What Can We As Faculty Do For Students

As I watched the situation unfold, I've tried to figure out what we, as academic faculty, can do for the students who are being impacted by the ITT Tech closure. Having a belief last week that it was inevitable, I spent time trying to provide my faculty colleagues throughout California with my thoughts relative to an approach for providing potential transfer in the specific discipline that we teach. That discipline is focused on computer networking and information security. As the result of comparing the course descriptions and other information contained in the ITT Tech catalog with those courses that are identified as having approved "model curricula" in conjunction with the C-ID project initiated by the California Statewide Academic Senate and the California Community College Chancellor's Office. The document I created can be accessed at:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B1wjRZl99PuZdzQxcXNDUFV0Uzg

This is the opinion of one California community college full-time professor. It is no guaranty that other professors at my college or professors from other colleges in the State will accept its content. But it may serve as a starting point for students here in California looking for an alternative place to complete their education pathway. You students face a difficult time with challenging decisions that specifically relate to moving forward with your pathway (and face a continuation of your student loan obligations), or abandon your pathway in favor of seeking a discharge of your student debt. Good luck in deciding which direction you take.

Steve

slinthicum@sierracollege.edu

Comment! It's anonymous!

7 replies (most recent on top)

"Having said that there were and are some very very good students there I hope they can get transferred and complete the education."

I taught on the Bachelor's Information Systems and Cybersecurity. Some students were there because they wanted a job in that field. Others were there expecting to do little work but suspend loan payments on their Associate's degree. Once the keen students realized that I was there to teach and that slackers would actually fail the atmosphere in the classes really improved. It turned out that the students who were prepared to work had been disillusioned by seeing slackers get A's in subjects in the Associate's program.

In many ways I had it easy. With a dozen in the class the administration gave me no problems when the slackers failed. I saw other teachers trying to deal with first quarter Associate classes where a class of 45 was supposed to have an 82% pass rate. Yeah - not happening without obscene grade inflation.

Your KPIs were a joke Mr. Modany - or should I call him Kev. Kev didn't strike me as remotely intelligent - he talks like a whiny little child. Hard to believe that such an idiot was in charge of any publicly traded company never mind one that purported to be in the education business!

"What Can We As Faculty Do For Students"

& Reply

Post ID: @JfBwJti-bxe

Steve,

I admire your concern for the students and also agree with the above mentioned reply post. As an instructor and academic manager at ITT I saw this happening often. There were many instances where student got credits that were not deserved. The ITT grading system and academic practices were responsible for this. (If your students do not pass you do not have a job!) ITT also had a 3 page survey for students about instructors which also decided the fate of the instructors.

Having said that there were and are some very very good students there I hope they can get transferred and complete the education. It might be a good idea to give a qualifying test to students and then accept their credits. I am confident that my good students can meet and exceed the standards of most respectable institutions.

As far as community schools being the better option over For Profit...yes, less expensive for the student. But the outcomes (graduation rate, gainful employment) are just as bad (if not worse).

As far as cost...that community college associates degree to government is far far more expensive, as the actual cost per credit is like 95% paid by the taxpayers.

@JfBwJti

I understand your aims, but the problem with ITT's system is that a student having an A in a module is no guarantee that they have a clue about the module curriculum.

For example, in a Bachelor's class I came across many students with an A on the NT2580 (Associates) security module who couldn not name the three main tenets of information security mentioned many times in NT2580 - just three months after completing that module. It seemed that their instructor for NT2580 had not done a good job but most of the class got A or B grades regardless.

I met many good and even excellent instructors at ITT but a system which actually encouraged the kind of behavior alluded to above was bound to eventually fail.

Now on to the next one Devry and EDMC...my heart goes out to all of you impacted

Comment from poster:

"This is just more ITT hand-holding BS."

Do you understand that at the California community colleges the cost to students is $46/unit and 80% of our students receive fee waivers? The very thing you appear to be promoting is the very thing we do as non-profit tax support public colleges. This isn't hand-holding. It is simply detailing a possible approach.

It's a setback, no doubt. In the end, student loans will be forgiven and students will be able to pick up the pieces and continue on elsewhere...hopefully not at some other for-proft bullshit diploma mill like ITT. In most states, it will be a wash, with few if any schools accepting ITTs credits. Sh-- happens! It s---s. Move on. This is just more ITT hand-holding BS.

Thread regarding ITT Educational Services Inc. layoffs

What Can We As Faculty Do For Students

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