Pathways to Promotion: Redesigning a Community College Faculty Promotion Process

This article reports on a design-based research project that is situated in a medium-size community college in Maryland. The project focused on exploring why the majority of full-time faculty was ranked as Assistant Professor or below, which did not reflect ranking at similar institutions. Under the leadership of the Provost, a task force analyzed the problem before designing a solution. The analysis phase of the project involved data collection and analysis through a faculty survey, a literature review, and a scan of other community colleges’ promotion practices. The design phase used the findings from the analysis stage to redesign the promotion system and construct evaluation and promotion tools. The article gives insight into how the interests of diverse stakeholders can be taken into account when creating accessible, alternative pathways to promotion for faculty while also supporting the institution’s mission and goals. For other community colleges looking at faculty promotion and evaluation, the results of this project highlight the importance of surveying faculty’s experiences with the existing system; learning from best practices at other institutions; including the participation of the faculty and administrators in the redesign process; and allowing for ample time to thoroughly explore the situation from many angles before coming to consensus. Although limited to a particular context, this study may be of interest to both community college faculty and leadership.     

The Science of a Sundae: Using the Principle of Colligative Properties in Food Science Outreach Activities for Middle and High School Students

The opportunities for outreach activities for professionals and academics in food science are extensive, as too are the range of participants’ experience levels and platforms for delivery. Here, we present a set of activities that are readily adaptable for a range of students (ages 10 to 18) in multiple platforms (demonstration table and hands‐on workshop). Our activity, collectively called “The Science of a Sundae,” has three units, one for each of the three parts of a sundae: the caramel sauce, the cherry, and the ice cream. In each unit we use these familiar food items to illustrate how colligative properties (or, simply, “solutions” for younger students) impact the chemical, microbiological, and sensorial properties of food. We have used these activities to present to over 1000 students and their parents/chaperones. Grade levels of student participants have ranged from 5th grade through high school, and these activities have been presented in the form of a demonstration table at science events as well as a set of three 45‐minute workshops in a classroom setting. Educational impact of these activities was evaluated with 7th grade students (n = 77) who participated in the 3‐phase workshop. On average, students who took the posttest (after participation in the workshop) scored 36% higher than students who took the pretest (prior to participation in the workshop). These results and instructor observations suggest the merit of this lesson and its adaptability among ages and platforms.     

A preliminary investigation of the concurrent validity of reading comprehension rate: A direct,dynamic measure of reading comprehension

Reading comprehension rate (RCR) is a direct measure of reading skills that may be useful in formatively evaluating students reading beyond the fourth‐grade level. To investigate the concurrent validity of RCR, we correlated RCR, reading comprehension level (RCL), and words correct per minute (WC/M) with the Broad Reading Cluster Scores of the Woodcock‐Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJ‐III ACH) across 88 students in 4th, 5th, and 10th grades. Results showed that aloud‐RCR was significantly correlated with the WJ‐III ACH scores for 4th‐grade (r = .90; n = 22), 5th‐grade (r = .87; n = 29), and 10th‐grade (r = .65; n = 37) students. Regression analysis specified a one‐predictor model for 4th‐grade students (aloud‐RCR), a two‐predictor model for 5th‐grade students (WC/M and aloud‐RCR), and a one‐predictor model for 10th‐grade students (WC/M). Discussion focuses on directions for future research and applied issues related to RCR probe passage development. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 44: 373–388, 2007.     

Altering instructional delivery options to improve intervention outcomes: Does increased instructional intensity also increase instructional effectiveness?

