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CV-HEC BLOG: UC Enrollment Push Supported by CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project and New Mapper Software

(This issue’s “What The CV-HEC Is Happening” Blog features guest contributor Dr. James Zimmerman, senior associate vice provost and dean for Undergraduate Education at the University of California-Merced where he is also director of the Center for Engaged Teaching and Learning and a physics professor. He serves on the CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project committee and here he blog-connects its work the past year to a recent article on UC enrollment expansion).

The California UC Board of Regents has declared its intent to expand enrollment by adding 20,000 new seats in the next few years as outlined in a UCLA Daily Bruin article published May 12 that also presents the relevant challenges associated with this goal.

This illuminating journalistic endeavor by higher education reporters Megan Tagami and Lisa Huiqin is timely for students in the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium’s nine-county region as member institutions UC Merced, Merced College and Bakersfield College have used the last two years to lay groundwork for a CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project that is designed to bring the college transfer experience into intersegmental alignment.

With this dedicated leadership and collaboration by consortium members and professionals, the Transfer Project is now being undertaken by other members of CVHEC’s 30 institutions of higher education for valley-wide implementation in 2023. And it comes complete with a free and public-facing software strategy students can use to master the curricular pathway to a four-year degree.

Setting the Stage

The Daily Bruin article illustrates that following an extensive decades-long push in California high schools to promote college-readiness and increase the number of UC-eligible students graduating each year, we are experiencing an increased demand for access to our UC campuses throughout the state.

Even more impressive, is the number of students eligible for transfer to UC from our California Community Colleges. Not only are more transfer-eligible students coming from community colleges, but these transfers also succeed in completing their UC degrees at higher rates than all other UC students.

In particular, Tagami and Huiqin cite the targeted efforts of UC Merced to increase the number of community college students from the Central Valley that successfully transfer to UC Merced.  This effort emerged in 2018 as UC Merced committed anew to recruiting/retaining local community college transfers. UC Merced officials met with a focus group of Central Valley community college chancellors/presidents in the CVHEC region to clarify and address the challenges.

Forthright TAG/ADT conversations

During this meeting, the group discussed the Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) project agreed to by some UC campuses as a transfer pathway for community college students to be accepted to the UC. This discussion quickly evolved into a compare and contrast of the UC-based TAG agreements and the California State University systemwide transfer pathways project called the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

Completion of ADT’s as an effective pathway for transfer to the CSU far outpaced the number of successful transfers to UC through the TAG agreements. This is credited in large part to the consistency of the CSU’s commitment/acceptance of the community college ADT’s, that when completed, fulfill the lower-division requirements for guaranteed transfer to CSU.

Simply put, if a student successfully completes the ADT pathway in a particular discipline/major, they have fulfilled the lower-division requirements and are accepted as a transfer (third-year) student in good-standing to the CSU.

Walking the  talk

Fast forward to today … with its Transfer Project, the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium and UC Merced have been engaged in a collaborative, intersegmental process to review and assess the community college ADT’s with the intent to accept the completion of selected ADT’s in various disciplines as fulfilling the lower-division requirements for successful transfer to UC Merced.

This process brings together community college and UC Merced faculty in common discipline/majors to review/approve existing or slightly modified ADT’s for successful transfer to UC Merced. To date, seven of the CVHEC community college members are now engaged in the approval process with five more in line to begin the approval process in fall 2022 for implementation in 2023.

The culminating feature in the project’s process is the implementation of a public-facing, internet-based software application called Program Pathways Mapper with two key outcomes for transfer student success:

  • This software merges an updated/accurate list of community college courses in approved ADT/curricular pathway with the corresponding upper-division coursework at UC Merced to show a complete four-year pathway to degree completion.
  • The Program Pathways Mapper software makes all of this information available through public internet access to all students, parents and community college and high school faculty and counselors without a need for a institutional login

As a higher education professional for more than 25 years, I am extremely satisfied with the continuing collaboration that my colleagues from CVHEC have provided to this groundbreaking initiative: Tom Burke, Transfer Project coordinator for the consortium, and Stan Carrizosa — both are former chief executives at Central Valley community colleges who now serve as regional coordinators for CVHEC under the leadership of its executive director, Dr. Benjamin Duran (also a community college president-emeritus).

