New Designs for the Two-Year Institution of Higher Education

Work in Progress at the University of Minnesota

George Copa

What should the 21st century technical, proprietary, or community college look like? What learning results should be expected? What learning experiences should the curriculum, instruction, and assessment strategies promote? Who should be the teaching staff? And, how should the technology, equipment, and facilities be designed? The NCRVE project, New Designs for the Two-Year Institution of Higher Education (NDTYI), is working to answer these questions.

The project began in September 1994 by assessing the context for two-year institutions of higher education, focusing on the following shifts:

The design process has involved scrutinizing best professional practice and the latest research (particularly past and current projects of the National Center for Research in Vocational Education) on each of the design phases. Project staff have interviewed students, faculty, and administrators in two-year institutions around the country to get their ideas about new designs for best learning.

The project's National Design Group, which represents key stakeholders in the future of two-year institutions of higher education, has acted as an advisory group every step of the way (see sidebar for membership description). They recently met at Miami-Dade Community College and focused on partnerships and staffing needs for 21st century two-year institutions. Project staff also conducted focus group interviews with faculty at DeKalb College in Atlanta, Georgia to gain insights about the best organization of learning experiences for two-year colleges. During the American Association of Community Colleges National Meeting, the National Design Group addressed initial plans for the learning environment for NDTYI.

The last phases of design will focus on the investment needed to put the design into practice, and the new concepts for the celebration of learning for 21st century two-year institutions of higher education.

A preview of the Two-Year Institution of Higher Education was presented at the March 1996 meeting of Renewal and Change 2000, a collaborative effort of some 20 presidents of the largest urban community colleges in the country. Project staff have been invited back to present a more complete report this fall. A status report was also made in April 1996, to the Council on Universities and Colleges (in conjunction with the American Association of Community Colleges). NDTYI's proposed Learning Outcomes and Design Specifications for the Learning Process (see sidebars for descriptions) were featured at this conference.

For further information on the New Designs project, contact George Copa at (612) 624-9284 or Sandra Krebsbach at (612) 624-1705.

The mailing address for George Copa is 425D Vocational and Technical Education Building, 1954 Buford Avenue, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108. His e-mail address is copax001@maroon.tc.umn.edu

Project results are continually being reported through an Internet web site at http://www.coled.umn.edu/epa.

New Designs

Learning Outcomes

The New Designs Project has established the following Learning Outcomes for 21st century technical, proprietary, and community colleges. These outcomes address the learning results that will best prepare students for future changes in our way of life.

Learners will leave the two-year institution with added general and specialized competence in the context of work, family, and community responsibilities in order to:

  1. Function in a diffuse and complex environment
  2. Work independently and collaboratively
  3. Make decisions
  4. Use information
  5. Communicate ideas
  6. Use technology
  7. Problem solve
  8. Produce results in an area of endeavor
  9. Manage their own continuous learning

New Designs

Design Specifications

The NDTYI Project has established the following Design Specifications for the learning process in 21st century technical, proprietary, and community colleges. These specifications represent the most effective approaches for achieving the project's learning outcomes, as well as necessary changes in curriculum, instruction, and assessment.

Design Specifications for Learning Process

  1. Aligned with the learning signature and learning outcomes
  2. Creates strong sense of learning community
  3. Personalized to the needs and prior experiences of the learner
  4. Provides multiple pathways to reach learning outcomes
  5. Managed by learner in consultation with learning staff
  6. Employs collaborative learning
  7. Engages the learner in inquiry and knowledge construction
  8. Linked to global information network
  9. Guided by experienced navigators
  10. Uses learning projects drawn from the needs of the community
  11. Results in learning products valued by the community
  12. Applies continuous assessment which is embedded in learning and linked to external standards

New Designs Staff

The National Design Group is representative of key stakeholders in the future of two-year institutions of higher education in the United States. The group is made up of: Augustine Gallego, Chancellor of San Diego Community Colleges; Jacquelyn Belcher, past Chair of the American Association of Community Colleges and President of DeKalb Community College in Georgia; Dorothy Horrell, President of Red Rocks Community College in Colorado; Robert McCabe, former President of Miami-Dade Community College, now Senior Fellow with the League for Innovation; Ruth Silverthorne, Director of Multicultural Services at Skagit Community College in Mt. Vernon Washington; James Frasier, a corporate training executive at Motorola University; Paul Cole, Vice President of the American Federation of Teachers, Secretary Treasurer of the New York State AFL-CIO, and member of the National Skills Standards Board; Bruce Jilk, nationally known architect and educational planner specializing in educational environments with Hammel Green and Abrahamson, Inc. located in Minnesota; and Sally Novetzke, an active community volunteer with Kirkwood Community College in Iowa.

The New Designs for the Two-Year Institution of Higher Education is led by a team of educators at the University of Minnesota in the College of Education and Human Development. George Copa and William Ammentorp co-direct the project. Copa has extensive background in vocational education and holds the Rodney S. Wallace Chair for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning. He also directed the New Designs for the Comprehensive High School which is now impacting high school design across the country and internationally. Ammentorp is Chair of the Department of Educational Policy and Administration and is known for his work in computer modeling of educational and human service systems. Copa and Ammentorp also co-direct the University of Minnesota's Leadership Academy for Two-Year Institutions of Higher Education which focuses on leadership development and design for postsecondary education. Neil Christenson, who served as Deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs for the Minnesota Community College System and president of two Minnesota community colleges, serves as a resource to the team. Sandra Krebsbach, Project Coordinator, is a Ph.D. student in Educational Policy and Administration, and has had administrative experience in both secondary and postsecondary education with a special focus on educational innovation.

Table of Contents | Next Article | Previous Article