Waukesha County Technical College - Feature: Once On-The-Job Now In The Classroom: An Educator's Journey

Muskego WI

30 November, 2021

6:25 PM

Description

Press release from the Waukesha County Technical College - Feature: November 30, 2021 When new faculty begin working at WCTC, they bring years of field experience to their roles as technical college instructors. They are masters of their craft, and they have the comprehensive knowledge and skillsets to prove it. What many don't have, however, is teaching experience at the post-secondary level – and nationwide, few college instructors do. Those in the training meet for seven rigorous days in the summer prior to the start of the school year and complete exercises and activities that focus on a variety of distinct learning concepts. New faculty are also matched with mentors – who are experienced WCTC instructors – to provide guidance and support throughout the academic year. Follow-up large group meetings are scheduled monthly for Journey participants to report on techniques and strategies implemented in their classes, as well as deepen their knowledge and understanding of concepts from previous sessions; new content is also presented. Regular mentor/mentee meetings serve as an outlet to discuss what is working in the classroom and what could be improved upon, along with follow-up from the large-group sessions. "This strengthens the College's culture of pedagogy," she said. "It's all of our The Beginning of the Journey Fire and EMS instructor Mike Jones, a retired assistant fire chief for the Milwaukee Fire Department (MFD), completed the Journey and is now a mentor. During his time at the MFD, he on-boarded hundreds of employees and knew how to convey the rules, procedures and standard operating guidelines to them – all skills he thought were transferable to student success. To some extent, he said, they were, but upon starting in academia, he realized he needed to learn specifics about articulating content to students to ensure their success. FROM WCTC IMPACT, FALL 2021 EDITION This press release was produced by the Waukesha County Technical College - Feature. The views expressed here are the author's own.