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ACADEMIC AFFAIRS SPECIAL EDITION A M ess age f rom Academic Affairs Dear Colleagues, This year our College community has united to weather unprecedented challenges and has thrived in the midst of great uncertainty. In spring, the College endured a sudden shift to remote operations to support academic continuity. In summer, the College designed and implemented a robust plan to reopen campus operations, reestablishing full access to campus resources and services to students. As we enter fall, the results of your creativity and determination over these past months have catalyzed innovation, collaboration, and strategic progress. These ongoing investments in our students and the life of the College have advanced Northwest Florida State College in its mission to improve lives even through these trying times. This fall will not look like any we have experienced in the past, yet I have every confidence that we will persist in achieving the institution’s goals because of your continued commitment to the community and to our students. Even as we have been apart, I saw faculty leaning in, as they do, to guide their colleagues through change and learning, to share best practices, and to quickly adjust to the demands of the shift to remote instruction. I saw departments across the College go to great lengths to support students as they navigated their own challenges. I am incredibly proud of the work you all have done to support one another and our students throughout these difficult times. Truly, we are all in this together. Throughout this crisis, we have collectively demonstrated how adaptive and resilient we are as a College community. NWFSC held its (continued on next page)
Active & Engaged Learning The QEP, Engage NWFSC, is a campus-wide endeavor that re-imagines how the College can best serve today’s NWFSC student by focusing on faculty development and promoting active and engaged learning opportunities across all instructional methods. This project aims to positively influence student success and improve the student experience as the College becomes a more present, visible, and active partner in students’ paths toward academic success.
Primary Objectives Increase in...
– Number of faculty receiving professional development on active learning strategies. – Use of active learning strategies in all classes, across all disciplines, term lengths, and modes of delivery. – Student performance, persistence, and retention rates in...
• Hybrid Courses • Eight-Week Courses • Courses Campus-Wide
Inquiries Department: Center for Innovative Teaching & Learning (CITL) Primary Contact: Dr. Williams-Shuford, QEP Director Phone: 850-678-5111, ext. 6199 Email: william3@nwfsc.edu
SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT #EngageQEP @nwfsc
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55th Annual Commencement virtually, unveiled the 2020 Blackwater Review virtually, opened the Center for Innovative Teaching and Learning, launched the Physical Therapist Assistant and Medical Laboratory Technology programs, established NWFSC’s 2020-2023 Strategic Plan, received a $1.15M grant to fund the NWFSC Job Corps Scholars Program, won a $7M Triumph grant to fund the Aviation Center for Excellence, won a $1.5M Department of Labor Youth Apprenticeship Readiness Grant, and officially broke ground at the Walton Works Training Center of Excellence. This fall we will launch the College’s Quality Enhancement Plan, Engage NWFSC, as we pursue our institution’s SACSCOC reaffirmation through a virtual site visit in October. It is because of you that I am confident we will make it through this important work ahead. Looking toward fall, I encourage you to reflect on our institutional mission and to focus on why we do what we do each day. In spite of the changing scenery and modalities, our students continue to need us and the services and resources we provide. We must partner with one another to identify creative solutions; we must meet students where they are and guide them toward academic success—and it is through these connections and work that we will continue to improve lives. Thank you for all you do each day. As we move forward, know that you have my support, and know that I am enthusiastically cheering you along each day. Stay connected to one another, and be well. Best, Deidre Price, Ph.D. Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs
STRATEGIES FOR ACTIVE LEARNING - Andrea Lynch “In my years of experience as a professor, I feel creative hands-on application, verbal tone, body language, student-age-related situational examples and critical thinking of life circumstances are important strategies to implement for an active and engaged learning environment.”
- Thérèse Sweeney -
“An effective educator takes student interest in mind and develops lessons that engage, challenge, and motivate a student to reach beyond their own pre-conceived limitations. For example, lessons need to be relevant, practical, and fun to capture student interest. Teacher candidates practice instructional skills in real-time lesson scenarios. Modelling occurs first, then teacher candidates simulate instruction using multisensory instructional strategies, evaluation occurs in a post conference to identify what went well, and what skills can be further developed.”
- Donna Pierson “I use gamification (using parts of games to help learning) and real-world scenarios like the ‘ASL cooking show’ to increase interest, promote enjoyment and encourage peer collaboration. Even though they may feel like they are playing a game, the effect is they are really working hard.”
- Dr. Vickie Hunt -
“Teaching and learning are two sides of the same coin - I certainly expect students to learn what I’m teaching; I also expect to learn things from students. I expect and encourage students to take risks, to speak their minds, to offer new perspectives on old pieces of literature, to support edgy theses. I feel fortunate to have a profession in which I can learn new things; active and engaged students make that possible.”
- Dean Allen -
“Learning is an active pursuit that occurs best in a supportive community. As a professor, I seek to foster positive relationships with students, and I encourage students to know their fellow classmates. I utilize case studies, small group discussions, drama, demonstrations, field trips, and games to bring to life the course materials. I encourage students to be responsible for their own learning, and I allow them to tailor their experiences in each course. While education includes transmission of important information, I believe ultimately it is about transformation, which happens best in an active learning community.”
- Dr. Beth Norton “Each student has the option to learn what I aim to teach them. I begin discovering more about what students hope to learn and how they learn during the Course Introductions. I phone each student toward the beginning of the term. We discuss questions or apprehensions they have about the course; what has resulted in successful learning in the past; and what they should learn during the term. By taking these simple actions, I launch an effective professor-student relationship with each student using a professional, friendly, and hands-on approach.”
