Conclusion - Anyway, Anyplace, Anytime

Reading this book by Terry O'Banion opened up my perceptions of the way colleges function and the goals they have to help students learn and succeed. O'Banion provides enough evidence to believe that educational reform is needed at this time. By providing examples of Sinclair Community College, Jackson Community College, Lane Community College, Maricopa Community College, Palomar College, and the Community College of Denver, O'Banion has demonstrated that change can happen and creating a learning college IS POSSIBLE!

Terry O'Banion cannot say it better when he says that "colleges that change their basic systems to focus on learning by expanding learning options for students, by engaging students as full partners in the learning process, by designing educational structures to meet learners needs, and by defining the roles of learning facilitators based on the needs of learners, will create an educational enterprise that will help students make passionate connections to learning, one whose accomplishments will be worth great celebration in the institution and throughout the society. The learning college that places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners ANYWAY, ANYPLACE, AND ANYTIME, has great potential for fulfilling this dream" (p. 249).

LAUNCHING A LEARNING COLLEGE

"American society is in a key stage of transformation from the Industrial Age to the Information Age, and all social institutions are - or will be - affected by the change. Many institutions, especially those of business and industry, have been actively involved in responding to these changes for some time; others, such as educational institutions, have begun to respond only recently and in most cases with a reserved enthusiasm. It appears that considerable benefit will accrue to those educational institutions that can successfully navigate the change while those that do not may atrophy or be consigned to the "rubbish" heap of history" (p. 225).

O'Banion asks crucial questions that is answered by his book:

1. So how does an institution begin the long and complex process of changing its culture to one that helps students make passionate connections to learning?

2. What can leaders do to launch a learning college?

It was said "if schools and colleges are to be redesigned, we must begin massive efforts of brainstorming and creative thinking, grounded in political, psychological, and financial realities. Only then will we be able to build anew" (p. 226).

Here are the steps needed "to build anew":

1. Capitalize on a Natural Trigger Event - a number of activities that constantly unfold in the life of a college can be used for "the trigger event." Example was Maricopa.

2. Give the Faculty a Test - involve all college constituents in an assessment of current values, missions, programs, needs, processes, and structures.

3. Round Up the Innovations - promote active and contextual learning; collaborative learning as expressed in learning communities; improve assessment and outcome measures; increase focus on the customer; flexible structures, improved teaching; application of Continuous Quality Improvement; application of technology; experimentation of resources; application of new models for decision-making.

Steering the Learning College Once it has Been Created

• Build a Critical Coalition - the coalition that is to guide the learning college must be powerful enough in its representation and in its understanding and commitment to withstand the forces that resist change.
• Create an Emerging Vision - the vision statement for the learning college is the guiding star by which the staff will steer their activities.
• Involve all Stakeholders - the "new" science of management and leadership that prescribes flattened organizations, open communication, and empowered participation makes a strong case for involving all stakeholders in major reform movements.
• Ensure Appropriate Support - appoint and project manager and provide support for the project.
• Create an Open System of Communication - the project manager needs to ensure that mechanisms are in place for the communication that is needed.
• Consider Consultants and Established Processes - using external consultants is helpful when addressing the entire faculty and staff; they can escalate learning for stakeholders, challenge reluctant participants, and help identify other resources.
• Pay Attention to Language - examine official documents and daily language to assess the current emphasis of the institution.
• Reallocate Resources - reengineer and downsize resources when needed.
• Evaluate, Evaluate, Evaluate - evaluate activities and assess student outcomes
• Commit to the Long Haul - be realistic about the time it will take to create this new enterprise.
• Celebrate Changes and Accomplishments - develop a culture of celebration to recognize the milestones of special achievements.

"Creating a learning college is, in part, a journey into the unknown" (p. 247).

DO YOU DARE TO EMBARK ON THIS NEW JOURNEY?

Becoming A Learner-Centered College

Learning is a process which is lifelong for everyone and should be measured in a consistent, ongoing manner focused on improvement.

