WNCC 2010 Self-Study Report - Western Nebraska Community ...

amount). Division Chairs allocate the funds; in most cases, instructors travel rotationally since the
expense usually exceeds the individual amount to attend a conference, training, or seminar.
The budgets for both the Vice President and the Dean of Educational Services contain staff
development accounts for educational purposes such as in-house workshops, seminars, and
webinars for full-time and part-time faculty. The budgets for Safety, Human Resources, Student
Services, and Information Technology also include monies for staff development. In the 2008-2009
academic year, the Dean of Educational Services’ office spent over $33,000 in staff development.
Following are additional examples of resources supporting a solid learning environment:
1. WNCC has a curricular improvement plan instituted in the spring of 2009 which provides
innovative grant stipends for course development and improvement (with specific
guidelines). According to the VSET survey, 96% of the full-time faculty responding believe
they have the opportunity to participate in the development of the courses they teach.
2. The WNCC environment is conducive to faculty exploration and implementation of new
learning methodologies. WNCC began offering online courses with four in the spring of
2000. In the fall of 2008 there were 54 online course offerings. Blended Instruction, a
combination of online learning & face-to-face instruction, is also available to the faculty as
an option for course offerings, along with WebCT/Blackboard support for any class.
3. WNCC provides internal training opportunities through webinars and workshops, such as
ones on assessment, veterans’ affairs, student service, disabilities, or safety. Access is
arranged during the lunch hour (lunch provided) whenever possible.
WNCC acknowledges the importance of supporting teaching as the ultimate institutional mission in
its overall effort to be an excellent educational provider, as shown by the various support strategies
in place to allow instructors to grow professionally and to access resources which will improve their
classroom teaching and student learning results.
Core Component 3c: The organization creates effective learning
environments.
WNCC strives to create successful learning environments for students and faculty members
through a combination of services and facilities support. The College evaluates its facilities and
their usage to improve and expand the learning opportunities, which includes managing space and
resource allocation.
Campus Learning Environments and Support Systems
Supportive learning environments are created at WNCC campuses through direct support, such as
counseling services, academic advising, career assistance, internships, a first-year experience
course, computer access and services, as well as through distance-learning availability. Other key
factors are provisions for safety and security and the availability of multiple learning environments.
Counseling Services
Counseling services for students are available in the main building at Scottsbluff. Similar services
are also offered at the Alliance and Sidney campuses through weekly visits by the Counseling
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