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Professional Development Conference
2010 ACCSC Professional Development Conference
September 29th – October 1st, 2010
Ritz Carlton Philadelphia
Ten Avenue of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA 19102
Click here to access the hotel website
Click Here to register for the 2010 Professional Development Conference
The 2010 PDC will begin on Wednesday, September 29th with a series of optional pre-conference workshops. The conference itself will begin on Thursday, September 30th and will conclude by 12 noon on Friday October 1st.
Pre-Conference Workshops
September 29, 2010
Please note that separate registration is required for the optional pre-conference workshops.
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Professional Development Conference Overview
September 30 - October 1, 2010
- Don’t Teach Until You See the Whites of Their Eyes
- Social Networking and Online Partnerships: Building Community Via Distance Education
- Strategies To Increase Graduation Rates of Ability-to-Benefit Students
- Focusing on Student Preparation and Faculty Support
- Recruitment and Retention Through Impactful Community Service
- Maximizing Program Advisory Committees: An Institutional Perspective
- Best Practices of Highly Effective Institutions: A Brainstorming Session
- The Accreditation Experience: Accountability. Continuous Improvement. Community.
- Career Schools and Employers: A Full Partnership
- Elsevier Presents: Professionalism and Today’s Students- Developing the Soft Skills to Succeed
- The Watershed: A View from Washington
- Care and Feeding of Externships
Key Note Speaker
ACCSC is also thrilled to announce that Eric Chester, Founder of Generation Why, will deliver this year’s key note address on Friday, October 1st. During his key note address, Eric will offer insight, perspective and strategies to that help organizations recruit, train, manage, motivate, and retain the very best of this new generation.
Hotel Reservations
In order to receive special sleeping room rates of $179 please make your hotel room reservations with the Ritz Carlton Philadelphia by calling 1-800-241-3333 and referencing the ACCSC Professional Development Conference. The hotel will accept reservations at this rate until September 7, 2010. However, please make your reservations early as a limited number of rooms have been reserved and are subject to sell out.
Optional Pre-Conference Workshop Descriptions:
Wednesday, September 29th
9:30 am - 4:30 pm
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Leadership Matters
Dr. Michale McComis, ACCSC
Leadership in any organization is a key component to the success at that organization. In today’s higher education landscape, college leaders must be able to articulate the vision for their institution, set the tone, and challenge their institution to achieve greatness.
This interactive workshop (i.e., come prepared to share and discuss) will cover areas and best practices in leadership within the career college sector that contribute to high levels of institutional and student success. Topics include leadership in a school setting, establishing partnerships in your community, and committing to a meaningful institutional assessment and improvement process.
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Mission Possible: Creating a Systematic Process for Programmatic Assessment
Dr. Julie Basler, Platt College-Aurora
Dr. Juanita Gurubatham, ACCSC
This workshop is geared for both school administrators and faculty members who are interested in learning how to implement a comprehensive program evaluation process. During this workshop, the presenters explain how, using a partnership of faculty, staff, Program Advisory Committee members, board of directors, and other outside constituencies, a program review can be comprehensive and ongoing as part of any institutional effectiveness plan.
Participants will learn how to create a program assessment process, learn how to effectively collect data as part of this process, and learn how to incorporate program assessment and student assessment to support and enhance the quality of education provided.
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Distance Education: Building a Community of Online Learners
Dr. Joel English, Centura College
Christopher Lambert, ACCSC
Distance education students often face significant burdens that can interfere with their ability to be successful, including striking an appropriate balance between their school obligations and personal responsibilities. Suffice to say, online schools face a greater challenge with student graduation rates of their students, and must continuously work hard to innovate methods by which to bolster student retention.
This workshop will showcase effective strategies employed by an ACCSC-accredited institution with a growing online student population to support student success and will an opportunity for participants to gain a better understanding of the Commission’s expectations regarding distance education programs, including an overview of the technical areas required by the Standards of Accreditation.
Concurrent Breakout Session Descriptions
- Enhancement
- Administration
- Partnership
Thursday, September 30th
10:45 am – 12 noon
Most teachers get tired of college administration and educational supervisors telling them what to do all the time. The following presentation eliminates training fatigue by looking at the other side of the educational training coin and focusing on what a college administrator should not do. This presentation looks at standard "Don'ts"—Administrative Don'ts, Verbal Don'ts, and Technology Don’ts, as well as some Outside-the-Box Don'ts—that will leave participants exploring newer and more effective methods of teaching and assessment.
As a community of partners in education, it is important to share retention strategies for the segment of the student population that is so often neglected by other sectors of higher education. This session looks at research and data on the ability-to-benefit (ATB) student population and provides a forum to discuss retention strategies that have been proven to not only keep ATB students in school but also to provide these students with the necessary skills for success in the workplace.
- Liz Salazar, Coordinator of Legal Programs, Centura College
- Karlene Jaggan, Coordinator of Medical Programs, Centura College
- Brad Groom, Coordinator of Aviation Programs, Centura College
Track: Partnership
Student retention is a critical area of focus for all higher education institutions and the students they serve. For institutions that offer a 100% online program, the fact that students are not “on campus” can exacerbate the divide between institution and student learner. This interactive session will showcase an ACCSC-accredited institution’s efforts to bolster student retention in its distance education programs by offering innovative social networking programs. This session will also include a LIVE demonstration of how this technology is being wielded to meet the expectations of students, increase student motivation, and build a greater sense of community among a growing segment of online learners.