- Learning is both a product and a process.

- The student is the center of learning.

Everyone is an active learner and teacher through collaboration, shared responsibility and mutual respect.

- Everyone is responsible for personal learning and change, and we are responsible for sharing with each other.

The learning process includes the larger community through the development of alliances, relationships, and opportunities for mutual benefit.

- Everyone must think and act in a more collaborative fashion with the larger community of which we are only a small part.

Learning occurs in flexible and appropriate environment.

- Everyone must open his/her mind to embrace new forms of learning and delivery systems.

New Paradigm of Learning

Here is a set of guiding principles and philosophies for educators planning to move toward the new paradigm of learning:

• Keep the Focus
• Expect Conflict, Unhappiness, and Pain
• Be Open to Honest Criticism
• Involve Everyone
• Promote Constant Communication
• Double Your Time Estimates
• Provide Coping Strategies
• Provide For "New" Learning
• Use Specialized Language Sparingly
• People Will React Differently
• Control Rumors.

I believe these are great lifelong principles that people should live by.

LEARNING NEVER ENDS!

"Learning lessons does not end. There is no part of life that does not contain its lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned" (p. 145-146).

I think this is the strongest quote yet of the book. What do you think of this quote? I hope you agree...

A Community of Learners

The Core Knowledge Design:

"We must create an environment in which students can succeed and in which they develop, along with a healthy self-interest, an understanding of the sociological and cultural necessities for preserving the community" (p. 140).

A Community of Learners for Students: the learning community is centered around student interests and aspirations.

A Community of Learners for Faculty: using the development model will help target areas for improvement and utilize professional development as the mechanism by which the targeted areas are changed for the better.

A Community of Learners for Departments: identifying responsibilities of operations and sharing information and knowledge obtained by those operations.

A Community of Learners for Cross-Functional Teams: look at the broader picture. Operational learning of working on a routine process gave way to a level of conceptual learning or reframing the problem.

A Community of Learners for Planning Boards: developing patterns of interacting.

A Community of Learners for the Board of Trustees: setting limitations and accepting actions within limitations. Shifting learning and teaching to teaching and learning.

A Community of Learners for Jackson County and Beyond: inform citizens in the design of the community's desired future and to implement that design for continuous improvement.

Quality Initiative and the 7-S Model

Sinclair Community College and its Quality Initiative effort is designed as the primary strategy for making further progress toward becoming a learning college.

Shared Values: are commonly held beliefs, mindsets, and assumptions that shape how an organization behaves – its culture. Shared values are what engender trust They are an interconnecting center of the 7Ss model.

Structure: Structure is the organizational chart and associated information that shows who reports to whom and how tasks are both divided up and integrated. In other words, structures describe the hierarchy of authority and accountability in an organization, the way the organization's units relate to each other.

Strategy: are plans an organization formulates to reach identified goals, and a set of decisions and actions aimed at gaining a sustainable advantage over the competition.

Systems: Systems define the flow of activities involved in the daily operation of the organization, including its core processes and its support systems.

Style: refers to the cultural style of the organization, how to behave in achieving the organization's goals, how to collectively spend time and attention.

Staff: refers to the number and types of personnel within the organization and how companies develop employees and shape basic values.

Skills: refer to the dominant distinctive capabilities and competencies of the personnel or of the organization as a whole.

Learning Research, Outcome Measures, and Learning Organizations

Terry O'Banion makes it clear that in order to build a strong foundation for a learning college, technology is a key. However, there is another building block to help this foundation grow even stronger and that is research on learning and different styles of learning, along with new concepts of assessment and outcomes measures. O'Banion says that, "Pedagogy is the science and art of education. If pedagogy is stretched to mean 'how learners learn,' then applying what is known about learning becomes the underlying rationale for organizational culture" (p. 82). How learners learn dictates how the learning college is organized. The following presents theories of learning:

• Constructivism vs. Objectivism - "Construction does not cause learning. At best it can support and nuture it." Constructivists create real problems for real environments where learners examine, analyze, and create to solve these problems and make meaning for themselves.
• Multiple Intelligences - Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Brain-Based Research

"The greatest challenge of brain research for educators does not lie in understanding the anatomical intricacies in brain functioning but in comprehending the vastness, complexity, and potential of the human brain" (p. 88).