With limited educational resources and numerous other variables that complicate effective teaching, educators need to think prudently about how to allocate resources. In essence, teachers must allocate resources in ways that will best maximize student learning. However, minimal research has systematically evaluated whether increased instructional intensity and resources meaningfully increase instructional effectiveness. As a preliminary attempt to address this research question, this study systematically evaluated the differential effectiveness of three intervention options that integrated the same instructional components but required varying levels of resources (i.e., teacher time for instructional delivery). To better isolate the research question, this study specifically evaluated interventions designed to improve students' reading fluency. Overall findings suggested that increased instructional intensity does not necessarily equate with increased instructional effectiveness. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Schooling effects on preschoolers’ self-regulation, early literacy, and language growth

The present study examined the influence of schooling during children's first and second years of preschool for children who experienced different amounts of preschool (i.e., one or two years), but who were essentially the same chronological age. Children (n = 76) were tested in the fall and spring of the school year using measures of self-regulation, decoding, letter knowledge, and vocabulary. Using hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), preschool was not associated with children's development of self-regulation in either year. For decoding and letter knowledge, children finishing their second year of preschool had higher scores, although both groups of children grew similarly during the school year. Thus, our results suggest that the first and second years of preschool are both systematically associated with decoding and letter knowledge gains, and the effects are cumulative (two years predicted greater gains overall than did one year of preschool). Finally, children's chronological age, and not whether they experienced one versus two years of preschool, predicted children's vocabulary and self-regulation outcomes. Implications for preschool curricula and instruction are discussed, including the increasing emphasis on literacy learning prior to kindergarten entry and the need to address self-regulation development along with academic learning.     

Two-dimensional and three-dimensional dynamic imaging of live biofilms in a microchannel by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry

