CVHEC Zoom Conference: Delivering Online/Remote Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Media Advisory

March 27, 2020 —

WHAT: CVHEC Zoom Conference:

Delivering Online/Remote Education during the COVID-19 Pandemic

As Central Valley colleges undertake the monumental effort to convert all class sessions to online platforms — in some instances, doing in 10 days what would normally take months — the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) will host a special Zoom webinar featuring course program specialists from The Charles A. Dana Center at University of Texas at Austin facilitating a Virtual Teaching Transition conversation and Q&A.

Central Valley faculty who have taken on a leadership role on their campuses will also share their online expertise with college faculty and administrators representing CVHEC member institutions.

Media representatives are invited to log on and monitor the conference call either for story coverage and/or to get an inside look at one way the Central Valley region (San Joaquin County to Kern County) is  addressing the monumental transition from face-to-face instruction to virtual instruction brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic.

 
WHEN: Monday, March 30, 2020 (7:30 – 9:00 a.m.)
WHERE: Zoom online — Media interested in observing the videoconference, please reply to tom@uribes.com for the URL access.
WHO: Audience: Approximately 50 higher ed institution educators representing Central Valley universities, private and public colleges and community college districts.

Presenters: Central Valley Higher Education Consortium featuring Joan Zoeller and Paula Talley, from The Charles A. Dana Center of the University of Texas at Austin.
HOW: Zoom Open Forum by invitation to 27 CVHEC-member Institutions
WHY: The Central Valley presidents and chancellors, who make up the CVHEC Board of Directors, have mobilized CHVEC to host a Zoom informational session for their respective institution’s representatives assisting faculty in developing and delivering online education. This session demonstrates one of many activities underway to transform higher education from face-to-face learning to remote learning and ensuring their faculty are best prepared for the transition. Some institutions, like Fresno Pacific and Porterville Community College, were on Spring Break during the Governor’s call to shelter in place so students came back from break to find their classes converted. Remote learning will continue through summer and fall.

In response to COVID-19 safety concerns, Central California higher education leaders are connecting virtually via CVHEC to help stabilize their students’ higher education pursuits asthey face unprecedented challenges in light of the health pandemic.
BACKGROUND: Original press release:  www.cvhec.org/covid19-032520
SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CVHEC/      Twitter:   @CVHEC_
MEDIA CONTACT: Tom Uribes • (559) 348.3278 •  tom@uribes.com

Central California college students v. COVID-19 — Central Valley college presidents unite for joint strategies through higher ed consortium

Central California college students v. COVID-19

Central Valley college presidents unite for joint strategies through higher ed consortium

 

(March 24, 2020) – As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts daily life throughout the world including college campus life, Central California higher education leaders are virtually connecting via the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) to help stabilize their students’ pursuit for higher education especially as they shift to online classroom environments.

In Zoom videoconferencing over the last two weeks, the presidents and chancellors of the 27 CVHEC-member accredited public and private colleges, universities and community college districts from San Joaquin to Kern counties have met to share strategies and challenges they face in light of the current pandemic. These presidents and chancellors make up the CVHEC Board of Directors.

“On these calls, presidents and chancellors have shared some resources that consortium member colleges and universities can use with their faculty and staff to address the need to move to a virtual platform for delivering instruction,” said Dr. Benjamin T. Duran, CVHEC executive director and Merced Community College president-emeritus.

The CVHEC board usually meets quarterly to strategize to increase the nine-county region’s certificate and degree attainment rates and to advocate for equity-driven strategies that reduce disparities in student persistence and completion rates, but recently mobilized CVHEC as a resource and called two emergency sessions — March 13 and 19 — to collaborate on COVID-19 response measures.

They have agreed to meet via Zoom weekly in response to the deadly Coronavirus outbreak that has spread swiftly throughout the world, Duran said.  The next is scheduled for Friday, March 27.

“The leadership of valley institutions of higher ed are uniting together with a common goal: to help provide calm and stability for students, faculty and staff during this upheaval in their lives,” Duran said after the CVHEC board’s second emergency session last Thursday.  “They want to assure students that we all are doing everything we can to find valid solutions and deliver the higher education they expect while helping flatten the curve against the coronavirus outbreak. The ultimate goal is to help all to remain safe and healthy.”

