Professional Development Plan
Being new to the field of higher education has allowed me to be able to step back and really assess my interests in higher education. Previously, I had worked in collegiate athletics and had thoroughly enjoyed my time spent there, but I then took a wild leap and landed in the military logistics field three years ago. Now that I am about to complete my Master’s, an opportunity has landed in my hands that has opened my eyes up to my true interests in higher education. My husband is an officer in the military and we have just been stationed overseas for the next three years, two of those in the middle-eastern country of Bahrain and one will be in Germany. As I have been preparing for this move, I came to realize that I was intrigued by the role of Muslim women in society, mainly in the educational field. Since we found out where we would be moving to, I have been researching and making contacts in Bahrain to arrange for both work and volunteer work in the higher educational field and along the way I have uncovered some hurdles that affect Muslim women, as well as any woman trying to break into higher education. In such a male dominated country and culture, I have sought out the only all-female university, the Royal University for Women. To get my foot in the door of higher education and women’s studies, I plan on working in admissions for the Royal University. Upon returning to the states, I plan on pursuing my Ed.D. in Educational Administration and Policy Studies at George Washington University. These studies will prepare me for achieving my ultimate goal in working for a non-profit organization, such as Women for Women International, which helps to educate and empower women in third-world countries across the globe through education.
In order to spring board onto the career path that I would like to pursue, I contacted the Future Women Society (FWS) of Bahrain. This society focuses on the development of young girls in primary and secondary school, encouraging them to seek out degrees in higher education. FWS works hand in hand with many of the all-girls schools in the region, including the Royal University for Women. With only 83 percent of women being able to read, FWS concentrates on improving the literacy skills of children, as well as any women looking to improve their reading skills (Index Mundi, 2010). I have also identified an international organization that advocates for women’s education around the world, along with supporting women in leadership positions in higher education. The mission statement of Women’s Education Worldwide, or WEW, is to “share best practices, to collect and disseminate data about women’s colleges, to foster exchange among our institutions, and to advocate for women’s education worldwide” (Mount Holyoke, 2008). I believe that this organization is a great opportunity for me to network with female leaders in education from around the world and to gather new ideas for how to implement policy advocating for the increase in women’s education in Bahrain, as well as the United States. WEW holds a yearly conference at one of its member institutions, this year being the University of Sydney, to discuss topics such as the economic impact of women’s education.
Another great conference that would further my growth in higher education is the Higher Education International Conference that is held each year in Beirut, Lebanon. Because I will miss the conference this year, which is held in May, I plan on attending in 2011 since I will still be living in the Middle East. A few of the key points that this year’s presenters will be focusing on are how to deliver quality higher education, community service, and women in higher education (HEIC, 2010). This conference also allows for the submission and presentation of research done by educators around the world, allowing for a plethora of different ideas and beliefs that can institute change in higher education. I believe that this opportunity will allow me to explore my interests in Muslim women in higher education, along with international policies on education, which will translate into a better understanding when I begin to pursue my doctorate after I return to the states.
One publication that I currently subscribe to is Women in Higher Education. This publication concentrates on current issues facing female college students, as well as female educators and administrators in higher education. This publication is a valuable tool for women in education because it provides informative and insightful articles on issues ranging from the recruitment of minorities to the development of leadership skills. The website for the publication also includes an employment section with institutions that are actively seeking females in higher education. In the future, I see this publication to be a great outlet for me to publish research on international women’s issues and to attend one of the many workshops and conferences that WIHE organizes.
Although there are many incentives to being able to travel the world with the military, the one drawback that I am faced with is the fact that I will not be in any one city for more than two or three years at a time, preventing me from keeping roots at any one school or organization. However, I do believe that my travels around the world will provide me with the knowledge that it takes to possibly one day stand in front of the United States Congress, or even Bahrain’s education ministry, and lobby for equal rights and more educational opportunities for women.
References
Higher Education International Conference. (2010). Preliminary detailed program. Retrieved from http://www.heic.info/program
Index Mundi. (2010). Bahrain literacy. Retrieved from http://www.indexmundi.com/bahrain/literacy.html
Mount Holyoke. (2008). Women’s Education Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.mtholyoke.edu/proj/wew/index.html.
