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Haiti: OCHA Operations Director calls for greater commitment from donors
7 June, 2012
Humanitarian partners in Haiti are bracing for an increase in new cases of cholera as the hurricane season gets underway. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), heavy rains and flooding could contaminate water sources and trigger a surge of up to 4,000 new cholera cases per week in the coming months. At the same time, funding for programmes to control the disease and treat the sick is running out.
"It is unacceptable that lives are being lost to cholera because last year's capacity building in the areas of response and prevention were lost due to a lack of funding," said OCHA Director of Operations John Ging after a three-day visit to Haiti in May. He stressed the urgency for more commitment by donors.
The US$230.5 million Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) for Haiti is the second least funded appeal in the world. Critical sectors including health, water and sanitation have received less than 20 per cent of required funding.
During Mr. Ging´s visit to a cholera treatment center run by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in the Martissant neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, aid workers expressed grave concerns about this year's epidemic, which has already infected 27,503 people, 208 of whom have died.
The World Health Organization and PAHO have warned that up to 250,000 people could contract the disease this year, and that the majority will be sick during the rainy and hurricane seasons, which last until the end of November.
During his visit, Mr. Ging also met Haiti's Minister of Health, Dr. Florence Duperval Guillaume, who outlined the government's plan for a more sustainable approach to cholera and healthcare. Improving the appalling conditions of hundreds of thousands of people who lack potable water and basic sanitation was highlighted as the most urgent priority in the effort to prevent further outbreaks of disease.
Representatives of donor countries acknowledged during a meeting with Mr. Ging that much progress had been made but agreed that the cholera epidemic and the plight of the Haitians still living in camps must motivate everyone to improve current conditions.
"Having saved their lives after the earthquake, it is urgent to help rebuild livelihoods," Mr. Ging concluded.
Reporting by OCHA Haiti
More>> Latest Haiti Humanitarian Update (Source: Reliefweb) - Haiti Humanitarian Appeal 2012


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[ Source: gitmagic ]
Package: gitmagic (20101222-1) [universe]
Links for gitmagic
Ubuntu Resources:
Download Source Package gitmagic:
Please consider filing a bug or asking a question via Launchpad before contacting the maintainer directly.
Original Maintainer (usually from Debian):
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It should generally not be necessary for users to contact the original maintainer.
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|Package Size
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Home > Conferences > Organizers > POCO
The 2011 Panel of Conference Organizers (POCO) was held in Beijing, People's Republic of China, 21-23 July.
Recorded sessions and supporting documents, including presentations from the 2011 POCO are posted on this page.
Session topics marked with an asterisk (*) are not available
Conference Organizer Basics (PDF, 125 KB)


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Annual Report for the period October 1, 2010 to September 30, 2011.
Posts Filed under Uncategorized
Annual Report for 2010/2011.
22 December 2011
Filed under: Uncategorized. Tagged: Annual Report
Title III First-Year Evaluation
23 March 2011
Filed under: Uncategorized
Title III Annual Progress Report for 2009/2010
23 March 2011
Filed under: Uncategorized
Title III Grant Text
13 May 2010
Institutional Narrative
Demographic Information for Berkeley City College
Berkeley City College (BCC) is an accredited California Community College and one of four colleges in the Peralta Community College District. BCC's campus is located in downtown Berkeley, California, a city of just over 100,000 residents on the east side of San Francisco Bay. The College's service area includes the urban cities of Berkeley, Albany and Emeryville, with students also coming from nearby Oakland, San Francisco, and other cities in Alameda County.
The region's leading industries include trade, transportation, and utilities; manufacturing; business services; and construction. However, this dynamic economy is facing growing challenges. More than 29,000 jobs have been lost since 2002, nearly 10,000 in the last year alone (California Employment Development Department, 2008). Unemployment is now above the national average and the poverty rate exceeds 20 percent, well above the national average.
BCC boasts an increasingly diverse student body of more than 6,200 (Fall, 2007). In fact, the College's student population is more diverse than the service area overall. An overview of Berkeley City College and its students is presented below.
|About BCC
|Berkeley City College's mission is to promote student success, to provide our diverse community with educational opportunities, and to transform lives. BCC's values include a focus on academic excellence and student learning; a commitment to multiculturalism and diversity; a commitment to preparing students for citizenship in a diverse and complex changing global society; and the importance of innovation and flexibility.
|v A seven-member Board of Trustees representing the Peralta Community College District governs the district's four colleges.vVoters within the district elect the Trustees to four-year terms. Board meetings are held monthly and are open to the public.
vAdministratively, the college operates under the direction and oversight of the college president, who oversees two vice presidents who carry responsibility for administration, instruction, student services and facilities.
vDeans and Directors provide direct oversight for the tasks related to the provision of administrative, instructional and student services.
|Basic Data
|Current Statistics
|6,231 Total • Part-time 82% • Full-time 18% • Day 65% • Evening 35%
|Female 60% • Male 40%
|African American 24% • Hispanic 12% • Asian 16% • White 32%
|< 18: 9% • 19-24: 32% • 25-34: 26% • 35-54: 24% • > 55: 9%
|Financial Aid
|African American 45% • Hispanic 28% • White 18%
Berkeley City College has grown by 32 percent since fall of 2006, when the head count stood at 4,695. The new urban campus and its central location in downtown Berkeley are attracting an influx of students. As a result, resources, space, and staff have all been stretched thin to accommodate this growth. Increasingly limited financial resources have made it very difficult for the College to accommodate student growth.
Berkeley City College's growth in numbers and diversity reflect the community it serves. BCC's feeder schools in northern Alameda County have been struggling with a growing achievement gap. In 2006, Berkeley High School's African American students ranked second from the bottom on standardized tests as compared to all schools in the county. This trend held true for Latinos in the district, as well. In addition, growing numbers of K-12 students have limited English proficiency and the district reports more than 51 native languages spoken by district students. Not surprisingly, as these students enroll at Berkeley City College, 80 percent are testing below college-level English and Math, according to assessment test results.
Based on the changing demographics and needs of the community (detailed in the CDP), the focus of College has shifted from general education to developmental education. BCC believes it must support students who are under-prepared for college by providing access to the multifaceted support needed to achieve the identified learning outcomes which will ensure academic and lifelong success.
a. Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP)
1. Analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, & Problems; Planning Process
Planning and preparation activities for Berkeley City College's Title III application began in 2006 and were expanded under the leadership of Dr. Betty Inclan, the College's new president. Dr. Inclan elicited input from students, faculty, staff, administrators, and external constituencies in one-on-one conversations, in shared governance committee meetings across sectors, and with the College Roundtable on Planning and Budget on needs and practical solutions to issues facing BCC. Beginning in 2006, before the move to the new, permanent facility, faculty, staff, and administrators began envisioning the changes that could be made at BCC with a Title III grant. Through nearly 100 meetings, both processes generated input from a wide range of sources that included: accreditation reports, the Academic Senate, environmental scans, budget advisory committee, BCC's Educational Master Plan 2001-2016, shared governance planning committee, community partners, Student Learning Outcomes Committee, journal articles and studies. In addition, one of Dr. Inclan's first acts as president was to initiate an internal scan of all employees. Through this process, BCC has identified its significant strengths, weaknesses, and problems in academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability.
|Strong articulation agreements and transfer alliances
|BCC has strong articulation agreements with the University of California at Berkeley (UCB), University of California at Davis, Cal State East Bay and others. Approximately 80 students transfer to UC. Of those, approximately 50 transfer to UCB. This is the fifth highest rate of transfer to UCB statewide, based on comparable school size.
|Committed and innovative faculty
|Faculty members are constantly working to create new courses and delivery methods for students; they also advise a great many extracurricular learning experiences for the students, such as Milvia Street Arts and Literature Journal, the Chaucer to Pynchon In 90 Minutes Show, the Ecofair, the Digital Video Showcase, and the Global Studies Club, The Black Student Union, and the Indigenous Club, among many others.
|Valuable special programs to serve special populations
|Extended Opportunity Programs and Services, Carl Perkins, Disabled Students Programs and Services, and Program for Adult College Education all serve populations of diverse students.
|Community outreach and partnerships
|There are many partnerships with community groups, other higher-learning institutions, the Community College of San Francisco mentorship program; Rubicon, the Ecology Center, Poetry Flash, Berkeley High School; Emery High School; Academy of Chinese Culture and Health Sciences; B-Tech Academy; University of California, Berkeley; Aspire Public Schools; City of Berkeley Mental Health and Public Health; Building Opportunities for Self Sufficiency; YouthWorks; and the Career Advancement Academy
|Embracing innovation
|An entrepreneurial and innovative faculty has created several new programs in the last ten years such as, Global Studies, Community Health Worker, Social Services Paraprofessional, and five strands of Multimedia. The college is always looking for new ways both to package and offer courses in ways that will better serve students.
|Effective shared governance system
|There is a collegial attitude among sectors – administration, faculty, staff, and students; all constituents are very committed to shared governance.
|Effective institutional research
|Institutional Research and Planning tracks and provides key data to support college decisions and has recently been heavily involved in preparation for the 2010 Accreditation Self Study, the Accountability Report for California Community Colleges (ARCC) data, the Equity Plan, the fledgling Basic Skills Initiative, program reviews, unit plans, and the Educational Master Plan.
|Community involvement and leadership
|Faculty, staff, and administrators have relationships that leverage resources such as service on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA, and other local non-profits and community-based organizations.
