that benefit both groups.
How it works “Hart Research Associates and edBridge Partners conducted a telephone survey last fall [2013] of 104 public school district superintendents and 101 public and private two- and fouryear college university system leaders, based on a national sample.” (http://bit.ly/NyZRBY) This study showed that “Most district superintendents (90 percent) and college system heads (80 percent) say that collaboration between the two sectors is extremely or very important.” So, is YOUR campus building bridges of collaboration with your local K-12 schools? What is holding back K-12 and Higher Education from implementing such programs? These are some of the questions at the heart of my research.
What I did By connecting with our K-12 schools, we can learn more about the types of learners (and their expectations) that will attend our Universities/Colleges. Making these connections can also help to make for a smoother educational transition for the learner. We can also learn from the many innovative and creative instructional designers who work in the public school system, and vice-versa.
How I did it There is little technology involved in initiating BRIDGE programs between our University/ College and our K-12 colleagues. Start with a meeting between your Center for Learning and Teaching (or equivalent), your Instructional Designers, and K-12 Instructional Designers and their Learning Centers. Then, plan together on ways to share projects, resources, processes, etc..
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The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence
January 21, 2015 • Volume 3 • Issue 1
COTE NOTE Staff
Why I did it
The COTE Community Team: Alexandra M. Pickett, Associate Director, Open SUNY; Martie Dixon, Assistant Academic Dean, Distance Learning & Alternate Programs, Erie Community College; Patricia Aceves, Director of the Faculty Center in Teaching, Learning & Technology, Stony Brook University; Lisa Dubuc, Coordinator of Electronic Learning, Niagara County Community College; Christine Kroll, Assistant Dean for Online Education, Graduate School of Education, University at Buffalo; Deborah Spiro, Assistant Vice President for Distance Education, Nassau Community College; Vicky Sloan, Distance Learning Coordinator, Clinton Community College; Erin Maney, Senior Instructional Designer, Open SUNY; Lisa Raposo, Assistant Director, SUNY Center for Professional Development
Building University/College and K-12 Bridge programs is an effective way to share resources, prepare for future learners, and to streamline the transition learners have to navigate when moving from high school to higher education. Such programs also help to market your University/College and its programs to your local community. Also, such Bridge programs can open doors to more Civic Engagement or Applied Learning opportunities for your learners.
This publication is produced by the Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence under the SUNY Office of the Provost.
Start by reaching out to your local school district superintendents; hold an initial meeting with teams from both areas and start defining how your collaboration can work. Create projects that can be collaboratively worked on and write goals for your team.
What happened when I did it We are at the beginning stages of forming these Bridge programs with our local K-12 partners, so there is not much to report beyond the initial impact of sharing best practices, cool tools and other resources. Just breaking down the walls between K-12 and Higher Education is a great start.
What I learned The main take-away so far is that building such Bridge programs improves collaboration between the University/College and their K-12 partners. We learn more about one another, our best practices, processes and resources.
How others can use it
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The Open SUNY Center for Online Teaching Excellence
January 21, 2015 • Volume 3 • Issue 1