UC Merced/CVHEC Transfer Initiative + Program Pathways Mapper = student friendly/student empowerment/student success

As the UC system explores ways to accomplish its newly minted goal to increase enrollment, it would be well-served to study the CVHEC/UC Merced Transfer Project.

This is a process-based project that requires little to no additional funding other than the time for faculty and staff to collaborate. And its Program Mapper is an inexpensive software solution.

The result, so far, is that high school and community college students can now open the Program Mapper on their smart phone and easily find their major of interest at their community college and an accurate/up-to-date list of all the courses necessary both lower division and upper division, to successfully transfer and graduate from UC Merced in those majors.

Bottom line translation: student-friendly outcomes and increased UC enrollment!

 

 

See previous CVHEC newsletter articles:

https://bit.ly/TransferProject-CVHEC0921

https://bit.ly/MapperTransferLaunch-CVHEC1021

https://bit.ly/BlogCVHEC1221-TransferBurke

 

 

 

 

‘What the CV-HEC is Happening?’ Guest Blog FEB. 2022: Dual enrollment

Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Esq., was CVHEC’s strategies lead from 2015 through July 2021. In August, the San Joaquin College of Law alumna’s service to her community shifted to private law practice as a dependency attorney serving parents and minors involved in Dependency Court of the Fresno County Superior Court. She is also a board member of the Fresno County Office of Education Foundation. Not only did she utilize her skills while at CVHEC to help develop dual enrollment strategies with CVHEC member institutions and educational partners, Virginia also supported her own son’s productive dual enrollment journey – so we asked her to share some observations on dual enrollment from this unique perspective for our fourth “What the CV-HEC is Happening” Blog.

 

Dual enrollment: an equity change-maker

By Virginia Madrid-Salazar, Esq.

As the strategies lead for the Central Valley Higher Education Consortium, it was an honor to work alongside area educators to affect transformational changes that have occurred in the region’s higher education sphere during that period.

This blog entry gives me a welcome opportunity to share my perspective, first, reflecting on the dual enrollment work that CVHEC champions; experiencing dual enrollment in my own son’s educational career; and lastly, expressing my hope for where the Central Valley will go with dual enrollment. As a dependency attorney, I welcome the push of dual enrollment for foster youth.

Energizing for Dual Enrollment Despite Pandemic Limitations

Right before the pandemic hit, on March 5, 2020 CVHEC hosted a groundbreaking event for Central Valley higher education and K-12 educators. Nearly 200 interested educators gathered to create an action plan to create a dual enrollment model that improved the delivery of dual enrollment for the Central Valley’s rural and urban communities.

It was an energizing event. A CVHEC-convened taskforce primed the agenda to allow colleagues an opportunity to identify shared barriers to dual enrollment and devise action plans to dismantle those barriers. This collaboration proactively allowed for a valley-wide approach.

Among the needs that emerged included improving CCCApply for dual enrollment students (the application was not originally  designed for use by high school students taking college-credit bearing courses and it showed); and the simple fact that not enough teachers met minimum qualifications Ito teach college courses on their high school campuses.

During the pandemic, CVHEC brought those interested parties together virtually via Zoom where these challenges were further examined and solutions were crafted.

Application Frustrations Raised and Fixed

An executive committee of the task force identified frustrations experienced by Central Valley students when enrolling in dual enrollment courses. These concerns were shared with the California Community College Chancellor’s Office team working to improve the application process.

As a result, improvements have been implemented and there are more students now overcoming that barrier.

Growing Dual Enrollment Teachers on High School Campuses

CVHEC got to work on another barrier and organized grant applications to the Fresno K-16 Collaborative to fund high school English and math teachers to earn their master’s degrees (see Dual Enrollment Upskilling Teachers Master’s Program). In December 2021, the first of three cohorts completed their degrees. Not only will these teachers teach dual enrollment courses on high school campuses, but some will serve at rural high school campuses where the need is great.

These efforts are the beginnings of improving dual enrollment for Central Valley students.

Improving dual enrollment access does not necessarily mean a student must earn their associate degree by the time they finish high school either. Rather, the opportunity to take at least six units of college-credit bearing courses – especially an English or math course – before they finish their high school career can transcend a student’s outlook on their college career.

That was my son’s experience.