|Financial acumen at the district level
|Peralta's chief financial officer has received national recognition for leveraging Peralta's scarce resources. He is committed to helping the college institutionalize grant-funded positions.
|Community support for programs and services will help leverage grant funding.
|BCC is a strong part of the community and serves as a solid partner in the area's educational delivery system. The last two Peralta bond measures passed with over 75% of the vote. In addition, BCC has strong ties to area middle and high schools and the University of California.
|No consistent or systematic process across departments for assessing student learning outcomes (SLOs)
|While work has been done on writing institutional, program, and course-level learning outcomes, there is no assessment mechanism in place and no feedback loop to consistently identify and use the data for improving learning.
|Underdeveloped culture of evidence
|There is no college-wide process for reviewing learning outcomes, monitoring revisions, or collecting and housing the resulting assessment data so that it is widely accessible.
|No faculty training in assessment strategies and no programmatic mapping of the assessment data
|While faculty is experienced in traditional classroom evaluation, they are not knowledgeable in outcomes assessment. Cut backs in faculty training budgets leave no resources to develop training in these areas.
|Insufficient counseling
|With the growth of the student body at BCC from 5,100 students in 2007 to over 6,200 in 2008, funding for student services, including counselors has not increased. There are over 2,000 students to each general counselor at BCC.
|Inadequate number of full-time faculty
|BCC has only 25 full-time teaching faculty, while its sister college of the same size has 50. Part-time instructors teach 75% of the course load, the exact inverse of state standards.
|Inadequate funding for staff development in pedagogies and curricula for the learning styles of basic skills students
|75% of BCC's course load is taught by hourly instructors who are often teaching at two to four other schools or holding down full-time jobs. These instructors have not had access to training in methodologies that can help under-prepared students succeed in developmental and college-level courses.
|Inadequate support services for basic skills population.
|While Berkeley City College has grown by more than 1,000 students in the last year alone, there are still only three full-time counselors to serve over 6,200 students. There is one regular math tutor per 2,200 students and one regular English tutor per 2,000 students.
|Insufficient management resources to plan and implement SLO assessment
|BCC has grown by more than 1,000 students since 2007, with no increase in management personnel. This means that the managers and department chairs are working in "crises management" mode much of the time.
|Scarce discretionary funding
|Once salaries, benefits, and facilities fixed costs are paid, there is only about 3% of the budget left for discretionary spending.
|Low funding compared to the other district colleges
|Berkeley City College now has over 18% of the full-time equivalent students in the district, yet it receives only 15% of the funding. While the state level of funding per full-time equivalent student is the lowest in the nation at $4,300 per FTES, BCC's actual funding is about $1,900 per FTES. The other college of comparable size in the district receives just over $2,670 per FTES.
|Insufficient budget for support services
|Because of California's law stating that at least 50% of general fund money must be spent in the classroom, support services – including counselors, tutors, and librarians – fall on the "wrong side" of the budget.
Analysis and Documentation of Significant Problems and Weaknesses
BCC has a strong basis of committed faculty and outstanding programs on which to build a curriculum that guides basic skills students to achieve the learning outcomes that the college has identified. An overarching challenge to effectively preparing students who come to college without the traditional skills to succeed is in providing the support and mentoring that enables them to see connections between disciplines and develop their competencies. The college must meet the needs of the whole student, and the trajectory of a student from first entry to graduation should be one of goal setting and goal achievement.
Each student is an individual, and each begins in a different place, but all students who enter college have the need to build on their skills and competencies and to understand the world in which they live. Especially for under prepared students, the journey from a place where reading, writing, and math skills may be tentative or lacking to one of transfer or career requires a great deal of support. This, in turn, takes planning on the part of the college. BCC has recognized the importance of learning outcomes in this process, but without the data from a clear-eyed assessment of the learning at each step, the college cannot design better intervention strategies for under-prepared students. The college has also recognized the importance of integrating every aspect of the students' experience, from counseling to instruction to tutoring to extracurricular activities, in an effort to help students progress through the stages of learning.
According to Bob Barr, Executive Director, Institutional Research & Planning at
Foothill-De Anza College (in California), the college has to be transformed from one that emphasizes teaching to one that emphasizes learning. In his view, the learning college has six characteristics: It has a theory of learning; it has identified intended learning outcomes; it has created a sophisticated outcomes assessment system; the curriculum is developed backwards from the outcomes and is developmental; it provides a range of powerful learning options, methods, and paths to outcomes; and it systematically investigates alternative methods for empowering learning.
Berkeley City College aspires to be a learning college, but according to the Widespread Group on Higher Education Report (1993), "Putting learning at the heart of the academic enterprise will mean overhauling the conceptual, procedural, curricular, and other architecture of postsecondary education on most campuses."
In 2006-2007, BCC identified seven Institutional Learning Outcomes: Ethics and Personal Responsibility, Informational Competency, Communication, Critical Thinking, Computational Skills, Global Awareness and Valuing Diversity, and Self-Awareness and Interpersonal Skills. An analysis of the key, systemic problems highlights the fact that the college must now integrate these Learning Outcomes and critical competencies across the curriculum and develop training for the faculty in assessing the outcomes. The problems identified in the CDP cause the college great concern. Currently, the overall success rate for all students is 65.3 percent, for Whites it is 71.4 percent, but for African Americans it is only 51.6 percent. Understanding the causes and potential solutions will turn this trend around.
|Problem #1: Low educational attainment among basic skills students, especially African-American and Latino students.
|Problem #2: Student learning outcomes are not assessed and the data are not incorporated into the college strategic planning process.
|Problem #3: Insufficient resources for a strategic, considered planning process that would gather data and use it to improve student outcomes.
|Problem #4: Insufficient learning opportunities for basic skills students to develop the competencies identified in the Institutional Learning Outcomes
|Problem #5: Insufficient resources to create a program where every basic skills student can be supported to progress from the point of entry to transfer or a satisfying career.
Problem Analysis/Contributing Factors – Academic Programs
Problem #1: Low educational attainment among basic skills students, especially African-American and Latino students.
While 70 percent of California students enter community college without college-level skills, 80 percent of Berkeley City College of students cannot place into college-level English or math. African Americans are disproportionately represented among basic skills students. Fifty percent (50%) of BCC's basic skills students are African American while accounting for only 24 percent of the college population as a whole.
African-Americans completed basic skills courses at rates 10 percent or more below the college average in fall 2006. That is, African-American rates stand at 31 percent for both English and math, as compared to college rates of 41 percent in English and 45 percent in math. Males trail females in completing basic skills English by 10 percent in fall 2006: The female completion rate for English is 45 percent compared with the male rate at 35 percent. Males also lag behind females by four percent in the basic skills math completion rate; females achieve rates of 46.7 percent, while males show rates of 43.4 percent. Latino students completed basic skills courses at slightly above the college average (65.8 percent), but they lagged behind the white population by four point six percent.
Only seven point five (7.5) percent of African American students complete 12 units of transfer courses with the required courses in English and math. The corresponding percentage for Latino students is 12.2 percent. For Asian and white students the rate is 15.3 percent; more than 25 percent higher than for Latinos and more than double the rate for African American students.
For African-American and Latino students in particular, traditional classrooms often discourage involvement; thus they do not succeed in an "invalidating, sterile, fiercely competitive context for learning that is still present in many classrooms today" (Rendón, Validating culturally diverse students, 1994).
Another critical factor is the academic support structure that accompanies instructional delivery. The college experience itself may be bewildering; simply navigating the course sequences, the time management requirements, and the support services may prove to be an insurmountable barrier to achievement. Many basic skills students are first generation college students and do not have the experience or the confidence needed to seek and claim scarce resources for themselves.
Because 75 percent of BCC's course load is taught by hourly instructors who are often teaching at two to four other schools or holding down full-time jobs, they are unable to devote the large amounts of time that under-prepared students need just to have the playing field leveled for them. When most classes include thirty-five to sixty students and no instructional assistants or tutors, the ability of even the best teacher to cope is compromised. Moreover, poor and inconsistent learning outcomes and assessment methods mean that students often come into more advanced courses without the competencies needed to succeed. When learning outcomes are absent or poorly understood, many students advance through the basic courses without gaining the basic skills, like reading, writing, and math, that they need in other subjects. Students who are not given the support to master these crucial building blocks are not able to succeed in programs that would advance their chances of transferring, graduating, or gaining satisfying employment.
Further, these under-prepared students are often isolated in the "basic skills" program, with little experience of the larger college and with too few role models to guide them toward setting and attaining goals. "Strategic forms of assistance [are observed] in robust learning communities where the co-construction of a community's various practices and individual development support the changing nature of participation and the forms of activities provided in joint activity… As a result, students have ongoing opportunities to assume new roles and learn new approaches" (Gutierrez and Rogoff, 2003).
Problem #2: Student learning outcomes are not assessed and the data are not incorporated into the college strategic planning process.
In the last two years, BCC has made some progress in identifying student learning outcomes. According to the 2007-2010 Accreditation Annual Report, 15 percent of BCC's courses have defined learning outcomes and 19 percent of programs have done so. However, only in the Multimedia program have these outcomes been assessed to determine whether the students are learning the knowledge, skills, and abilities that the outcomes identify. In no case has the resulting data been fed back into the program to improve pedagogy. This task will require training in assessment methods and interdisciplinary collaboration among faculty, especially for general education and institutional learning outcomes. Clearly the college has a significant distance to go to transform itself fully into a learner-centered institution.
