Integrating Academic and Career-Related Education: A Professional Development Guide for Community College Faculty
The purpose of this manual is to provide information and guidelines for community college faculty who are interested in working together in seminar format to bring general education and career-related education closer together. By career-related education, we mean programs that lead directly to entry or advancement in the labor force upon award of an associate’s degree, certificate, or diploma in a community college. The manual provides suggestions and resources for ten three-hour long professional development seminars in which faculty modify curriculum and instruction.
At the core of the experience is a collaboration between faculty in academic and career programs. By the end of the sequence of seminars, pairs of instructors have aligned or revised their curricula, created integrated student assignments, and written a proposal to their institution to support delivery of the instruction.
The document begins with an overview of academic and career-related integration, summarizing instructional models and recent research. Faculty and learner outcomes underlying the professional development seminar are then listed. Following are detailed suggestions for conducting the ten faculty seminars. The seminars are designed to capture faculty expertise and create an environment whereby instructors select options based on the needs of their students, departments, and institutions. Concrete, cumulative actions are performed in each seminar.
The plans for the seminars provided in this manual may be used as is or adapted to conform to institutional needs. Ultimately, it is designed to stimulate creative thinking about improving instruction to increase student success in both academic and work settings.
While this document is based on research at community colleges and has been reviewed by community college experts, it has not yet been field-tested. Thus, users should view it as a prototype, a work in progress that may need further revision.
Perin D., & Boehlen, S. (1999, November). Integrating academic and career-related education: A professional development guide for community college faculty. Berkeley, CA: National Center for Research in Vocational Education.