ABE ARTICULATION STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES APRIL 24 – 08

Attendees: Name Educational Institution Guests: Shelley Gilmour Ministry of Advanced Education (AVED) Raili McIvor British Columbia College of Admissions and Transfer

(BCCAT) Leone Beebe ABEABC Committee Members: Hilary Rourke Douglas College (Chair Steering Committee) Sandra Friesen Okanagan College (host) Lyle Olsen Selkirk College Pat Corbett-Labatt NIC Costa Karavas VCC (Co - Chair of Mathematics) Mary Shier College of the Rockies Dani Michael-Didier College of New Caledonia Dilbagh Dhammi Capilano College Robert Ferro Yukon College (Co - Chair of Mathematics) Gord Buzzard Malaspina (Associate Chair) Marilyn Smitshoek Douglas College (Co – Chair of Fundamentals) Lee Emery Thompson Rivers University (TRU) Sue Brigden University College Fraser Valley Jim Beaton Kwantlen Carol Schoen Capilano (Chair Social Sciences) Brian Richards TRU Kathy Mitchell TRU (D& D Liaison) Vena Hachkevich (Chair EDCP) Rick Shea OC

1. Approval of agenda – motion carried (Sue/Lyle) 2. Approval of minutes – motion carried (Jim/Gord) 3. BCCAT website: minutes from all committees are logged 4. Institutional Reports Summary from Hilary of general trends:

• Student population stable • Higher enrollments in upper levels • Diplomas down – perhaps students are focused on pre-reqs

• No changes in faculty #’s General Issues to look at later:

• Technology • Student changes • Faculty • Advertising

Institutional Reports from: Malaspina Kwantlen Selkirk VCC CNC TRU College of Rockies NWCC North Island College Okanagen College Douglas UCFV Motion passed: Include on Institutional report forms: “placement procedures” (Brian, Gord) 4. Ministry of AVED – Shelley Gilmour Topics discussed:

a. Adult literacy – still top priority b. Adult opportunities education plane. On website (Shelley fwd) c. Initiatives: ABE tuition free! Colleges previously tuition free compensated d. Community Adult Literacy Program. May 23 deadline for application e. ESL Settlement assistance program: services for rural and remote

programs across BC. Application deadline: May 23 f. Regional literacy coordinators – positions to be filled by Sept 2008 g. Workplace Essential Skills Strategy: Funding applied for and received by:

- Kwantlen – Carpentry - TRU – Forestry - TRU/VCC – Tourism - Douglas – 3 but unknown. - Shelley to fwd.

h. Assessments: development of microstimulation. - Alignment of learning outcomes btn K-12, community and Post-sec. - Literacy assessment due out in fall. Completion rates, general pop. Assessment, how students are doing over time. - Shelley to fwd in fall.

i. ABESAP q. What can ABESAP be used for? Textbooks, Daycare, Transportation? q. Only students can access ABESAP or can funds go to dept. for textbooks? q. What is the funding mechanism? Shelley to fwd answers.

Concern: Funding cut off after 4 years, too soon for lower level fundamental students.

j. District Literacy Plans – due in July. Shelley to fwd. k. Student Outcome surveys

1. ESL – posted on website soon 2. Adult Special Ed – on website New: Merged ABE outcome survey – ABE student mobility – track trends btn AVED, ED and BCCAT. Looking at 2004/2005 cohort.

l. Adult aboriginal curriculum development project btn NVIT and AVED. Resources will be available to all.

m. Advertising: Shelley asked can AVED provide cash for advertising ABE courses province wide?

5. Leone Beebe: ABEABC chair - can reps ask their institution about volunteering to host ABEABC conference? 6. Kathy Mitchell: Deans and Directors report

I. Literacy activities II. Work essential skills – 10 groups. Reports due June 30. Will be posted

on AVED III. Aboriginal Research partnership with TRU. “Success benchmarks lead to

successful transition to post secondary ed.” Research will be shared. 7. Raili McIvor – BCCAT update - BC Transfer system ‘envy of continent” - do not send institutional reports with articulation minutes to BCCAT 8. Sue Brigden and Gord Buzzard: BCCAT report – re: Education planner and transfer guide. - would like to begin listing ABE courses on provincial grd. Raili to look at logistics. Then may consider a working committee. 9. Advertising: Province wide - Interactive handbook – can reps check with computer departments to see if there are students needing a project. ABE ARTICULATION STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES April 25, 2008

10. Updating Listserv: Hilary Rourke will refresh the ABE Steering Committee LISTSERV via email 11. Provincial Outcomes Survey (Sue Brigden)

a. Sue Brigden ( ABE), Alison Norman (ESL) and Ministry Of Advanced Education researchers are creating questions for a survey for past individuals who took ABE/ESL. b. The purpose is to analyse effective ABE/ESL courses and programs in the province. The survey will identify those students who continued with their education and/or find employment in their fields of study. c. The research group has suggested to study students who completed Intermediate, Advanced, and Provincial level ABE students and ESL who have taken 3 or more courses. d. Sue continues to look for more information about the cohort group and the questions to be asked in study. e. A draft of this information will be placed on the ABE Steering LISTSERV for committee members to comment and make suggestions.