- Chris Mizell “I believe an active and engaged learning environment regularly assesses students’ progress and regularly provides feedback regarding their progress. In Intermediate Algebra, I believe it is important to give students multiple opportunities to pause during each class period and to work problems so that they can get relevant and timely feedback from the instructor, helping them to clarify in their own minds how well they are understanding the material as it is being presented. When this clarity is found early in the process, it can optimize the effectiveness of the rest of the class period for the students.”
- Layne Eggers -
“I teach my Culinary and Hospitality Management students with the same values and beliefs that most hospitality operators follow when conducting their own business with their customer base. As a teacher and mentor, I strive to serve my students with a high level of focused attention and passion. My students are my customers and with an engaged, service-based educational philosophy that is consistently being delivered. A great example is Seagrass Restaurant, our fine dining pop-up lab where our Culinary Management students execute “to order” Classical French cooking to actual guests, and our Hospitality Management students engage in active customer service in a live restaurant environment.”
- Dr. Victoria Stewart “I teach history and government. Rather than standard lecture, I use images, media, and my personal stories to get students to open up and share what they may already know. Whether my students realize it or not, we are being active learners in our quest to understand the past as we work through the material together as a collaboration of our world views and experiences.”
- Dr. Valencia Tamper -
“As a professor of foreign language, it is always my goal to have my students do something with the input they receive. Thus, it is important for me to create student-centered activities that give students the opportunity to engage with the material as well as their classmates. For example, when we learn about the family, we also learn about adjectives and adjective placement. I have students bring in pictures of their own family members to class. I first model the activity for students using an old ‘80s photo of my own family. The outdated hairstyles and fashion give students a good laugh while making them feel more comfortable with the assignment and I notice they get excited to share their own photos in small groups. This activity creates an active and engaged learning environment in which students can practice vocabulary, grammar, speaking, and listening skills in the target language.”
- Leigh Peacock Westman -
“To engage students in my art courses, I use a modified flipped classroom and implement a blend of kinesthetic, inquiry-based, and differentiated teaching methods. Students observe my demonstrations and information to learn process and then work on art projects in class. As students create art, I act as a resource, providing differentiated feedback and individualized demonstrations as each student needs. During class critiques, or group conversations, we discuss the different approaches to the project. Students participate in the dialogue, applying critical analysis in their artwork, carefully considering how different techniques, materials, and compositions communicate to the viewer. As students are active and engaged in their own learning process, they not only learn more, they gain a sense of confidence and self-sufficiency.”
- Dr. Caise Vickery “There is no substitute for experience. My experience from a career in Acquisitions and Contracting Management allows me to teach more by example than by simply imparting knowledge. Student are very aware when a teacher is ‘teaching the book’ rather than speaking from on-the-job experience. The rich context of hands-on application creates an insight into the acquisition career field. Thus, a learner-centered environment is created that is enhanced by the perspective of existing knowledge through the lens of experience.”
NWF STATE COLLEGE ACADEMIC AFFAIRS LEADERSHIP TEAM Dr. Deidre Price, Interim Vice President Dr. Dana Bigham Stephens, Dean of Arts & Sciences/MKEI Director Dr. Michael Erny, Dean of Career Education Dr. Charlotte Kuss, Dean of Heath Sciences & Public Safety Anthony Boyer, Dean of College Pathways & CHS Principal Dr. K.C. Williams, Executive Director of Academic Strategies and Innovation Bill Allison, Director of Professional & Workforce Training
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS SUPPORT STAFF Kristen Last, FLAC & Scheduling Coordinator Melissa Garza, Academic Affairs Office Specialist
Happy 1st Day of Class
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM CHAIRS AND DIRECTORS Dr. Jean Mitchell, Natural Sciences and Mathematics Chair Clint Mahle, Humanities, Fine & Performing Arts Chair Dr. Ana Pena Alvarez, Advanced Engineering & Industrial Technology Director Wanjiku Jackson, Business & Computer Technology Director Julie Cotton, Hospitality/Culinary Chair Scottie Smith, Welding Director Tanya Beauregard, Nursing (ASN) Director Sharalyn Wight, Nursing (BSN) Chair Kristeen Walley, Dental Assisting Director Grace Stewart, Radiography Director Dr. Susan DeSmith, Physical Therapist Assistant Program Director Caitlin Robertson, Medical Lab Technology Program Director Dr. Jeffrey McGill, Public Safety Director Dr. Sandra Arteaga, Teacher Education Director Lisa Haddorff, Learning Commons Director Heather Dietzold, K12 Partnerships Director Dr. Patrice Williams-Shuford, QEP Director
- WEDNESDAY -
AUGUST 19
MEET OUR QEP DIRECTOR:
DR. PATRICE A. WILLIAMS-SHUFORD Dr. Patrice A. Williams-Shuford is an experienced educator with a proven history of working in higher education. She is skilled in teaching, planning, and building educational support systems. Dr. Williams-Shuford is a dynamic education professional who earned her Bachelor of Science in English and Psychology from the University of South Alabama, Master of Arts in English Literature from the University of Mobile, Specialist in Education in English Education from Florida State University, and Doctor of Education in Higher Education Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has spent her career in education as an English teacher, an English professor, a college advisor, a higher education administrator, a workshop presenter, and a project consultant. As QEP Director, Dr. Williams-Shuford will spearhead active and engaged faculty development and lead NWFSC faculty through the Quality Enhancement Plan, Engage NWFSC, from start to success. Dr. Williams-Shuford enjoys working with students, working with educators, and being involved with the community.
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