Open Entry/Open Exit Committee

Committee Members

Brenda Nielsen, MCC
Maria Hesse, CGCC
Patti Marsh, PVCC
Chairs

Virginia Cantu, DIST
Group Support

Mary Alcon, MCC
Angela Ambrosia, PC
Sandy Belisle, PVCC
Kimberly Chambers, SCC
Linda Collins, RSCC
Daniel Combellick, SCC
Kathy Green, PC
Betty Greenwood, DIST
Lupe Gutierrez, DIST
Suzanne Murry, GCC
Connie Rainey, GWCC
Hala Saadeldin, CGCC
Roger Yohe, EMCC

Introduction

The Open Entry/Open Exit Committee was formed to address issues regarding courses taught in an open-entry/open-exit (OE/OE) format.

OE/OE courses involve self-paced learning and often make significant use of technological resources. Since OE/OE classes address the learning needs and time schedules of adult learners, they are in high demand and many colleges are looking to expand and/or improve their OE/OE offerings.

Our charge was to continue identifying issues which might impede the development of OE/OE courses and make recommendations regarding the resolution of those issues.

Year in Review

We were fortunate to have had a committee in the previous year that had accomplished significant work on:

This year's group focused on:

Increased Communication

This year's committee strived to increase communication efforts between colleges as well as the District office. The committee had great representation from almost all colleges and this really fostered comradery. One of the goals decided on early in the year was to disseminate information, ask questions, get advice, and generally communicate the committee's goals and efforts on an ongoing basis. This has been accomplished through committee meetings, projects, memos, collaborative efforts in gaining information, and lively discussions.

Some of the topics discussed included: INFORM, lab procedures and policies, security issues, support of District-wide initiatives relating to OE/OE, ethics, staffing, course competencies, student success, interactive OE/OE orientation, faculty evaluation, computer lab fees, records management, and infrastructure. The OE/OE committee has found that from basic issues introduced a couple of years ago,many off-shoots are continuing to sprout throughout Maricopa, and the OE/OE environment continues to grow and develop.

Course Competencies

The OE/OE committee wanted to ensure that all OE/OE courses being offered throughout the District were designated as being available with current course competencies in place. Virginia Cantu compiled a comprehensive list for the committee of classes with, without, or having competencies in draft mode. The committee reviewed the list and forwarded the information to the responsible instructional councils.

Coincidentally, this issue was addressed by Dr. Alfredo de los Santos. He has issued the charge of having ALL course competencies brought up to date. This includes OE/OE courses.

Student Success

The committee looked at factors leading to student success within the OE/OE environment.

Each of the above is a factor that can directly affect student success within the OE/OE realm. Each college can be directly responsible for implementing and evaluating one or more of the above. What is successful for students on one college might not be successful on another. Campuses have their own unique qualities which enhance Maricopa's educational environment.

OE/OE Orientation Project

The OE/OE subcommittee is involved in developing an interactive OE/OE orientation that can be used at many colleges. Previously, at most colleges, OE/OE orientations consisted of a slide show-type presentation on the computer, a videotape presentation, an in-person presentation, and/or a packet of text-based orientation information.

The orientation program being developed will use Hypercard for the Macintosh environment and Toolbook for the IBM environment. It will allow the student to interact with the computer; it will individualize information specifically to the student working on the orientation; and it will check for student understanding of concepts and policies. It is being designed in conjunction with the District instructional design staff at MCLI, and structured in a way that will allow each college to insert college-specific information and procedures. People who are interested in knowing more about this project may contact Maria Hesse (732-7030).

Computer Lab Fees

Computer-related fees charged throughout the Maricopa District reflect diverse patterns of assessment. This diversity of fee assessment ranges from no fee, a set fee per course regardless of credit, a set fee per number of credits, and a fee based on usage record. The committee is currently drafting a report to Dr. de los Santos apprising him of the wide range of differences among the colleges.

Human Resource Issues

As a continuation of our discussion on roles and responsibilities, two areas of concern in the human resource area have continued to be brought to the attention of the committee:
  1. Members report that job descriptions in the District "job bank" do not adequately describe the positions in OE/OE labs. Therefore, lab employees are performing similar job tasks under a variety of working titles and grade levels. This situation raise issues of equity and consistency in staffing.
  2. Members report that when they attempt to staff a lab position, they try to choose a job title that is the most appropriate in terms of title and grade level. They generally find, however, that the applicants have misunderstood what the position involves based on the official description. The interviewing committee must then spend extensive time informing the potential candidates about the "real" position.

A letter was sent to Dr. de los Santos recommending that a task force be established to systematically review and revise employee job descriptions which relate to instructional computing. The letter requested that the revised employee job descriptions reflect the changes that technology and/or the OE/OE instructional delivery method have brought about in the District.

OE/OE Faculty Evaluation

There were discussions on the need for an appropriate OE/OE faculty evaluation tool. The existing evaluation form covers areas that do not apply in the OE/OE environment. For example, the following items on the form do not apply in the OE/OE environment: 1) uses class time well (starts on time, uses full class period) and 2) is skilled at facilitating group participation, interaction, and cohesiveness, etc. The current evaluation form simply falls short of addressing the many objectives of someone facilitating instruction in the OE/OE environment. Concerns were raised that this may be an RFP issue and that processes should apply to residential and adjunct faculty.

OE/OE PEP Grant

Patti Marsh and Sandy Belisle were awarded a PEP Grant for the Development of a Multi-Disciplinary OE/OE Model for PVCC. They have used the Ocotillo OE/OE Committee as a central clearinghouse for the exchange of information and as a forum to discuss the feasibility of proposed plans of action. The committee has served as an invaluable resource providing a broad spectrum of information and experience in a timely manner. A full report will be prepared and presented to the committee next fall.

Conclusion/Future Goals

During the year we came to some common agreements, updated information about current practices/offerings in the District, shared ideas about teaching and learning and student success, and learned some new things about District operations.

The following are issues that the committee has identified as important and ongoing and which should be revisited periodically:

Index

Ocotillo Report '93
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© 1993, Maricopa Center for Learning and Instruction (MCLI) Maricopa County Community College District, Arizona