Previously Awarded Sabbaticals 2000-2001

Sherry Adams
Paradise Valley Community College/Communication-Humanities
Study of International Educational Programs
During my sabbatical, I examined international education programs at colleges and universities throughout the United States to determine how best to infuse a global perspective into the core curriculum at the community college level. I interviewed administrators, faculty members and students to see their different perspectives. International awareness has become imperative. Currently, most study abroad programs concentrate on Europe, particularly the United Kingdom. I believe students will benefit if we expand the horizons of our college curricula to project a worldview.

Lillian Barker
South Mountain Community College / English-Liberal Arts
Living Writing: Improving Student Writing Trough Oral Histories
This sabbatical gave me the opportunity to study the theory and practice of oral history and to create a plan to use it in teaching writing. Oral history is the history of the people--ordinary people whose voices would not be heard otherwise. I attended conferences where I met a diverse and wonderful group of people, as eclectic as oral history should be. I have returned from these experiences refreshed and rejuvenated. I am looking forward to sharing my studentsÕ work with my colleagues. Watch for our contribution to the Desert Cities Exhibit coming up in May 2002 at the Arizona Historical Society.

Debra Campbell
Mesa Community College / Philosophy
Pursuit of a Ph.D. in Political Science at Arizona State University
As a philosopher, my emphasis is on political theory. This sabbatical allowed me to continue my own education of the theory and practice of critical thinking and democratic approaches to teaching.

Roberta Delaney
Glendale Community College / Reading
A Literary Training and Walking Tour Through Eastern Europe
The title of my sabbatical was exactly what I did. I took the train and the bus to six different Eastern European countries and walked around many of their wonderful cities and towns, and visited museums, art galleries, libraries, castles, and parliaments. The towns are filled with many places to learn about the culture. I came back with material to develop a more diverse curriculum that could be used in the next edition of the CRE101 textbook. I have prepared a collection of readings, a teaching plan and teaching tools to accompany them.

Deborah Dennis
Phoenix College / Health Information Technology
Preparing for Emerging Roles in the Health Information Profession
My primary focus was to access the use of computer technology in the management and processing of patient health information. I selected three healthcare organizations as a learning environment for my sabbatical: Mayo Clinic and Hospital, Good Samaritan Medical Center and Glencroft Care Center. My activities included working with management, querying staff, attending meetings/discussions and gathering data regarding the use of computer technology to collect and process patient information. The resources and knowledge gained during this sabbatical will be used to enhance instruction and update lab activities in the Health Information Technology Program.

Anne Dudley
Glendale Community College / Mathematics
Development of Mentoring Program for Mathematic Students
My sabbatical allowed me to develop a mentoring program for mathematics students at Glendale Community College. The program will encourage more students to study math and provide for a smoother transfer to Northern Arizona University (NAU). To develop this I examined existing mentoring programs in other disciplines, dialogued with mathematics faculty and advisors throughout the district and at NAU. I look forward to sharing my results with other colleagues

James Elam
Scottsdale Community College / Computer Information Systems
Completion of MasterÕs Degree in Education Technology at Arizona State University
During my sabbatical leave I completed coursework leading to a Masters of Education degree in Educational Technology at Arizona State University. The program emphasizes sound instructional design as a foundation for the use of technology in teaching and learning. My goal is to increase student achievement by aligning instructional objectives, content, and assessment and by appropriately incorporating technology into my lesson plans.

Part of my coursework involved research into distance education theory and practice. I am currently serving on the SCC Ocotillo committee where support services and guidelines for online courses are being established.

Terry Grygiel
Paradise Valley Community College / Computer Science-Mathematics
Java, Databases, and Object Oriented Analysis and Design for Instruction in Computer Science
During my sabbatical I examined features of Java, including the Swing set, threads, and use in conjunction with CORBA. I also studied the concepts and principles underlying databases, focusing on working with databases programmatically (e.g., using SQL, JDBC, and Oracle's PL/SQL).

Finally, I studied object oriented analysis and design. I reinforced all of my studies during the sabbatical through a project that incorporated the major phases of object oriented analysis and design and included access of a database over the Internet.

Linda Hicks
Scottsdale Community College / Communication
Oral Traditions and Storytelling as an Instructional Tool
The purpose of my one-year sabbatical was to increase my understanding of oral traditions and storytelling as an instructional tool and as a means of enriching student learning.

My objectives were: 1. To develop my own voice as a storyteller; 2. To develop curriculum materials following an outcomes assessment model; 3. To produce a variety of multimedia teaching materials involving the oral tradition.

I traveled for five months, four months in the United States and one month in France, learning about storytelling experientially. I recorded 65 hours of experiences along the way. This material is currently being edited for classroom use and for a multimedia event entitled One World, Many Voices.

Rita Kasapis
Mesa Community College / Counseling
Work on Advanced Degree in Higher Education at NOVA Southeastern University
I am pursuing my doctorate in Higher Education from Nova Southeastern University. During my sabbatical I researched self-esteem in community college students enrolled in counseling courses at MCC and retention rates of MCC students from a counseling department perspective. My hope is that my projects will be of benefit to my department and my campus in developing our departmental goals and strategic plan. As the knowledge and skills that we need in todayÕs society change, huge demands are placed on faculty to review and improve in every way.