In order for the college to serve all of its students, especially those most at risk, it is necessary for learning outcomes and assessment to be incorporated in every course. Without this feedback loop of essential knowledge to guide pedagogy, the same methods that have produced poor results for basic skills students in the past will continue.
- By utilizing the assessment cycle to examine your work you will have a clearer vision of the goals you want to accomplish and keener insight into the most effective methods to achieve these ends. Assessment is about gathering multiple indicators to let you know if you are on the right track (Gonzalez and Arora, Arizona State University, 2004).
- Assessment defines, selects, designs, collects, analyzes, interprets, and uses information to make informed program decisions (Marchese, Third Down and Ten Years to Go, 1987).
- Assessment activities have the potential to generate rich information that can be used by program faculty to improve teaching and learning (Panter, Neal, and Williford, The University of North Carolina, 2005).
In order for all areas of BCC to work effectively toward the same goals, a common vocabulary and standard of practice must be established. Hence, the need to undertake Activity One proposed in this application: the development of college-wide training in assessment methods and applications. This project's eight strategies will change the existing paradigm.
Problem #3: Insufficient resources for a strategic, considered planning process that would gather data and use it to improve student outcomes.
The purpose of a basic skills program is to create a curriculum where under prepared students are integrated into a well-planned and well-conceived general strategy to deliver courses that speak to the learning needs of the student who enters college without college-level skills.
"Academic engagement depends not only on the historical, political, and economic realities that students face, but on the students' day-to-day experiences in school, in community, and 'the performative dimension' of race—that is, how specific cultural practices constitute racial identity" (A.A. Akom, 2001).
BCC Institutional
Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
q Ethics and Personal Responsibility
q Information Competency
q Communication
q Critical Thinking
q Computational Skills
q Global Awareness and Valuing Diversity
q Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills
Problem #4 Insufficient learning opportunities for basic skills students to develop the competencies identified in the Institutional Learning Outcomes
Research shows that working across disciplines is key to empowering students—especially those enrolled in basic skills courses—to succeed in college (Prince, Jenkins, Building Pathways for Success: Lessons for Community College Policy and Practice, 2005; Kraemer, The Academic and Social Integration of Hispanic Students into College, The Review of Higher Education, 1997). Over the last three years, BCC faculty and administrators have worked to develop learning outcomes at the course, program, and institutional levels. A key attribute of the institutional learning outcomes has been the identification of "competencies" across disciplines—broad learning outcomes that will equip students for academic and career success. By September 2010, the learning outcomes for all courses will have been developed. Despite this, methods of assessment and the benefits of learning outcomes are poorly understood, especially by part-time faculty, as is the use of data to plan further course improvements.
As substantiated by the literature, the solution to preparing basic skills students to succeed is to provide a cohesive approach to learning that enables students to see connections between disciplines. According to Leon (2007), it is questionable whether basic skills students can succeed in college mainstream courses unless rigorous content in reading and writing is incorporated across the disciplines. For this reason, this grant proposes to develop student competencies in the seven areas that BCC has identified in its Institutional Learning Outcomes. Activity Two is designed to provide these opportunities
Problem #5: Insufficient resources to create a program where every basic skills student can be supported to progress from the point of entry to transfer or a satisfying career.
The California Community College system is the largest educational system in the world. However, it is funded at a quarter of the rate of the University of California System. Insufficient state funding is a crisis for BCC that is projected to worsen in the next two years. As noted in the California Department of Education's Budget Crises Report Card:
On February 16, 2008, the Governor signed a package of bills dealing with the state's fiscal crisis. The measures take effect immediately. Among other actions, the measures reduce current-year Proposition 98 funding for kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12) education and community colleges by $507 million…. The outlook for 2010-09 is grim with the Governor's proposed budget calling for an additional $4.8 billion in cuts to education.
Since 97 percent of BCC's budget is comprised of fixed costs and state law demands that at least 50 percent of all general fund money is spent in the classroom (not on counselors, librarians, tutors, or other student services), any reduction in funding will have a devastating effect. While funding for adding classes has increased as the college has experienced an increase of 2000 students in two years, funding for student support services has not increased at all.
Most colleges in California are now funded at a base rate of $4,300 per full-time equivalent student, about a third of the rate for California State Universities. In fiscal 2008, Berkeley City College received $12 million for 6,200 FTES, or about $1,900 dollars for every student. In January 2008, the state asked the district to give back $1.5 million in funds previously allocated. BCC's share of this cut was $385,000 and resulted in reducing the number of vacant full-time faculty positions the college was able to fill this year. As the California budget deteriorates, additional reductions in state funding are anticipated. The funding model has created a culture of scarcity and a need to be as productive as possible. The small classes and extra services that basic skills students need cannot be offered at the present level of funding.
In addition, professional development funding has been reduced 50 percent from the State Chancellor's Office. Because of this reduction in professional development funding, intensive training opportunities cannot be offered to part-time faculty. As a result, out of 207 part-time faculty hired in the spring semester, less than one-third have received training in learning outcomes assessment.
2. Institutional goals
The Title III institutional goals for Berkeley City College's academic programs, institutional management, and fiscal stability are realistic and based on comprehensive analysis are:
Goal 1: Produce systematic evidence of student learning across courses, programs and the institution
Goal 2: Increase the educational attainment of basic skills students through developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum and improving tutoring, counseling and student services programs.
Goal 3: Enhance the learning of basic skills students though developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum and improving tutoring, counseling, and student services programs.
Goal 4: Prepare students to communicate clearly, think critically, and manage information competently.
Goal 5: Develop ongoing and comprehensive planning that uses data to enhance student success.
Goal 6: Develop college-wide resources for creation of a basic skills program.
Goal 7: Develop community partnerships to help leverage resources.
3. Measurable objectives and timeframes related to reaching institutional goals.
|Strategic Plan Objectives That Relate to Title III Activities
The objectives and activities identified in this Title III proposal were derived, in part, out of the integrated college planning process that includes the Roundtable for Planning and Budget, the President's Circle, Department Chairs, The Title III Steering Committee, The Student Learning Outcomes Committee, the Academic and Classified Senates, and the Accreditation Standards committees. These are shared governance committees with representation from administration, faculty, staff, and students. BCC's Strategic Plan is a blueprint for action that includes the following institutional objectives:
This year (2008), BCC began a three-year Strategic Planning cycle resulting in new institutional goals and objectives that will take BCC into 2011. In analyzing the institutional strengths and weaknesses, the Title III Steering Committee referred to the Educational & Facilities Master Plan (2001-2016), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) accreditation findings and self-study reports (2003), program reviews, Enrollment Management Plan, Student Equity Plan, McIntyre Internal and External Scans, demographics of the service area, input from various stakeholder groups, institutional data provided by the IR office, and professional literature from journals and publications. As noted by Alverno College
"The learning centered, outcome-oriented focus of the institution means that information from curriculum, program, and institution-wide assessment and inquiry has a central purpose: to enhance student learning, development, and performance of abilities. … [F]indings are interpreted and used for student benefits." Educational Research and Evaluations at Alverno College (Student Assessment-as-learning) Website updated October 2006.
The following table shows major Western Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation standards together with the college values. As a result of the juxtaposition of these values and standards, the Title III steering committee has produced the goals of the Title III grant.
|Accreditation Standards(Western Association of Schools and Colleges)
|Values(Included in the BCC strategic plan and the college roundtable)
|• Programs of Distinction• Culture of Innovation and
• Financial Health
Based on BCC's planning process, the Title III Steering Committee established institutional goals (discussed earlier) and objectives. The chart below shows the institutional goals in the first column and project objectives in the second column, correlated to an identified problem and goal.
|1. Produce systematic evidence of student learning across courses, programs and the institution.
|2. Increase the educational attainment of basic skills students through developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum and improving tutoring, counseling and student services programs.
|3. Enhance the learning of basic skills students though developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum and improving tutoring, counseling, and student services programs.
|4. Prepare students to communicate clearly, think critically, and manage information competently.
|5. Develop ongoing and comprehensive planning that uses data to enhance student success.
|6. Develop college-wide resources for creation of a basic skills program.
|7. Develop community partnerships to help leverage resources.
4. Methods and resources to institutionalize practices and improvements.
The proposed activities and strategies are designed to address the institutional problems that present the greatest barriers to success among many BCC basic skills students. They are designed to be a permanent addition to the academic and student support structures of the college. BCC has chosen strategies for implementation that hold the greatest potential to permanently strengthen the institution beyond the five-year grant period. Many of the new practices and improvements to be developed as part of this project are directly tied to the college's strategic planning process. The critical process for institutionalization of any real change includes these proven steps:
- Identifying real needs and educational opportunities – as described in this CDP;
- Designing effective solutions and responses – as detailed in Sections II and III below;
- Inventorying resources available to support solutions – completed during the planning for this project and that formed the basis for the project budget enclosed herein;
- Linking with partners who can leverage resources – both on- and off-campus;
- Integrating solutions into current operations – or supplanting current operations rendered obsolete by improvements and new practices contained in this project;
- Searching for and securing funds to fully support programs – per this proposal;
- Providing effective management – as described in Section V below.
- Delivering on-going assessment and evaluation – per the evaluation plan in Section VI.