Thursday, September 30th
1:45 pm – 3:00 pm
This session will present a case study that outlines the process of how the administration of one institution collaborated to develop and foster a shared-learning community among students and faculty. The presentation will cover a diverse array of topics to help institutions begin to understand the meta-cognitive aspect of learning, the function of a learning community, and the relationship between student preparation and faculty support in an active learning environment. This session will also provide an opportunity for participants to reflect on their current levels of student preparation and faculty support and the steps they will take to develop a workable strategy at their campuses.
With a continued spotlight on national service, this is a time of tremendous growth at the Corporation for National and Community Service which administers the Learn and Serve America program. This service-learning program provides opportunities for students to get involved with their local communities in a tangible way by integrating service projects with classroom learning, and provides opportunities for students to actively contribute to their communities through the service they perform. This presentation provides an opportunity to discuss impactful student engagement and service learning activities and will include tips and guidance on how to set up and grow service programs. The presentation will also provide an overview of how community service projects can generate student loyalty and ensure a lively campus environment.
An effective Program Advisory Committee (PAC) network can be an invaluable resource to any institution as it strives to continue to meet the needs of students, graduates, and employers. In fact, when managed effectively, a PAC can prove to be every institution’s greatest partner in the educational community. This session will provide an accredited institution’s perspective on how to manage, evaluate, and reap the benefits of an effective PAC to meet the needs of students and to satisfy employer demands. This session will also provide participants with ideas on how an institution can utilize the PAC to exceed ACCSC’s expectations in generating employment opportunities, enhancing school curricula, and developing dynamic community outreach programs.
Thursday, September 30th
3:15 – 4:30 pm
This interactive session builds upon the success of the ACCSC Webinar, “Transcend Compliance: Best Practices in Accreditation” and is designed to challenge the way institutions think about, prepare for, and engage in the accreditation process. The rapid fire strategy session provides a forum for ACCSC to share best practices of high-performing accredited institutions and to explore the fundamental difference between basic compliance and institutional effectiveness. Specific areas of focus include: strategic planning, student services, faculty development, admission policies and practices, recruitment, and much more.
This session builds upon the fundamental belief that career schools and colleges play a critical role in preparing students to enter and advance in the workforce and will focus on an essential aspect of institutional and student success: developing and maintaining a meaningful relationship with the employment community. Using content provided in the session, as well as a peer learning activity through small group discussions, participants will learn how to maximize their relationships with employers. Highlighted strategies include the creation of sample employer introduction letters and the development of an institutional fact sheet for enhancing opportunities for meaningful community partnerships.
- Thomas J. Cornacchia, Bettina Falwell, Lisa J. Miles - ACCSC
- Sherry Bomberger, 2010 Volunteer of the Year
- Dr. Gary Maluf, 2010 Volunteer of the Year
The on-site evaluation experience is an essential component of an institution’s ongoing accredited status. Many institutions undertake this particular facet of their accredited status with confidence or apprehension…and sometimes both. During this session, participants will learn how to foster an effective on-site evaluation process and will learn how to reduce anxiety and enhance confidence in preparing for and undergoing a successful on-site evaluation. Presenters will outline the process of the school’s renewal of accreditation, placing emphasis on the overall communication required before, during, and after an on-site evaluation. In addition, the session will address best practices of high performing institutions and will include the perspectives of seasoned Commission staff representatives, including a unique viewpoint from two highly experienced team member volunteers. Lastly, the session will cover effective ways to prepare an institutional post-evaluation response as well as how to clearly communicate and demonstrate compliance with the Standards of Accreditation.
Friday, October 1, 2010
10:45 am – 12:00 noon
By definition, an externship is an experiential learning opportunity that immerses a student in a real world job setting in his/her field of study. During externships students are afforded practical opportunities to apply the theory and skills taught in classroom and laboratory settings. Needless to say, the externship experience can be a critical component in the life of a student as he/she prepares to make the transition into the workforce. During this session participants will learn more about strategies to secure a clinical site and an externship location, and in the wake of significant enrollment growth and increased competition, how to identify future externship sites and manage current externship sites. Participants will also learn more effective ways to evaluate the appropriateness of externship activities and to not only identify common pitfalls in the externship process, but to avoid them altogether.
- Michale S. McComis, Executive Director, ACCSC
- Ronald S. Blumenthal, Chair of the Commission
The last year has brought significant change in the legislative and regulatory landscape of the higher education community—especially with respect to for-profit institutions. From Negotiated Rulemaking to the hearings in the House of Representatives and the Senate, ACCSC has participated fully in these events in order to position accreditation as a crucial part of the conversation, to bolster confidence in ACCSC as a leader in accreditation, and to show that the Commission has rigorous standards that hold its institutions accountable for their actions. During this session, participants will have an opportunity to hear from the leadership at ACCSC regarding their views of the current regulatory landscape and to gain a better understanding of future possibilities that may prove to reshape the higher education landscape
While many schools are producing highly trained graduates with strong technical skills, it can be a challenge to instill a sense of professionalism in today’s students. The objective of this session is to provide participants with tools and concepts for enhancing students’ “soft-skills” as well as to provide schools with ideas to inspire students to comport themselves as professionals while in school, on externship or clinical rotation, throughout the job interview process, and in the workplace. Topics include key issues related to professionalism—general interpersonal skills, client interaction, and projecting a professional image—as well as an interactive discussion on teaching strategies to ensure student success.
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