Students Getting a Head Start in College Career

In his senior year of high school, my son enrolled in six units of college credit-bearing course work taking Communications and English 1A. It was the first he heard of these dual enrollment classes offered on his campus and he decided he would give it a shot. Not only did he find the course work and his instructors interesting (he earned A’s in both courses) but, perhaps more importantly, he saw himself as a college student – in that moment.

“That dual enrollment is clutch!” That was his exclamation in our kitchen with his ed plan in hand. It was clear to him he was free to take a few other courses he needed to transfer to his choice school. This was all because he got a head start on his college career with dual enrollment. All I could do was smile.

Unbridled excitement for his future. It’s an indescribable feeling to see the positive impact of transformational change. That must be what our Central Valley higher education leaders pursue as they explore how to grow dual enrollment in the valley.

Opportunities to Grow Dual Enrollment – Equitable Growth

That excitement I saw in my son – a mix of relief, inspiration and a vision he saw for himself – is for everyone. Growing dual enrollment offers an equitable growth opportunity. As of late, I’ve noticed a push for foster youth in dual enrollment. (See Career Ladders Project Dual Enrollment for Foster Youth: Toward Effective Practice.) Now as a Dependency Attorney, and not someone in the daily challenge of growing dual enrollment, I see the experiences foster youth endure and the resiliency they display and I applaud this push on their behalf.

This is where I have a unique perspective. I can see the transformation that can occur for foster youth if they participate in dual enrollment – even if it’s a few college courses. Not just because of the impact higher education can have on someone’s life, but because for a senior who is living life as a foster youth, a lot rides on that last year of high school. Let me explain.

When foster youth are not reunified with their family as they near the age of majority, they may continue to receive County support through age 21 if they work or attend college through what is known as AB 12 Extended Foster Care Program and Benefits.  If foster youth can envision themselves as college material while in high school that young person will be inclined to participate in AB 12 and pursue a college education. This is a decision they make during that last year of majority or their senior year of high school. I cannot emphasize enough how a dual enrollment opportunity can transform that young person’s life.

Simply put, in all its fashions, dual enrollment cannot be denied in its ability to create long-lasting, unimaginable change.

Yes, it was such an honor to lend my skill through CVHEC to help Central Valley educators create transformational change.

I cannot wait to see what transformations take shape in the next few years and what other barriers to dual enrollment Central Valley educators will dismantle.

 

Check the CVDEEP Convening Website for updates and follow-up of the March 17, 2022 event.

See CVHEC White Paper Released: ‘Dual Enrollment in the Central Valley: Working Toward a Unified Approach for Equity and Prosperity’

 

CVHEC Guest Blog: ‘What the CV-HEC is Happening’

 

Jamie Moore, professor of English at CVHEC-member institution College of the Sequoias in Visalia and a teacher in the statewide Puente program, was featured by the California Acceleration Project in its “Voices from the Field” blog with her entry, “Transforming The Research Paper: Using Oral History To Center  Students’ Voices And Communities.” She also is a doctoral student at CVHEC-member University of California, Merced studying pedagogy and faculty development.  CVHEC proudly presents this as our “What the CV-hec Is Happening” guest blog feature this issue.

 

COS Puente prof featured in CAP Blog
for her oral history/research paper entry

Jamie Moore, professor of English at CVHEC-member institution College of the Sequoias in Visalia, was featured by the  California Acceleration Project (CAP) in its “Notes from the Field” blog with her entry, “Transforming The Research Paper: Using Oral History To Center  Students’ Voices And Communities.”  

Prof. Moore, a teacher in the statewide Puente program, discusses how she uses oral history to transform the research assignments in her first-year composition classroom.

She invited students to interview members of their communities about issues that matter to them, including questions of identity, health care access, and citizenship laws. The approach increased student engagement, enabled students to claim their own identities as academic researchers, and elevated the voices of their communities.

And during the social isolation of the pandemic, the assignments created an avenue for “the research process to serve as a method of community care.”

She said that, as an instructor for the Puente Project, celebrating her students’ voices, communities and cultures is a priority.

“I was burnt out on the traditional concept of the research paper and how we define ‘academic research’ for beginning comp students,” Moore wrote in her summary. “My students and I explored how we could expand our collective definition of academic writing and academic research to make space for our expression. Oral History was the KEY!”