The College Roundtable for Planning and Budget and the Peralta chief financial officer will be involved in assuming the institution's share of the operational expenses, estimated to be approximately over the five year grant period. Some of the costs of personnel ($1,517,212) will be incrementally assumed by BCC each year of the grant, as indicated the following table:
|Year 1
|Year 2 -% / $
|Year 3 -% / $
|Year 4 -% / $
|Year 5 -% / $
|Activity One Coordinator
|0% / $0
|Activity Two Coordinator
|0% / $0
The source of funds for institutionalization of improvements and new practices will be in revenue from contract education and some increased budget resulting from Peralta's efforts to equalize the current budget model, which includes redistribution of funds based on student growth patterns at BCC (projected growth for fall to be 30% higher than in 2007).
5. The institution's five -year plan: improving services to basic skills students.
Below is BCC's plan to improve services to at-risk students over the next five years:
|Existing Service
|Planned Improvement
|Related CDP goal
|Establish a Summer Bridge program; provide cohorts with intensive support services.
|Years 1-5
|Goal 3
|Support for and Basic skills
|Establish an integrated learning/writing/ math Center with a faculty coordinatorEstablish mentoring and peer mentoring programs and groups
Train instructors in culturally sensitive pedagogies
|Years 1-5
|Goal 2Goal 3
Goal 4
Goal 6
|Student and institutional learning outcomes
|Implement assessment of course, program and institutional student learning outcomes to improve the learning and success of all studentsTrain instructors in assessment methods and in the use of data to improve programs.
|Years 1-5
|Goal 1Goal 5
|Community partnerships
|Establish an area coalition of community partnerships to leverage resources in support of educational opportunities for under-prepared students.
|Years 1-5
|Goal 7
b. Activity Objectives
1. Project objectives for each activity are realistic and measurable.
The proposed project – The Foundations Program – is designed to accomplish three overarching goals:
This shift to a learner-centered educational model will be facilitated by two activities and eight specific strategies that will provide educational experiences to students to help them develop competencies that correspond to BCC's Institutional Learning Outcomes: communication, critical thinking and problem solving, global awareness and cultural competence, global awareness and valuing diversity, information competency, computational skill, ethics and personal responsibility. The activities, strategies, and projects listed below are critical to improving the success of basic skills students. These strategies will make BCC accessible to more students and, combined with improved retention and persistence, will have a positive impact on the institution's management and financial stability.
ACTIVITY ONE: Assessment Institute
Strategy 1. Assessment Institute: providing outcomes- and evidence-based assessment of student learning and faculty/staff training in assessment practices.
The activity one coordinator will work with the departmental liaisons, the SLO task force and discipline faculty to ensure that all phases of the SLO process – including methodology of research and assessment of data – are ongoing and sustainable. She will coordinate faculty training in assessment strategies, establish faculty teams to conduct curricular assessment pilots in each ILO competency area, and implement evidence teams to assess institutional effectiveness.
ACTIVITY TWO: Student Learning Outcomes across the Disciplines in both Instruction and Student Services
|Strategy 2. Communication: The Learning Center, designed for students, will provide counseling, tutoring, and peer support groups. The center will also make available resources for the diverse linguistic needs of BCC's students, including bilingual writing materials (Spanish and Mandarin). The Center will provide information about resources in the community (Literacy Center at the University of California at Berkeley and adult schools providing instruction in basic skills reading and writing).
|Strategy 3. Critical Thinking: BCC will provide tutoring for students by identifying difficult and gateway subjects and expanding the tutoring capability at BCC. Faculty training will be ongoing and will include assessing new pedagogies to incorporate critical thinking across the disciplines. A faculty training component will include assessing and piloting best practices related to critical thinking. Faculty training will include hosting a symposium on critical thinking and sponsoring renowned speakers from the Critical Thinking Institute at Sonoma State University.
|Strategy 4. Global Awareness and Valuing Diversity: The creation of a Global Awareness Week will serve all students with activities designed to increase engagement and retention of diverse student populations. The program is designed to help students place themselves in a global and historical context and foster relationships between staff and students by providing academic and social support for diverse students. Another objective of the program is to expand collaboration between global studies and ESL with emphasis on BCC's global community. Other sponsored events include an annual Global Awareness Lecture Series to link Global Awareness and sustainability issues.
|Strategy 5: Information Competency: this strategy will train students who may not have access to computers in their homes to bridge the digital divide and become computer savvy students and workers. With courses in Multimedia and Web design taught across the curriculum, students will have an opportunity to enter fields with global possibilities.
|Strategy 6. Computational Skills. Math Academy/Summer Bridge will implement a four-week program in summer. It will use specific student assessments to identify precisely which skills need improvement and offer course work through modules. The Math Academy will offer academic support and planning, with intensive instructor involvement. Students will complete individualized math modules. After completing the modules, students will be retested before fall registration and be better prepared for entry into the appropriate math course sequence.
Strategy 7—Ethics and Personal Responsibility: this strategy is designed to instill an ethical sense in students. It includes three primary strategies: Academic integrity will be emphasized during the first week of school every semester; a drug awareness campaign will be held yearly and will be carried into peer mentoring groups by the counselors; and this activity will be linked with the global sustainability lecture series to raise awareness that ethics is a global issue.
|Strategy 8. Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills: will enable students to analyze their actions and see the perspectives of other persons. BCC will develop peer counseling, peer study groups, and support networks. Peer support groups will enable students to navigate through the intricacies of the various college departments (admissions, financial aid, counseling, tutoring, and instructional services and departments). Student support networks will aid students in learning strategies designed to eliminate barriers to student success. Several learning strategies will focus on personal development, time management, team development, and problem solving. A support group focused primarily on first-generation students, with instructors, counselors, and administrators who were themselves first-generation college students, will aid those students in enhancing motivation and confidence.
The strategies in activity two will be sustained and improved by enhancing the institutional advancement capacity to develop local partnerships, grants, joint ventures with corporate foundations, and other activities to advance student learning and success, such as:
2. Project objectives for each activity are directly related to the problems to be solved and to the goals of the comprehensive development plan.
The following table relates each identified problem with corresponding CDP Goals and describes the Activity Objectives in measurable terms over the five-year project period.
|Activity Objectives and Measurable Results Related to Problems and Goals
|Problems Identified Through Analysis
|Corresponding CDP Goals
|Summative 5-Year Project Objectives By September 30, 2014
|Problem #1: Low educational attainment among basic skills students, especially African-American and Latino students.
|Goal 2: Increase the educational attainment of basic skills students.Goal 6: Develop college-wide resources for creation of a foundation program.
AA/AS or become transfer ready within three years will increase by 5% (2009 base year of cohort).
|Problem #2: Outcomes assessment and student learning outcomes data are not evaluated and incorporated into the college strategic planning process.
|Goal 1: Produce systematic evidence of student learning across courses, programs and the institution.
|Problem #3: Lack of resources for a strategic, considered planning process that would gather data and use the data to improve student outcomes.
|Goal 5: Develop ongoing and comprehensive planning that uses data to enhance student success.
Goal 7: Develop community partnerships to help leverage resources.
|Problem #4: Insufficient learning opportunities for basic skills students to develop the competencies identified in the Institutional Learning Outcomes
|Goal 3: Enhance the learning of basic skills students though developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum and improving tutoring, counseling, and student services programs.Goal 4: Prepare students to communicate clearly, think critically, and demonstrate computational skills and global awareness.
|Problem #5: Insufficient resources to create a foundations program where basic skills students can be supported to progress from the point of entry to transfer or a satisfying career.
|Goal 6: Develop college-wide resources for creation of a foundations program.Goal 7: Develop community partnerships to help leverage resources.
c. Implementation Strategy and Timetable
1. Comprehensive basis for the implementation strategy
In their seminal article "From Teaching to Learning: A New Paradigm for Undergraduate Education" (1995), Robert B. Barr and John Tagg argue that the college must be transformed from a place where students are taught into a place where students learn. McClenney (The learning-centered institution: Key characteristics. Action & Inquiry, 2003) suggests that "learning-focused" institutions share six characteristics:
These are, in broadest terms, what BCC intends to achieve. It will facilitate BCC's transformation to a learner-centered institution. Strategies supporting these activities will make student learning the center of institutional culture by creating learning experiences for students to achieve institution-wide learning outcomes, in selecting and implementing appropriate assessment tools to measure these outcomes, and in feeding the resulting data back into the programs to improve them. In the last two years, BCC has made some progress in identifying student learning outcomes, as documented in the CDP.
