May 2010 Articles
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Spring Forward and Feel Good! Jump Start the Season by Nancy Stanko
Comparing Technical Education in Europe and the United States by Branislav Rosul
Developmental and Digital: In Class with the Natives by Karin Evans
Accolades by Konkel & Hagman
Spring Forward and Feel Good! Jump Start the Season by Nancy Stanko
Spring into learning. One great way to improve yourself is to take a class. Take a cooking class!
You'll become a better cook and maybe even learn about other cultures. Go take a hike. Get some
walking shoes and enjoy the Arboretum and forest preserve trails. The Arboretum is a good resource for
planning a flower or vegetable garden. Emphasize your health to energize your creative abilities.
Volunteer. Spring into your journey to a better you, a better COD, and a better world by
volunteering to assist others. Help individuals and families develop the skills they need for their own
self-improvement. Our Association would really appreciate some volunteer hours of your time over the
summer and even more during fall. Choose new. Plan something new or different for the
summer. Pick a place you've never been—but always wanted to go—and make it a priority this
year. There's a world out there just waiting for you!
Committees and More Committees. Ken Gray, Vice President of CODFA and Chair of the Committee on Committees, says faculty are fantastic about volunteering for committees. Please consider the many new opportunities to serve:
- Presidential PACE Study Commissions
- Shared Governance Council Steering Committees
- Semester/Sabbatical Committee
- Senate Communications Committee
- College Curriculum Committee
- Alternative Credit Committee
- Program Review Advisory Committee
- Earned Compensation Committee
Outstanding Faculty. Congratulations to Julia diLiberti who was s elected as the 2009-2010 recipient of the College-Wide Outstanding Full-time Faculty Award. We are also excited to congratulate our Divisional Outstanding Faculty of the Year recipients including Felipe Armas, Professor of Psychology, Health & Sciences Division; Ida Hagman, Associate Professor of English, Liberal Arts Division; Jennifer Kelley, Reference Librarian, Learning Resources Division; Anthony Lenard, Professor of Mathematics, Health & Sciences Division; Thomas Ruehlmann, Professor of Anatomy & Physiology, Health & Sciences Division; Shannon Toler, Assistant Professor of Business/Management/Marketing, Business & Technology Division; and Larry Ward, Professor of Music, Liberal Arts Division. Carol Giegerich, Counselor, and Dilyss Gallyot, Associate Professor in Nursing, were awarded the Outstanding Adviser Award. The College-Wide Outstanding Part-time Faculty Award recipient is Kenneth White, Instructor of General and Organic Chemistry in the Health and Sciences division of the College. What an honor to be working with these outstanding faculty members.
Comparing Technical Education in Europe and the United States by Branislav Rosul
As a sabbatical project, I went to France in 2007 to find out the main characteristics of the technical
education systems in France, Germany, and Serbia. Beforehand, I studied French for several years
and managed to secure few guided visits to colleges and universities throughout France and Europe. I
already had a good deal of experience with matters related to technical education through my work with
National Science Foundation (NSF) and Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET). I was
interested in the initiative to synchronize educational systems in Europe through the European Union (EU),
as well as the effects of globalization on the mobility of students and workers in the EU. The EU makes a
significant effort to fund programs and projects which encourage mobility of students, faculty, and
workforce. Funding has come through initiatives like Erasmus Mundus, Leonardo Da Vinci, Deadalus, and
Europass.
I started off with visits to several University Institutes of Technology (IUTs) in southern France. These national institutes within the university system comprise 115 schools with 122,000 students in 643 programs and 24 disciplines. Their program is similar to our AAS degree in technology, designed to train high-end technicians, or in French technitiens supérieur. One renowned IUT in Marseille led the EU project called Leonardo Da Vinci II. The objective of this initiative was to determine key competencies and skills for technicians throughout Europe. One goal was to standardize a list of competencies for high-end technicians, then use an employer survey to establish importance of these skills. I found that these competencies are comparable to those used in U.S. colleges, defined by ABET.
After my visit to southern France, I headed back to an IUT in Montreuil, Paris to learn about pedagogy and curriculum for technitiens supérieur. As in the U.S., the EU has put hands-on, project-based learning at the center of educational transformation. Furthermore, in the heart of the European educational initiative were student centered and lifelong learning. This is very comparable to the initiatives advocated by our NSF.
At this time, I also started my visits to one of the largest national research institutes in France, INRA. With staff of over 8,000 and an annual budget of 750 million euro's, it is involved in wide array of projects in agriculture, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The research conducted at INRA is in agriculture, food, nutrition and food safety, environment, and land management, with particular emphasis on sustainable development. Among other things, I had the opportunity to be involved in the nanotechnology project dealing with electronics for the artificial smell sensor.
I had the opportunity to survey technology graduates with regard to competencies and workforce mobility. Regarding the competencies, the survey showed that EU graduates gave a higher importance to fundamental knowledge and sciences than their U.S. counterparts, who are more attached to the hands-on learning method. Concerning the mobility of the students and workforce, the survey showed that although a significant number of students have participated in short-term exchanges, little evidence suggested a significant mobility of the workforce among technicians from different countries.
