Title of Effective Practice: - California Postsecondary Education ...

Direct Connection to Policy Area 1 of The Illinois Commitment
Environmental Print Initiative (EPI)
Morton College
What issue or need is addressed by the effective practice?
The EPI supports the College’s goals to maximize resources to support student learning and to discover new ways to
help students succeed by transforming College facilities to enhance learning. Research indicates that future
generations of college students will be increasingly visual in learning style. The EPI is an effort to respond to that
preference in a visual style using existing resources – College facilities. The College is trying to engage students with
new knowledge and the possibility of learning. The hope is that making more of the College about student learning
will help infuse the idea of learning as an opportunity in the College culture.
Description of the effective practice:
For many years, the Morton College district was known for three things: Al Capone, racial tension so severe in the
1960's that even Dr. Martin Luther King dared not march and, recently, the federal indictment of the former mayor,
Betty Loren-Maltese. The town was more infamous than famous. Despite the town's troubled past there was a rich
history beneath all of this, a history that included the fact that it was the location of the Hawthorne Works where
ground-breaking sociological research took place. Also, the town was the manufacturing heart of the United States; it
was the center for the production of phones, refrigerators, and trains, all of which completely transformed the lives of
all Americans. This rich history had been lost in this often sordid past. Dr. Brent Knight, president of Morton College,
decided to change all of this by creating the Environmental Print Initiative (EPI). EPI is a multi-layered project,
which seeks to capture this rich history and create a sense of pride through innovative visual projects. It has resulted
in a “wow factor” for the College and created a glowing sense of pride for the administrators, community members,
faculty and staff.
Displays featuring the Hawthorne Works, telephones, aluminum manufacturing, Hotpoint appliances, the railroad
industry, and the future ones planned for the Savings and Loan industry serve as a museum for the community and for
the College. The museum will be open for tours and for connections to the curriculum in the elementary schools.
Currently, planning is being done to develop a curriculum around the local history that can tie the school system and
the College more closely together in an effort to build civic pride in the exciting heritage that belongs to Cicero. Also,
in the halls where the science classrooms are located are exhibits of shells, insects, and animal brains, which students
view as they are coming to and from class.
How does this practice achieve sustainability?
Resources required for present and future development of the EPI are largely time, though some fiscal investment
(printing and installation costs) will also be required. Oversight will come from College administration. Maintenance
will be performed on an as-needed basis. Several additions to the current elements of the EPI are in development;
opportunities for future growth will be reviewed by pertinent administrators.
What are the results/measurable outcomes?
The College is trying to contribute to a substantial platform on which our students will build their understanding of
the world. Outcomes should include increased understanding of those themes of the EPI (including, at present, local
history of industry, Illinois historical figures, and more). Quality will be maintained through extensive research and
review prior to and subsequent to development of new displays that are part of the EPI. Assessment of outcomes will
be ongoing and involve pre- and post-testing of sample groups of students regarding content of the EPI.
An assessment model was developed to test the effectiveness of the EPI. The walls were covered and students’
knowledge was tested about the themed room. Then the wallpaper was removed and students were exposed to the
print. After months of being surrounded by the information, the walls were covered again. Students were given the
same test. Repeatedly, student showed marked improvements.
Assessment results were analyzed by the environmental print committee. It was found the classes with the greatest
gains were the ones which had strong visual elements rather than written texts. This indicated students learned more
from the strong element than reading the information. This discovery greatly influenced the design of future print.
Contact Information
Name: Jason Kovac
Email: Jason.kovac@morton.edu
Phone: (708) 656-8000
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