Prof. Moore, who also is a doctoral student at University of California, Merced – also a CVHEC-member — studying pedagogy and faculty development, has presented at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity, the Strengthening Student Success Conference and the Puente Project statewide trainings.

The award-winning Puente Community College Program​​ founded statewide in 1981 has been on the College of the Sequoias campus 25 years. COS is an Hispanic-Serving Institution based in Visalia with two other campuses also in Tulare County.

CAP, founded in 2010 by two community college teachers who wanted to do something about the poor outcomes of students placed into remediation, is a faculty-led professional development network that supports the state’s 114 community colleges to implement reforms that substantially increase student completion of transferable, college-level English and math requirements, a critical milestone on the path to degrees and transfer.

See the CAP blog and a webinar conversation with the guest author.

Inaugural CVHEC Blog: ‘What the CV-HEC is Happening’

With the fall semester in full swing on college campuses across the nation, we take a look at the past 18 months since the Covid-19 pandemic shut down the world —  as we crawl back to some sense of normalcy — through the “blog eyes” of our CVHEC southern regional coordinator, Stan A. Carrizosa Sr., retired College of the Sequoias superintendent/president. Stan reflects on the ups and downs, lessons learned and the opportunities to be had from this era. This new CVHEC blog, “What the CV-HEC is Happening,” will feature members of our team, board of directors, partners and guests occasionally presenting insights into the world of higher education.   

 

Making our Mark on History: Looking Back on a
Pandemic Year in Valley Higher Education

By Stan A. Carrizosa Sr.
Retired Superintendent/President, College of the Sequoias
CVHEC Southern Regional Coordinator

2020 was a year like no other!

Like so many during the pandemic lockdown I found myself in a heightened state of introspection, securing my health and safety, adapting to new forms of communication, trying to recreate routines for the simplest of things like sleeping, eating and exercising … and of course binging on classic movies. An all-time favorite that popped up one day is “Apollo 13” which is the historical account of the infamous mission to the moon that went terribly wrong!

I began to see the pandemic and its impact on community colleges through the eyes of the astronauts on Apollo 13. Like NASA we were at the height of our success, riding a strong economy, new funded state mandates to address historic trends in low student achievement, and unprecedented growth in partnerships and collaboration.

Then with one quick stir of the oxygen tanks an explosion derails our lunar module and sends us into crisis-response mode as we fight for our lives:

  • We turned our entire institution on a dime and transitioned to fully remote education and online classes and services.
  • We scrambled to make technology, training, equipment and support available to students and staff.
  • We changed our modes of communication, outreach and follow-up to comply with health and safety mandates that required us all to remain physically isolated from each other.
  • We endured significant periods of panic, uncertainty, and confusion as we waited for the “return flight plan” from headquarters to come before running out of oxygen.

Looking back now on those flashes of hopelessness we are reminded of the power of the human spirit and our tremendous resiliency. With vaccines gaining significant momentum we are now feeling the sense of relief that our “heat shield” has survived the intense impact of re-entry and we’ve landed safely in the ocean and preparing to return to mission control.

We know that when we must, we can mobilize very quickly. When we are not marred in regulation, bureaucracy and political power struggles we can get things done and achieve incredible feats just because they are best to serve students and staff.

We have learned many things that will help us going forward as we enter a new “normal” that in many respects, we will never be the same as we were pre-pandemic. It is exciting to be part of shaping this new future that now must address challenges like increasing statewide access to quality internet/broadband, continuing use of remote communication modalities for things like counselor/advisor appointments, small-group office hours, extended learning opportunities, tutorials and just about any other engagement that we previously limited to face-to-face experiences.

Finally, we have learned much about providing higher quality instruction. We’ve learned how to enhance virtual learning and build a sense of community among online classes. We better understand the individual needs of learners and how to differentiate instruction to meet these needs. We know how to cultivate virtual study groups and build relationships among students in a virtual setting.

This fall semester offers us the most exciting opportunity in a generation, to be the leaders who will shape a new course for higher education in California community colleges. Many recount the Apollo 13 mission as an historic failure where others consider it NASA’s finest hour.

I tend to agree with latter and as we look to the future of community colleges, remember beneath all the red tape, mandates, equity plans and pathways, in California community colleges we are doing our own little share of God’s work, and there is no purpose more destined to succeed!

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