Assessment - Defined as "an ongoing process aimed at understanding and improving student learning" (p. 95).

O'Banion points out that the ultimate goal of education is to help the student develop satisfactory answers to these questions:

- Who I am?

- Where am I going?

- What difference does it make?

However, the learning college wants to answer these questions:

- What does this student know?

- What can this student do?

I believe these are much better questions setting the learner up for more chances to succeed.

Total Quality Management (TQM)

TQM refers to an integrated approach by management to focus all functions and levels of an organization on quality and continuous improvement. Over the years TQM has become very important for improving a firm's process capabilities in order to achieve fit and sustain competitive advantages. TQM focuses on encouraging a continuous flow of incremental improvements from the bottom of the organization's hierarchy. TQM is not a complete solution formula as viewed by many – formulas can not solve managerial problems, but a lasting commitment to the process of continuous improvement.

Learning Organizations

"A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring, and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights" (p. 99).

Goal- Create a community of commitment

Key Lesson: "a learning organization" IS NOT automatically "a learning college"

The Promise of Technology

In order for the learning college to sustain a firm foundation, many new programs and practices for operation is needed. The solution is new applications of technology. Because of the many advances technology has done for society, few educational institutions are ignoring its usage. However, it has been a focus on campuses that more effective use of technology be incorporated into teaching and learning. O'Banion makes a clear point how "in spite of claims that technology can transform teaching and learning, that transformations is not likely to take place unless faculty actually use technology"(p. 65). I think that this is a relevant point because I can think of a few professors myself that are so "old-fashioned" sort to speak, that I would not picture them using technology in their classes unless they were absolutely forced to. I like how O'Banion makes the point that in education, technology is a flexible tool that can enhance and expand learning when it is used to support a potent pedagogy and a content-rich curriculum. Here are some further points that O'Banion makes about the usage of technology in education and its importance:

• Technology is ubiquitous American culture, a way of life for the young and increasingly a way of life for older adults.
• Technology is a time and place free medium and usually an ism-free medium.
• Technology can assess differences, individualize instruction, test for progress, record achievement, and transfer results to other sources.
• Technology can provide access to great amounts of information including the most recently discovered knowledge.
• Technology can manage and coordinate complex arrangements and activities.
• Technology can extend and expand a sense of community and connectedness.
• Technology can challenge, stimulate, simulate, and even create new forms and connections.

Forming a Learning Community

O'Banion explains how collaborative learning takes place in a "learning community." An objective of building a sense of community is being able to form a sense of community, where people feel they will be treated sympathetically by their fellows. A learning community has been described as "a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members' needs will be met through their commitment to be together." Having common goals and values are essential for a learning community. It has also been researched that social interaction in the primary mode of fostering a sense of community.

The "Smart Card"

A interesting innovation that O'Banion makes notice of is called the "smart card." I have never heard of this before! A "smart card" serves a portfolio of information, a lifelong record of lifelong educational experiences. He mentions how the state of Ohio is currently developing a prototype of the "smart card." O'Banion gave an example of how by the end of 1996, every high school senior completing a vocational program in Ohio will receive a "Career Passport." I LOVE THIS IDEA!! The passport will include a personal profile, competencies, transcripts, attendance records, agency guarantees, letters of recommendations, and more. He points out that is is designed to act as a "living document" to reflect career changes and competencies achieved. What a great idea!