2. The rationale for the implementation strategies for each activity
BCC has developed objectives, strategies, and implementation plans that are informed by research so as to ensure success for basic skills students. In addition to the research cited in the CDP, directly relevant sources include those noted below, by strategy:
|Rationale for Strategy 1: Assessment Instituteproviding outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|Assessment activities have the potential to generate rich information that can be used by program faculty to improve teaching and learning (Panter, Neal, and Williford, U. of No. Carolina, 2005).
|By utilizing the evaluation/assessment cycle to examine your work you will have a clearer vision of the goals you want to accomplish and keener insight into the most effective methods to achieve these ends. Evaluation is about gathering multiple indicators to let you know if you are on the right track (Gonzalez and Arora, Arizona State University, 2004)
|Rationale for Strategy 2: Communicationimproving writing and reading across the curriculum
|In "Instructing and Mentoring the African American College Student: Strategies for Success in Higher Education" by Roger Wessel and Serilda Summers, the authors demonstrate the importance of integrating various learning techniques including "spirituality, harmony, movement, verve, affect, communalism, expressive individualism, orality, and social time perspective."
|As documented in the CDP, students who do not complete the gateway English and writing sequence of courses cannot succeed in degree-track or transferable college-level courses.
|The link between language proficiency and academic success is not new. In 1987, Graham documented that lack of English proficiency contributed significantly to academic success or lack thereof (English Language Proficiency and the Prediction of Academic Success, Graham, TESOL Quarterly, vol. 21, No. 3, September, 1987).
|Rationale for Strategy 3: Critical Thinking and Problem Solving learning across disciplines
|Richard Paul, in his book Critical Thinking identifies "accelerating change and increasing complexity" as the problems of the future that require those who would find careers to learn the skills of critical thinking. (Critical Thinking, Paul, 1993).
|Rationale for Strategy 4: Global Awareness and Valuing Diversitybuilding global and intercultural communities
|Small-scale collaborations between the Global Studies program and the ESL program have resulted in benefits to students of both disciplines. Students of ESL cite the benefits of conversation with the largely native-born population of Global Studies, and the Global studies students cite the benefit of in-depth knowledge of other countries and cultures.
|Institutions interested in improving student learning outcomes are devoting greater attention to helping faculty and teaching assistants develop a repertoire of instructional methods that foster respect for cultural differences and address variant learning styles (Hurtado, 1997).
|Rationale for Strategy 5: Information Competency
|When African American and Latino children are over represented in remedial classes, special education programs, or on the lists for suspension or expulsion, the idea that these children are not as smart or well behaved is also reinforced. . . . For African American males, who are more likely than any other group to be subjected to negative forms of treatment in school, the message is clear: individuals of their race and gender may excel in sports, but not in math or history." (Pedro Noguera, 2002).
|Computer basics and information literacy have, for a number of years, been repeatedly cited as key factors in college retention, persistence, and success (Myers, 2003; Hindi, Miller, Wenger, Journal of Information Systems Education, 2002)
|All students, regardless of major or career objective, need to be computer literate (Scrivener Agee and Holisky, 2000)
|Rationale for Strategy 6: Computational SkillEmploying a Math Academy/Summer Bridge Program
|John Ogbu and Signithia Fordman argue that "Black students hold themselves back out of fear that they will be ostracized by their peers." (Black American Students in an Affluent Suburb: A Study of Academic Disengagement, 2003).
|Rationale for Strategy 7: Ethics and Personal Responsibility:empowering personal respect & academic integrity
|Research (McCabe & Trevino, 1996) indicates that cheating is lower in institutions that have honor codes and in those where faculty take academic integrity seriously and talk about it with their students. Higher Education and the Development of Moral and Civic Responsibility: Vision and Practice in Three Contexts. J. Stephens, A. Colby, T. Ehrlich, and E. Beaumont. April 2000.
|Regarding students' health behaviors, the first year of the college experience holds potential pitfalls including increased levels of stress (American College Health Association, 2003), problem sleep behaviors (Trockel, Barnes, & Egget, 2000), excessive alcohol consumption (Wechsler, Lee, Kuo, & Lee, 2000), weight gain (Anderson, Shapiro, & Lundgren, 2003; Levitsky & Halbmaier, 2003), and exercise variation (Bray & Born, 2004). A Program to Establish Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors with Freshmen Students. F. B. Newton, E. Kim, D. W. Newton. NASPA Journal, 2006.
|Rationale for Strategy 8: Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills:
|Margaret Spelling's Higher Education Report highlighted the importance of college. "Ninety percent of the fastest-growing jobs in the new knowledge-driven economy will require some post-secondary education. Among men ages 18-19, only 7.5% of African Americans earned a college degree or higher compared to 17.3% for white males, and 34.7% for Asian males in 2005.
Realistic timetables for each activity likely to be attained are detailed in the charts below:
Implementation Strategy – First Year 2009-2010
|How Implemented
|Responsible Person(s)
|Assessment Institute: providing outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|q Secure evaluator; finalize evaluation plan; design research studies.q Recruit, select and train departmental liaisons.
q Recruit faculty to conduct first 2 curricular assessment projects for ILOs in Year 2
|Title III Project DirectorActivity One Coordinator,
Activity One Coordinator,
Activity One Coordinator,
Activity One Coordinator,
|Oct 09Oct 09
Jun 10
|Nov 09May 10
Aug 10
|Computation:employing a math academy/ summer bridge program
|q Hire project personnel (applies to all strategies).q Plan Math Academy/Summer Bridge: assess testing; devise referral method; identify counselor; recruit students.
q Implement small group tutoring in developmental math
|Title III Project DirectorEnglish Faculty, Math faculty, ESL faculty Activity One Coordinator
Activity Two Coordinator; English faculty
Activity One Coordinator
|Jan 10
|Aug 10
|Global Awareness establishing a global consortium
|q Plan global awareness week
|Title III Project Director, Activity Two Coordinator
|Jan 10Jan 10
|May 10Feb 10
|Communicationimproving writing and reading across the curriculum
|q Plan and implement learning center for basic skills studentsq Plan resource guides for students
|Activity Two CoordinatorGlobal Studies chair
|Feb 10
|May 10
|Critical Thinkingproviding the core of the learning college in courses linked across disciplines
|q Run faculty training for critical thinking across the disciplinesq Invite Sonoma State faculty to lead workshops
|Title III Project DirectorLibrary information technology director
Activity Two Coordinator
|Jan 10Jun 11
|May 10Aug 11
|Information Competency: training a new generation of students to bridge the digital divide.
|q Enrich classrooms with laptopsq Hold library information sessions in online research
|Title III Project DirectorActivity Two Coordinator
Tutoring Center Coordinator
|Dec 09
|Jan 10
|Ethics and Personal Responsibility: empowering personal respect and instilling academic integrity
|q Design Academic Integrity (AI) campaign.q Plan Health Awareness Forum 2010-09
|Associated Student Body Government, Activity Two CoordinatorActivity Two Coordinator
Student Services Vice President
|Jan 10Apr 10
|May 10Aug 10
|Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills: Peer mentoring as a pathway to personal development
|q Implement pilot peer group mentoring and support in basic skills programs
|Project Lead; Activity Two Coordinator; basic skills faculty
|Oct 10
Implementation Strategy – Second Year 2010 – 2011
|How Implemented
|Responsible Person(s)
|Assessment Institute: providing outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|q First two evidence teams assess two Institutional Learning Outcomes (ILOs) (fall and spring)q Conduct first two curricular assessment projects in ILOs 1 and 2 (fall and spring)
q Submit Annual Progress Report (APR).
q Conduct formative evaluation of math academy.
q Perform co-relational research study designed to determine long term effectiveness of math academy.
q Perform formative evaluation of overall implementation strategy; adjust.
|Activity One Coordinator, SLOs Task Force, departmental liaisonsFaculty peer reviewers, faculty reviewers, SLOs Task Force, Activity One Coordinator
Title III Project Director
Title III Project Director, External Evaluator
Title III Project Director, External Evaluator
Title III Project Director, External Evaluator
|Oct 10Oct 10
Oct 10
Dec 10
Jan 11
Oct 11
|Jan 11May 11
Nov 10
Jan 11
May 11
Nov 11
|Communication: improving writing and reading across the curriculum
|q Plan, implement writing & reading across the curriculum project in basic skills coursesq Distribute instructional material in Spanish
|Title III Project DirectorProject One Coordinator
English faculty
Title III Project Director
|Oct 10Jan 10
|Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: providing the core of the learning college in courses linked across disciplines
|q Implement linked critical thinking courses pilot in basic skills and Global studiesq Pilot Learning College workshops for faculty on professional development day in January
|Title III Project DirectorProject Two Coordinator,
Global Studies Coordinator
|Oct 10Jan10
|Dec 10Jan 11
|Global Awareness and Cultural Competence: establishing a global consortium
|q Implement Global Awareness weekq Plan Speaker Series on Global Sustainability
|Activity Two CoordinatorTitle III Project Direct
Global Studies Coordinator
|Oct 10Oct 11
Jan 11
|OngoingNov 11
May 11
|Information Competency: bridging the digital divide
|q Plan a Multimedia across the curriculum course to pilot with basic skills
|Activity Two CoordinatorBasic skills Coordinators
|Jun 11
|Aug 11
|Computational Skills: employing a math academy/ summer bridge program
|q Pilot test Math Academy/Summer Bridge program.
|Activity Two Coordinator
|Oct 11Oct 11
|May 12May 12
|Ethics and Personal Responsibility: empowering personal respect and instilling academic integrity
|q Hold Health Awareness forumq Collaborate with Berkeley Department of Public Health, UC Berkeley Public Health program, and the Ecology Center for ongoing presentations regarding health and sustainability
q Cement partnerships with health agencies
q Plan health awareness campaign for 2010-2010
|Title III Project DirectorActivity Two Coordinator,
Student Government,
Title III Project Director
Title III Project Director
Student Government
Activity Two Coordinator
|Oct 11Nov 11
Nov 10
Mar 10
|Jun 12Nov 11
May 11
|Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills:
|q Continue peer group mentoring and support in basic skills programsq Implement peer group mentoring specifically for first-generation basic-skills students
|Activity Two CoordinatorBasic skills Coordinator
Learning Center Coordinator
Title III Project Director
Activity Two Coordinator
Extended Opportunity Programs and Services Coordinator
|Oct 10Oct 10
|Jun 11Jun 11
Implementation Strategy – Third Year 2010 – 2011
|How Implemented
|Responsible Person(s)
|Timetable (Mo/Yr)
|Assessment Institute: providing outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|q 3rd and 4th evidence teams assess two more ILOs (fall and spring).q Conduct 3rd and 4th curricular assessment projects in ILOs 3 and 4 (fall and spring).
