Hi, I'm Dr Holly Orozco, the Dean for the
College of Health Science and the College
of Education here at Trident University.
And I'm very pleased today to be speaking
with James Hodges, who's a doctoral student
in the College of Education.
So, James, it's great to meet you and speak
with you today.
I'm wondering if you could share with us just
a little bit about your background and what
brought you to Trident.
Sure.
I am Dean of Developmental Education at Patrick
Henry Community College in Martinsville, Virginia.
I had previously done some Ph.D. work at another
online institution and was having some difficulties
and was sharing that with a fellow Dean who
was a student here at Trident and he recommended
that I try Trident out and took a couple of
courses and fell in love with the institution
and found it to be a good match for my needs.
I was looking for an online institution that
would provide me with a quality Ph.D. program,
but at the same time give me a little bit
of flexibility because of being a working
adult and working already in the higher education
world.
So it was a perfect fit and throughout the
whole process has been ideally situated for
my specific needs.
That's wonderful.
Can you tell us a little bit about your dissertation
research and where you are in that process?
Certainly.
The title of my dissertation is The Impact
of Cooperative Learning on Critical Thinking
Test Scores, As Measured by the California
Critical Thinking Skills Test.
Specifically, I'm looking at a community college
where I serve as Dean, and the impact that
cooperative learning has on those critical
thinking test scores.
It's interesting.
The state of Virginia is a very standardized
state in community college education, and
the VCCS, the Virginia Community College System,
is very interested in the work.
There is in Virginia something called core
competencies, likened to gen-ed skills, and
one of those core competencies is critical
thinking.
So, the state is already looking at the results
of my work to see the impact that cooperative
learning has on those critical thinking outcomes.
Right now I am in the writing stage.
I've gone through the defense and I'm hopefully
in the home stretch with seeing a little light
at the end of the tunnel.
We all like to be there, don't we.
That's exactly right the best part.
You know James you mentioned critical thinking
and how that is a core competency for the
state of Virginia, and I'm wondering if you
could share a little bit about some of the
critical thinking emphasis that you've found
in the courses that you've taken at Trident
and how that's helped prepare you in your
dissertation process.
That's an excellent question.
In fact it's one that I think the real advantage
is of Trident.
For me it was the ability to work one-on-one
with a faculty member, have that constant
connection, and really enhance and infuse
those critical thinking skills into the coursework.
So often courses become just regurgitation
of factual information.
But at Trident, I've found the coursework
to be highly advanced in critical thinking
and really emphasizing the infusion of critical
thinking into all the coursework, whether
it be the discussion questions or there just
interaction with the faculty member, but especially
the papers.
So, James, could you maybe share with us a
little bit about how you plan to utilize the
results of your research and the impact that
you feel that's going to have in the area
of education, and also maybe some places that
you're presenting your research?
Certainly.
As I mentioned, the state of Virginia is very
interested in the research because of the
gen ed critical thinking outcome.
The Pedagogy of cooperative learning is relatively
new in both the community college and the
secondary higher ed world.
So, if the results turn out as encouraging
as the preliminary investigation looks than
the state and other colleges are very interested
in getting some training for their faculty
in cooperative learning.
Cooperative learning has had some very profound
results on the on-student learning outcomes
and specifically some gen ed skills.
So that has led my college, and me in particular,
to travel to several conferences and other
colleges across the country just explaining
the link between cooperative learning and
critical thinking and other outcomes, and
how we might train or help train our institution
and help train their faculty members in the
pedagogy of cooperative learning.
In fact, it's garnered some national the Achieving
the Dream Network, which is a community college
reform network, has recognized our school
for the cooperative learning and critical
thinking effort.
So, we're finding some very good results and
quite a bit of national notoriety for their
efforts.
And you're presenting today?
Presenting today, in fact.
I am from Virginia, and I am here in Anaheim
with my college, Patrick Henry Community College,
Martinsville, Virginia, and about 1,600 other
community college educator's are in Anaheim.
You know, in an Achieving the Dream National
Institute and presenting this afternoon on
the link between cooperative learning and
critical thinking.
James and I were chuckling a little bit about
how long dissertation titles can be.
James, would you like to share with the audience
what the title of your dissertation is?
Wow.
All right.
It is The Impact of Cooperative Learning on
Critical Thinking Test Scores as Measured
By the California Critical Thinking Skills
Test at One Rural Community College in Southwest
Virginia.
Great, thank you.
Is there anything else, James, that you'd
like to share with us today about your research
or experience at Trident?
I would just like to share what a blessing
Trident has been for me.
As a pastor and a college professional, it
was imperative that I find an institution
that would allow me to continue working and
continue my regular daily life while at the
same time persuing my goal goal of getting
a Ph.D. in higher ed.
And it has actually just been fantastic.
I thank my colleague every day for recommending
Trident for me.
I can't imagine a better fit for me and the
flexibility of the faculty, the one-on-one
relationship with the faculty has just been
exactly what I needed.
If a little Southern preacher can get through
stats courses, then anyone can do it.
So, it's been a real pleasure.
Thank you, James.
