Gateway Community of Pactice

The Community Education Coalition recently awarded funds to the Center for Teaching and Learning to manage the work of the Gateway Community of Practice. IUPUC, Ivy Tech Community College Columbus/Southeast Indiana, and the EcO Attainment Network are collaborative partners in this initiative with a goal to increase student success in gateway courses. Success in gateway courses improves student retention and degree completion leading to improved career and employment opportunities in the region. The initiative includes both instructor-driven and student-delivered strategies and will collect and analyze data to determine the most impactful approaches to increase gateway course success.

Teaching and Learning Academy

IUPUC and Ivy Tech Community College Columbus faculty members participate in the Gateway to Completion Teaching and Learning Academy (TLA). Educators implement best-practice improvement strategies in their gateway courses then document and share their experiences and results. Data such as grade distribution, retention, and course satisfaction are examined to assess the effectiveness of the strategies implemented. Read a summary of the 2016 Cohort’s work during the 2016-17 academic year.  Our newest TLA cohort members are:

  1. Leigh Britt, Visiting Lecturer, Mathematics, Division of Science, IUPUC
  2. Candy Knight, Assistant Professor of English, Ivy Tech Community College Columbus/Southeast Indiana
  3. Heather Krebs, Adjunct Instructor, Mathematics, Division of Science, IUPUC
  4. Jocelyn Ramos, Associate Professor of Microbiology, Assistant Program Chair – Life and Physical Science, Ivy Tech Community College Columbus/Southeast Indiana

Supplemental Instruction

Supplemental Instruction (SI) provides peer support inside and outside the classroom to enhance student engagement. Using trained Student Leaders, SI offers extra resources to students in a non-intimidating, but informed manner. Workshops for both faculty and Student Leaders were hosted at the IUPUC Center for Teaching and Learning on June 15, July 18, and August 2, 2017. Twelve full-time instructors, seven adjunct instructors, and seven staff members and student leaders attended. Participants reported the workshops were extremely helpful (evalulation results). More workshops will be scheduled for the summer of 2018.

Both IUPUC and Ivy Tech Community College Columbus actively participate in the EcO Attainment Network. The network brings educators, employers, and community partners together to build a coordinated, aligned learning system designed to connect residents to economic opportunities through education attainment. Within southeastern Indiana, the Department of Workforce Development projects that by 2025, 60 percent of jobs will require some type of postsecondary credential thus making education critical to the regional economy. While the focus of the Gateway Community of Practice is on helping students succeed in entry-level courses, it serves as a building block in the larger scope of work supporting learners as they progress along their educational pathway toward degree completion.