Higher Education Law/EDLD 8431
Bradshaw v. Rawlings
Facts of the Case
Donald Bradshaw was an eighteen year old sophomore student at Delaware Valley College. On April 13, 1975 in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, Bradshaw was injured in an automobile accident as a passenger in a car driven by another student, Bruce Rawlings. That night, the students had attended a school sponsored picnic at a park operated by the Maennerchor Society for the sophomore class in which alcohol was served (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979). Although it was a school sponsored activity and a faculty member, in planning with the sophomore class officers, had provided a check using the sophomore class funds to purchase the beer products, there were no faculty members present to monitor the picnic, as many of the students attending were under the drinking age of 21 . Prior to the event being held, the school put up published flyers, which insinuated that beer would be served, announcing the picnic around campus. The beer that was provided was order from Sunny Beverages, as sold by Majorie Moyer, by the sophomore class president, who was also underage, and the students at the picnic consumed between six and seven kegs of beer (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979).
Upon leaving the picnic, Bradshaw took a ride from Rawlings to go back to the college. Witnesses stated, including Bradshaw himself, that Rawlings had be drinking at the picnic. Rawlings said that he could not recall anything that had happened between the time that he exited the picnic and until the time after the accident. Bradshaw was riding back to the college in the back seat of Rawlings' Saab when Rawlings lost control of his vehicle and struck a parked car along Union Street. Rawlings stated that he lost control of his car upon driving along a drainage dip in the street. Because of the automobile accident, Bradshaw suffered a cervical fracture, leaving him a quadriplegic (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979).
Issues of the Case
The main issue in this case is whether or not the college, Deleware Valley College, had a duty to monitor and control the behaviors and activities of the students who attended the picnic and, ultimately, decided to consume alcohol underage and then drink and drive. Also, is there tort liability for the town of Doylestown, Pennsylvania, where Bradshaw was injured and the picnic took place. Another question in this case is whether liability can be placed on the beer distributor and seller for providing the alcohol to the underage students at the picnic.
In answering the main issue in this case, as to whether the college has tort liability for the students, it was found that the court owed Bradshaw the duty to prevent harm from those students who were attending the school sponsored sophomore picnic. It was also found under the issue of whether there was tort liability for Doylestown, that they were negligent because of the failure to foresee the harm that might come to the students driving along the roads that were not properly maintained (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979). In the last question of the case, Marjorie Moyer, the seller from the beverage company, can be found liable for having knowingly sold alcohol to minors, and that alcohol consumption contributed to the accident that left Bradshaw paralyzed.
Reasonings of the Court
The court stated that it has been traditionally recognized that the higher education institutions of today, although they formerly held responsibility for their students, as In loco parentis, no longer are responsible for the actions, behaviors, and the safety of their students. Students who are of eighteen years of age are regarded to be adults, making it harder for the college to regulate their activities. In deciding whether or not the college failed in their duty to protect the students from harm, the court looked at if the college failed in providing alcohol to the students when they had a policy in place that prevented the consumption and possession of alcoholic beverages. The court ruled that the college did not assume a custodial relationship with the students because the school regulations were only mimicking the existing state laws in place, therefore making them not liable for the students' actions (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979). Also, the court found that was not a special relationship between the college and the students because of the school supplying alcohol to the students at an off campus activity. Bradshaw insufficiently argued that the college had liability because they should have exercised control over the students, preventing them from participating in dangerous actions, such as driving while intoxicated. This is a prime example of the school being found to be a “bystander” in the actions and behaviors that resulted in a student suffering injuries and the school not being held liable (Kaplin & Lee, 2007).
The court found the town of Doylestown to be negligent for not foreseeing that someone could possibly be harmed by the roads that were improperly managed and taken care of. Bradshaw argued that if the drainage dips in the roads, mainly on Union Street, had been constructed and maintained better, and there had been proper warnings in place, the accident might never have happened (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979).
In the question of whether the seller of the beer, Marjorie Moyer, was liable for the injuries sustained by the plaintiff, the court system found her to be liable. Moyer argued that there was no link between the sale of the alcohol and the injury to plaintiff, as well as the fact that there was no evidence that Rawlings was intoxicated that night. Witnesses testified that Rawlings was intoxicated when he left the picnic, and Rawlings himself stated that he had no memory of the accident. The court found that Moyer was liable because she knowingly sold the beer to a minor, the sophomore class president, and that she knew it would be consumed by students at the picnic who were underage (Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 1979).