While working on my project, I learned a great deal about art, history, people, and cultures of France and other European countries, as well as some cooking. I can also say that everyone I met on this trip was exceptionally helpful and supportive. I was always welcomed everywhere without reservations. I owe them a great deal of gratitude for a once in a lifetime experience supported by the College of DuPage.
Developmental and Digital: In Class with the Natives by Karin Evans
When the PBS Frontline program Digital
Nation was released in February, my email inbox echoed for days with mentions of how fascinating the
program was and how relevant to understanding college
students and how they learn and behave. As emails from COD faculty members Denise Cote and Jan Cella
lined up alongside postings from a listserv thread, something struck a lucky chord for me. I have always
struggled to introduce topics into my developmental writing courses that students would feel a personal
connection to, but would also benefit their academic learning and writing. I have experimented much and
succeeded not much—until Digital Nation.
Digital Nation is an exploration of how digital interactivity is changing us, changing our world, changing learning, changing relationships. Our library now has the feature-length DVD of the original program that aired on PBS in February of this year, but there is also an extensive web site with dozens of documentary and interview segments. The topics of these segments touch on learning and education, brain development and neuroscience research, social and cultural effects of multitasking, generational differences between "digital natives" and "digital immigrants," gaming and simulations, and on and on.
I started out by showing some video segments from the web site in class, including a rather dramatic piece on the development of digital culture in South Korea, where Internet addiction is now classified as a psychiatric disorder. Another segment reported on the complete turnaround of a failing middle school in the Bronx after all the students were given laptops. We also read the transcript of an interview with a researcher at Stanford who described his amazement when his research results confounded his belief that he could identify successful multitasking strategies (he couldn't).
My students are writing two papers based on their engagement with this material. The first is a Personal Digital Profile Essay in which they describe and critique their own habits, behavior, and choices. In order to prepare to write this paper, my students kept logs of how they spent their time online and with electronic tools and games. Our discussions of what they learned about themselves have been lively and fascinating, and many of them report making changes in their behavior after realizing how much of their time was being sucked up by online distractions.
The second paper is a Persuasive Essay in which they make an argument related to the broader social issues. I added some extra readings as resources for making these arguments, and we are discussing how to use sources to support reasoned arguments and counterarguments. They are thinking about how the points of view of people who grew up online, the "natives," are different from those of people who are "immigrants" to digital life. They are trying to apply concepts from Digital Nation to problems they've encountered themselves. Because they feel connected to this material, they are starting to see that a good thesis statement does more than "pick a side"—it offers an insight.
I can't explain exactly why the Digital Nation topic is working better than the seemingly bright ideas I've tried in the past—but it is. Probably there are a lot of reasons… it's something new, it's multimedia, it's well produced, it's not in the textbook…. I'd like to think it also has to do with the fact that they realize they are learning something about themselves at the same time they are learning some Big New Ideas. They can see that they are part of history, that all this change is significant, and that they are living it, here and now. Makes for a darn good class.
Accolades by Konkel & Hagman
Here are some good vibrations and excitations to launch us into summer…
Michael Duggan (Counseling & Advising)
Graduates this summer from National Louis Universities Community College Leadership program,
a three-year cohort program which enhances our skills as educators. Classes met every other Saturday
at COD. Michael's dissertation topic was on effective teaching strategies for students with disabilities
in community colleges.
Editor's Note: Michael will be offering a TLC class on this topic! See the
Credit Courses page on the TLC web site for
more information.
Linda Elaine (English)
Will be awarded her second Masters, an MA in English Studies, from Elmhurst College on May 30. Her
capstone project is entitled Essaying to Discover the Significance of Experiences and Identities: a
Strategy for First-Year Composition. Elmhurst College will make her class's capstone projects
available on its web site. Next on her agenda is becoming a master of the guitar.
David Goldberg (Political Science)
Took a group of fifteen students to the Midwest Political Science Association annual meeting in Chicago,
April 22-24, where he presented his paper: Assessing CARICOM Election Monitoring Efforts:
Significant Gains with Room for Improvement or Whither the Interamerican Democratic Charter? In it,
he evaluates the state of CARICOM election monitoring efforts in the context of similar efforts by the
OAS and Commonwealth and traces the evolution of monitoring efforts, suggesting some opportunities for
growth.
Richard Jarman (Chemistry), Keith Krasemann
(Philosophy), Chikako Kumamoto (English), Chris Petersen (Biology),
Lois Stanciak (Education), and Ben Whisenhunt (History/Political Science)
Published ESSAI Volume VII in April 2010. This volume anthologizes 39 academic essays
accomplished by COD students across the curriculum.
