9 2 Powerpoint Content Developing a Community of Practice

							          Developing a Community of Practice: Working with Faculty to Make Courses Accessible
                                                                        Karen R. Pettus, Ph. D.
                                                                    Student Disability Services
                                                                  University of South Carolina
                                                                                  AHEAD 2008
                                                                        Multiple Intersections
                                                                                 July 19, 2008




The Problem

      Two x squared plus three x plus 5

      Parenthesis two plus three lowercase i parenthesis divided by parenthesis minus sign four
       plus three lower case i

      Use the Rational Zero Theorem to find a zero.
       Function sign parenthesis x parenthesis equals three x to the fourth minus eleven x to
       the third plus ten x minus four

The Real Problem


       2x^2+3x+5


       (2+3i)/ (-4+3i)


       Use the Rational Zero Theorem to find a zero.
       f(x)=3x^4-11x^3+10x-4


Our Initial solution

      Obtained funding to create an assistive technology lab in our office

       …       Hired a coordinator

       …       Purchased hardware and software

       …       Established guidelines and procedures

       …       Provided “how to” information on making materials in alternative formats
Creating faculty partnerships
 Sent letters to faculty requesting assistance
 Called faculty and offered support
 Offered workshops through Center for Teaching Excellence
 Implemented the Community of Practice model
What is a community of practice?
      Groups of people who share a concern, a set of problems, or a passion about a topic,
       and who deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area by interacting on an ongoing
       basis
      Share information, insight, and advice
      Help each other solve problems
      Find value in their interactions
      Create tools, standards, designs, manuals and other documents
    Develop a common body of knowledge, practices, and approaches
Who Was invited?
      Faculty working with students who were blind and used Braille to access text
      Two students enrolled in 4 classes each, a total of 8 instructors plus two lab instructors
     One student was enrolled in a higher level math course and the other student was
      enrolled in Statistics
Where did we meet?
      The Center for Teaching Excellence
       …      Partnership with the CTE and Student Disability Services
       …      Faculty were encouraged to use the center to improve teaching skills
       …      CTE was looking for innovative approaches to reach faculty
       …      CTE centrally located in the library
       …    We had access to technology, quiet room, and support of the CTE staff
When did we meet?
      Before the semester began, we e-mailed each instructor to let them know there would
       be a student in their class who needed materials in alternative format and most likely
       would need Braille
      Invited each instructor to participate in the COP and set the first meeting for Wednesday
       afternoon the first week of classes
      Let the group decide on the most convenient time for them to meet in the future
         We met once a month for the remainder of the semester, roughly 4 times each semester

How did we conduct the meetings?
         Began by discussing the needs of the students and the format of the class
         Asked for assistance in understanding the requirements of the class and how this
          meeting could help them make their class accessible for each student
         Asked faculty for in put, what are your needs, what would be most helpful for you
         LISTEN, LISTEN LISTEN

WHY DID WE CREATE THE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE?
         Our campus philosophy :    Inclusion is Everyone’s Responsibility
         Faculty should have some ownership in making their courses accessible
         We need to provide support for faculty beyond how to convert materials to alternative
          formats
         We were not always aware of the requirements of the course
         We wanted to improve communication between our coordinators and faculty
Results
         We learned that faculty wanted more information about students with disabilities who
          were enrolled in their courses, and they wanted this information earlier than we had
          previously provided
         Faculty were doing more hands on demonstrations and lab work than we anticipated
         Faculty needed more assistance than just converting materials, they needed assistance
          with classroom management
      Faculty came back!!!!! Each semester we had faculty who attended all sessions and
       faculty from fall came to assist faculty in spring, even when they did not have another
       student enrolled in their course
resources
         Cultivating Communities of Practice
          Wenger, McDermott, & Snyder
         Knowledge Networks
          Hildreth &Kimbile
         Communities of Practice Website
          http://www.co-i-l.com/coil/knowledge-garden/cop/index.shtml
         IBM Communities of Practice
          http://www.research.ibm.com/journal/sj/404/lesser.html