Instructional Design/ITEC 7430
Instructional Design Project: ESOL
For my instructional design project, I have selected a six year-old, female student, Marbella, who is learning English as a second language. The student is from San Pedro Sula, Honduras and her first language is Spanish. The student has only been in the United States for approximately six months and is currently enrolled in a kindergarten class, as well as a three times a week after-school program sponsored by Latino Outreach in our local community. I have noticed that the student is struggling with learning some basic English phrases, including greetings and statements pertaining to herself, so I have tailored her tutoring sessions to accommodate these problem areas. The goal for the project and, more importantly, for the student, is for her to be able to correctly use phrases involving two or more words when the teacher prompts the student for a response. When instructed by the teacher, the student will write the phrases word for word. The phrases will be copied from a list of phrases that will be written on the board. The student, when presented flash cards depicting the phrases in a situation, will correctly match each situational flash card with the corresponding phrase flash card. When prompted with the situation by the instructor, the student will accurately recite the correct corresponding phrase back to the instructor. The student will also be able to correctly use, while engaged in simple conversational exercises, memorized phrases or sentences in predictable topic areas. My instruction has concentrated on her achieving a basic foundation of English in order to allow her to progress in her educational studies, as well as her social skills with other English-language speakers.
Learner Analysis
In order to collect data on the learner analysis, I have interviewed some of the other volunteer instructors at Latino Outreach who had previously worked with the student. In doing so, I concentrated my interviews on several factors: how well the student had performed by looking at previous assignments; the student's level of attention during instruction; the student's interaction with the teacher, as well as other students; and how well the instructor actually perceived the student to be progressing in their studies. I also observed the student during her English lessons with another instructor for three days, nonconsecutive. Also, I interviewed the student herself and her parents. Because I have a conversational knowledge of Spanish, I was able to question the student and her parents as to how she felt towards her English-language instruction and also any areas that she felt that she needed help in. All three of these methods provided clarity into how the student was progressing and some areas that needed extra concentration in order for the student to flourish in the classroom.
Entry Skills and Prior Knowledge
Prior to moving to Georgia almost six months ago, the student's exposure to English was minimal. She expressed that the only time that she really heard English spoken was when she saw English-language cartoons or movies on television, but those were subtitled in Spanish so she did not pay attention to the English being spoken. Also, her parents did not speak any English, nor did any other members of her immediate family. In order to assess her entry level skills, I observed her participating in English lessons with another instructor. I observed that she was able to accurately count to ten in English, as well as identify several colors and vocabulary words such as hello, goodbye, yes, and no, but would struggle when the lesson turned to simple phrases. The English instructor that I interviewed expressed that the student, when spoken to in Spanish, was extremely verbose and intelligent for her age, but was struggling in picking up phrases with two or more words.
Attitudes towards Content and Academic Motivation
If there was one characteristic that instructors of the program noted that the student was not lacking, it was motivation. The student came in every day in a cheerful mood and was always ready to begin her lessons with the instructors. Although the student expressed her concern to me that she was unable to communicate with her classmates and teachers very well, she was eager to go to class every day and learn more so that she could, as she stated, “understand everything Dora the Explorer said.” The instructors that worked at the center all said that if she understood something that another student did not, she was always willing to help demonstrate the lesson or translate so that the other student could follow along.
Educational Ability Levels
In order to assess the student's educational ability level, I observed her completing assignments with another instructor. It was clear that she was able to write and recite the alphabet and was also able to write some basic vocabulary words. As with many people learning a second language, it appeared to me, and other instructors had previously stated, that the student was able to understand much of what the instructors said to her, it was just that she was having a hard time responding to their questions. Because I did not have access to her school records from Honduras, I could only rely on what the student's parents could tell me from her time in the educational system there. The parents stated that she had done well in her pre-school program and was able to read several children's books in Spanish at her early age.
