VVINSIDER : VOLUME 05 : NUMBER 05 : MARCH 6, 1987

VCC-VANCOUVER VOCATIONAL INSTITUTt
YOUR INVITATION CIBRARY
The faculty and students of the | J |||7
DENTAL HYGIENE PROGRAM
of Vancouver Community College, Dental Department
extend an invitation to attend their

"PHARMACOLOGY TABLE CLINICS"
to be presented by the 2nd year Dental Hygiene students.
Wednesday, April 8, 1987
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Assembly Hall - Room 240
Vancouver Vocational Institute
At this time everyone is welcome to tour our dental facility.
Light refreshments will be served.

R.S.V.P. BY MARCH 25, 1987. (681-8111, LOCAL 320)

INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Faculty exchange position for September 1, 1987 at the
University of East Asia Junior College in Macau
The College has an opening for a V.C.C. faculty member to teach both Sociology
and Psychology for one term starting in September 1987. There may alio be the
opportunity to become involved in the development of a teacher training
programme at the University. If you are interested in the position, and want
more details, please contact Dave Greenall at 875-1131, Local 350 or 875-8233,
Local 484 as soon as possible.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
This summer one-third of the nation will be
ill-housed, ill-nourished and ill-clad.

bglNCOUI/ER 0n1y they ca11 it a vacation•

COMMUNITY
Vancouver

Vocational Institute

/0>

CONSIDERING RETIRING??
For those few who may consider leaving the VVI and retiring, there are a
couple of wrinkles that may only be in interest to some, but which may affect
early retirees specifically:
1. The calculation of the best five year salary average is done on the last
60 months pf, salary earnings with, the College.' Pre-retirement leaves and
other leaVes without pay ,are bridged so that the 60 months can extend
further back in an employees employment period than 60 consecutive months.
I.

2. On early retirement an employee may ndw collect the Canada Pension as
early as age 60. However, a retiree's Canada Pension is reduced by 0.55»
per months of early retirement for a maximum of 30% at age 60. This
reduction remains in effect for the duration of the pension.
On early retirement the College Pension plan provides an annuity to offset the
Canada Pension plan and the Old Age Security prior to age 60. This annuity is
not changed by the early collection of the Canada Pension.

HWR

PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS
Small business owners tend to avoid formal education programs. "In fact, many
seem to consider too much education may be dangerous to their wealth",
according to Don Nucich and Don Gemmell of Vancouver Community College.

Don Nucich believes it is not education that is the problem, but that it is
usually not relevant to the specific needs of the individual small business
owner. That is, classes tend to be too slow and too general for the average
small business operator who is pressed for time and feels all their problems
are unique.

That's why a new program called OWNER DEVELOPMENT is being launched - it takes
a unique approach in helping small business owners upgrade their business
skills. The program aims to improve the performance of those in small
business, lower the failure rate among small businesses and accelerate the
rate at which independent business owners mature as entrepreneurs.
The design of the one year program involves 10 four hour seminars held
monthly, followed by a half-day on-site visit to each participant's business
by the program advisor/coach.
Don Gemmell notes that there is no prescribed curriculum, but that

participants choose which topic areas they wish to explore and the College
brings in the resource people who are experts in that topic area to lead the
seminar. Seminars generally cover such topic areas as financial analysis,
record keeping, marketing and sales skills, stress and time management, and
personnel skills.
The program costs $2500 per firm, however, much of the enrolment fee can be
reimbursed through government subsidies. The balance is tax deductible.
Recruiting is now in process for 30 non-competing firms for each of two groups
and the program should be in full operation by March 15. For more information
contact Don Nucich or Don Gemmell at the V.V.I. Campus.

jC&C.. INNOVATION ABSTRACTS
'

VOL. IX
NO. 3

1

Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development
With support from the W K Kellogg Foundation and Sid W Richardson Foundation

THE COMMUNITY/COLLEGE CONNECTION: HELPING STUDENTS WRITE FOR THE REAL WORLD
4

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Research argues convincingly that language learning occurs most successfully and efficiently in real social
contexts. In a college/community interactive project, our college tried to provide such a context for our
students' learning—the real life context of our local business community.
Too many of our students' writing tasks displayed an unacceptable tolerance of errors and deficiencies in
argument and content. Students were not inclined to develop convincing and useful content m their
assignments. Their writing didn't sound right; it was often stiff and awkward—even pompous—as they
tried to imitate the "voice" ot a business community they knew nothing about, and as they simultaneously
repressed and devalued their own voices m response to years of error-centered English teaching.
Like many career writing instructors, we had exhausted alternative teaching approaches. We knew the
futility of haranguing our students about how effective writing enhances one's chances of career success and
personal growth. We had also come to realize the senous limitations of emphasizing composing strategies.
The case-study approach (e.g., the student is asked to role-play an accountant faced with a specified,
problematic writing task—like a collection letter) was only another decontextualized "fiction." And we had
long given up curricula that amounted to merely a list of writing genres—good-news letters, bad-news
letters, sales letters, memo reports, and so on—that were unconnected to each other and to a real world.
Realizing the need for a context-specific learning environment, we moved the classroom into the
community and initiated two community-based assignments: a formal report written for business clients and
an article for publication. We introduced both during the first week of classes and assigned students to
groups so that they would complete these writing tasks as "teams."
Before classes began, we invited members of the business community to participate as "real-life" clients
for our students' formal report assignment. (The Chamber of Commerce was particularly helpful in

