Bowling Green State University

Partners in Context & Community



Address: E209 Harshman
City: Bowling Green
State: OH
Zip or Postal Code: 43403
Country: U.S.A.
Program Director (or best person to contact): W. Robert Midden
Email: midden@bgnet.bgsu.edu
Phone: 419-372-9443
Fax: 419-372-9779
Web Address: http://www.bgsu.edu/colleges/as/pcc/

Brief Program Summary
The Partners in Context & Community (PCC) program is an innovative program for middle childhood (grades 4-9) and secondary (grades 7-12) education majors. The core of the program integrates a relatively intense field experience with course work, starting the first semester of a student's college education. This is supplemented with a rich array of co-curricular activities that take learning beyond the boundaries of the traditional classroom. PCC students learn to teach by actually teaching and working in high-need urban schools. Students gain valuable practical experience while developing close relationships with faculty and peers.

Sources of funding
Student fee ($50/semester) U.S. Dept. of Education Grant in the Teacher Quality Enhancement Program

Program Reports To:
Dean, College of Arts & Sciences Dean, College of Education & Human Development

Are students charged an additional fee: Yes

The number of persons in each of the following categories are teaching academic credit bearing courses
Fulltime Tenured Faculty: 2
Fulltime Probationary Faculty: 0
Fulltime Instructors: 1
Fulltime Retired Faculty: 0
Fulltime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Fulltime Graduate Students: 0
Fulltime Residence Hall Staff: 0

Parttime Tenured Faculty: 7
Parttime Probationary Faculty: 2
Parttime Instructors: 1
Parttime Retired Faculty: 0
Parttime Adjunct Faculty: 0
Parttime Graduate Students: 0
Parttime Residence Hall Staff: 0

Academic staff involved in the program that weren't included as faculty above
(Academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing academic services to students such as advising.)
Fulltime Academic Staff: 0
Parttime Academic Staff: 1

Non-academic staff involved in the program
(Non-academic staff are personnel who are involved in providing services that do not directly involve academics such as residence hall staff or staff who organize social activities that are not tied to academics.)
Fulltime Non-Academic Staff: 1
Parttime Non-Academic Staff: 0
Number of faculty offices in the residence hall: 3
The approximate percentage of students in each grade level
First Year: 70
Second Year: 30
Third Year: 0
Fourth Year and above: 0
Graduate Students: 0

Total Number of Students: 43

Year the Program Began:2001

Academic Courses Offered In The Community
ENG 111, required, 3 credit hours ENG 112, required, 3 credit hours EDHD 201, required, 3 credit hours BIO 101, required, 3 credit hours ACS 250, 3 credit hours EDCI 490, required, 2 credit hours PHYS 101, required, 4 credit hours others

Other Academic Offerings


Classrooms in hall
4

Summary of Facilities and Facilities Budget We have a newly renovated residence hall with 18 faculty offices, three regular classrooms, another classroom specially designed for art, a computer lab, a large conference room, a smaller seminar room, a multi-purpose room that is used for games, meetings, entertainment and additional computer stations, a music practice room equipped with pianos and computer station with a large variety of music generation and notation software and electronic keyboards, arboretum along the windows of one wing of the first floor, a variety of gathering places for informal meetings including one with a gas fireplace and one with a built-in aquarium maintained by the marine biology lab, a cafe area served by a small fully-equipped kitchen, reception desk and rooms for office equipment and supplies.

Computer Resources in the Residence Hall
Computer lab with 22 computer stations equipped with a master station and projector for instruction with access to DVD, CD, VHS, streaming digital video coupled with a large digital library. There is a separate facility with 3 additional computer stations to ensure that some computers are available even when the computer lab is in use for instruction.

The Role of Community Partnerships
The PCC students spend one day a week working in East Toledo area schools. The program works directly with the teachers and community in that area by providing professional development to the teachers and supporting educational reform events in the area. Community members, business people, teachers and BGSU faculty also serve on an advisory board that oversees the program.

The Role of Leadership Development
The PCC students live and work within a small and supportive community which helps them to gain confidence and to pursue opportunities in the larger university community. They are encouraged to take an active role in their learnign process.

The Role of Research


Summary of Assessment Activities
The assessment activities for this program are beginning to be formalized. The students completed the National Survey of Student Engagement after their first year of participation in the program and that data has not yet been analyzed.

Summary of Extracurricular Activities Formally Associated with the Program
Each Monday afternoon the students meet for their weekly mandatory community time. Some of the community time activities are directly related to education while some focus on team building and others fall somewhere in the middle. Trips to the Toledo Museum of Art and the Toledo Zoo as well as many others have helped students to examine what resources in the community can help them as teachers. A low ropes course helped establish a feeling of community early on in the year. Several teachers and administrators have visited to speak with the students about various educational topics.

The Role of Interdisciplinary Studies
Core classes in Education, English composition and other disciplines are fully integrated for for first year students and these courses have strong links to the field experiences.

How Diversity Issues are Addressed in the Program and in Courses
PCC students have explored the issue of diversity (cultural, socio-economic, etc.) through an American Culture Studies course. Some of the community time activities that students have participated have been related to diversity.

How Diversity Issues are Addressed Among Faculty and Students
This year our students will be reading two books over the summer which discuss diversity. The students will participate in book discussions during their first days at the university this fall to critically examine these readings. Diversity is discussed in virtually all of the student's academic courses and through their reflections on their work in the schools.

Student Demographics
62% female 38% male 8% hispanic 92% caucasian 21.8 average ACT 3.12 average high school GPA

Faculty Rewards for Participation in the Program
Release Time:
Salary Supplement:
Travel Funds:
Other: yes

Description of Other Rewards
personal satisfaction

Disciplines Represented by the Faculty
education, chemistry, biology, physics, English (creative writing, rhetoric & composition), american culture studies, geography, popular culture, and many others

Willing to Serve as a Consultant:
Yes

Greatest Challenges for this Learning Community:
Finding financial support for transportation and for staff to arrange and supervise field experiences. The field experiences seem to be the part of the program that has the most impact on students but the resources required to provide these experiences are not yet considered regular parts of the budget so it will be a serious struggle to maintain them when the grant expires.

Suggested Bibliography