General Learning Preferences
Upon observation of the student, it was obvious that she preferred to learn in a one-on-one situation, rather than a large group setting. During times in which the entire class was involved in the lesson, the student's attention seemed to wane, as any young child's would, and she would need a few reminders in order to get back on track with the lesson. When working on greeting phrases in English, the student participated and interacted well in a small-group learning setting. When given a role-playing situation for each student to take part in, although she had a hard time responding in English, the student appeared to be attentive and listening to the instructions the teacher was giving. I observed, along with the other instructors, that this was true for almost all of the other students in the class.
Attitudes towards Teachers and School
Overall, the student, as well as her classmates, seemed to have a very positive attitude towards their school and the after-school program. Although some of the students expressed varying degrees of frustrations with not being able to understand what their teachers were asking of them, many of the students actually enjoyed attending school, with some viewing school as a reprieve from their home life. Both I and the other instructors had observed that the student was trying to develop friendships with many of the other children, as well as the instructors themselves.
Group Characteristics
All of the students that are attending this after-school program are Hispanic and speak Spanish as their primary language. Although there are over 50 students who utilize this program during the week, with seven of them being in kindergarten, all the students are struggling with their basic English proficiency. Altogether, they are at varying stages of their English learning, but they all express their willingness to learn. The student herself comes to the after-school program with her older sister, who is twelve, and their brother, who is eight, all of which are learning English for the first time. In observing the student at work, and speaking with fellow instructors, I believe that given the great work ethic exhibited by her, as well as her existing comprehension, with a little more encouragement, and one-on-one attention, she will excel in her English.
Assessment Plan
In order to ensure that the student comprehends the learning concepts of the lesson, various forms of assessment will be used. Informal assessments will be used, along with a final formal assessment at the end of the lesson. Prior to starting the unit, I was able to talk with the other instructors at the after-school center who had briefly worked with the student to gain a better understanding of her level of English. These observations allowed me to tailor the instruction to better meet her needs, as the instructors were able to point out her weaknesses, which included the greetings, and her strengths, which was counting in English and understanding basic verbal commands. Because I will be one-on-one instruction with the student to provide concentrated attention, it will be easy for me to conduct assessments at the end of each week. For example, we will be utilizing flash cards with the instructional phrases printed on them and a series of kid-friendly videos in English that play out scenarios using the vocabulary we are focusing on that day. At the end of the week, I will have an opportunity to quiz the student on what we have covered during that week’s lesson. To quiz the student, I will use an exercise in which we engage in conversational role playing to allow the student to try to correctly pronounce and use the vocabulary from the unit, as well as utilize vocabulary from previously covered units, allowing her to learn how to incorporate other words and phrases into her vocabulary. This quiz will allow me to gauge exactly how well she understands the lesson and how much of the new vocabulary she is able to absorb and then utilize in daily conversations. At the end of each day, I spend about ten minutes talking with the student, in Spanish, about the lesson that we have just completed in order to assess what areas she is grasping, as well as those areas we need to provide more focus on next time. Another assessment, which gives the student practice and allows me to provide feedback, is to use wordless books. These books, such as Do you want to be my Friend?, by Eric Carle, allow students to make up their own stories, using their own vocabulary. During this assessment, I am able to review phonics with the student, give the student practice in dictation, and develop their recognition of the vocabulary by sight, as we are able to write the story in the book with erasable markers.
The one formal assessment that I will be utilizing will be the post-test (see Appendix A) at the end of the unit. This final assessment will focus on the student being able to identify the phrases verbally, correctly write these phrases, and being able to correctly match the phrases, as responses, to the correct question. The final assessment will be administered in four separate sections. In section one, the student will be shown a flash card and then will have to correctly write the vocabulary in the blank. In section two, the student will match the phrases according to whether they are self statements or greetings. For section three, the student will be shown a flash card and then will have to match the phrase with the correct response. For section four, the instructor will go through a conversation with the student to ensure that they are able to correctly predict and use the phrases without a prompt from the instructor. In the final section, the student will be graded on how well she can repeat back the phrases that the instructor reads to her. At the end of each section, the instructor will collect the papers so that the student cannot look back to get answers for the proceeding sections.
