LEARNING
RESOURCES-
LIBRARY
By Fay Byrd
Identification cards (ID) are
required for college events,
to use library computers for
curriculum research, and to
check out books or video
tapes, etc. Please come dur
ing the first two weeks of the
semester and get your ID card made in the library.
After September 20'*’, IDs will be made at specific
time as posted. And those hours may not be conven
ient to the user. Proof of paid registration qualifies
one for a password for NCLIVE, a database of thou
sands of professional articles.
The library is open 8:00 am - 9:00 pm Monday -
Thursday and 8:00 am until 5:00 pm on Friday. The
Saturday schedule will be posted in the library. WCC
Alleghany and Ashe Centers also have the public li
braries and support in addition to the WCC library.
If you are looking for a specific book and you see that
we do not have it, request the book through one of the
library staff. It may be obtained through purchase or
through interlibrary loan.
Wilkes Community
College Embraces
Critical Thinking
By Belinda Smithey
The 2005 - 2006 school year at Wilkes Community
College will be an exciting time for students, faculty,
and staff. It will mark the reaffirmation of WCC’s
accreditation which occurs every ten years. Faculty
and staff have been working extremely hard over the
past year and a half preparing for a visit that occurs the
first week in October.
The On-Site Review Committee, consisting of seven
members, will be visiting WCC to review our Quality
Enhancement Plan (QEP) which is a necessary part of
accreditation and also an opportunity to enhance student
learning. Through analysis of surveys administered in
2004, the focus of the QEP (Wilkes Community College
will embrace critical thinking throughout the college
community in order to enhance student learning) was
determined. Last year was spent designing a plan for
embracing critical thinking. The On-Site Review Com
mittee will evaluate the plan and interview personnel to
determine its acceptability in fulfilling the Southern As
sociation of Colleges and Schools (SACS) requirements.
The committee will make recommendations and provide
advice and consultation to assist us in strengthening the
QEP.
After addressing any necessary recommendations, WCC
will begin full implementation of the QEP in January
2006. Some introductory implementation has already
taken place. For instance, there are posters all over cam
pus that ask, “What Is Critical Thinking?” Faculty and
staff have also been engaged through dialogue in Learn
ing Circles since March. Others have participated in
professional development activities with experts in criti
cal thinking from The Foundation of Critical Thinking.
Scott Johnson, Cinnamon Martin, Julie Mullis, and
Belinda Smithey traveled to San Francisco in July and
participated in the International Conference on Critical
Thinking. Personnel have also traveled to Surry Commu
nity College and Southwestern Community College
throughout the year for sessions with Richard Paul and
Gerald Nosich.
How will the QEP affect students?
Experts in the educational and learning fields say that
learning is a consequence of thinking. WCC is commit
ted to helping our students learn through improved think
ing skills. Improvement of thinking skills requires prac
tice the same as anything else one desires to improve.
For instance, a basketball player must learn and practice
the appropriate skills to be successful. Everything that
students encounter at WCC will eventually incorporate
critical thinking skills based on a model of critical think
ing the college is adopting. It will provide a common
language for all personnel and students. The utilization
and encouragement of student’s use of critical thinking
will be evident in the classroom, student activities, coun
seling services, the business office, the bookstore, etc.
The changes will take place over time with the main im
plementation taking place in 2008. However, students
this school year should be able to start recognizing new
approaches to instruction, assessment, services, policies,
and interaction in general at WCC.
For further information on the model of critical thinking
adopted by the college, go to www.criticalthinking.org.