3.5         Major Themes And Initiatives Of The 1998-2005+ Educational Master Plan

Several key themes and major initiatives are woven throughout this educational master plan.  These include:

Addressing the needs of our diverse populations

      The residents that comprise the service area of Victor Valley College are undergoing demographic changes.  The college must stand ready to respond to the educational needs of those diverse individuals.  In some instances, our programs, approaches, methodologies, policies, and perspectives must be refined and redesigned in order to more fully meet the needs and expectations of our students and community.

1.      Providing programs to meet unique community needs

Changing population characteristics and economic trends will impact the range and depth of the college’s programs.  The college must be prepared to respond to new academic needs, new vocational programming, new pressures on academic and student support services, and new constituent relationships.  The goals and aspirations of today’s and tomorrow’s students will surely be different from those who have come before.  The changes in our economy will certainly create the need for new skills and competencies and occupations.  Victor Valley College must be prepared to assume or continue leadership roles in this regard.

2.      Using emerging technologies where and as appropriate

Technology is changing the way people live, business is conducted, information is accessed, and society is structured.  Certainly, technology is and must influence the way in which individuals learn and are educated.  Victor Valley College must be ready to meet the challenges and opportunities created by the new technology that surrounds and engages every facet of contemporary society.  To be prepared to access and utilize that new technology is a key goal of the institution.  In preparation, the campus has envisioned a new technology infrastructure, new computer linkages, new communications systems, and new methods to interact with and take advantage of technology.  The campus must stay at the forefront of technological changes and applications.

3.      Exploring alternative and collaborative teaching techniques

Even without technological changes, societies and people change over time.  Victor Valley College must be committed to continually examining the information and instructional needs of its service area citizens.  It must identify the very best ways in which individuals can be educated and ways in which information can be exchanged.  We must constantly strive to refine what we teach and how we teach it.  The college family must look at how academic courses are structured, where they are delivered, and how they are delivered.  We will continually evaluate the way in which faculty and students interact, communicate, and provide feedback to one another.  In so doing, we will push the frontiers of academic excellence.