Description of Instruction
Instructor
All of the instruction with the student will be one-on-one in order to better ensure that she fully understands the lesson and that any questions that may arise can be quickly answered. Each lesson builds upon the other and, in order to trigger her memory of what we have covered in prior lessons, we start each day off with five to ten minutes, depending on the previous lesson, going over the vocabulary and phrases from the lessons and the alphabet to ensure that each letter is pronounced correctly. Although when learning a new language, it is advised to not speak the learner's native language, the easiest way to communicate our learning objectives for the day is to speak in Spanish with her when delivering instructions. Because many of the exercises involve the student repeating back or identifying a phrase that they have heard, feedback from the instructor will be immediate. When participating in the flash card exercise the student will first be shown the card with a phrase written on it and then will be given time to sound out the words, with pronunciation prompts from the instructor, and then put the phrase together verbally. Much like the flash card exercise, the videos, with English-subtitles, will depict a cartoon scenario of children engaging in activities in which they are utilizing phrases from the unit. At various points during the video, the instructor will stop it to ask the student what she heard and if she can identify any of the phrases correctly. During the lessons in which the student must actually write out the phrases on paper, the instructor will be there to guide her in spelling and making any corrections. The instructor will also write the phrases and vocabulary that will be used that day on the board at the beginning of the session. The instructor, when covering a new phrase, will refer back to the phrase written on the board, while saying it aloud, so that the student will visually and audibly recognize it. If the student has trouble answering any question during each lesson, the instructor will first provide her with a prompt and then if she still is unable, the instructor will provide her with the correct answer. All feedback, minus the final exam will be given immediately and verbally. With the feedback for the final assessment, the instructor will grade her answers and then provide feedback in the form of thoroughly going over and making corrections to each question that she might have answered incorrectly.
Learner
During the instructional session, the student will be completing several different tasks depending upon which exercise she is completing. During the flash card exercise, which requires precise attention, the student will have to focus on sounding out each individual word, with prompts from the instructor, and then putting them together to make the correct phrase. When watching the instructional videos, the student will have to be alert to the phrases used, as well as the subtitles, so that she can answer the questions that the instructor will ask. During the exercises in which the student will be asked to copy down the phrases after the instructor has verbally given them to the student, she will be given help from the instructor, but only after trial and error, with her first having attempted to correctly spell on her own. At the end of the lesson the student will be given the final assessment. The instructions for each section will be read aloud and explained further, if needed, to ensure that there is no confusion or misunderstandings on the student’s behalf. After the final assessment has been completed and scored, the student will be given time to go over any questions with the instructor to ensure the she understands what she missed, what the correct answer is, and how to correct it.
Formative Evaluation
Sample Learners
The target learner is a six year-old kindergarten student, Marbella, who is struggling to learn the English language and is enrolled in a Latino Outreach after school program in Houston County. Marbella is having trouble with phrases pertaining to greetings and statements of self, such as: My name is Marbella, I am hot/cold, I am six years old, and several other statements in the English language. There are seven other students at the after school program who are currently enrolled in kindergarten with Marbella, all having varying degrees of English proficiency. Prior to selecting these students, I gave them a pre-test on basic English vocabulary and phrases, all tailored to their age group and based on ESOL standards. During the pre-test I will make note of any difficulties the students have in understanding any verbal instructions and also how long it takes each student to respond to each verbal command. Out of these seven students, five were chosen to be part of the sample learner group. The sample group is comprised of three girls and two boys. The students have varying proficiencies in English, with two speaking almost fluent English, two speaking with average proficiency, and the lowest student only comprehending simple phrases in English. I will be conducting one-to-one evaluations with these students in order to assess the clarity of my instructions, the impact on the learner, the feasibility of the instruction, as well as their possible ideas on what areas I should improve upon.
After the initial pretest, I will be working with each student individually, presenting them with the assessment that I will be using on the target learner. Because much of the instruction relies on verbal instruction, I will be taking note whether or not the student understands the wording and phases used in the instruction. If the student is having trouble understanding the instructions, I will make changes accordingly to utilize a kindergarten level of vocabulary, as well as easier to understand words in English. If the student is having trouble sounding out words, then I will make note to review periodically review phonics with the student. Also, if the student becomes distracted during instruction, I will make changes in order to keep the student engaged during the lesson. After the instruction has been completed, the final assessment will be given to assess its clarity, making sure to note the ease in which students comprehend the written and verbal instructions. At the end of the formative evaluation with the sample students, I will allow them to evaluate my lessons so that I can make any needed changes to the instructions. See Appendix B for a sample evaluation for the learners.
