Learning in real work environments gives grads a head start

A nursing student leans over a patient in a lab at Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC). A voice gives encouraging instructions from a speaker on the wall. The student takes a deep breath and nods, reevaluating her progress with the patient. The “patient” is a high-tech, AI-type mannequin in a simulation lab on campus.

“Sim labs provide a safe learning environment where students can learn from errors,” says Karen Flanigan, Nursing Program Division Chair. The lab is like a futuristic movie set. It looks exactly like an emergency room set-up but with a two-way mirror and control panel straight out of a NASA look-alike, behind which sits veteran nursing instructors, carefully monitoring every step the student makes. “We can change the scenario based on what the student does so they can learn. This allows them to see the results of their actions immediately.”

Dr. Greg Peterson, President of CGCC says, “Many people aren’t aware of community colleges in general or have a sense of what we do. They see us as only a stepping stone to a university instead of as the foundation in a career.”

Community colleges are practical in nature, with ties to the local community which provide students with hands-on learning. “We help improve the lives of individuals in our communities. We think more than just going to college; we think about the viability of their careers, families and the local economy.”

These sim labs allow students to see a birth, draw blood, watch transfusion reactions, and participate in a code blue. “Sim labs experiences are like clinical shifts on steroids. There’s no down time here. It’s accelerated and intense.” CGCC nurse graduates’ mettle is tested for sure, but so are their people skills. Outside of sim labs, students have clinicals which are assigned shifts at a college partner hospital. The student nurses experience different floors, specialties and environments. Just like hospital staff, clinicals are 12-hour shifts, revolving through five shifts of different specific areas throughout the semester.

Then the students go out into the community. CGCC and United Way work together on Project Connect which is a service for the homeless. “Our students help people communicate their needs and their struggles. Just as important as medical knowledge is communication with patients. At Lauren's Institute for Education in Gilbert, they work with children who have behavioral and developmental delays,” explains Flanigan. “They are learning to communicate with different audiences – how to listen to patients and how to explain procedures. We have students work with transgender patients, non-English speakers, patients of different faiths and other cultural perspective learning.”

Dr. Jill Anderson is Nursing faculty and Service-Learning Faculty Liaison for CGCC. “One day, our students are going to be taking care of us and our loved ones so as many different types of people and scenarios we can get them to be thinking about and experience, the better. We are creating a tool kit for their real-life career. The more practice they’ve had, the better their going to be in their advocacy for clients and their critical thinking.”

Anderson explains that these types of service-learning experiences frequently start with fear and nervousness, but quickly gives the students a sense of empowerment and appreciation for each different person they meet. The well-rounded experiences beyond clinicals are priceless in transitioning a student beyond fear. “Probably the biggest shock for new students is the different way of learning in college and making decisions,” Anderson explains. “It’s completely different from high school. It’s beyond word problems, learning how to think in a different manner and do it quickly. Classes are 6 hours long, labs are 8 hours, clinicals are 12 hours then there’s 18 hours of homework. That can be a shock, but we are preparing them for one of the most rewarding careers.”

Teaching

CGCC’s Early Childhood & Teacher Education Program (ECTEP), is strategically designed to include integrative, experiential and service- learning opportunities for students. “Service-learning enhances what is taught by extending students’ learning beyond the classroom and providing opportunities for students to use newly acquired skills and knowledge in real life situations in their communities, locally, nationally and globally,” says Jennifer Peterson, Faculty and Program Coordinator for the Teacher Education Program at CGCC.   

Many Teacher Education courses require several hours of service learning and field experience, others emphasize community and campus involvement. The students must be in a PreK-12 grade classroom working directly with students under the supervision of a mentor teacher. This gives students foundational knowledge. Students network and collaborate with professionals in the field to gain essential hands-on experience. Graduates of the program acquire real knowledge and experience in the classroom to prepare them for the workforce and future careers. 

“My service-learning teacher helped me get comfortable with teaching students by answering my questions in regard to how I should deal with certain situations” said one student on evaluations submitted at the end of the fall semester. Another said, “I got to teach a lesson in my service learning, and it was a great opportunity to get a feel for the classroom and how some students learn. It was a good measuring stick to know how fast to teach and how to get students engaged.”

For student Amy-Jo Simpson, it was an eye opener into public school life, “I was immediately introduced to the fact that so many students are going through hard times at home that could affect their choices at school. This was something important that I need to know, and I’m glad it happened so early.”

“Our students are actually applying the content they learn, not just sitting in theoretical lectures,” explains Peterson. “The goal is that they apply their knowledge while learning and being in the field then bringing it back to classroom. They are in real life situations, dealing with what’s happening real time in the classrooms.”

But that’s not where community involvement ends. In the Cultural Diversity in Education class, students participate, every semester, in a co-curricular, multicultural benchmark project. As an example, each spring, students collaboratively design interactive educational activities - rooted in social sustainability – as a key component of the campus’ annual Sustainability Day. 