Lee Kesselman (Music)
On April 23, premiered his new cantata, Measuring the Holy, with the Cantare Con Vivo in
Oakland, California. The ensemble commissioned the new work to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the
Cantare Children's Choirs, which serve over 1000 young people weekly in the city of Oakland. The
entire work is a 27 minute piece, with texts in Spanish, English, Chinese, Arabic, with smaller
sections in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The work is orchestrated for flute, percussion, piano, and
string ensemble. The performance included over 300 singers, ranging from 3rd grade to adults.
Mary Konkel (Library)
Presented Expecto Patronum: Creating Positive Forces for Transforming Technical Services
Workflow, May 21 at the Ohio Valley Group of Technical Services Librarians (OVGTSL) Conference
at Morehead State University in Kentucky. Her presentation focused on working smarter and using
existing resources to accomplish tasks without sacrificing quality or productivity. The use of
cross-training, "in-servicing", and other technical services tips and tricks were shared.
Jackie McGrath (English)
Selected to serve on the board of the nonprofit organization Company of Folk. It is dedicated to
preserving and presenting folk art of the Chicago/Lake Michigan/Tri-State area, in partnership with
the Illinois Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Sherri Messersmith (Mathematics)
Gave a two-hour presentation and interactive workshop, Reviewing the Basics While Teaching
Beginning and Intermediate Algebra on May 20 at the New Mexico Mathematical Association of
Two-Year Colleges in Gallup, NM. She co-presented with Jackie Reuland (Special
Student Services), Serving Students with Disabilities: Strategies for the Math Classroom at
two national conferences this year. The first presentation was at the American Mathematical
Association of Two-Year Colleges in Las Vegas in November, and the second at the National Association
of Developmental Education in Columbus, Ohio in March. Sherri talked about different types of
disabilities we see in our classrooms and shared strategies for helping students with disabilities
learn mathematics.
Timothy Meyers (Foodservice Administration)
Named Central Region Chef Educator of the Year by the American Culinary Federation. The 2010 ACF award
honors active culinary educators whose knowledge, skills and expertise provide leadership and guidance
for culinary students. Meyers will now compete for the national title against three other candidates
during the 2010 ACF National Convention in August in Anaheim, CA.
Chris Miller, Lauren Morgan (Speech)
The College of DuPage Forensics Team attended the Phi Rho Pi National Forensics Tournament in New Orleans
the first week of April and brought home 7 medals. The team is coached by Chris Miller, Andy Dameron
(alumnus), and Lauren Morgan. Lauren was awarded the Collie-Taylor Fellowship Award for Coaches at this
year's national tournament. Named for former COD forensics coach Jim Collie, the Collie-Taylor award is
voted on by students and represents the coach who "best exemplifies the finest qualities of a Phi Rho Pi
educator."
Tom Montgomery-Fate (English)
Chaired and presented on a panel: The One Way Mirror: Writing Family, Writing Ourselves at the
annual Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference on April 8 in Denver. Two essays from Tom's
forthcoming book Cabin Fever aired in March on Chicago Public Radio, and a new essay in May on NPR.
A chapter from the book will also be featured in the summer issue of Notre Dame Magazine. He is a
regular contributor to Chicago Public Radio's 848 Show. You can listen to an
audio clip for an excerpt from a
nature memoir he is now completing.
Michelle Moore (English)
Presented the paper Consider Me Dead: Vampires and Female Artists in The Song of the Lark at the
American Literature Association Conference, May 28 in San Francisco. The ALA is the top conference in
American Literature.
Karen Persky (Biology)
Graduates this summer from National Louis University's Community College Leadership program. The title of
her dissertation is Veterans' Education: Coming Home to the Community College Classroom. The results
of her research were disseminated at the November 2009 Illinois Council of Community College Administrators
conference in Springfield and the November Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S. conference in St.
Louis. The research will also be presented at the Higher Learning Commission April conference in Chicago, the
Council for the Study of Community Colleges April conference in Seattle, and the NLU Community College
Leadership May conference.
Diana Strode (Earth Sciences)
The COD aquifer modeling lab (Earth Science 1135) made the news! Students in her class, Water
Science—Fundamentals of Hydrology, constructed bench-scale physical models of key aquifer systems.
According to Diana, bench-scale models provide a visual and operational representation of the dynamics of
groundwater flow within an aquifer system. The models used at COD allow students to manipulate and experiment
with key course concepts, including recharge and discharge areas, pumping, surface water interactions, and
contaminant migration. The modeled aquifers included those located in the Great Artesian Basin in Australia,
the coastal aquifer beneath the Gaza Strip in Israel, the Ogallala Aquifer beneath the sand hills of Nebraska,
and the mix of glacial and alluvium aquifers in northeastern Illinois.
Accolades would like to thank Ida Hagman for her role in establishing and editing this column! Congratulations on your retirement, Ida, and many happy journeys to you. We welcome our new co-editor for Accolades, Dilyss Gallyot!
Accolades submissions can be sent to Dilyss Gallyot or Mary Konkel. We want to hear about your personal accomplishments as well as your professional ones both in and out of the classroom. Don't be shy, and why not acknowledge a colleague—we're always looking for a few good informants. We want to celebrate and rally around your creativity, innovation, spirit, and hard work!
