Course Assignments

1. Video reactions to readings:

We will be reading a New Directions reader focused on the community

college for this course. Our modules are set in two week intervals with
each module covering 2 chapters of this text. Each course participant
should record and post a video critical reaction to the readings. You
can post one video that shares your thoughts on both readings. Videos
should be between 2-5 minutes (No longer). In your video, consider the
following questions: (1) What did you find salient? (2) Where do you
agree? (3) Where do you disagree? (4) What more do you want to
know? You dont need to answer all of these for each video. Based on
the readings choose which questions to which you will react. Please
ensure that your audio is audible. There will be four video posts worth
10 points each. (40 %)

Due Dates: 8am on January 28, February 11, February 25, March 10

2. Life As a Community College Administrator Interview &

Analysis

For this assignment, you will couple reading the text Life as a
Community College Administrator with the interview of an actual
community college administrator in your area. First read the text at
your own pace based on the deadline. Generate a list of five critical
questions you would like to ask based on the content of the book and
your own experiences in higher education. Conduct interview. Your
interview should be video recorded. In your written document, you will
share the insights gained from the personal interview and discuss them
in light of the insight from this reading. In other words, you will discuss
both the text AND your interview in one written product. You should
highlight similarities and differences in perspective between the two.
Do not simply copy the interviewees answer to the question. Discuss
and analyze their answer, comparing it to what you have read. There
are two parts to this assignment:

1. Powerpoint: In the first part of the assignment, you will highlight

the key/important insghts that you gleaned from both the
reading and your interview. What are the most important lessons
learned about the challenges, rewards, considerations of a
community college administrator? Your powerpoint should
include: (1) Bulleted information/ideas/points to consider (2)
video excerpts from your interviewshare with us excerpts from
your video interview that highlight some of the most important
insights offered during the interview (3) narration. Please record
 narration on your powerpoint so that it can be watched as if you
are presenting it to us. (15%) Due March 25th by 11:30pm

2. Written paper. The paper is due one week after your powerpoint.
Completing the powerpoint first should assist you in writing a
more cohesive paper. In the paper please share each of your five
questions and write your discussion underneath each question.
(15%) 4-5 pages double-spaced, APA style. Due April 3rd by
11:30pm

Example

What is the greatest challenge in your role?

Working in administration brings with it many challenges and

obstacles at any type of institution. However, in the realm of
community colleges, administrators seem to face a unique set of
challenges that are driven by the size of the institution. In both the
text, and the administrator interview, the reality of wearing multiple
hats was named as a major challenge. Administrators in community
colleges are often tasked withetc etc etc

3. Final Project: Photo Essay Due April 24th by 11:30pm

This course front loads your assignments so that 70% of your grade is
completed before the month of April. In our final month together, you
will take a break from our virtual community and engage in an
individual immersion of a community college in your area. We can
read and discuss community colleges in a web portal, but the best way
to truly understand the community in community colleges is to
experience it. Your final project will involve your spending three weeks
completing three field-based assignments. You will pull these together
and share in your final visual portfolio: The Community in Community
Colleges.

Photo Essay of Learning: Early in the semester, select your

college and begin making contact for the multiple assignments in
this course (Administrator to interview, a campus event to
attend, and a faculty member that will allow you to sit in on a
class and take pictures of a learning community (with student
permission). Visit a course, and capture images of what learning
looks like on your community college campus.

Photo Essay of the Campus: Walk through the campus. Take

pictures of both the physical environment but also capture
images that are a visual display of community to you.
 Photo Essay of a Campus Event: Attend a campus event.
Campus programs might fill particular needs of the student
population at the community college. Show us through pictures
what student needs are being met through campus programming
at a community college.

You will pull all of these images together into a photo essay that shares
what the community in community colleges actually looks like. This
essay will only include images, no words. You may not be able to post
this. You may need to share this with us through an application like
drop box, google docs, or a link to a website, etc. If this is the case,
simply invite the entire class, post the link in the assignment box, or
send everyone an email. Please ensure that your images are
thoughtfully pulled together to tell a storyDo not simply post random
pictures that convey no meaning (30%)

Grading System

Letter Grade Percentage

A 100-90 points
B 89-80 points
C 79-70 points
D 69-60 points
F Below 60 points