Throughout the Fall 2005 semester, the 38 new members of the San Antonio College tenure-track faculty will spend their Friday afternoons attending the new Raul S. Murguia Learning Institute (MLI) to learn about the best practices in classroom strategies to enhance student learning.
     
"This is a wonderful opportunity to positively impact an entire generation of new faculty," said Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer, MLI Director and Coordinator of the Real Estate Program.  He added, "Our plan is to help them help the students learn better.  Our slogan is 'It's All About Learning,' and I think that embodies our purpose with the MLI."
   
The institute is named for the late Raul S. Murguia, an English professor whose career personified learning, student success, and dedication to the community college mission.
 
Some of the identified best practices include learning style assessment, student-centered teaching, mentorship programs, learning communities, cooperative learning, peer tutoring and mentoring, and problem-based learning.

The MLI is the primary focus of the college's Quality Enhancement Plan to enhance the quality of student learning at the college.  Over a five-year period, the students of faculty who attend the institute will be tracked to see if there is improvement in their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, use of the scientific method, and use of key mathematical concepts compared with the average student at the college.

Students will also be tracked to see how well they continue their education in sequential courses, make successful or "productive" grades, and achieve their academic goal - whether it is to take classes to upgrade skills, earn certification in a field, earn an associate's degree, or transfer to a four-year institution.

By Fall 2006, the MLI will be open to all full-time and adjunct faculty as well as staff members.  Additional employee development opportunities for faculty, phased in over a four-year period, will include graduate courses on campus, workshops, mentors, and a master teacher program.

For more information about the Murguia Learning Institute, contact Dr. Johnnie Rosenauer at 733-2852 or jrosenau@accd.edu.