In addition to the weekly CVHEC Board COVID-19 Zoom meetings, the consortium will present a Zoom webinar next week, March 30, featuring experienced online faculty from the various colleges thrust into the role of online mentor to support fellow faculty members as they transition to a virtual classroom.

Like many other convenings (usually live) hosted by CVHEC, this webinar highlights the unique role CVHEC provides. Founded in 2002 under the leadership of then-Fresno State President John D. Welty to increase higher education participation in the region, CVHEC today serves the presidents, chancellors and other administrators of public and independent colleges and universities in California’s Central Valley that provide higher education services to over 4 million persons.

And, while the public sees that their local colleges transition to remote instruction in response to COVID-19 including some canceling major events like commencement celebrations, many more challenges are presented behind the scenes as the institutions seek to help students find a balance between earning a degree and navigating this public health crisis.

At the first meeting held March 13, requested by Merced Community College President Chris Vitelli, the CEOs briefed each other on their respective campus’ status up to that point and CVHEC compiled a list of links to each campus COVID-19 web page to share ideas and resources (see below).

Through CVHEC’s technical support contractor, The Charles A. Dana Center at University of Texas at Austin, online resources have been made available to CVHEC-member institutions. Resources include white papers and other teaching tools with such titles as “How to Help Students Keep Learning Through a Disruption,” “9 Resources for When Coronavirus Moves Your Course Online,” “Teaching Effectively During Times of Disruption,” and “Preparing for Emergency Online Teaching.”

At the March 19 Zoom Meeting, requested by San Joaquin Delta College President Omid Pourzanjani, the CEOs updated their rapidly changing status and shared challenges such as:

  • Online/remote – Preparing students and faculty for the online environment. Face to face instruction is a preferred mode of learning, but in the new environment everyone is challenged with learning the new modality. Faculty already experienced with teaching online for some time are rising to the occasion as leaders to serve as online mentors. Students are also being provided tutorials on how to learn online.
  • Crisis-relevant programs – Community colleges are key to providing nursing, police, fire and EMT training and certification. Online training for these programs is a challenge and the colleges are keeping these programs running by request of the institutions (hospitals, police departments, cities) that are in need of the qualified work force. The colleges are working to re-arrange calendars or implementing creative solutions;
  • Laptops – Colleges have found that laptops orders are backlogged by a few months and they seek support from each other for large volume purchasing arrangements resulting in lower unit costs and expedient delivery to better meet student needs.
  • Wi-Fi Hotspots – Online classes require more Wi-Fi access. Some campuses have extended their capacity to their school parking lots for Wi-Fi access, especially in rural communities where broadband is scarce. Several have purchased additional hotspots, such as Fresno State’s order for 1,500 hotspots with plans to order more.
  • Commencement – cancellations of graduation celebrations have already been announced at the three California State University campuses in the valley wide consortium (Bakersfield, Fresno and Stanislaus), as well as UC Merced and Fresno Pacific University while community colleges are reviewing options. Some are exploring other ways to celebrate their students’ academic achievements.

Duran said this ongoing collaboration by the  leaders of the valley’s academic institutions during such a crisis is inspiring:  “As they have done on many issues in the past, these CEOs are pulling together to make sure their current students’ academic needs and general well-being, as well as faculty and staff, are not compromised.”

Additional information and CVHEC updates are available at www.cvhec.org or Facebook or Twitter (@CVHEC_).

 

MEDIA NOTE: A list of links showing how the Central Valley’s colleges are responding to the COVID-19 crisis is provided below.  For follow up or for a media availability with Dr. Ben Duran, please call/text Tom Uribes at 559.348.3278 or tom@uribes.com).

ABOUT CVHEC — The Central Valley Higher Education Consortium (CVHEC) is a 501(c)3 incorporated non-profit organization comprised of accredited public and private colleges, universities, and community college district members. CVHEC serves as the convener and facilitator of technical support experts as needed by members and executes the policy objectives of the CVHEC Board that is made up of presidents, chancellors and other administrators of all public and independent colleges and universities in California’s Central Valley. A key objective is to increase the Central Valley’s degree attainment. The organization also works closely with legislative leaders as an advocate for the higher education policy positions of the CVHEC board such as state legislation ordered in the California Community Colleges (AB 705) and system mandates in the California State University system (Executive Order 1110) that are forecast to create equitable opportunities for students (especially among Latino and Black students).


