This article describes the process used to develop and assess an NSF-funded instructional innovation: an online collection (https://www.CAUSEweb.org/smiles/) of 28 interactive songs of high esthetic quality designed to span literature-based learning objectives of introductory statistics that develop statistical literacy and reasoning. The…

(Purpose) The purpose of this paper was to examine the issues associated with bringing new technology into the classroom, in particular, the vocational/technical classroom. (Methodology) A new Haas 5 axis vertical Computer Numerical Control machining center was purchased to update the CNC machining curriculum at a community college and the process…

Increasingly at West Kentucky Community and Technical College (WKCTC), English 101, English 102, and Enrichment 091 are taught online, allowing students more work availability and time with family, while decreasing commute time and expense. In order to meet the library orientation needs of these online students and provide other options for…

In this article, the author shares how efficient and effective Google Documents is for faculty seeking to engage students in inquiry-based, emergent, and primary research in first-year composition courses. The specific appeal of Google Documents is that it occupies a space between "open source"--defined by the Open Source Initiative as "free,…

Two-year institutions are increasingly jammed with students who lack academic readiness--a command of those basic skills that will help them find employment in the workplace or continue on to four-year institutions. That's where remedial--or developmental--classes come into the picture. Community colleges are investing heavily in remedial programs…

Today's learners are busy. They dash from work to school and back, talking and texting as they go. In their downtime, they are immersed in a digitized world of point-and-click technology that integrates sound and image. Teachers can talk to these students more--and more effectively--by offering an analogous style of teacher response. This article…

A long time ago, revamping a school's telecommunications infrastructure was up there with scaling Mount Everest as one of the toughest challenges around. First up was the task of finding a new PBX. Then came the chore of rewiring the campus. Before long, project costs skyrocketed. Even well-funded IT departments struggled to get the job done.…

The INVEST learning system is a computer-based program offering developmental courses in reading, mathematics, writing, life skills, and learning skills. As part of a joint project sponsored by the League for Innovation in the Community College (LICC), the American College Testing Program, and the INVEST Corporation, California's San Diego Miramar…

The authors teach upper-level science courses in cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry at a public, four-year "community university" that serves a demographically diverse population of traditional and nontraditional students. In this article, they describe some of the issues they have found to be particularly significant at their "community…

Testbanking provides teachers with an effective, low-cost, time-saving opportunity to improve the testing aspect of their classes. Testbanking, which involves the use of a testbank program and a computer, allows teachers to develop and generate tests and test-forms with a minimum of effort. Teachers who test using true and false, multiple choice,…

In January 1990, project SYNERGY was launched by 19 two-year colleges and 3 four-year colleges coordinated by Miami-Dade Community College, in Florida, with support from IBM and Title III funds. The project was designed to review and compile lists of useful instructional software for basic skill remediation and develop an integrated, adaptive,…

This paper describes the development of a college online tutor training course at Oakton Community College (Illinois) that attempted to solve the difficulties of training without a loss of effective practice. The online designers had two special considerations in course construction: maintaining the pedagogical soundness of the course modules and…

With funds from the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Project SYNERGY was launched in January 1990 to address the problem of students entering colleges underprepared in basic skills and to make use of the tremendous potential for significant remediation through computers. Twenty-two institutions in the United States and Canada,…

Finding the perfect vendor partner for any campus initiative takes more than patience and planning; it takes an open mind. In the case of the two institutions and their software initiative leaders profiled in this article, a careful assessment of need--coupled with a good deal of out-of-the-box thinking--led to innovative approaches to vendor…

With funds from the International Business Machines (IBM) Corporation, Project SYNERGY was launched in January 1990 to address the problem of students deficient in basic skills entering colleges. Project SYNERGY I focused on reviewing and compiling a list of useful instructional software for basic skills remediation; Project SYNERGY II focused on…