The Learning College

O'Banion suggests that the community college needs a new model of education, a model that incorporates the best practices and philosophies of its past with the expanding base of new knowledge about learning and technology. He calls this, "the learning college." The learning college places learning first and provides educational experiences for learners anyway, anyplace, and anytime. The model is based on the assumption that educational experiences are designed for the convenience of learners rather then for the convenience of institutions and their staff. The learning college is based on six key principles:

1. The learning college creates substantive change in individual learners.

2. The learning college engages learners as full partners in the learning process, with learners assuming primary responsibility for their own choices.

3. The learning college creates and offers as many options for learning possible.

4. The learning college assists learners to form and participate in collaborative learning activities.

5. The learning college defines the roles of the learning facilitators by the needs of the learners.

6. The learning college and its learning facilitators succeed only when improved and expanded learning can be documented for its learners.

A New Way of Learning

American education in general is at a strategic anxiety moment in its evolution. We're at a very odd midpoint between the death of one kind of paradigm of learning and the yet-undefined formation of an entirely new way of learning" (p. 46).

The institution that is going to enable this new way of learning: THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE.

Why?

• has a central role in American education
• has a long history of commitment to teaching and learning

O'Banion points out how community colleges are the first institution to feel the impact of change and because of this they become highly responsive to new needs and new opportunities.

Resistance to Change

O'Banion makes some remarkable points about the reform of education and change. He explains how the current reform efforts have sharpened the focus of learning and have created an opportunity for substantive institutional change - change that will always be met with considerable resistance. He states, "Resistance to change is a hallmark of higher education" (p.28). All of the stakeholders involved, the education bureaucrats, the faculty, the administrators, the students, and the parents, are the reasons why change is so difficult. Is change inevitable? If this is so, Terry O'Banion points out on key demand on education: more learning for more students at lower costs (p. 34). However, there are many pressures happening that may force change to happen such as:

• Economic Pressures - "There is universal agreement among all sectors of American society that improving education and training is essential if the United States is to remain competitive in the world economy."
• Technological and Competitive Pressures - Technology has enabled a new flow of information to people and because of this there is a need to incorporate it into curriculum. "In the future, the information will come to the people, wherever they are."
• Demographic Pressures - Next generation of students, the Nintendo generation is at the door. Also, return of older adults and workers with aspirations to improve their employment prospects and receive updated job skills.

The American Council on Education (ACE)

The ACE developed principles emphasizing how placing learning first is crucial because:

• We are becoming a society in which continuous learning is central to effective participation as citizens and wage-earners.
• The diversity of learners, learning needs, learning contexts, and modes of learning must be recognized if the learning activities are to achieve their goals.
• The learning experience is organized over the time, place, and pace of instruction.
• The development of a learning society may require significant changes in the roles, responsibilities, and activities of provider organizations and personnel as well as of the learner themselves.

I think these are all really good points. What do you think?

Placing Learners First

On page 20, Terry O'Banion mentions this: "The focus is on the learner, here referred to as the customer because as the authors explained, '[W]e prefer and use the word customer because we believe it is an important reminder that higher education is in business to serve others, not to perpetuate itself or to make self-interested choices.'" This is known as the enterprise model. This model made me think of how college runs as business and it makes me question whether or not the goals of colleges is to help their students become lifelong learners and succeed with in career they want in the future or are they just out to make money. I honestly do not like being referred to as a "customer." I would rather be called a learner or student. However, colleges and universities do function as a business. Education is an important means of investing in human capital. According to an article, College Affordability: Tuition Tax Credits vs. Saving Incentives,the government has played an active role in financing higher education in order to provide universal access to college. Despite government efforts to improve college affordability, federal aid programs have fallen short of their expectations. We have seen:

• Tuition continue to rise.
• College affordability is declining
• The participation gap between low- and high-income students is widening.

In addition, these trends have occurred for several reasons:

• Colleges have little incentive to control costs and tuition.
• The market for higher education is distorted.
• Middlemen receive much of the benefit from federal subsidies.

On page 21, it was further emphasized, "What is being demanded is not just greater efficiency, but a willingness to consider new ways of doing business in order to better serve customers." Is this placing the learner and learning first? My opinion is that it is not, it is to make money.