A vacuum compatible microfluidic reactor, SALVI (System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface), was employed for in situ chemical imaging of live biofilms using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS). Depth profiling by sputtering materials in sequential layers resulted in live biofilm spatial chemical mapping. Two-dimensional (2D) images were reconstructed to report the first three-dimensional images of hydrated biofilm elucidating spatial and chemical heterogeneity. 2D image principal component analysis was conducted among biofilms at different locations in the microchannel. Our approach directly visualized spatial and chemical heterogeneity within the living biofilm by dynamic liquid ToF-SIMS.Mapping how metabolic pathways are interconnected and controlled at the subcellular scale within dynamic living systems continues to present a grand scientific challenge. Biofilms, consisting of aggregations of bacterial cells and extracellular polymeric substance (EPS), present an important avenue for deciphering complex microbial communities. During biofilm formation, cells assemble in a secreted polymer milieu of polysaccharides, proteins, glycolipids, and DNA.^1,2 Microfluidics provides unprecedented control over flow conditions, accessibility to real-time observation, high-throughput testing, and mimics in vivo biological environments.³ An understanding of the mechanism underlying biofilm formation and the design of advanced microfluidic experiments could address challenges such as interpreting microbial community interactions, biofouling, and resistance to antimicrobial chemicals. However, only a handful of biofilm studies used microfluidic approaches that provided hydrated chemical imaging at high spatial resolution.^4–7 Most studies utilized confocal microscopy,⁴ FTIR spectroscopy,⁵ or other approaches (e.g., high density interdigitated capacitors⁷) for biofilm monitoring. Imaging mass spectrometry has been demonstrated in biofilm studies.^8,9 A coupled microfluidic-imaging mass spectrometry approach would provide the chemical molecular spatial mapping needed to better address the scientific challenge of biofilms.Recently, we developed a portable microfluidic reactor, System for Analysis at the Liquid Vacuum Interface (SALVI),^10,11 which overcame the grand challenge of studying liquids with high volatility and liquid interfaces using surface sensitive vacuum instruments. SALVI enables direct imaging of liquid surfaces using electron or ion/molecular based vacuum techniques. Our microfluidic approach used a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel fully enclosed with a thin silicon nitride (SiN) membrane (100 nm thick). For visualization, 2 μm diameter holes were opened in the SiN membrane in vacuo. These detection windows were dynamically drilled using the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) primary ion beam (e.g., Bi⁺).¹²Unlike liquid sample holders for transmission electron microscopy and scanning transmission electron microscopy, SALVI is self-contained and portable.¹³ As a result, it can potentially be used in many finely focused analytical tool with minimal adaptation.¹⁰ The analytical performance of SALVI has been demonstrated with a variety of analytes ranging from biology to material sciences.^14,15 Unlike most microfluidic applications that are only suitable under ambient conditions (e.g., separations, cell and small amount sample manipulation, and thermal flow-sensors),^16–18 SALVI is compatible with both in situ ambient and in vacuo spectroscopy analysis and imaging.¹⁹ Biofilms have been successfully cultivated inside the microfluidic channel and imaged using correlative confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) and ToF-SIMS.²⁰Our approach opens a new avenue to study biological sample in their natural state. Although ToF-SIMS has been widely used for providing molecular signatures of organic and biological molecules in complex biological systems^21,22 or lipid spatial mapping,²³ the vacuum-based ToF-SIMS generally requires solid (either dried²⁴ or cryo treated²⁵) samples. Here, we report ToF-SIMS two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) chemical images of hydrated biofilms. In situ time and space-resolved identifications of fatty acid (FA) fragments characteristic of Shewanella are illustrated by 3D images reconstructed from the ToF-SIMS depth profile time series. Principal component analysis (PCA) further elucidates biofilm chemical and spatial heterogeneity and shows the key chemical component at different depth and location of the biofilm including the biofilm-surface attachment interface.For all growth experiments, two samples were cultured simultaneously. At days 5 and 6, one sample was harvested for immediate analysis, respectively, using a ToF-SIMS V spectrometer (IONTOF GmbH, Münster, Germany). Similar results were obtained from both samples, because the biofilm-attachment surface was probed. For consistency, only day 6 data are shown here, while additional data are provided in the supplementary material.²⁸ 2D and 3D image visualizations were obtained using the IONTOF instrument software. PCA was performed using MATLAB R2012a (MathWorks, Inc., Natick, MA, USA). 2D images of .bif format were converted and integrated into a matrix. Data were pretreated by normalization to total ions, square root transformation, and then mean centering.²⁶ For m/z spectra PCA, unit mass peaks from m/z 199 to m/z 255 were used (see Figure S-2²⁸). Unit mass peaks from m/z 1–300 were also used and results are comparable (see Figure S-3²⁸). Five characteristic FA peaks (m/z 199, 213, 227, 241, and 255, corresponding to C12, C13, C14, C15, and C16 FAs) were used in image PCA.²⁷ Images representing each PC were reconstructed from the score matrix using the red, green, and blue (RGB) color scale.Using depth profiling, we drilled through the SiN membrane and collected depth-resolved images of the live biofilm (Figure 1(a)). Our analysis of the negative ToF-SIMS spectra after SiN punch-through showed Shewanella FA fragments in the m/z 195–255 range.