CVHEC Members COVID-19 Update Websites

CVHEC Hosts Dual Enrollment Convening for Educators in Nine County Region

CVHEC Hosts Dual Enrollment Convening for Educators in Nine County Region

(March 5, 2020) — More than 150 secondary and postsecondary educators gathered today when they convened for the Central Valley Dual Enrollment for Equity and Prosperity (CVDEEP) Convening at the DoubleTree Inn in downtown Fresno to address challenges and barriers to dual enrollment success.

Presented by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, the convening was the latest of several gatherings held since a CVHEC task force — made up of community college and K-12 educational leaders — was created in July 2019 at the request of community college administrators so Central Valley colleges and K-12 partner districts could purposefully and strategically engage on a regional basis to deliver dual enrollment in a more equitable way.

Through dual enrollment, high school students earn college credits while earning their high school diploma.  In the nine-county region served by the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, an intersegmental higher education organization of 27 accredited public and independent community college and university partners from San Joaquin to Kern counties, over 15,000 Central Valley high school students participated in a dual enrollment program in 2019.

“CVHEC believes the dual enrollment opportunity significantly increases high school students’ chances of earning credentials, associate degrees and bachelor’s degrees as expeditiously as possible, providing a timely gateway to meaningful careers with sufficient earnings to support a quality of life for themselves and their families,” said Dr. Benjamin Durán, CVHEC executive director.

Last year, CVHEC convened a task force of about 60 front line educators who deliver dual enrollment services valley-wide to join forces beginning with an inaugural meeting July 22 where they established a regional consensus that provided the direction for the March 5 conference.

At that March convening, the attendees representing 52 school districts, 12 community colleges and two educations organizations/agencies spent the day in two panels and three breakout sessions discussing their experiences and ways to navigate forward.

The two opening sessions covered “Dual Enrollment, A Partnership Perspective – What We Wish We knew When We Started” and “Successes and Challenges with Dual Enrollment – A student Perspective.”

The latter panel featured six dual enrollment students from Central Valley high schools: Brianna Hernandez of Selma; Emely Rivera of Roosevelt; Bernice Lozada and Nandini Karyampudi of Mountain House; and Nerin Delgado and Raul Espinoza of McFarland who indicated one of the positive experiences for them was being introduced to a syllabus and its importance to academic success.

“I’m so grateful I got that experience (with a syllabus) before I start college, that was super positive,” said Nerin, a senior who started dual enrollment in her freshman year. “I can go into a college class and now I can understand how responsible you actually have to be to keep up with your schoolwork, and your readings that you have to do before the actual lecture. It definitely keeps you accountable, it keeps you responsible.”

The breakout sessions covered the topics “Faculty Focus,” “Essential Elements of Student Services” and “Dual Enrollment Pathways: Partnerships for Pathway Development.”

Discussion entailed numerous issues ranging from “face-to-face golden moments” with students to faculty recruitment and support to the challenges of scheduling courses with high schools.

In the panel subtitled “What We Wish We Knew When We Started,” Dale Van Dam, Vice President of Instruction at Reedley College, noted that when dual enrollment began at his campus five years ago, the rush to get started did not allow for basic “foundation-building” with high school partners, or dialogues about how best to bridge the two bureaucracies to structure programs for the benefit of students and think through best practices.

Noting that the program has grown to 19 high school partners with 5,500-plus students and over 200 sections, Van Dam said, “We’ve realized you have to be very intentional about communication. It has to be at regular intervals, it can’t be by-the-by, it can’t be when you’re in a crisis. There needs to be regular cards-on-the-table type meetings about what’s going right and what’s going wrong.”

Panel moderator John Spevak, a CVHEC Regional Coordinator, commended the educators for their efforts in developing dual enrollment programs, telling his audience, “I’m just impressed with the amount of work that we have to do to make this successful. It just doesn’t happen by itself. This is one of the most intensive activities I have ever seen take place between high schools and colleges.”

(UPDATE: See CVHEC report, “Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley, Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity” and press release).

CVHEC media contact: Tom Uribes • tom@uribes.com • 559.348.3278

 

BACKGROUND

In 2016, a new dual enrollment option was introduced through Assembly Bill (AB) 288, amending Education Code (EC) 76004, and creating the College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP). This legislation enabled more high school students to take college courses taught by college professors on their high school campuses.  California AB 30, signed by Governor Newsom in October 2019, expands and protects dual enrollment through 2027.

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