q Submit Annual Progress Report (APR).
q Conduct formative evaluation of overall implementation strategy; adjust.
|Activity One Coordinator, SLOs Task Force, departmental liaisonsSLOs Task Force, select faculty, Activity One Coordinator
Title III Project Director, Activity One Coordinator
Faculty peer reviewers,
|Oct 11Oct 11
Oct 11
Oct 12
|Nov 11May 12
Sep 12
Nov 12
|Communication: improving writing and reading across the curriculum
|q Implement writing & reading across the curriculum projects in Program for Adult College Education coursesq Distribute informational materials in Mandarin
|Activity Two CoordinatorGlobal Studies Coordinator
discipline faculty
|Oct 11Oct 11
|Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: providing the core of the learning college in courses linked across disciplines
|q Implement linked critical thinking courses pilot in English as a Second Language and basic skillsq Continue Learning College workshops on January professional day
|Title III Project DirectorProject Two Coordinator
Basic skills Coordinator
ESL Coordinator
|Oct 11Jan 12
|OngoingMay 12
Jan 12
|Global Awareness and Cultural Competence: a global consortium
|q Plan and hold Global Awareness Weekq Implement Speaker Series on Global Sustainability
|Project LeadTitle III Project Director
Activity Two Coordinator
Global Studies Coordinator
|Nov 11Aug 12
|May 12Ongoing
|Information Competency: bridging the digital divide
|q Implement Multimedia across the curriculum course pilot with basic skillsq Plan the addition of Web design for basic skills students in the Multimedia course
q Continue offering information competency workshops in collaboration with library personnel
|Activity Two CoordinatorBasic skills Coordinator
Multimedia faculty
Project Lead
Library Technology Director
|Aug 11Jan 12
Aug 11
|Dec 11May 12
May 12
|Computational Skills: employing a math academy/ summer bridge program
|q Implement Math Academy/Summer Bridge (50 students).
|Project Leads, Activity Two Coordinator
|June 11
|Aug 11
|Ethics and Personal Responsibility: empowering personal respect and instilling academic integrity
|q Convene Health Awareness Forumq Convene Integrity Week
q Plan Health Awareness campaign for 2010-11
q Continue partnerships with local health agencies
|Activity Two CoordinatorProject Lead, Student Government
Activity Two Coordinator
|Oct 11Mar 12
Nov 11
|Nov 11Apr 12
Dec 11
|Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills:
|q Continue peer group mentoring and support in basic skills programsq Continue peer group mentoring for first-generation students
q Pilot peer group mentoring in languages, including American Sign Language
|Activity Two CoordinatorLearning Center Coordinator
Department Chairs
Oct 11
May 12
|Implementation Strategy – Fourth Year 2011 – 2012
|How Implemented
|Responsible Person(s)
|Timetable (Mo/Yr)
|Assessment Institute: providing outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|q 5th and 6th evidence teams assesses last ILO (fall and spring).q Conduct 5th and 6th curricular assessment projects ILO 7 (fall and spring).
q Submit annual progress report (APR)
q Conduct formative evaluation of overall implementation strategy; adjust.
|Activity One Coordinator, SLOs Task Force, departmental liaisonsSLOs Task Force, select faculty, Activity One Coordinator,
Faculty peer reviewers,
Title III Project Director,
External Evaluator
|Oct 12Oct 12
Oct 12
Aug 13
|Jun 13Jun 13
Aug 13
Sep 13
|Communication: improving writing and reading across the curriculum
|q Continue writing & reading across the curriculum projects.q Distribute instructional materials in Vietnamese
|Writing Center Coordinator and discipline faculty
|OngoingOct 12
|Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: providing the core of the learning college in courses linked across disciplines
|q Continue linked courses across the disciplinesq Continue learning college workshops on professional day in January
|Activity Two Coordinator
|OngoingJan 13
|OngoingJan 13
|Global Awareness and Valuing Diversity: establishing a global consortium
|q Convene Global Awareness Weekq Continue lecture series on global sustainability
|Project Leads, Activity Two Coordinator
|May 13Sept 12
|May 13May 13
|Information Competency: implementing distance learning coordination
|q Implement Multimedia across the disciplines with linked course in historyq Implement basic skills Web page designed by students
|Activity Two CoordinatorMultimedia coordinator,
Basic skills Coordinators
|Aug 12Jan 13
|Dec 12May 13
|Computational Skills: employing a math academy/ summer bridge program
|q Implement Math Academy/Summer Bridge (75 students).
|Project Leads, Activity Two Coordinator
|June 13
|Aug 13
|Ethics and Personal Responsibility: empowering personal respect and instilling academic integrity
|q Launch Integrity campaignq Launch Health Awareness campaign.
q Plan personal responsibility and development projects for 2013-14.
|Activity Two CoordinatorStudent Government
Activity Two Coordinator
Health Service Coordinator, ASBG
Title III Project Director
|May 14Sept 14
Aug 14
|May 14Sept 14
Oct 14
|Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills: Peer counseling and support.
|q Cooperate in the global sustainability lecture series to link ethics and personal responsibility to sustainability issuesq Convene Integrity forum
q Plan Mental Health Awareness campaign for 2011-12 in cooperation with public health agencies
|Activity Two Coordinator, Global Studies Coordinator, Student Government, Title III Project Director
|May 13Sept 13
Sept 13
|May 13Sept 13
May 13
|Implementation Strategy – Fifth Year 2012 – 2013
|How Implemented
|Responsible Person(s)
|Timetable (Mo/Yr)
|Assessment Institute: providing outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of learning
|q 7th evidence team assesses last ILO (fall and spring).q Conduct final curricular assessment projects ILO 7 (fall and spring).
q Data documents all activities implemented; institutionalization underway.
q Final summative evaluation data collected; draft final report.
|Activity One Coordinator, SLOs Task Force, departmental liaisonsSLOs Task Force, select faculty, Activity One Coordinator
Faculty peer reviewers
Title III Project Director
Title III Project Director, External Evaluator
|Aug 13Aug 13
June 14
|May 14May 14
Dec 14
|Communication: improving writing and reading across the curriculum
|q All projects fully implemented and operational.
|Title III Project t Director,Activity Coordinators
discipline faculty
|Sept 14
|Dec 14
|Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: providing the core of the learning college in courses linked across disciplines
|q Hold "Best Practices" day for all linked coursesq Continue learning college workshops on professional days
|Title III Project DirectorActivity Two Coordinator
Title III Project Director
Activity Coordinators
|Jan 14Jan 14
|Jan 14Aug 14
|Global Awareness and Valuing Diversity: establishing a global consortium
|q Convene Global Awareness Week
|Title III Project DirectorGlobal Studies Coordinator
|Oct 13
|Oct 14
|Information Competency: implementing distance learning coordination
|q Showcase basic skills work in Multimedia
|Activity Two CoordinatorMultimedia faculty
Basic skills Coordinators
|May 14
|May 14
|Computational Skills: employing a math academy/ summer bridge program
|q Implement Math Academy/Summer Bridge (100 students).
|Project Leads, Activity Two Coordinator
|June 14
|Aug 14
|Ethics and Personal Responsibility: empowering personal respect and instilling academic integrity
|q Launch Integrity campaignq Launch Health Awareness campaign.
q Plan personal responsibility and development projects for 2013-14.
|Activity Two CoordinatorStudent Government
Activity Two Coordinator
Health Service Coordinator, ASBG
Title III Project Director
|May 14Sept 14
Aug 14
|May 14Sept 14
Oct 14
|Self Awareness and Interpersonal Skills: Peer counseling and support.
|q Continue peer group mentoring for all students
|Activity Two CoordinatorCounselors
d. Key Personnel
Title III HSI Project Director. (100 percent) The President has appointed Dr. Joseph Bielanski, Jr. to assume the responsibility of directing the implementation The Foundations Program. This appointment is based on the critical importance of Title III to the future academic and fiscal integrity of Berkeley City College and Dr. Bielanski's extensive resume. Dr. Bielanski has experience teaching and counseling in college and university settings, and has previous experience as president of the District and College Academic Senates. He has also served as chair of the curriculum committee, as the articulation officer, and has been the lead in writing several accreditation self studies and progress reports.
|Job responsibilities for this 100% Title III Project Director position will include:
Activity One Coordinator. (50 percent) This position will be filled by Ms. Tina Vasconcellos. Ms. Vasconcellos has been working as the Student Learning Outcomes coordinator for approximately one year, and it is largely thanks to her leadership that the college has identified outcomes at the college, program, and course level.
|Essential functions:
Activity Two Coordinator. (50 percent) This position will be filled by Ms. Joan Berezin, M.A. History, and co-chair of BCC's Social Sciences Department. The Activity Two Coordinator will be responsible for developing, managing, implementing, and institutionalizing Activity Two – The Foundations Program, as described earlier, through the seven strategies and fourteen specific projects. She will report to the Title III Director.
Other Key Personnel Necessary to Successfully Implement the Activities.
A. Activity One
A faculty liaison will be hired for each of the fifteen program areas to manage learning outcomes specific to its courses and programs. They will report to the activity two coordinator.
A three-person evidence team will be assembled for each of the seven departments. They will review random samples of assessments at the course and program levels. Together with representatives of other teams, they will sample portfolios or other assessment instruments at the institutional level. The teams will be composed of faculty in the disciplines and will submit a yearly report to the activity two coordinator concerning the outcomes.
