City College of San Francisco - California Competes

THEME III
Another example is the English as a Second Language (ESL) and Transitional Studies Departments’
Reflective Teaching Project (RTP), initiated in response to requests by ESL faculty for a venue to discuss
classroom issues in a structured and supportive environment. RTP is based on the reflective cycle of
learning documented by John Dewey. Commensurate with the goals of student engagement, reflective
teaching promotes critical thinking skills and encourages instructors to find ways to involve students
as active participants in their own learning. This grant-funded project has allowed ESL and Transitional
Studies instructors to meet once a month at several campuses to discuss a specific classroom issue of
concern to them. The participant-led agenda and confidential nature of the dialogs have encouraged
instructors to raise issues freely among their peers in a structured and prescribed manner, focusing on
finding solutions to staff-development concerns. The project has been very successful and in response
to increased faculty interest, plans are underway to find ways to expand it.
III. Case Studies
These examples of dialogs were selected for the quality of involvement by a larger number and/or variety
of participants, use of information/data, and the significance of the resulting and ongoing effects on
institutional improvement and responsiveness to student needs. They reflect the voices of the initiating
source of the dialog:
• from faculty—Design Collaborative
• from administration—Enhanced Self-Study (ESS)
• from students—service learning (SL) and the student election process
• from campus/program sites—campus/site advisory committees
and community-based organizations (CBOs)
Design Collaborative—Faculty-Initiated Dialog. The Design Collaborative is an interdisciplinary initiative
that to date has involved discussions and curriculum planning among faculty from the departments
and programs of Architecture, Art, Graphic Communications, Multimedia Studies, and Photography, along
with the deans of the School of Science and Mathematics and Liberal Arts, and administrators from the
Office of Research, Planning and Grants. There is no formal administrative structure; it is a true collaborative
effort among department chairs, instructors, and deans, whose common interest and dedication to
their professions and to student learning have created the momentum and outcomes. Right from the
start the chairs and deans encouraged this innovative collaboration. The initiative has moved through
many stages, all involving dialog and consensus-building, to identify ways to better serve students,
discuss challenges, and find solutions.
Discussion started in Spring 2000, when the chairpersons of Photography, Graphic Communications, Art,
and Architecture began to explore the possibility of teaching courses collaboratively. The Dean of Science
and Mathematics supported the idea and had a conversation with Chancellor Day about how a collaboration
might fit the then-developing animation industry. The Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs called
a meeting of the founding departments and the Dean of Liberal Arts during which the project goals and
plans were discussed and clarified, resulting in a VTEA grant proposal submitted in March 2002. The
following academic year (2002-03), more dialog, planning, and review of data occurred. Those activities
that involved significant discussions included:
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