CONTEXTUALIZATION FOR COMPLETION Presented by: Deborah Bird, Director Design Tech Pathway, Pasadena Community College Dr. Laurie Scolari California Community College Linked Learning Initiative Director Career Ladders Project

G OALS FOR T ODAY ’ S S ESSION + To create a space for a peer-sharing discussion on: Contextualization strategies at your sites What are the “right” levels of contextualization? + To share our experience implementing contextualization strategies - early wins and challenges +To discuss strategies for faculty buy-in +To discuss how to bring promising practices to scale

PEER-to-PEER ICEBREAKER + What contextualization strategies are you currently implementing at your site? - Rationale, Transformation, Multiple scales (2) 5 minutes + Which aspects of the student experience are you contextualizing? In addition to academic content, what other elements of the college’s interaction with the student could and should be contextualized? (2x2) 5 minutes + How are you identifying the appropriate levels of specificity for contextualized curricula? (2x2x2) 5 minutes + Share out 5 minutes

Context for Contextualization 5,000 Incoming Students – 1600 graduate / transfer 60% test into Developmental math and English First Year Experience Pathway – 1200 in Fall 2013 College Readiness Guaranteed Blocked Classes Student Support Cohort + Learning Communities

O VERVIEW OF CTL AT P ASADENA C ITY C OLLEGE STRATEGIES: Design Technology + Media Hybrid CTE/Academic Pathways +Transformational Concept - Continuum - Student Centered Whole Experience / Whole Person - Stronger Transferable Skills for life long learning - Academic and Career Tech integrated - Greater Certificate, Degree, Transfer Completion +Developmental Process - Dynamic - Accelerating Technological Change - Design Thinking to solve multiple problems - Faculty Driven – flexible, collaborative approaches - Simultaneous with Pathway Development

Design Technology Pathway Model

community of practice

C ONTEXTUALIZATION AT PASADENA CITY COLLEGE +The ‘right’ level of contextualization? –Depends on process + evolution – Site Specific –Individual Assignments –Regular modular integration –Fully immersive student experience Problem Based Learning Internships / Externships Community based learning +How to organize contextualized coursework? –Depends on the goals and pathways – Site Specific –Across Meta Majors / Industry Groups - AME –Skills – Reading, Writing, Math –Individual Course Relationships English/History - interdependent Philosophy/Computer Hacking - disruptive Anthropology/Intermediate Algebra - opportunistic

pre-contextualization: fragmentation, dispersed, modularized thematic – conceptual ‘hey, isn’t that what Ms K was talking about?’ echoing, eg humanism, sustainability content – knowledge base ‘it’s the greatest idea ever, that all our courses are integrated’ anchoring, abstraction, application process – transferable skills ‘why do you spend so much time at school?’ seamless continuum – school to career to life

design tech pathway DESIGN TECH 100 ENGLISH 100 MATH 402 COLLEGE 1 DESIGN TECH 101 ENGLISH 1A MATH 125 SPEECH 10 MATH 135 ANTHRO 10 FALL ‘12 SPRING ‘13 SUMMER ‘13 MATH ENGLISH 1B DESIGN MAJOR BUSINESS FALL ‘13 College Readiness Certificate

media pathway MEDIA100 ENGLISH PC MATH PC COLLEGE 1 MEDIA101 ENGLISH MATH PC ELECTIVE FALL ‘13 SPRING ‘14 ANIMATION GAMING SOUND IMAGE FALL ‘13 College Readiness Certificate

content community time support Contextualization Constraints and Opportunities:

T ACTICS FOR F ACULTY B UY -I N +Small Group Discussion 10 min How can we demonstrate the benefits of contextualization to faculty? How can we identify and cultivate faculty champions to deepen and extend the work across our colleges? +Report out and large group discussion 10 minutes

Tactics for Faculty Buy-In T ACTICS FOR F ACULTY B UY -I N +Demonstrate Success –Student Presentations, Video, Focus Groups, Student Panels –Faculty Presentations, Professional Development +Create Collaborative Environments –Edtech – Low Risk Professional Development –Constant Contact – Facebook, Classroom Visits, Adjacencies, Retreats –Salon – Anthropology/Math, appeal to intellectual interests –Student Clubs - Social Events around shared interests - Astronomy

T AKING P ROMISING P RACTICES TO S CALE -S TUDENT VOICE - V IDEO -G O AROUND THE OBSTACLE AND GET TO THE STUDENT - U SE OF DATA Shock them with data Create a sense of urgency Find your champions Pilot new ideas Present data (over and over again). -S OCIAL J USTICE / E QUITY A GENDA How can we utilize promising practices as a key lever for moving the institutional agenda forward to improve student success?

FOR MORE INFORMATION Deborah Bird Laurie Scolari