B. Activity Two
The plan calls for hourly counselors to meet specifically with basic-skills students to show them the path from basic skills courses to transfer or career readiness as well as a new full-time counselor to be hired in fall 2008. These counselors will meet with peer groups and with individuals and will foster student engagement, understanding and confidence.
Student learning facilitators and tutors, who will be students at four-year colleges (especially University of California at Berkeley, which is two blocks from BCC) will be hired to work specifically with those in basic skills courses and will also aid in providing the one-on-one skill building that basic skills students need.
e. Project Management Plan
1. Procedures to ensure that the project will be implemented efficiently and effectively.
The President has ultimate responsibility for grants management in accordance with policies of Peralta Community College District's Board of Trustees. President Inclan has had experience in overseeing one Title V and two Title III grants as instructional vice president at Alan Hancock College. Administration of the Title III project will be integrated into the administrative structure of the college with the Title III Project Director, Dr. Joseph Bielanski, Jr., reporting directly to the President, Dr. Betty Inclan. He will also attend Leadership Council and President's Circle meetings to update senior managers and other stakeholders on grant activity, ensuring that Title III activities are integrated into the regular planning and decision making processes of the college.
The district office of Educational Services oversees the financial administration of grants according to standard accounting practices in compliance with federal cost principles. Peralta Community College District has a financial management system in place for managing restricted funds and avoiding supplanting of institutional operating funds with federal funds. Peralta Community College District has written operating policies and procedures on travel and procurement, time and effort reporting, and property management. An A-133 audit is conducted annually in accordance with Government Auditing Standards.
Among the major responsibilities of the Project Director will be to establish and maintain strong oversight of a Title III Steering Committee, comprised of the Project Director, the President, the Activity Coordinators, key faculty, counselors and administrators, the Research and Planning Officer, and other key grant and college personnel. The Steering Committee will meet each semester to provide guidance and oversight, serve as experts in subject areas, review reports and provide input, and serve as the communication link among the members of the committee and with the college as a whole. The Project Director (PD) will provide leadership, oversee all activities, and work with the Steering Committee to ensure that new practices and improvements are incorporated into the ongoing operations of the institution. The PD will develop a Title III Project Manual that will detail staff responsibilities, lines of authority, reporting procedures, and outcome requirements of the activities. He will maintain all documents necessary to track outcomes and monitor expenditures. The PD will meet twice-monthly at first, then monthly with Activity Coordinators to review the status of activity implementation, thus providing for efficient monitoring of progress toward grant goals. The PD, with the assistance of the office of Educational Services, will submit annual progress reports to the U.S. Department of Education as required by agency regulations.
An Activity One (Assessment Institute) Coordinator (50 percent), Tina Vasconcellos, will coordinate faculty and staff training in assessment practices and work with the department of Institutional Research to provide outcomes-based, evidence-based assessment of the learning that takes place. She will report both to the Title III PD and to the president. This position, Student Learning Outcomes Analyst, will be institutionalized over the project period of the grant.
The Activity Two Coordinator (50 percent), Joan Berezin, will be re-assigned from her faculty duties to implement the Critical Competencies across the Disciplines component, and will report directly to the Project Director. She will implement the institutional learning outcomes projects and faculty training on ILOs. In addition, both coordinators will work closely with the Title III Steering Committee, with BCC's Learning Outcomes Task Force, and with the staff and faculty assigned to the institutional learning outcomes projects (described in detail in Implementation Strategy). The Activity Coordinators will complete monthly progress reports and meet monthly with the PD. This report will reflect progress toward objectives in the approved proposal. Unanticipated problems, delays, and alternative solutions will be noted. Time and effort reports will be completed monthly for each employee paid by Title III funds.
2. Project staff have sufficient authority to conduct the project effectively.
The Project Director (PD) will report directly to the President and will have full authority to administer the project according to the plan of operations. He will authorize all expenditures, assume responsibility for appropriate use of funds, and work with the college administrative services to ensure adherence to district policies and procedures. He will work with the external evaluator to make sure that all Activity objectives are assessed in relation to the expected outcomes and will ensure that the project operates in compliance with EDGAR. The PD will keep all major constituencies of the institution informed regarding project activities and progress and will be authorized to ensure that Activity Coordinators are accountable for implementing the Activities consistent with the grant's plan and timetable. The Activity Coordinators will, in turn, have the authority to proceed with the implementation of their Activities, as defined. The Director will supervise, lend support and serve as the direct link to the President and other administrators. Evaluation of project personnel will be fully consistent with institutional policies and procedures.
f. Evaluation Plan
Berkeley City College, in close consultation with Institutional Research, has developed an evaluation plan that meets the evaluation criteria and supports Institutional Priority #5: Develop ongoing and comprehensive planning that uses data to enhance student success. The plan includes appropriate methods to measure the attainment of activity objectives and to measure the success of the project in achieving the goals of the comprehensive development plan. The plan describes data analysis procedures that will produce formative and summative results that will be useful in making future planning and implementation decisions. In addition, the evaluation plan employs experimental and quasi-experimental designs and methodologies that will determine linkages between proposed project interventions and successful outcomes.
1. In Year 1, an evaluation plan that includes the process for formative evaluations, summative evaluations, and a preliminary plan for research studies will be finalized.
2. A formative evaluation in December 2010 assessing grant progress and providing recommendations for improvement. The report assesses the first year of the grant and includes the evaluator's findings, suggestions, and recommendations.
3. Comprehensive draft report in Year 3, (formative evaluation) that assesses grant progress and provides recommendations for improvement. The report includes the evaluator's findings, suggestions, and recommendations covering all the items in the CDP goals. Project staff will provide feedback on the draft report so that the evaluator can submit the final grant report to the Project Director. The report will include evaluation of the progress of the grant, the grant's implementation strategy, the Assessment Institute (Activity One) and the Activity Two grant projects.
4. A comprehensive draft report in Year 5 (the summative evaluation) assesses the grant. The report includes the evaluator's findings, covering all the CDP goals. Project staff will provide feedback on the draft report so that the evaluator can submit the final report to the Project Director.
1. Data elements and collection procedures to measure attainment of Activity Objectives
An independent third party evaluator with experience in experimental design and educational evaluation will work with the Director of Institutional Research, the Title III Project Director, and the Activity Coordinators to conduct the research and evaluation activities. Because most of the personnel implementing the evaluation plan will be members of the project staff, the college will contract with a well-qualified external evaluator to ensure objectivity in assessing all dimensions of the Title III project. The evaluations will adhere to scientifically valid education evaluation methods as identified by the Institute of Education Sciences in the U.S. Department of Education. Data will be collected from relevant sources already existing in the college's databases, such as: enrollment; MIS; counseling and assessment; matriculation; transfer center.
The Title III Steering Committee has established institutional and activity objectives for each year of the grant and has identified anticipated results to measure success, which are meant to be corrective actions to solve the problems identified in the CDP. In addition, both applied and basic research studies will be designed to answer the following research questions, to list a few:
|q Do students who enroll in the math academy enroll in and succeed in college-level math at higher rates than other students?q Is there a correlation between use of the tutorial center and/or the mentoring program and academic skills improvements compared to students who do not use the services?
q What do pre- and post-surveys tell us about changes in students' attitudes about cheating and faculty perceptions of students' academic integrity?
q What do pre-and post tests tell us about students' ability to succeed in greater numbers in college-level programs after having completed the Foundations Program?
2. Data elements and collection procedures to measure success in achieving CDP goals
The Institutional Research office will provide support to the Title III Project Director, Activity Coordinators, faculty, and other project staff to facilitate data collection.
|CDP Goals
|Data Elements
|Data Collection Procedures
|1. Produce systematic evidence of student learning across courses, programs, and the college
|• Student/faculty survey responses• Exam scores
• Embedded course assessment scores
|• Utilize pre- and post-testing• Embed essays, portfolios, performances, and assignments in courses
• Student surveys
|2. Increase the educational attainment of basic skills, especially in foundations fields of study.
|• Ethnicity, 1st generation status• Course and course level identifier
• Student identification
• Course grades
|• These data have been collected through college MIS system since 1990
|3. Enhance the learning opportunities of basic skills students through developing culturally sensitive pedagogies and curriculum, and improving tutoring, counseling, and student services programs.
|• Student identification• Ethnicity, first generation status
• Course grades
• Course pedagogy and curriculum identifiers
|• Tracking students in basic skills program• Survey students about their perceptions of themselves in a global environment
• Survey instructor implementation of culturally sensitive pedagogies and compare across instructors
|4. Prepare students to communicate clearly, think critically, manage computation and information competently.
|• Student Learning Outcomes matrix used by faculty to document attainment of SLOs (Nichols Model)
|• Elements in the Quality Matters peer-review rubric and faculty satisfaction surveys• Stratified sampling of pre- and post measures
|5. Develop ongoing and comprehensive planning that uses data to enhance student success.
|• Survey faculty• Collect student indicators each spring, such as course completions, success rate, transfer data, and career readiness for students who began in basic skills cohort that year
|6. Develop college-wide resources for creation of a foundations program.
|• Identification of faculty who received training• Student success measures, course descriptors identifying on-site and online classes, faculty course identifier.
