Student Learning

As a new college, Cascadia continues to grow along with our learners and their needs. A high priority for the college is in helping learners address and identify ways to overcome the barriers that stand in the way of a successful learning experience. Evidence of Vanguard College's Objective 5 to create or expand learning-centered programs to ensure success for underprepared students is noted by the following results:

• In the second academic year, 2001-02, Cascadia doubled the number of basic skills learners served.
• The number of basic skills classes offered also doubled during the second academic year to accommodate learner needs.
• All learners are assessed for appropriate class and level placement to ensure success.
• The Tutor Lab continues to have tremendous growth in the number of learner visits. During Fall 2001, the Math Lab had 247 student visits. In the Winter 2002 quarter, student visits jumped to 510. Fifty percent of all math visits for the past academic year are from learners in classes under the 100 level.
• A Foundation College Strategies/Writing class uses self-assessment throughout the course to engage learners actively as agents for their own learning and as well as to evaluate their progress and performance against given criteria. Learners mirror the college's Fishbowl exercise that is part of the hiring process for new applicants. Click here to learn more about Cascadia's Fishbowl exercise. Student peers, other instructors, outside community members, and college staff participate to provide a contextual framework for assessing student learning.
• Fall 2002 has an active learning community combining an English 100 and Math 90 class.
• The college continues to link the Writing and College Strategies courses together to provide a stronger foundation for students at this level.
• ESL learners are assessed for their skills ability and encouraged to enroll in math and computer classes while working on their writing and speaking competencies. Students are encouraged to use on-line learning resources while in Foundation classes. Students are shown websites that provide additional materials, links, exercises, and opportunities for learning.
• As opportunities arise in the ESL curriculum, we have been fortunate to partner with other disciplines to enhance the learning of all students. ESL classes have shared learning projects with transfer classes. The transfer students are given the role of "experts" in the subject material. For example in Winter 2002, ESL students had a unit about the planet Mars as a vehicle to teach reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The Astronomy and ESL classes were brought together in a mentor/mentee format. An ESL class was also partnered with a biology class around the topics of bio-diversity and ecology. The ESL students were able to identify with the subject and became experts about some of the bio-diversity, ecology, and conservation problems in their homelands. The subject matter provided an excellent vehicle for research and writing a paper using technology. After the reports were completed by the ESL learners, both classes came together again so that they could share their "expertise" with the biology students. These partnerships also give the ESL students an opportunity to practice English in another context than the ESL classroom.
• ESL students are currently helping to design the multicultural mural that will hang in the student lounge area.
• Self-paced keyboarding modules are available to learners
• Classes at the Foundations level share learning projects quarterly with transfer classes
• Software specific to the needs of these learners was purchased and is available in a classroom computer lab and in the Tutoring Center. These include Skillsbank and Cornerstone and help support basic skills as well as critical thinking and problem solving skills.

• Offering precollege math classes in a two quarter course, thus allowing learners to better build a foundation at a pace that is more realistic for their learning.
• Create writing and math modules offered in the Learning Center where learners are able to independently complete prerequisites at a pace that is more individually addressed.
• Continue to integrate computer assisted learning in all levels of precollege courses. This could include distance learning that would expand opportunities for successful learning.
• Continue and create more learning opportunities for Foundation classes to integrate learning with transfer courses.

View these and other exciting initiatives by clicking on the options to the left.