²⁰ From the depth profile time series, we selected five regions (highlighted as I, II, III IV, and V) within the FA m/z range to visualize 2D spatially resolved images collected for 46 s (1000 scans) before (I), during (II), or after (III, IV, V) SiN membrane punch-through.²⁰ When false color 2D images of FA fragments characteristic of Shewanella biofilms were selected from the dynamic depth profiling data, differences were observed (Figure 1(b)) among the five regions. Furthermore, the biofilm images after SiN membrane punch-through (III, IV, V) displayed variations across the 2 μm diameter surfaces, with C12 (m/z 199) being distributed across regions III, IV, and V and C15 (m/z 241) FAs mostly in region V (see Figure S-4 for additional FA images²⁸). This suggested that depth-resolved chemical heterogeneities were present in the biofilm. To illustrate, we reconstructed the 2D images from depth profiling data within the biofilm region (from the beginning of III through the end of V) and show spatially resolved 3D chemical images within the entire sample (Figure 1(c) and movies S1-S3²⁸). The reconstructed 3D images revealed the heterogeneous spatial distribution overlay for C12 (red) and C15 (green) FAs during 302 s biofilm depth profiling from day 5 (Figure S-5²⁸) and day 6 (Figure 1(c)).Open in a separate windowFIG. 1.(a) ToF-SIMS depth profiling of the day 6 biofilm attached to the SiN membrane in the microfluidic channel. Five regions representing sample before SiN punch-through (I) during punch-through (II) or within the biofilm region (III, IV, and V) are illustrated. (b) 2D false color images of day 6 biofilm FAs at the five time regions highlighted in (a). (c) Reconstructed 3D day 6 biofilm images showing FA fragment distributions within the entire biofilm region (III–V, 302 s). The time axis represents depth profiling from near the SiN surface into the biofilm. (d) Spectra PCA score plot of day 6 biofilm showing the differences and similarities among selected five regions (m/z 199–255). A 95% confidence limit for each region was defined by an ellipse with the same color to the corresponding region clusters. (e) Loadings of PC1 and PC2 corresponding to (d) and the plot of PC variance contributions.Spectral PCA was used to analyze the m/z spectra. The deepest region (V) into the biofilm was the most different from the other two biofilm regions (III and IV), further confirming the heterogeneities observed in the 2D images (e.g., C12 and C15 FA fragments) contributing most to this spatial difference. In addition, C12 FA fragments played a key role in the biofilms imaged near the SiN membrane attachment surface (III and IV). When inspected individually, C12 FAs were observed throughout the entire biofilm region, suggesting that C12 FA fragments may play a role in biofilm attachment to a surface and they may be main components of EPS throughout the biofilm. In contrast, C15 FAs were more abundant deeper within the biofilm, indicating that they may be more relevant to bacteria cells themselves.Uniform sputtering rate was assumed during depth profiling. To better determine the depth and shape of the SIMS ionization crater, AFM measurements were collected using an agarose sample in the SALVI reactor as a proxy for the biofilms (Figure S-6²⁸). The AFM results showed that the 100 nm SiN was drilled through and confirmed that the biofilm interface was probed by ToF-SIMS. Ideally, real-time correlative AFM and ToF-SIMS measurements will be needed due to the self-healing property of biofilms. However, such capability is currently under development.To further analyze chemical differences within biofilms, we performed ToF-SIMS depth profiling at three locations along the microchannel; namely, the inlet, center, and outlet as illustrated in Figure S-1(b).²⁸ At each location, we defined the five regions described in Figure 1(a), and 2D image PCA analysis was conducted on the biofilm region (from the beginning of III through the end of V) to visualize the chemical distributions on day 6. Figure 2(a) shows the loading plots for the m/z peaks that contribute to each PC image (Figure 2(b)). The first three PCs explained 93.79% of the variance within the data. For PC1, the strongest positive loading fragments were C12 and C15 FAs, which are the bright red areas in three PC1 images. The C12 FAs were the main contributor to the green regions in the PC2 image. The strongest loading for PC3 in blue was C14 FAs. Compared to PC1 and PC2, PC3 played a limited contribution to the overall spatial distribution discrimination. The merged images give a demonstration of chemical spatial distribution of key components of biofilms in the liquid microenvironment.Open in a separate windowFIG. 2.(a) Image PCA loading plots illustrating the contribution of each FA peak in the day 6 biofilm at three locations within the microfluidic channel. The variance contributions of each PC are shown at the bottom. (b) Reconstructed false-color 2D PCA images in RGB corresponding to each PC scores at these locations along the microfluidic channel. The RGB composite images of the three key PCs are depicted in the bottom. Only data within the 2 μm diameter circle were considered in analysis.Our results show that SALVI and liquid ToF-SIMS studies of live biofilms offer dynamic, depth-resolved chemical mapping and produce 2D and 3D visualizations of spatial heterogeneity within a biofilm. Chemical imaging of biofilms near the attachment interface can enhance our understanding of biofilm formation in environmental, medical, and industrial settings. Our approach provides a universal portable platform and enables in situ probing of complex living biological systems potentially across multiple time and space scales. Because of the portability and vacuum compatibility, SALVI offers a valuable linkage with proteomic mass spectrometry via microfluidics and a nondestructive package for integrative in situ analysis of live biological systems in system biology.