October 2, 2002 ADEPT Minutes

Agenda

1. Updates
2. Build-out issues
3. Proposed publications time-line
4. Annual Report strategies
5. Developing a CTC Calendar of events
6. Other items

Updates

1. David Flatley attended today's meeting and will be attending more in the future. He was curious about the history of ADEPT, its linkage with other groups functioning at CTC, and its mechanism for getting things done.
   • ADEPT came to life around issues raised during the build-out, especially the issue of data collection and sharing knowledge among groups. Several people were interested in sitting next to each other and working together to make information flow more smoothly. We were also interested in how we might link some of the resources each of us had developed, such as an online database of print material available at CTC, so staff and teachers could have a common knowledge of what was available at CTC. From this we progressed to a larger discussion of data collection at CTC and how that might be managed, including talk about using a model developed by the Roberts Economic Development Fund known as OASIS. We took a hiatus from work for the summer Institute and Academy, and when we met again this fall, we decided that developing publications like the Annual Report would be a good place to start the data collection process since it would help us gather information about where we are now as an organization, and it would also expose some of the holes in our organizational flow of information.
   • ADEPT currently links together those staff interested in assessment, grant development, documentation, evaluation, and publication in the large sense of CTC as a whole. So far, all of the people that participate in ADEPT are not solely linked to another program's direct service, but rather have more broad connections to work at the center in general. The linkages currently existing with other groups at CTC, like Arts at the Center, hACE, Gear Up, etc are tenuous in that there is no formal relationship between what we want to do and what they are doing. The main connection is through our desire to see them all work together better, and our desire to champion projects they have mentioned that accomplish that goal, but lack the time to accomplish, like an Annual Report, a Center-wide Data Collection System, a Publications Timeline, a Community Calendar, etc.
   • The mechanism that ADEPT has for getting things done include an open ear to Wendy, the collective desire to help CTC manifest ideas floating around which have not yet been realized, and the ability to generate plans for accomplishing that by establishing a consensus of need amongst ourselves and hopefully bodied like the Leadership Team. For instance, we are deeply committed to publishing an Annual Report this year, and we have a mandate from Wendy to create a proposal for that and present it to the Leadership Team this month. What individuals cannot accomplish by themselves, because of a lack of time, we believe can be accomplished by our collective efforts to coordinate the effort amongst many people.
2. As far as the Annual Report goes, Wendy has someone in mind for helping with this. This person would be in charge of not just the AR, but also of making sure that special projects get done. The person has not been hired yet, so we should still go ahead with our strategizing about the AR in case she does not get hired.
3. GU project is looking for a part-time evaluation person(s). These people would be in charge of a specific research question and the publications related to the research completed on those questions. They could be in charge of ensuring that this research is in alignment with the research guidelines being developed by the federal government for DoED funding.
4. Wendy is also looking into getting the University to hire a Director of Research for CTC. This is a long time off though, since it takes about two years for something like that to make its way through the University. This person would be the administrative juice behind a group like ADEPT when s/he is hired.
5. There is a PhD candidate that wants to do some research on the math scores in West Town. They could help us understand why the scores varied so much across the network.

Discussion:

1. In discussing the linkages that ADEPT has with the rest of what is going on at CTC, the subject of the CTC Web-Site came up. This certainly seems like it should fall under the purview of ADEPT, and that it could be an easy way for the group to "get something done" for the rest of the organization to see. Currently this is part of Pat's job description, but she said that it would be nice to get input from a wider group, since what she developed she did mostly on her own. To revise the web-site would be relatively simple she said. It also might be part of the larger project to complete an Annual Report, as the findings from that project could be used for content for the web-site. Both the Annual Report and the web-site should parallel each other once the AR is completed.
2. Knowledge management came up again. It is something that David is very interested in and that he feels CTC should do better at. The greatest asset that we have is our knowledge, and it too often gets lost in individuals or small groups of people at the center, and cannot be widely shared. This leads to people re-inventing the wheel all over the place and a great waste in time, energy, and money. This was related back to the desire to create a center-wide data collection system that could facilitate the flow of information through the center. It was also linked to the previous discussions we had about our relationship with the Consortium and the need to be better grounded in research to compete for federal grants. David has some articles on this that he could share with the group, and Steve has also been interested in this and is the reason he built the ADEPT Weblog, which might be a useful tool for sharing knowledge amongst groups easily.
3. As an aside, Dan and Steve had a conversation after the meeting about the tools that could be used for knowledge management at CTC. Part of the discussion about knowledge management seems to be mired in the indecision (or maybe lack of understanding) about which tools would be best to facilitate the sharing of knowledge. Already there seem to be three competing tools: weblogs, the IBM Learning Village, and the use of Yahoo Groups. Which one is best? It's hard to say. They all seem to have their advantages and disadvantages.
4. The space issue came up again today as we cannot have everything that we dreamed of (surprise, surprise!). The main issues seem to be that putting all of us over in 401 would be too noisy since the reception area will be high traffic and highly concentrated with office machines, etc. If we put a whole lot of people over on this side, then it might be to crowded and leave nothing but empty space (conference center, resource center during the day, etc.) over on the other side. The consensus after finishing the discussion, seeing the draft blueprints, and walking around were the following:
   • It seems that Syed, Andy, and Pat will sit together somewhere (probably near the current receptionist area?) so that the Network, Computer Repair, and Graphic Design staff will all be in one place, reducing the possibility of isolation.
   • If ADEPT will not be over in 401, and on the other side, we want the video room moved as well. There is an open office currently in the current reception area which will work nicely.
   • Since the previous idea of ADEPT over in 401 together (Dan, Emelda, Amy, Steve, Luis S.) will not work, it seems as if the area over by where LRE currently sits would be a good place for the group. It will be close to a meeting space in the Library and somewhat centrally located making the sharing of our information easier with the rest of the staff. Since the Video space will be moved into the new office created where the current Reception area is located, it will put all of us relatively close together, reducing the walking time between any one of the spaces we use frequently. The consensus was this was a good idea, we just need to let Pat think about it for a while and see if all the details work.
   • The dream for the new space then would be that it has a very high-tech, data-rich feel. We could have a glass block curving wall separating us from the hallway, but still allowing light through. The first space open to those coming in would be inviting and descriptive of what we do as a group. Our desk spaces would be by the windows.

Next Steps:

1. Emelda will give us the information she collected about Lipman-Hearne in our mailboxes.
2. Dan will look into the types of publications that CTC has produced in the past and the ones we should be thinking about.
3. Steve will look into the developing governmental regulations regarding qualifying research-supporting education models.

Proposed agenda for next meeting (October 16 @ 10:30)

1. Proposed publications time-line
2. Annual Report strategies
3. Prepare a summary of ADEPT long-term vision of developing a Center-Wide Data Collection System
4. Developing a CTC Calendar of events
5. Other items