In this project, future teachers interact with elementary school aged children who visit the campus to learn about how social sustainability (which includes virtues of diversity, shared governance, democracy, equity and inclusion) is a key ingredient to sustainability – just as much as environmental and economic sustainability. In The Art of Storytelling course, students who will one day have to captivate their students with story, teaches the fundamental and cultural principles of story and its power to give students a voice, and help them be change agents and advocates for social justice.

Students in children's literature recently participated in Gateway Pointe Elementary Family Literacy Night (at Higley) and at Humphrey Elementary (in Chandler) by designing and implementing lesson plans for children grades K-4, using the AZ State English Language Arts Standards. CGCC's students dressed up in costumes to match the theme of their chosen children's book and led children in rich literacy-based activities.    

Research

Surprisingly, CGCC is also involved in undergrad research, providing a launch-pad for students who will transfer to a university. There is immense practical value of experiential learning beyond just career training. Students get to see themselves in certain roles and careers, see their futures and understand what those futures will really be like.

It’s rare to get your hands dirty before the third year of college. But that doesn’t stop CGCC from allowing students to dive in. Students are equipped in a way that they can build a career starting in their second year, getting a leg up on the competition and creating an earning potential right away. Many students don’t have the luxury of pursuing a 4-year degree full time. They need to start making money.

“Learning needs to be connected,” Peterson says. “Students need to see how their learning applies to what they want to achieve – a direct connection. It’s core to our identity at the college to provide these integrated experiences for students. They apply their textbook learning in the real world and get a feel for the career. This helps shape who they become and where they go. For that reason alone, experiential learning is part of each student’s exp at CGCC.”

Aviation

Eric Snyder is the Aviation and Applied Technology Division Chair at CGCC. He oversees the hugely popular aircraft maintenance program and the flight program. He is a maintenance instructor himself and a commercial pilot. Working on aircraft since he was 18, he knows exactly what the industry is like and what student need to know when they graduate.

“We want them to be rigorously prepared,” Snyder says. “It’s definitely not an easy program. From hydraulics and combustion to sheet metal repair, wooden repair, and more - for all types of aircraft engines - it’s very broad training.”

Within a 5-semester program, students are on campus five days a week, 5-6 hours a day for roughly 1900 hours of mechanical and maintenance training. “We make sure these students are highly qualified to serve industries across the nation. Our students go on to get jobs outside of the typical aviation industry too. Disney has even hired some of our students to oversee their rides because graduates know all about mechanics, hydraulics, electrical systems, weight and balance, math, and more. When they leave CGCC they will have the authority to overhaul an aircraft engine.”

The flight program is also five semesters long and allows students to accumulate hours while in the program in addition to ground school. Geared for the commercial pilot, students start off as a private pilot in just one semester. Flight school is mainly a classroom setting, but CGCC makes sure students are well rounded in understanding the mechanic of an aircraft as well. After graduation, students have 222 hours at CGCC.

The college has their own fleet of maintenance aircraft and a separate own fleet for flight. The massive programs are located inside a restored 1950s Air Force building and warehouse. The gleaming white floors and immaculate set-up is a testament not only to the training, but also to the soft skills students learn in the programs like keeping their work space clean and organized even when they are working with sealants, oils and composites.

“Our lab is set up to completely overhaul every aspect of any aircraft engine,” says Snyder. “Hands on learning reinforces what students have learned in the books and shows them what they’ll be doing in the field and what it’s actually like. Doing repairs and pre-flight inspections on aircraft is critically important, you can’t just pull over and fix something if it breaks when you’re in the sky.”

Though the CGCC aviation program is large, it still doesn’t come close to filling the need as the industry – like most others – grapples with looming retirements. Flight school runs about $56k, which is just over half of other institutions. “The advantage for students is when you community college you get more financial help with thousands of dollars in scholarships, you can apply for loans and financial aid too. Those opportunities don’t exist at private/non-accredited schools,” Snyder explains.

Gabriela Rosu, Dean of Instruction at CGCC, knows exactly how important hands-on programming is for students and the workforce. Part of her job is to create those community partnerships with businesses and train student to meet those needs.

“The faculty are really forward-looking and embrace emerging technology. There’s a real “let’s do it” mentality that engages students and others, creating excitement,” she says. “We create an immersive experience for students by getting them out of the classroom and reaching into other area of the campus. Engineering students will work with sustainability students together on projects. IT students learn how their work impacts performing arts students’ work. That cross-over leaves students with a well-rounded experience.”

For summer, CGCC will launch its Drone Certification program with its own simulation lab and an outdoor, enclosed flight center for students to learn. “Imagine, drones can touch nearly every industry - commercial or hobby - pilots need to have a special certification,” notes Rosu. “Arizona is the fifth largest in the country for aerospace industry. CGCC is on the forefront of that development.”

Find out if CGCC is right for you by visiting https://www.cgc.edu/.