Subject Matter Expert
The expert that I have chosen for the formative evaluation, Tatiana Urteaga is an experienced ESOL instructor and the director of the program. I will be giving her an outline of the instruction, as well as a copy of the objectives and the assessments for her to critique. I will also be allowing her to observe my instruction with the sample learner group. At the end of the lesson, I will be allowing her to evaluate my lessons so that I may be able to create clear and concise instructional design. See Appendix B for a sample evaluation for the expert.
Appendix A
Final Assessment
*The directions will be read to the student by the instructor in order to prevent any confusion in reading for the student.
1. Write vocabulary given. You will be shown phrases on flash cards and then will be asked to write each phrase in the space given below. You will be given one minute per flash card to copy the phrase.
a. ___________________________________
b. ___________________________________
c. ___________________________________
d. ___________________________________
e. ___________________________________
f. ___________________________________
g. ___________________________________
h. ___________________________________
i. ___________________________________
2. Identify vocabulary that relates to greetings and statements of self. Classify each phrase as a “greeting” or “self statement.” Circle “G” for “greeting” or “SS” for “self statement” beside each phrase.
1. My name is______. (G) (SS)
2. I am six years old. (G) (SS)
3. I am hot/cold. (G) (SS)
4. Thank you. (G) (SS)
5. Where is the bathroom? (G) (SS)
6. I am hungry. (G) (SS)
7. You’re welcome. (G) (SS)
8. Hello. (G) (SS)
9. Good-bye. (G) (SS)
3. Identify the words and phrases visually. You will be shown flash cards that have the phrases from the lesson written on them. You will then be asked to write the letter of the correct response in the blank beside the phrase that corresponds to the flash card being held up.
1. I need to use the bathroom. _____ A. My name is______.
2. How old are you? ______ B. I am hot/cold.
3. What is your name? ______ C. You’re welcome.
4. Your mother greets you in the morning/night. ______ D. Where is the bathroom?
5. Do you want something to eat? ______ E. I am six years old.
6. Thank you. ______ F. I am hungry.
7. Is the room too hot/cold? ______ G. Good morning/good night.
4. Student will repeat back words spoken to them. This part of the assessment will be verbally based. The instructor will read out the phrases listed above in question #3 and the student will repeat them back to the instructor. They will be graded based on the following criteria:
0 | 1 | 2 | Total Points | |
Pronunciation | Student could not pronounce any words. | Responded, but with phonetic errors. | Responded with clarity in pronunciation. | |
Response | Student could not respond to question/phrase at all. | Responded, but only after prompts from instructor. | Was ready with response and did not need the use of a prompt. | |
Certainty | Student did not responding after 20 sec pause and after instructor repeating words several times. | Responded, but with pauses. Student may need a prompt to repeat the words. | Responded quickly and clearly. No prompt needed. |
5. Predict phrases to be used based on prompts from the instructor. This part of the assessment will be verbally based. The instructor will go through a conversation with the student to ensure that they are properly using the vocabulary and phrases. They will be graded based on the following criteria:
0 | 1 | 2 | Total Points | |
Pronunciation | Student could not pronounce any words. | Responded, but with phonetic errors. | Responded with clarity in pronunciation. | |
Correct usage | Student could not respond using corresponding phrases. | Responded, but without full sentences/grammatical errors. | Responded clearly, with correct phrases. | |
Response | Student could not respond to question/phrase at all. | Responded, but only after prompts from instructor. | Was ready with response and did not need the use of a prompt. |
Appendix B
Sample Evaluation for the Learners:
1. How easy/difficult to complete was the final assessment?
2. Did the videos and flash cards hold your attention?
3. Were the instructions (verbal and written) clear enough to understand?
4. If you could change the instruction/final-assessment, what would you change?
5. What did you like the most/least?
6. Were there any points during the activities that were particularly difficult?
Sample Evaluation for the SME:
1. Are the objectives and instructions stated clearly in easy to understand English?
2. Do the skills align with the objectives?
3. Was the instruction too long or too short?
4. Are the skills that are being taught age appropriate?
5. Do the skills being covered in the final-assessment correspond to the objectives?
6. How could the skill progression be improved to better facilitate learning?
References
Bradshaw v. Rawlings, 612 F.2d 135 (3rd Cir. 1979).