Committee members asked questions about methodology for this survey. It was noted that previous research conducted by Ted James was very useful for ABE. 12. Working Committee Reports

a. English Committee Working Group • The report was emailed to the Committee by Leslie Watts • Leslie Watts has stepped down from the Chair’s position. A new

chair or co-chairs has yet to be confirmed. Motion to receive report- carried (Sue/Bryan)

b. Fundamental Committee Working Group (Marilyn Smitshoek)

• The Committee finalized Fundamental English ALF levels. • The Committee will meet May 5th and 6th for Math ALF levels. • Canadian Council of Learning: Assessment tool created. • Committee passed a motion that Regional Literacy Coordinators

should be part of the ABE dept at Colleges. In the past, RLCs have been employed both by colleges and the community.

Motion to receive report-carried (Lyle/Lee) c. Math Committee Working Group (Costa Karavas)

• Continued Issue about acceptance of ABE Provincial level and acceptance into university.

• Costa confirmed that UBC does not accept a mix of courses whereas UFV and UVIC will. Sue Brigden confirmed that with the

exception of Alberta, BC students are accepted without provincial exams.

• Gord Buzzard suggested that Colleges with university titles may have to accept ACCC agreement.

Motion to receive report-carried (Del/Rick) d. Social Science Committee Working Group (Carol Schoen)

• Continued concern raised about fewer social science courses offered throughout province.

• NWC, VCC and Capilano continue to have strong registration • Would like to invite representatives from the English and First

Nations Committee to attend future meetings • Rewritten Outcomes were completed for: Intermediate, Advanced

Social Studies and Psychology. Steering Committee will accept receipt of rewritten outcomes electronically. Motion to receive report-carried (Vena/Sandra)

e. Science Working Group (Lyle Olsen)

• Chemistry outcomes completed. • Physics is currently in the process of approval by the working

group. • Biology will be completed in 2009. Selkirk and NWC changed

numbering of courses. Motion to receive report- (Bryan/Jim)

f. Computer Science Working Group (Brian Richards)

• Reviewed outcomes for relevancy; agreed to maintain existing outcomes.

• Removal of old technology wording off of outcomes will be passed in 2009.

Motion to receive report-(Mary/Lee)

g. EDCP (Vena Hachkevich)

• Committee questioned why funding is given to organizations that are not necessarily skilled to offer employment preparation. Should colleges be addressing how to get funding back within ABE Departments?

• Questioned the ethics of programs that take people with low literacy skills and put them in courses that don’t really help move them forward. Can the Deans and Directors to lobby the Provincial Government?

• Hilary to take issue to D & D’s.

Motion to receive report-(Carol/Marilyn)

f. First Nations Working Group: No representative: Hilary will contact the Committee Chair. 13. Election of Assistant Chair

• Current Chair – Hilary Rourke • Associate Chair: Gordon Buzzard • Sue Brigden elected Assistant Chair

14. Host for ABE Steering Committee Meeting

• Kwantlen or Capilano College. The location will be confirmed at a later date

• Potential Dates in 2009: Monday April 23/24 or 30th/May 1st 2009 to be confirmed.

15. Update of ABE Steering Committee Manual

• Glenda Hunter is completing this document. • Completed manual will be sent to committee members electronically. This

document will be useful reference for new and continuing committee members.

16. Status Change: College to University and hiring requirements for new faculty

• TRU is now requiring a Master’s Degree for new hirings. • Other Colleges are accepting experience, minimum Bachelors and some

require teaching certification (PDP or other) 17. Topic 2: Advertising Discussion: Carried from Thursday.

• Question: common name for ABE? Implications of name change. See notes summarizing institutional names.

• Issue arose that Kwantlen is offering many courses that are clearly college prep that are not articulated and are not tuition-free. Issue to be brought forward to D & D’s mtg.

• Hilary will work with Cathy Mitchell (SLP) to look for provincial advertising funding possibilities

18. Topic 3: Completion Rates and Student Changes:

• Gord suggests that current research studies show that instructor directed courses increase completion rates;self-directed, learning centre courses completions increase with older students but decrease with younger aged students.

• Older research suggests that self-directed studies have a 3-7% completion rates

• Challenges: small regional campuses can not provide individual instructors. Courses are being cancelled due to lower numbers. At the same time, these disenfranchised lower level students (fundamental and intermediate) really need the courses in order to take high prerequisites.

• Kinds of students- Younger students not prepared to work independently, cognitive disabled, mental health issues

• Assessment- not all institutions do assessments prior to attending ABE. Hilary thanked Sue and all those from ACFV that had participated in making the meeting a success. Meeting Adjourned 3pm NOTES Names OC “Adult Academic and Career Preparation”, many use “Adult Basic Education” and “Upgrading” CNC “College and Career Preparation” then write in lowercase underneath “Adult Basic Education” COTR ABE use “Upgrading” when describing program, also use “Nursing Prep”, “Trades Prep” etc KWA “Academic and Career Prep” – department name, ABE courses possible new dept name “Qualifying Studies” MAL College and Career Prep”, “Career and Adult Prep”, “Career and Academic Prep”, mostly use “ABE” YUK “Developmental Studies Division”, “Developmental Studies”, “Upgrading”, “College Prep” NWCC “Career and College Preparation” also ABE TRU “University Preparation Department”, still some ABE and “College Prep” DOU “Developmental Studies” in “Developmental Education Department” UCFV “College and Career Preparation”, also use ABE and upgrading CAP “ABE” sister department “College and Career Preparation” NIC ABE or Upgrading or Developmental Studies