1. Professional development and innovativepedagogy in an online community throughthe lens of activity theory Global Skills for College Completion http://www.globalskillscc.org/ Brenda G Kaulback Knowledge in the Public Interest (KPI) Learning Design and Community Support Fielding Graduate University, School of Human and Organizational Development Specialization: Information Society and Knowledge Organizations (ISAKO)

2. Outline of Presentation Global Skills for College Completion (GSCC) Activity Theory GSCC as Activity System Three Aspects of GSCC as Highlighted by Activity Theory Conclusion

3. Community Colleges Two-year institutions educate nearly half of all US undergraduates (Mellow, Woolis, Laurillard, 2011) Approximately 20% of CC students transfer to four-year institutions (National Center for Educational Statistics) More low-income students, immigrant students, and black and Latino students enroll in community colleges than in four-year colleges and universities (Mellow, Woolis, Laurillard, 2011)

4. Developmental Education More than one half of community college students are required to enroll in at least one developmental education course. And many take more than one. (National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, 2003-4) Pass rates of developmental education students barely reach 60 percent (Bailey, 2012; Gates, 2010) Seventy-five percent of student who take remedial classes will not graduate from college. (National Center for Education Statistics, Bailey, 2012)

5. GSCC Premises Pedagogy is a part of the story. Educators estimated pedagogy accounted for 30% of student success. (Knowledge in the Public Interest, Pedagogy Matters Survey, 2011) Technology offers new ways to deliver professional development to improve pedagogy.

6. Global Skills for College Completion Improve faculty teaching practice Develop a developmental education pedagogy Create a model of professional development)

7. GSCC Campuses

8. Global Skills for College Completion When practitioners, with the help of researchers, transform their own work, a new kind of learning emerges . (Sannino, Daniels, Gutirrez, 2009)

9. Technology-enabled Tasks Document and reflect on practice Dialogue about practice and innovations Learn from each other and innovate

10. Activity Theory, Briefly Activity is the unit of analysis Systems view Joint collaborative activity Change comes from contradictions in system Marx, Vygotsky, Leontyev, Engestrm

11. Activity System of GSCC

12. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by activity theory The mutual boundaries of the learning and knowledge creation systems The contradictions created by the use of tags, themes, patterns The changing division of labor

13. Mutual boundaries of the learningand knowledge creation systems Professional Development and Developmental Education Pedagogy Professional Development Pedagogy

14. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by activity theory The mutual boundaries of the learning and knowledge creation systems The contradictions created by the use of tags, themes, patterns The changing division of labor

15. Sample Themes

16. Faculty Pattern Sample

17. Three aspects of GSCC highlighted by activity theory The mutual boundaries of the learning and knowledge creation systems The contradictions created by the use of tags, themes, patterns The changing division of labor

18. Division of Labor

19. Limitations of GSCC as aNetworked Learning PD Model Not in a university setting No assessment No credentialing High-performing faculty

20. Viewing GSCC through anActivity Theory Lens Overall useful in terms of seeing activity systems and contradictions in the system Situated in real practice making insights relevant and practical Important to be able to move back and forth between system level and more granular level Changes that emerge from contradictions are long term important to view from a shorter term view

21. Leontyev, speaking about the basis ofactivity theory in Marxism, describesactivity as a sensory, practical activityin which people enter into a practicalcontact with objects of the surroundingworld, test their resistance, and act onthem, acknowledging their objectiveproperties.

22. Results Qualitative data extremely positive No corresponding rise in pass rates

23. I know, without a doubt, that I am a better teacher now. Because I CAN characterize myself as a teacher and BECAUSE I have the tags and themes to act as identifiers as well as quality assurance guides, I am a better teacher. Frankly, I had not been actively practicing as a teacher. I had been teaching, but I had not been studying what was happening in the classroom and consistently using that information to make me a better teacher I think that Im a more effective teacher because Im a more confident teacher. The GSCC experience has made me more aware of the nuances of my teaching practice. It has helped me to hone my craft and not doubt my instincts. Even though my pass rates did not dramatically improve, I feel like more students passed my class BECAUSE I was in GSCC. I think that over

24. I had to explain to my colleagues why I chose to construct each lesson so, why I timed it so, how I could tell whether my students were learning and in doing this I was explaining myself to myself in a way that I ought to have done before Ive always practiced a pedagogy of caring, but I felt that was more of a weakness than a strength. Its been a privilege to work with others who care as much as I do. The tags have helped me drill down on what I do and why, and theyve given me a vocabulary to talk about teaching thats free of controversy and evaluation ... One of my best learnings was the ability to characterize myself as a teacher through tags and conversations with peers. It was truly an "ah ha" moment for me. Quite simply, life-changing.

25. Possible Interpretations Pedagogy didnt improve It is still early Faculty high performers Pass rates affected by other than pedagogy Difference between use value and exchange value

26. Conclusion 1 The coextensive activities provide a way of grounding the learning in the practice of the learners. Questions: To what extent do the varying motivational factors of each activity impact engagement with the learning? Will a weaker emphasis on generating new knowledge for the field decrease participant motivation?

27. Conclusion 2 Innovation and improved practice were generated through the mirror provided by patterns and by the contradictions between ones own pattern and that of respected faculty. To what extent will a different demographic (not high-performing faculty) impact the development of contradictions and innovation?

28. Conclusion 3 The division of labor and changing role of the teacher and learner supported a collegial community of learners engaged in joint labor. Questions: At the same time, the reaction of the learners to the changing role created some push-back from learners and a rethinking of the division with the creation of a role for faculty coaches. To what extent is this desire a result of the impact of change? Will this new division of labor adequately respond to the desire for more intervention?

29. References Bailey, T., Jeong, D. W., Cho, S.W., (2012). Referral, enrollment, and completion in developmental education sequences in community colleges. In Economics of Education Review, 29 (2010) 255270. Cohen, A.M., and Sanchez, J. R. (1997). The Transfer Rate: A Model of Consistency. Los Angeles, CA: Center for the Study of Community Colleges. (ERIC ED409952) (cited in NCES) Engestrm, Y. (1987). Learning by expanding: An activity-theoretical approach to developmental research. Helsinki, Finland: Orienta-Konsultit Key facts on developmental education. Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation website. Retrieved March 6, 2012 from http://www.gatesfoundation.org/postsecondaryeducation/Pages/key-facts-on- developmental-education.aspx Leontev, A.N. (1978). Activity, consciousness, and personality. Translated from Russian by Marie J. Hall. Englewood Cliffs, NJ; London: Prentice-Hall. Retrieved March 6, 2012 from http://www.marxists.org/archive/leontev/works/1978/index.htm Mellow, G. O., Woolis, D. D. and Laurillard, D. (2011): In search of a new developmental-education pedagogy. Change: The Magazine of Higher Learning, 43:3, 50-59. Sannino, A. , Daniels, H., Gutierrez. (2009). Learning and expanding with activity theory. New York: Cambridge University Press. U.S. Department of Education. National Center for Education Statistics. (2001). Research and development report: Community college transfer rates to 4-year institutions using alternative definitions of transfer. By Ellen M. Bradburn and David G. Hurst. Project Officer, Samuel Peng. Washington, DC: Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2001/2001197.pdf