Kaplin, W. A., Lee, B. A. (2007). The law of higher education (4th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Multicultural Education: The Culture of Today
Higher education has always been a continuously evolving field. As progress is made with newer and better technology, education strives to incorporate it into everyday curriculum. As new theories on how we should be educating tomorrow’s leaders are cultivated, we, as the educators, attempt to integrate it into our teaching methods. So, why wouldn’t we change the way we look at education when our students themselves are changing? Today’s student population is fast changing, with more and more students representing many different countries, cultures, races, and languages. Multicultural education is defined as a “system of instruction that attempts to foster cultural pluralism and acknowledges the differences between races and cultures. It addresses the educational needs of a society that contains more than one set of traditions; that is a mixture of many cultures.” (Encyclopedia.com, 2010). Because the student population is becoming more diverse, we need to place more focus on cultural awareness, and less on the Americanization of our students. The university, as well as the faculty, must work to ensure that students with minority backgrounds feel comfortable on campuses and in classrooms by including diverse perspectives in all facets of the university activities. If faculty only focuses on “diversity during a single class period [it] results in students' believing that diversity is an outlier rather than recognizing it as an integral part of human existence” (Oltjenbruns & Love, 1998). Institutions of higher education are working to incorporate the theories of multicultural education into all functional areas so that they can attract and then retain new students and faculty members as well. All the functional areas, such as housing, judicial affairs, and even the faculty have changed their practices to embrace multiculturalism, but the areas that have been most affected by the changes are student activities, admissions, and financial aid. These three functional areas are in constant contact with the currently enrolled students and, at the same time, it is necessary for them to be culturally aware and be able to provide an incentive to draw in prospective students.
Student Activities
At Georgia Southern University, the Office of Student Activities is committed to organizing events through programs such as Eagle Entertainment and also through a plethora of student organizations. GSU recognizes that this “involvement can provide students a foundation for success, a passion for learning and a commitment to responsible global citizenship in a community dedicated to teaching, research, creativity and service,” which lays the groundwork for a multicultural education. Georgia Southern is much like the state supported coed commuter college outlined in the institutional characteristics. With a student population fast approaching 20,000, GSU is ever growing and changing, so it would be a natural occurrence for it to transition into a multicultural institution. In order for institutions much like GSU to attract minorities and international students, they must provide incentives. The Office of Student Activities plays a vital role by offering many different student organizations, such as black Greek fraternities and sororities, Hispanic associations, and GLBT clubs, which are tailored towards students of many cultures and also helps to expose students to these diverse cultures. For example, a Native American university association at the large, state supported university could devote a week to the promotion of Native American languages, cultures, and traditions in order to bring awareness to a minority population. Institutions strive to deliver events, entertainment, activities, and student organizations that will create an accepting environment that establishes a campus community. It is important for the institution to be open to all cultures and, in turn, allows for students of all cultures to feel welcome and comfortable.
Anna Ortiz and Robert Rhoads developed a five step model on multicultural education which “goes beyond traditional efforts that teach students about various cultures to actively engage students in understanding the concept of culture and their own role in its creation” (Magolda, 2003). In step two of this model, learning about other cultures, the student is encouraged to actively seek out opportunities, such as cultural events, to engage in dialogue with diverse people and to gain an understanding of the significance of cultural values, norms, and traditions. Rhoads goes on to conclude that the participation in service-learning courses or community service projects promoted change and cultural awareness by forcing students to confront their own stereotypes and generalizations (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005).