identifying potential clients for us.) In their first meeting with these clients (to whom we had in effect
contracted them), our teams of students negotiated suitable topics. Tasks ranged from gathering information
for an industrial saw company on the nature of the lumber industry in the southeastern U.S. to helping the
owner of a gym evaluate all available means of advertising. The reporting assignment automatically
generated other communication tasks such as the information-gathering interview, confirmation letter and
memo, and interim progress report. This assignment culminated with a wine and cheese party (a
conventional occasion in the business community) where clients and students celebrated a job well done.
The second assignment invited the community-at-large to be "real-life" readers of our students' journal,

Community Focus. We asked the students to develop article topics which had both major, global significance
and immediate, local relevance. A variety of suitable subjects was suggested: e.g., barriers to interprovindal trade, mega-market merchandising, rent controls, airline deregulation, de-institutionalization of

the care of the handicapped, and the high cost of liability insurance.
The results have been encouraging—students have become engaged in these interactive, real-world
situations; have developed a sense of themselves as members of the business community; have behaved
responsibly about their commitments and deadlines; and have not needed us to remind them of the purpose
of their writing tasks, the importance of drafts and revisions, and the necessity of writing in standard
English. The classroom has developed into a busy, dynamic workplace.

Diana Wegner Janet Giltrow
Douglas College Douglas College
• For further information, contact the authors in the Communications Department, Douglas College, P.O. Box
2503, New Westminster, B.C. V3L 5B2.

\0jn Community Cdlege Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712

A DAILY DOSE OF REALITY
During the fall semester of 1985, Bakersfield College hosted a conference featuring Dr. Tom Peters, co¬
author of In Search of Excellence and A Passion for Excellence.
After Dr. Peters' presentation, the Kern district administrators met to discuss ways to implement some of
the practices described in Peters' remarks. Our discussion group talked about implementing the idea
currently in successful practace at Castle, Inc., a hospital supply company cited in A Passion for Excellence.
Three mornings a week each executive at Castle finds a 5x7 yellow sheet of paper on his/her desk titled
"Daily Dose of Reality." Listed on that sheet is (1) the name and phone number of a customer who bought
a new piece of equipment and (2) the name and phone number of the person who uses the equipment.
•

The

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objective

i

is

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i

threefold:

1

1. to let their customers know they are important to them,
2. to uncover problems before they become major irritants,
3. to give management a daily reminder of where the real world is—with the customer and field
representatives.

The following is our modification of this idea.
Once a month. District Data Processing provides Bakersfield College with a randomly selected list of ten
(10) names of students, with phone numbers and class schedules. The Administrative Council has agreed to
call each of these students and share the results with appropriate personnel on campus.

Bakersfield College adopted Castle's goals. They became:
1. to let the students know they are important to us,
2. to uncover problems before they become major irritants,
3. to give administrators a "daily" reminder of where the real world is—with our students and faculty.
Many administrative jobs do not provide many opportunities for student contact. The "Daily Dose of
Reality" provides administrators with opportunities to increase their contact with students. As well,

administrators have the opportunity to get information firsthand from students and pass it along to the
appropriate faculty members, counselors and staff. Of the more than 300 students contacted thus far, 99%
of the responses are about positive experiences at Bakersfield College. In some cases, the opportunity to
speak directly to a student about a specific problem has hastened its solution—as administrators can and do
directly intervene.
Most students are very surprised by the call, but appreciate the gesture. The "Daily Dose of Reality" has

provided us with an effective staff development activity and student retention strategy in one!
Frank Gomick
Dean of Students
For further information, contact the author at Bakersfield College, 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield, CA

93305, (805) 395-4204.

Suanne D. Roueche, Editor
February 6, 1987, Vol. IX, No. 3
INNOVATION ABSTRACTS Is a publication of the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development, EDB 348, The University of
Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, (512)471-7545. Subscriptions are available to nonconsortlum members for $35 per year. Funding In
part by the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation. Issued weekly when classes are In session during fall and spring
terms and once during the summer.

8 The University of Texas at Austin, 1986
Further duplication Is permitted only by MEMBER Institutions for their own personnel. ISSN 0199-106X