INTRODCTION

Carl James Grindley
Kim Sanabria

The Professor Magda Vasillov Center for Teaching and Learning is proud to present the second edition of our journal, Touchstone. Although we are still negotiating our own sometimes difficult learning curve, we are gratified that Touchstone is advancing from strength to strength, and we are proud to provide a positive but ultimately critical space to our colleagues.

We include in our thanks many individuals who have guided and overseen the growth of Touchstone: our own interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Lucinda Zoe, for supporting the project; Dean Amanda Bernal-Carlo, Di- rector of the Center for Teaching and Learning, for her guidance and collaboration: Department Chairs, who encouraged faculty members to submit their projects; re- viewers Professors Gina Cicco, Robert F. Cohen, and Jennifer Tang; and Dr. Richard Gampert, Director of Institutional Research. Finally, we extend our gratitude to the contributors themselves, who have generously lent us a point of departure for further discussions about teaching and learning.

The journal begins with a brief report from the Library Department on student satisfaction. Professors Tappeiner and Lyons approach the data gathering exercise formally, recognizing that assessment exercises are now part of the institutional landscape at The City University of New York. One of the problems that the Library Department faced was how to structure an assessment instrument that evaluated access to services and resources rather than achievement of specific learning objectives.

In “Use of a Triple-Entry Journal Assignment in a Writing Intensive Microbiology Course Section to Help Students to Read and Write More Effectively,” Professor Julie Trachman from the Natural Sciences Department writes about her efforts to implement the ideals of Writing Across the Curriculum in a section of Microbiology. Discovering that students face considerable difficulties developing their skills and avoiding accidental plagiarism—especially when attempting to translate complex scientific concepts into their own words—Professor Trachman suggests using a triple entry journal assignment.

Next, in “General Education Inquiry Groups: The Story of a Pedagogical Conversation,” Professor Gina Cicco documents and discusses her experiences forming an Inquiry Group in the Education Department. Serving as her group’s leader, Professor Cicco outlines the group’s General Education origins, and its mission to foster a collegial and productive discussion of how to improve pedagogical practices. Although the group was able to make useful breakthroughs regarding assessment, Professor Cicco celebrates the group’s role in opening up a departmental conversation.

In “What is Cheating About,” Professor Nelson Núñez-Rodríguez writes about his experiences attempting to reconsider how to conduct examinations in his Chemistry class. Deciding to completely challenge the status quo, Professor Núñez- Rodríguez not only tried to empower his students, but also had to face up to serious questions regarding the nature of cheating in an online environment. Leading into a COBI project he submitted with Professor Gina Cicco, Professor Núñez-Rodríguez discusses his attempts to create innovative approaches to assessing his students’ command of the course’s learning objectives.

Holding over a loose focus on Chemistry, the next article is “Promoting The Use Of The Flow Chart In Chemistry,” by Professors Yoel Rodríguez and Nelson Nuñez- Rodríguez of the Natural Sciences department. Conscious as ever that our students’ desire to successfully master difficult concepts in the hard sciences is often tempered by lack of preparation and insecurity, Professors Rodríguez and Nuñez-Rodríguez suggest introducing them to the flow chart. Arguing that using flow charts to help prepare for labs will increase student productivity and accomplishment, Professors Rodríguez and Nelson Nuñez-Rodríguez test out their theories and survey their students on its results.

In “Wikis, Group Projects, and Cooperative Learning,” Professors Kate Lyons and Paula Korsko, of the Library and Language and Cognition departments respectively, team up with the Office of Instructional Technology’s Carlos Guevara and Iber Poma to discuss the role that online group activities play in increasing Cooperative Learning in the classroom.

Next, in one of Touchstone’s extended articles, the Business Department’s Professor Héctor López presents “The Importance of Teaching Globalization Concepts in Business Education and Across General Education Through Curriculum Implementation Methods.” Professor López considers using “infusion” to integrate new concepts from global business into existing business courses.

Fresh from a successful season, Humanities professor Angel Morales, provides a reflection on his production of In the Blood by Suzan-Lori Parks at Hostos in the spring and fall of 2008. Discussing a production that eventually received positive feedback from two respondents from the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival, Region 2, Professor Morales explores the many changes undergone by his students.

The next article, by Professors Zvi Ostrin and Flor Henderson from Natural Sciences, examines the benefits of group projects in two Biology courses. Although the two professors had different approaches-Professor Henderson used group presentations, whereas Professor Ostrin used a video assignment-both were able to see the real benefits and potential pitfalls of bringing a new focus on group activities to their classes.

The next three articles present meditations on the nature of scholarly com- munity, research, and discovery. First, Professor Robert Cohen of the Language and Cognition Department reflects on the unique position occupied by the physical bridge between the A and C buildings. Second, Professor Carl Grindley of the English Department muses on the nature of English literary scholarship, wondering exactly how students should approach works that they simply do not like. Third, Professor Vladimir Ovtcharenko of the Natural Sciences Department outlines his decades long pursuit of a new species of spider, one that he would ultimately name after our college and its namesake.

This issue of Touchstone closes out by returning to the source of our inspiration, Eugenio María de Hostos. Professor Orlando Hernández offers as translation of Carlos Rojas Osorio’s article “The Relevance of Hostos’s Ideas on Education.” Coming about following two forums held in Puerto Rico to discuss the relevance of Eugenio María de Hostos’s pedagogy and educational philosophy, Rojas Osorio’s article calls for a new examination and synthesis of Hostos’s ideas.

We are very proud of our second issue of Touchstone, and hope that its strengths outnumber its weaknesses. As always, if there are any failures, they rightly belong to the editors, and if there are triumphs, they should be dedicated to the spirit, the ingenuity, and the hard work of the authors.

Carl James Grindley

Director of Instructional Technology

Kim Sanabria

Acting Assistant Dean of Academic Programming and Development