Admissions
The Office of Admissions is designed to facilitate the introduction of new students into the university and to ease the transition from high school, or another institution, and into a collegiate life. According to Chickering’s first vector in the Seven Vectors of Student Development, college leads to an increased competence in all areas, but most importantly in intellectual areas, which leads to an increase in cultural sophistication (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). In a small, coed private college with a small percentage of international and minority students, the Office of Admissions needs to work hard to attract and retain these sub-cultures. Orientation programs, such as Georgia Southern’s SOAR, should have segments that are meant to target minority students. For some of these students, English may not be their primary language and brochures written in their native language, such as Spanish, would ease their tensions of starting at a new school and could be passed along to their parents who might not have a clear grasp of English either. Also, because the student population of small private schools tends to be homogeneous, having the Office of Admissions to work in conjunction with the Office of Student Activities to create a first year experience seminar that is targeted towards minorities or at-risk students will foster a goal of “promoting academic performance, persistence, and degree completion” (Pascarella & Terenzini, p. 400). Since the content of first-year seminars can differ widely from school to school, or even between departments in one school, a college hoping to cultivate an accepting environment can create a seminar with a multicultural theme for all students to participate in. A study by the University of Maryland at College Park found that students who participated in first year seminars were consistently more likely to persist into the second year at a higher rate than those who did not participate, and with minority students having a higher drop-out rate than Caucasian students, this can be of great benefit to them (Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005). Larger, state sponsored universities, such as the University of Colorado at Boulder have come up with a unique way of spreading the word on multiculturalism. The university has designed a Center for Multicultural Affairs that works in conjunction with the Office of Admission. The goal of the center is to alleviate the stress for students with multicultural backgrounds and also provide opportunities for other students to experience different cultures. One program offered for incoming students is an advocacy program; this program provides these new students with a voice. The student advocates work with new students, whether they have language barriers or just are stressed by a new environment, to ensure that they receive proper academic advisement, walk them through the steps of financial aid, and also act as a mentor during their collegiate career (University of Colorado Website, 2002).
Financial Aid
A person might wonder why financial aid is important to the challenges faced by educators in a multicultural environment, but the answer is an easy one: how else would many of our students afford college? One of the best ways for universities to diversify its student body is to start when potential students are still in high school. All institutions, whether they are small private universities or are large state supported schools, can benefit from financial aid representatives get out into communities and targeting areas in which students are less likely to attend college because of socio-economic reasons, such as lack of funds for tuition. The private university with a population of around 2,000 students might defer many lower income students, such as children of migrant workers, because of the higher cost of tuition. One of the selling points for the Office of Financial Aid would be to inform students that because of a smaller student population, students receive more one-on-one attention from faculty members, allowing for 90% of the students enrolled to graduate within four years. Also, many students are actually unaware of their financial aid options and having financial aid representative talk with students and their parents about grants, minority scholarships, work-study, and loans will provide assurance, as well as encouragement. According to one study in Pascarella & Terenzini that took into account family income and size, academic ability, age, race-ethnicity, parental education, and enrollment status, “each $1,000 of grant aid increased educational attainment by about .16 years,” and the odds of persisting into the second year for students receiving a need-based grant are six percent higher than for a student who does not receive aid (p. 409). Overall, the best practice for financial aid representatives to foster multiculturalism is to get the word out. If students, current and potential, are unaware of their funding options for higher education, they are not going to be able to take advantage of them and will ultimately miss out on an invaluable education.
The shifting demographics of the United States present a challenge to all who are involved in higher education. “All students must be sensitive to issues of diversity that will affect their success as professionals in a given field,” and whether today’s educators are ready for it or not, the university environment is shifting into a global society (Oltjenbruns & Love, 1998). No longer is it acceptable to briefly touch on different cultures during just one class lesson; multiculturalism has become a daily theme. Any educator can walk through campus and meet students from different backgrounds, countries, and ethnicities. Without this diversity, we, as students and educators, will become homogeneous and closed to the outside world. In order to create an educational system that is open and inviting to all cultures and societies, all functional areas of universities, not just student activities, admissions, and financial aid, must work together to facilitate and foster a multicultural environment.
References
Encyclopedia.com. (2010). Multicultural education/curriculum. Retrieved from http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1G2-3447200378.html
Magolda, M.B.B. (2003). Identity and Learning: Student Affairs' Role in Transforming Higher Education. Journal of College Student Development, 44 (2), 231+.
Oltjenbruns, K. & Love, C.T. (1998). Infusing a Multicultural Perspective into Higher Education Curricula. Journal of Family and Consumer Sciences, 90 (1). 54+.
Pascarella, E. T. & Terenzini, P. (2005). How college affects students. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass.
University of Colorado. (2002). Center for multicultural affairs. Retrieved from http://www.colorado.edu/odece/cma/.
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