Richard Keefe
Scottsdale Community College / Behavioral Sciences
Study in the Field of Evolution Psychology
The principle aim of my sabbatical was to explore possible sources of funding for multimedia materials to help social science faculty introduce evolutionary ideas into their curriculum. Most social scientists have little or no formal background in the many fields related to evolutionary theory. My plan is to set up a web site that has teaching-ready materials for downloading and use in their classrooms. Colleagues from ASU and I set up a temporary site called TESSA (Teaching Evolution in the Social Sciences) with some demonstration materials. We have met scientists around the world who have agreed to give us their own field photographs and other teaching graphic aids and videos for more effective teaching. During my semester-length sabbatical, I was able to identify possible sources of funding and have submitted two proposals to FIPSE and may submit a third to NSF.

Joseph McCourt
Chandler-Gilbert Community College / Aviation
Training Methods Using Technology in the Aviation Classroom
As an aviation instructor, I explored the methods of instruction used by the United States Air Force for training of aviation technicians. The use of technology for this task requires computer based training projects.

Susan Moore
Scottsdale Community College / English
Researching the Expectations and Perceptions of Writing Among Members of the Working Community
As an English instructor, it is important to me to understand the expectations of the working community as it relates to the writing performance of their employees. The medical community, the corporate world and the legal field all have their specific needs for writing. My research in this area will help us connect our first year composition outcomes with the working community needs.

Cristie Roe
Phoenix College / English
Pursuit of a Ph.D. in Higher Education at the University of Arizona
I spent last year in Tucson pursuing a Ph.D. in higher education. I experienced total immersion in academic scholarship in my field. I was also able to connect with colleagues and fellow students in the field to share experiences and information. The end result of my year on sabbatical was a feeling of being ÒrechargedÓ and reinvigorated for my work, as well as the successful completion of my Ph.D. coursework. I would not have believed, if I had not experienced it for myself, how much more excited and confident I would feel about teaching after a year away from my job. I am also pleased at how much practical information I was able to garner from the theoretical study of higher education.

John Sickafoose
Scottsdale Community College / Physical Science
Experimental Design of Hydrogen Fuel Cells
My sabbatical allowed me to conduct a research project on experimental design of hydrogen fuel cells with Dr. Bob Farmer of the Physics Department at Baylor University. The studies investigated new and significantly less expensive ways to make this alternate, portable, renewable energy source

Lynda Santiago
Paradise Valley Community College / Biology
Completion of Doctoral Dissertation of the Service Learning Program At PVCC
During my sabbatical I collected and analyzed data, and wrote my dissertation, completing my doctoral degree. The evaluation was conducted using a triangulation approach for data generation and interpretation. Students took a pre/post-service survey, completed reflection journals, and participated in focus group interviews. Paired t-tests were conducted on survey data, where N=174. There was a significant difference in the growth of studentsÕ leadership skills and in civic awareness, but not in personal development or in academic growth as a result of their service learning experience (SLE). Verbal and written data suggested that there was an overall positive response to students' service learning experience.

Diane Travers Shipman
Chandler-Gilbert Community College / Communication-Fine Arts
Certificate in WomenÕs Studies at Arizona State University
During my sabbatical, I completed 24 upper division credits in the Women's Studies area of the Sociology and Anthropology Department, earning a certificate in Women's Studies from Arizona State University. Since I teach courses that transfer as social/behavioral science, I found this program of study quite valuable. I address gender and cultural issues in practically every class period in the teaching of Interpersonal Communication and Public Speaking. I am now able to cite more recent and relevant research pertaining to the field of communication. An additional benefit of attending classes at ASU was my ability to observe the teaching styles and methods of my teachers and, as a result, expand my teaching techniques.

Virginia Sutton
Phoenix College / English
Pursuit of a Ph.D. in Creative Writing at Union Institute, Cincinnati, OH
The study of creative writing for my degree is interdisciplinary, including the study and teaching of writing in general, creative writing, the study of literature, and elements involving education and the teaching of writing and literature. As an instructor of writing and literature, furthering my understanding of this developing field will allow me to continue to be an innovative and effective instructor.

LynnAnn Wojciechowicz
South Mountain Community College / Humanities
Illuminating Humanities classes with Historical Storytelling
As a result of assessing students, interviewing teachers and observing classes using storytelling, I wrote articles on the use of storytelling in the classroom and the impact of storytelling, which I submitted for publication. I researched and developed in-depth stories on Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, Phillis Wheatley, Frida Kahlo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Aaron Copland for use in humanities classes. I have handouts for workshops, thirty one-page biographical sketches, notes for intensive multi-day trainings, and material on 122 people in the areas of art, entrepreneurs and inventors, computer programming, education, history, literature, mathematics, medicine, music, philosophy, and physics, which can be used in workshops, trainings, and classes. I look forward to sharing what I have learned!