• Identification of faculty who receive training
• Survey responses
|• Survey faculty to determine if they have a better understanding of student learning outcomes assessment process
|7. Develop community partnerships to help leverage resources.
|• Database of coalition members, resource dollars, educational strategies, students served, student outcomes.
|• Activity Two support staff will develop and maintain a database and develop reports summarizing program successes
3. Data analysis procedures for both formative and summative evaluations
Each semester, formative evaluations will provide periodic assurance that objectives are being met and budgets are being properly allocated. Each objective will be measured by the performance indicators established in the activity narrative which will provide intermittent indicators of cumulative progress toward project outcomes and impacts on the mission of the college. If modifications are determined to be needed in process objectives and strategies, the Title III Project Director, Activity Coordinators, and the President will consider input from the Steering Committee and the external evaluator. Any changes will be documented and discussed with the Title III Program Director as needed.
The annual summative evaluation will document the effectiveness of the project in attaining its annual goals and objectives. The external evaluator will work with the Project Director, Activity Coordinators, and the Director of Institutional Research to review all evaluations of the project and to ensure that results are used to improve the operations of the project. The Activity Coordinators are responsible for monitoring progress toward the individual objectives and for collecting and providing data at sequential intervals, as indicated in the project timeline. At the completion of the 5-year project period, a comprehensive summative evaluation will be prepared that will provide an analysis of the grant's original objectives vs. actual accomplishment of those objectives, and will include a report on final budget expenditures, achievement of objectives, and a summary of the ways the Foundations Program has strengthened the institution, particularly in the areas of retention, persistence, academic success, and transfer and career readiness of basic skills students. In addition to this comprehensive summative evaluation provided by an outside evaluator, the Project Director and Activity Coordinators will report on the ways the grant activity has accomplished the goals set out in the Comprehensive Development Plan, and the ways The Foundations Program has affected the College's policies, procedures, decision processes, and plans for the future. These evaluation processes will be used to make future planning decisions and for developing optimal strategies for achieving the objectives derived from those planning decisions.
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The Blog Monologue
5 to 20 million tons of debris sucked into the Pacific after Japan's tsunami will approach the US West Coast in the next 3 years. And what's more, once it gets here, CA is going to force you to separate the recyclables.
(The Real Story)
Netflix will offer online subscriptions to the UK and Ireland. Naturally, the only titles available for streaming will be "Fawlty Towers" and "Mr. Bean."
(The Real Story)
Marni Kotak wants to give birth in a Brooklyn art gallery as performance art. If you only have time to catch the matinee, all you'll see is her water break.
(The Real Story)
NBC has fallen further behind competitors this fall. NBC has been stuck in 4th place since "Friends" left the air in 2004. Even the peacock cut a deal and left for Animal Planet.
(The Real Story)
While Madonna lives in her newly renovated $32 million NYC townhouse with homes in LA and London, her brother lives under a bridge in MI. On the bright side, he has the lead singer of The Spin Doctors there to keep him company.
(The Real Story)
Check out Mike's alter ego, white, middle-aged suburban rapper Notorious D-A-D in his full length CD "Bumpin' in the Burbs"! http://www.notoriousdadmusic.com
(The Blog Monologue delayed 24 hours for radio clients)
©2011, The Stiles Company, LLC
www.mikestiles.com @mikestiles


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Hadiya Pendleton knew she lived in a big world. And the more of it she saw, the better.
After returning from Washington, D.C., where the Chicago teenager performed as a majorette during last weeks inauguration festivities, she had her eye on her next destination: Paris.For family and friends of the 15-year-old sophomore, who was fatally shot Tuesday in a park near her school on Chicago's South Side, their Hadiya is gone, but her dreams and their memories are not.The victims mother shook her head and wiped away heavy tears during an interview Tuesday with WFLD-TV in Chicago: Im not worried about where shes going. I know who has her. I just miss her. My heart theres a whole section of my heart thats gone. After finishing a day of final exams Tuesday at their college preparatory high school, Hadiya and several other students headed to a nearby park. About 2:20 p.m., after the group had staked out a spot under a canopy as rain pelted down, a male jumped a nearby fence, charged toward them and started shooting, Chicago police said.Police are still searching for the shooter, who probably "mistook the group for gang members and fired at them." Authorities don't think the killer targeted Hadiya, who was shot in the back and later died at a hospital. A male shooting victim is in serious condition, police said.Marielle Sainvilus, a spokeswoman for Chicago public schools, said King College Prep was one of two in the district that sent students to perform at the inauguration. King canceled its final exams for today.


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Shu Qi is one hot motherfucking Asian chick! Yep, she's Taiwanese and she's proud of it! I mean, what's not to be proud of? She's a major star in the all of Asia, she has tremendous talent, and she's packin' quite a nice rack, if I say so myself. Plus she can do some mean martial arts moves like she did in those Hongkong action movies she starred in. Moreover, she's got that whole exotic oriental thing going, and that can only boost anyone's hotness level at least ten notches higher. Check out this hot Shu Qi gallery of naked photos by clicking on the link. Just look at her: a hot pair of bouncing tits and a firm ass that's fun to squeeze and spank all in a well-toned body befitting her imense popularity. If only she showed her pussy so we can rest our cases and kneel before her in adoration.
But wait, we can see her pussy! In fact, Shu Qi's naked photos are the hottest craze in the internet right now! Oh yes, hot pics of Shu Qi showing her tits and pussy have been leaked and are circulating the internet like coke, or weed, or more apropriately- Chinese opium! She is really one hot fuck! With a pussy that looks so pink and so tight, I want to get her in bed, lick, finger, and fuck that fucking pussy like it was the last pussy on earth! Want to see the pics? You would be crazy if you passed up hot pics of Shu Qi showing her tits and pussy!
If you want to see more naked photos of this exotic Asian goddess, check out the Shu Qi Gallery by clicking the link.


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(Determination made at public meeting on November 13, 1997)
(Ratification at public meeting of March 24, 1998)
Chairman Bepko - yes
Vice-Chairman Krahulik - yes
Commissioner Hicks - yes
Commissioner Abbs - yes
Questions and written comments may be directed to Indiana Lobby Registration Commission, 115 W. Washington, Suite 1375 S., Indianapolis, IN 46204 (317) 232-9860
There does not appear to be statutory authority which would support the Commission in requiring that a compensated lobbyist disclose for which clients of an employer lobbyist he lobbies. In the general spirit of disclosure, the Commission invites, bu t does not require, compensated lobbyists to voluntarily disclose those clients on whose behalf they are lobbying.
Lobbyist "A" is paid by Lobby Firm "B" to lobby for client "C". A's compensation for the lobbying A does for client C is paid solely by B. A currently reports that he is a compensated lobbyist for B, and does not report that he lobbies for B's client , C.
The statute does not require that A disclose for which clients of B that A lobbies. However, a general sense of this type of disclosure can be obtained by looking at B's compensated lobbyist form, which will list those employer lobbyists who compensat e B.
It should be noted that if the facts were changed, and if C pays A directly, or if B served as a mere conduit between A and C, then A would need to report as C's compensated lobbyist.


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The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) developed the Spatial Data Collection Standards [PDF] to support spatial data collection (data that describes the location and/or shape of a feature on the earth) by IDEM staff and external source data collectors and submitters. Adherence to these standards will ensure the accuracy, validity, consistency, comprehensiveness, and relevancy of IDEM's spatial data. The document provides both IDEM staff and the private sector standards and guidelines for collecting spatial data. The procedures and standards outlined in the document must be applied to spatial data collection work performed by or for IDEM.


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Via The City Cyclist
Snow Cycling Inspiration
What I Wear For Winter Cycling
It's officially winter in Toronto. That time of year when many people believe outdoor physical activity grinds to a halt. It's that time of year when excuses are passed off as reasons and it's that time of year when I keep on doing what I do… riding my bicycle.
In the spirit of "how to do it" posts, here's a look at my winter cycling wardrobe.
Let me state first that I tend to "run hot." For some reason, I have a great tolerance to the cold. I don't mind the biting wind on my cheeks and only once the temperature drops below -10 C do I add an extra layer to my legs.
That said, let's look at outfit #1… the everyday ride:
1. Wool jacket with light lining (pocket handkerchief for running nose is essential).
2. Wool scarf
3. Toque
4. Merino wool sweater
5. Cotton shirt
6. Jeans (reflective strap since I don't have a chainguard)
7. Fleece gloves
8. Merino wool socks
Not pictured: fleece long johns, leather boots.
My everyday rides take me to the grocery store, to the bank, to a new remote office (coffee shop), to the library. These are all short trips that see me on the bike for no more than 20 minutes at a time. In light snow, I've never had a problem with wet clothes and because I have a set of full fenders the amount of slush and grime spray on my shins is very minimal.
When I reach my destination I sometimes remove the pant strap and I'm ready to go. Easy as pie.
In addition to grocery hauling, errand running my bicycle is my only "exercise machine." So, for longer, harder rides where I'm cranking up my already burning internal engine I dress differently… here's a look at the active rider:
1. Waterproof/Breathable shell
2. Wool cap with ear flaps
3. Fleece half-zip
4. Merino wool base layer
5. Soft shell pants
6. Liner shorts
7. Lined water resistant gloves
8. Merino wool socks
Not pictured: Gore-tex hiking shoes, helmet
My goal on longer, harder rides is to have my outer layers block the wind and my inner layers fight to manage sweat. While I like the bright blue jacket for visibility, I bought it because the fabric is reliably wind resistant and waterproof and because it was on sale.
In the end, I suggest wearing what you feel is comfortable. I like my "advanced plastics" outer layers as much as I do my natural fibre one. Each outfit works for what I want them to do and finding the right mix that suits your body and your needs is how I feel you should determine what to wear on your bicycle in any weather.